How Catholic Nuns Shaped America

I have no doubt the nuns have done and incredible good for the United States. And I have not doubt that the Vatican inquiry will do good as well. The gradeschool I attended in Seattle had an attached convent. The school over the last 4 to 5 decades has gone from being fully staffed by nuns, to fully staffed by lay teachers. The convent is empty. There does appear to be a crisis in vocational formation which needs study and scrutiny. I wish the convent at my gradeschool to be once again staffed by nuns. With regards to the history of the nuns service to our country, this might make a great topic for a book. I know a book was written on the order of Franciscan nuns from Wisconsin that staffed by parent's school in Bozeman Montana. My parents have forever praised the education they received. At some point, it would be neat to have a history written of the world since the death of Jesus that focuses on the saints' lives and how they affected history. Which saints were living at the time of Charlemagne, and in which countries. How did history depend on them?

I spent 16 years in Catholic Schools, and yes, there were abusive cranky nuns who had their favorites. But they were different times, and there were many teachers in the public schools who were the same unfortunately. When I graduated from Catholic high school in the 60's, Catholics - men or women - were not really welcome at Ivy League schools unless you had a lot of money or political connections. Most of my class went to Catholic women's colleges where we were taught by brilliant nuns. Because of these colleges, we have a whole class of educated teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, politicians who have contributed to American society. These were second and third generation Americans. Bravo to these colleges, and the nuns who started them! It is a sign of our times that these women's colleges have closed or gone co-ed as we are now able to send our own children to the colleges that did not welcome us 50 years ago!

I am 73 years old, haven't been Catholic for 55 years. But my dad was the wisest, smartest, kindest, strongest dad there was and he was raised by the sisters at St Vincent de Paul. They were very strict, which made my dad obedient to laws, pushed the acasemics, which is why dad was a custodian at 16 and a stock broker at 50, and were loving, which enabled my dad to also be loving. He was, and I am, grateful to the wonderful nuns that raised my orphaned dad!

Just Keeping it Real, thank you!! You sum it up beautifully. There is a reason the Church's doctrinal teachings (as opposed to disciplines) have remained unchanged for 2,000 years. Despite the fact that sisters have contributed immeasurably to the develpment of our country, that is simply not the issue at stake. The Church must investigate any heresy within Her ranks. Unfortunately, sisters in some orders, even teaching orders, have embraced a "design-it-yourself" theology. This is dishonest, at best. At worst, it is scandalous if those same sisters teaching in Catholic schools distort the teachings of the Church. It is very telling to see new, young, faithfully orthodox Catholic orders of nuns springing up. The Holy Spirit is at work in bringing about a New Springtime of Faith.

The Catholic Church is one, holy, universal, and apostolic. Every day the Catholic Church feeds more people, educates more people, takes care of more sick people, houses more people, clothes more people, and visits more imprisoned people than any organization on earth could ever hope to. The Church is the body of Christ. There is no salvation outside the Church because the Church is Christ, here among us, throughout the nations and the centuries.

I would love to see the exhibit, particularly for the presentation of religious life prior to the Second Vatican Council! It is so sad and tragic what we have lost since then (far sadder than the reality of yet one more uninformed and overly zealous reporter). Praise to God for the Vatican inquiry into religious life in America! Thanks to organizations like the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, religious life has been altered to the point of near destruction in our spiritually starved nation. The group has major doctrinal problems and is a major obstacle to restoration of the vibrant religious life that we once witnessed in this nation (which is why their exhibit is supremely ironic). One need only see that the members therein do not wear traditional habits, yet many nuns in America do to know that they do not represent religious life in America. The images in this story do not tell the whole truth. Go to their Web site and you will see - no habits, all about social justice, little about Christ, nothing about love for the teachings of the Catholic faith. Being Catholic presupposes a certain love for and obedience towards the structure of the Church, and even more so for religious who take vows of obedience. Yet this group often has a biting (and quite scandalous) hostility toward the structure of the Church. I am immensely grateful for the Vatican inquiry, I only wish it had happened about 25 years ago!

May I share my own nun story - Nuns have moved from convents, and they make the best neighbors! When I was in my twenties, I moved to a lovely area in the city bordering the botanical garden. There were two apartments in the building, I was on the top floor, and the sisters were on the first floor. They were highly educated and interesting, one was a nurse, who is now a midwife in Central America. The other was a teacher in one of the Catholic High Schools in the city. I guess my parents were pretty protective of me (life in the big city!), when they asked about my neighbors - they were relieved to find two nuns living underneath me! Convents basically ran out of nuns to support keeping convents open. My dear neighbors enjoyed more independence, it didn't mean they weren't devoted to their faith and service. Cheers to the nuns!!!

All of the history of nuns in America is truly amazing, full of hard work and courage, and uplifting of the Faith. However, many nuns of today have lost touch with that past courage when in the face of the secular world, have fallen into the modernism that is so dangerous. Some religious orders work tirelessly for the sick and dying in hospitals, but on the side have found more interest in so called social issues, including promoting the gay agenda, same sex marriage, supporting the feminist hope for women priests, and finding fulfillment in the "new age" realm. Our Church which has not at it's core wavered from the truth on the important "issues" is not held up by these women, but rather brought to confusion and contradiction.

I attended catholic school for the first three years of my schooling in the fifties. I had a very bad speech impediment. My first grade teacher a nun was a speech therapist also. This remember was in the early fifties. This had to be God's hand at work. She worked with me and except for a very slight impediment she got me to speak normally. I am know as a good speaker today and teach and sometimes preach at my church. While I attend a protestant church, I am most likely a jewel in some old nun's crown.

Too bad so many nuns were allowed to abuse children back in the fifties. Many people I know had trauma and fear as part of their daily education......kids bonded and used coping skills... as many were afraid to report abuse to their parents, for fear of further abuse. Yrs ago, corporal punishment was used alot more by the schools, and probrably at home too....Enlightened parents stood up to the Church.........but many did not. They were also raised to fear those representing the CHURCH. BUT there were likely many kindhearted nuns So sad, as Mother Theresa was a role model....but so many nuns were sick and punitive.. and not supervised. SO if you had some kind nuns in your life, give thanks.

Ms. MacDonald is oddly critical of a New York Times article which she never really contradicts and whose subject matter she never bothers to explore. Rather, she seems to be making a clumsy effort to change the subject from a serious doctrinal dispute to a list of praiseworthy accomplishments by American nuns. God forbid that Fox news would do serious reporting on an important religious controversy involving the relationship between nuns and the Vatican. Far easier to do a feel-good piece about "bravery and derringdo (sic)".

Finally, someone gets it! The Sisters have always been the underdogs of the Church, yet have contributed enormously to society in general. The generosity of religious Sisters is unbelievable, in my view. Hurray for you!

Absolutely, the "brides of Christ" throughout the ages are to be commended for the hard work they did solely for love of Him Who created all of us, and for His people. This despite the fact that they were not always totally in command of the religion that they taught us, or that there were a few occasional members who were not fit for their assignments. I do want to take exception to the statement that "Catholic priests have committed ... criminal acts ... Every last one of them should be put on trial and, if found guilty, thrown in jail." As with the nuns, there were a few occasional members who were not fit for that vocation. Under no circumstances should anyone say that every last Catholic priest should be put on trial. That spoils this entire article for me.

Pat P - We were saying the exact same thing just this morning, talking about the dedicated sisters who taught us in the 50s-60s, and taught us well, suffering in those long black habits. It seemed the sisters did all the grunt work. Never got any praise or appreciation like the priests did. (No scandals either.) Think we'll ever see the Year of the Nun?. Doubt it. At my church we don't even pray for vocations to the religious life, only for priestly vocations.