New Book Articulates Vision of the CMSWR
4/30/2009 - 6:55 AM PST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire
Notre Dame, IN (APRIL 30, 2009) - Alarmed by decreasing numbers of women who pursue a religious vocation, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has sent a Vatican visitation to America in order to assess “the quality of life” for women religious in the U.S.
“I know that the object of this visitation is to encourage and strengthen apostolic communities of women religious, for the simple reason that these communities are integral to the entire life of the Catholic Church, in the United States and beyond,” says Mother Mary Clare Millea, the appointed apostolic visitor.
Simultaneous with this Vatican visitation is a doctrinal investigation into the Leadership Conference of Women Religious by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Whereas the former is aimed at understanding the sharp decline in the number of American women who choose a vocation, the latter seeks to “undertake in the coming months a study regarding doctrinal problems that have presented themselves in the area of female religious life in the United States,” according to Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, who is to conduct the assessment at the direction of Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the doctrinal congregation.
While distinct in their purposes, both events are tied to a similar twofold question: What exactly did the documents of Vatican II intend to say about the nature and purpose of religious life, and is this vision being carried forth by American women religious?
In timely response to this question, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious will release The Foundations of Religious Life: Revisiting the Vision on May 16, 2009. In this collection of foundational articles, the CMSWR articulates how its perspective is in keeping with the vision set forth by Vatican II, suggesting that its commitment to a more visibly countercultural life and ministry is what sustains its orders and attracts young women to the CMSWR communities.
The religious communities of the CMSWR have maintained the historical form of religious life, with sisters living in community and wearing the habit. While many religious orders are currently facing marked decline in novitiates and the aging of their members, the communities of the CMSWR are experiencing growth on a worldwide scale.
To request review copies of The Foundations of Religious Life, or to interview a member of CMSWR leadership on her view of religious life, contact:
Amanda Williams
Publicist
Ave Maria Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Awilli21@nd.edu
800.282.1865 x 206
www.avemariapress.com
A Ministry of the Indiana Province of Holy Cross
4/30/2009 - 6:55 AM PST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire
Notre Dame, IN (APRIL 30, 2009) - Alarmed by decreasing numbers of women who pursue a religious vocation, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has sent a Vatican visitation to America in order to assess “the quality of life” for women religious in the U.S.
“I know that the object of this visitation is to encourage and strengthen apostolic communities of women religious, for the simple reason that these communities are integral to the entire life of the Catholic Church, in the United States and beyond,” says Mother Mary Clare Millea, the appointed apostolic visitor.
Simultaneous with this Vatican visitation is a doctrinal investigation into the Leadership Conference of Women Religious by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Whereas the former is aimed at understanding the sharp decline in the number of American women who choose a vocation, the latter seeks to “undertake in the coming months a study regarding doctrinal problems that have presented themselves in the area of female religious life in the United States,” according to Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, who is to conduct the assessment at the direction of Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the doctrinal congregation.
While distinct in their purposes, both events are tied to a similar twofold question: What exactly did the documents of Vatican II intend to say about the nature and purpose of religious life, and is this vision being carried forth by American women religious?
In timely response to this question, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious will release The Foundations of Religious Life: Revisiting the Vision on May 16, 2009. In this collection of foundational articles, the CMSWR articulates how its perspective is in keeping with the vision set forth by Vatican II, suggesting that its commitment to a more visibly countercultural life and ministry is what sustains its orders and attracts young women to the CMSWR communities.
The religious communities of the CMSWR have maintained the historical form of religious life, with sisters living in community and wearing the habit. While many religious orders are currently facing marked decline in novitiates and the aging of their members, the communities of the CMSWR are experiencing growth on a worldwide scale.
To request review copies of The Foundations of Religious Life, or to interview a member of CMSWR leadership on her view of religious life, contact:
Amanda Williams
Publicist
Ave Maria Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Awilli21@nd.edu
800.282.1865 x 206
www.avemariapress.com
A Ministry of the Indiana Province of Holy Cross
