Tip of the hat to Vox Nova for leading me to this article Buzzworthy Sisters in Habits Headed to Va. School which appeared in the Washington Post this past Sunday. It is a must read and again shows how much this Vocation crisis is self inflicted. I have some personal insight on this order out of Nashville because I knew the Mother Superior of it quite well. They do more than schools. The retirement Home they run in Mobile Alabama that I have been too several times is just lovely. I can't say enough about this article.
The Secret. Well there is no secret. What they do is not Rocket Science. I have seen this first hand. The article tells us in part:
The Nashville Dominicans stick out even within the traditional group because their identity has been so solid, said Michael Wick, executive director of the Institute on Religious Life, which is affiliated with the conservative Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. They have never veered from teaching, and they move to new cities in groups so they can stick to their schedule: wake at the same time, pray and chant together three times a day, meditate together, eat together in silence. Their reputation is of being upbeat and young; promotional material shows them playing soccer and walking on the beach.
"They have always been clear as to what their identity is as a community and how it's expressed. If you diversify your ministry so much, it's hard to say what your community does," Wick said. "And young attracts young. I think other [traditional orders] are learning from them.
Very Good read
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