Vatican II at 50 - Those Habit-Forming Nuns
I recently received a note on facebook from a former elementary school teacher. Sister Vivian was not only instrumental in helping me learn to read and write, but also in shaping my view of the world. Like many sisters, Vivian experienced the changes brought on by the Second Vatican Council. For most nuns that meant turning from a life that was predictable and orderly to embrace a world that was anything but. Not all sisters embraced the newfound freedoms inherent in Vatican II. In fact, many left. But many chose to stay, some of whom surrendered their habits--making a habit out of social justice. The rationale for this can be found in a Vatican II document called Perfectae Caritatis, or the “Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life.”
The missionary spirit must under all circumstances be preserved in religious communities. It should be adapted, accordingly, as the nature of each community permits, to modern conditions so that the preaching of the Gospel may be carried out more effectively in every nation. #20
American nuns have gotten a bad rap lately, between the Vatican’s apostolic visitation of communities of nuns in the U.S. and the subsequent discipline on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Still, they keep going--much like the early apostles we are hearing about in this Easter season, who carried on despite hardships and hurdles. The nuns resemble the women at the empty tomb, unafraid to ‘run with the news’ of hope and resurrection. They are on a mission of love, and nothing can stop them. Amen!
