Nuns With Good Habits: Crossing the Tiber Edition

This is going to be a slightly different type of post. Why? Because these Nuns are not quite yet Catholic & won't be until 3 September 2009. As of now, they are still technically Episcopalian. But, on next Thursday 10 members of the Society of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor will be welcomed by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, Archdiocese of Baltimore. During a Mass in the chapel of their Catonsville convent the Archbishop will administer sacrament of confirmation and the sisters renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. (Shown in the picture at the upper right are Mother Christina Christie (left), Sister Mary Joan Walker & Sister Emily Ann Lindsey.)

According to an article in the Catholic Review (10 Episcopal nuns in Archdiocese of Baltimore to join Catholic Church ) "Orthodoxy and unity were key reasons the sisters were attracted to the Catholic faith. Many of them were troubled by the Episcopal Church’s approval of women’s ordination, the ordination of a gay bishop and what they regarded as lax stances on moral issues."

According to Mother Christina: "People who did not know us looked at us as if we were in agreement with what had been going on (in the Episcopal Church). By staying put and not doing anything, we were sending a message which was not correct.”

Like many others from the Episcopal Church who have joined the Catholic Church "the sisters have received permission from the archbishop to attend Mass celebrated in the Anglican-use rite – a liturgy that adapts many of the prayers from the Episcopal tradition. Mother Christina said 10 archdiocesan priests, including Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden, have stepped forward to learn how to celebrate the Anglican-use Mass." (Approved by Pope John Paul II in 1980) In addition to the Mass they have the six-fold Divine Office & times of personal prayer.

The All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor was founded in England & came to Baltimore in 1872. They became became an independent House in 1890. They have been at their current location since 1917. Besides their "rigorous daily prayer regimen, the sisters offer religious retreats, visit people in hospice care and maintain a Scriptorium where they design religious cards to inspire others in the faith."

1 of the goals of the group is to be recognized as a "diocesan institute". (an institute of religious men or women who take vows and live in community and they are overseen directly by the diocesan bishop) While they will maintain ownership of their 88 acres of property in Catonsville after they enter the church it is yet to be determined if they will retain their same name. This will all be determined through the Vatican.

Given the view of the Papacy that many people who call themselves Catholic have these days, their view is quite refreshing. "The sisters expressed deep affection for Pope Benedict XVI. The pope exercises an authority that Episcopal leaders do not, they said. The unity that Christ called for can be found in the Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope, they said."

"The sisters noted with a laugh that their love for the pope is evident in the name they chose for their recently adopted cat, 'Benedict XVII' – a feline friend they lovingly call 'His Furyness.'”

As you can see from the picture they wear full habits with black veils & white wimples that cover their heads. Members of the community range in age from 59 to 94. I highly suspect that with their joining the Church they may soon see some new vocations.

Clearly their journey has not been easy. It has taken them 7 years to reach this point. "Before deciding to enter the Catholic Church, the sisters had explored Episcopal splinter groups and other Christian denominations. Mother Christina noted that the sisters had independently contemplated joining the Catholic Church without the others knowing. When they found out that most of them were considering the same move, they took it as a sign from God and reached out to Archbishop O’Brien."

Their chaplain, Episcopal Father Warren Tanghe, will also be received into the church at that Mass. He is discerning the possibility of becoming a Catholic priest.

You can also see a slide show of the sisters here.

H/T Fr. Z @ What Does the Prayer Really Say (True ecumenism )