The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) received a harsh statement from the Vatican in April 2012 charging the organization with doctrinal and pastoral error that were "grave and a matter of serious concern." This organization representing 80 percent of Catholic women religious in the United States immediately was deluged with encouragement and support for their selfless service in a variety of callings.

This paperback brings together ten presidential addresses from LCWR's annual assemblies from 1977 when Sister Joan Chittister spoke of changing models of religious life through Sister Pat Farrell's speech at the monumental 2012 gathering where she delivered her reactions to the Vatican's authoritarian and critical document. In an inspirational ending, she says: "They can crush a few flowers, but they can't hold back the springtime." We also were taken with Marlenne Weisenbeck's salute to the "holy energies" of prophets, artists, healers, and lovers. Equally challenging is Doris Gottemoeller's "Befriending the Wind."

This resource only reconfirms our admiration for women religious and the astonishing work they do.

Going Deeper

We have always marveled at the grand and wonderful work being done by Catholic nuns in the United States. Their faith, devotion, service, and pursuit of justice warms our hearts. Pope John XIII (pope from 1958 - 1963) opened the windows and created new possibilities for women religious. Given the chance to work outside the cloister and leave behind their habits, many energetic nuns took to the streets to participate in the tumultuous events of the 1960s — civil rights demonstrations, anti-Vietnam protests, and the emergent Women's Lib movement. Their activism has continued to this day.

Band of Sisters is a documentary, available on DVD for educational use, that reveals the depth of commitment of nuns to a wide variety of callings. Producer and director Mary Fishman has chosen a fascinating and eclectic band of sisters who demonstrate an amalgamation of contemplation and social activism. "We are the risk-takers in the church," says one of them, and she is right. Despite the roadblocks set up by the government, by the military, and conservatives in the Vatican, these resilient nuns keep on with their varied ministries doing the best they can to mend this weary world. Right now these sisters are the heart and soul of the Catholic Church in America.