Customer Reviews

Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women's Religious Communities

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Ann Carey has expended a great deal of effort in writing a book that is a fair history of the "unraveling of women's religious communities" in the United States. Her attempts at fairness leads her to use "change oriented" in place of 'liberal" and "traditonal" in place of "conservative". (p. 9). Further, Ann Carey does not describe as a catastrophe (as I would!) the "88% drop in just 30 years" of the number of teaching sisters in Catholic Schools, nor does she attribute it to a change in vocation from "selflessnes: to selfishness", but she does quote, "Many sisters flet that their time would be better spent working with adults or children who were not enrolled in Catholic schools". (p. 33) The women's religious institutes "...lost their corporate identity" when they opted for "...occupational diversity". (p. 167) In another example of understatement, Ms Carey wonders if these institutes could be taxed on their profits. Selling of convents bought by the donations of the laity, competing with the laity in the work forces, not wearing habits despite the express wishes of the Pope and a collection of other incidents are recorded. Finally, Ms. Carey writes a prescription for dealing with Religious who are "procceding down the path of self-destruciton": "... the best way to deal with these sisters is simply to allow them and their institutes to die out quietly..." p. 324. I purchsed this book... for use in my MA Thesis in History, and Ms. Carey has filled a large hole in recent history, which is so often writen about the bishops, presidents and large scale events, rather than how these events affect the daily routine of the sisters and of the laity. In rejecting their vows, in not wearing their habits, in competing in the work force and in the political arena, the "new nuns" have become just like the rest of the lay people. The "new nuns" are off their pedestals and are no better, and perhaps worse, than the remainder of the laity. Ann Carey's book, "Sisters in Criisis", goes a long way towards explaining what happened and how it happened. I would recommend it to both the general reader and to the Historian.

John Peter Rooney, Plymouth, Massachusetts (For the record,I have had sixteen years of Catholic education, from grammar school through the only Catholic Engineering college in NYC.)

This is by far the finest and best-documented study of the collapse of the Catholic orders of religious women in the postconciliar period. The author provides immense documentation (much taken from original archival sources) to illustrate how these orders collapsed when they pursued a path of renewal that clearly contradicted the documents of Vatican II and the postconciliar directions indicated by the Vatican. It may seem superficial, but the decision to abandon the habit, communal prayer, corporate apostolate, and the convent has spelled death for many of these orders. And the bitter New Age theology (often tinged by anti-Catholicism) adopted by some of these groups only indicates the spiritual depth of this suicide.

The story is painful to read, but Carey documents how one once-vigorous order after another chose the path of self-destruction. And the treatment of nuns who wanted to follow the authentic path of renewal remains a scandal.

The book is weaker when it tries to get at the causes of the decadence of religious orders. I'm not so sure that the "elites" of LCWR were really that much different from the average nun back in the school or the hospital. I also don't think that the key Church documents on reform of religious life were somehow hidden from nuns. Most of these documents were published in the local diocesan paper or could be easily picked up (at modest cost) from a Catholic bookstore. Many nuns simply chose to move in a different direction---and they and the church are immensely poorer for it.

After I read Carey's work, I finally understood why the majority of nun's communities were marching toward extinction. Whenever there is an article in a periodical about the decline in vocations, religious are quick to claim that their numbers are declining because "society has changed and there are more opportunities for women" or "young people are more materialistic and do not want to make sacrifices." At no time does one hear them admit that the reason they no longer attract new members is because they have lost their communal and distinctive identities and life style. Surprisingly, there are orders of nuns in 2003 who have retained the essentials of religious life (communal prayer, religious garb, community life and a corporate apostolate) and they are thriving. These are the women who will lead the people of God into the next century.

Ann Carey deserves much credit for this carefully researched work on the crisis in female religious life in the USA. The statistics presented are sobering. The dramatic decline of teaching sisters from 104,000 in 1965 to fewer than 13,000 in 1995 is a major turn of events in US Catholic history. With the skill of a seasoned journalist, Ann Carey explores the reasons behind this 88% drop in just 30 years. While Vatican II called for an appropriate renewal of religious life, many religious congregations embraced forms of experimentation that were sincere but ill-conceived. Some went even farther and began to manifest open resistance to ecclesiatic authority. For those who are trying to understand the sources of conflict in the post-Vatican II Church, this book is highly recommended.

Last evening (10/16/09), I caught several minutes of a Raymond Arroyo interview on my car radio. I recognized Ann Carey as the interviewee, long before I heard her name. Now 12 years old, "Sisters in Crisis" remains a scholarly, fascinating, and disturbing work. Even those who disagree with Ms. Carey's interpretations will have to be impressed by her scholarship.

As per a 2/15/09 piece by Ms. Carey, "The Vatican has launched an unprecedented examination of 'quality of [religious] life' in women's orders in the United States....The visitation's website cites the changes in apostolic works of U.S. women Religious, as well as their aging population and declining membership -- down to 59,000 from a high of about 180,000 in 1965. The visitation does not include cloistered, contemplative orders....The news came just weeks after the release of a report on an unrelated apostolic visitation of U.S. seminaries that had been prompted by the clerical sex abuse scandal....Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, talked about the Vatican's concerns for U.S. religious life last fall....'The history of the Church in the United States of America is rich with the contributions of consecrated men and women who have left an indelible mark on the culture'....'Despite this past greatness and present vitality'....'we know -- and it is one of the major reasons we are gathered here today -- that all is not well with religious life in America'" (Ann Carey, Vatican launches assessment of U.S. women's religious orders, Our Sunday Visitor, 2/15/09).

As to why there would be questioning of this Vatican examination - particularly in the secular press - I am at a loss. Aren't there secular management emphases on evaluations, re-evaluations, and improvement?

Anne Carey's exploration of such areas as the conditions which Sisters faced in previous decades, the LCWR beginnings, and the total confusion in which many communities found themselves is extensive and solid. For example, one can see the dilemma which many congregations faced when they sought to educate their Sisters for apostolic work. She does not glorify the "old" ways of convent life, and offers a quite vivid picture of how renewal, in many areas, went awry. There is a pleasing tone of compassion and respect as well as thorough reporting.

Though some of the material in this book would rate five stars for depth and accuracy, Mrs Carey loses her journalistic detachment somewhere along the way, and becomes something of an apologist for fidelity to the magisterium. (For the record, I am neither a feminist nor one who sees no value in teaching authority.) It would be totally inaccurate to imply that conservative religious congregations are thriving - in fact, one community which is praised for its fidelity had only one novice, where there are particular "change oriented" groups which have a higher count. There is no attention to the problems which certain communities, seeking to return to "old ways" in order to attract candidates, created for themselves. It would have been helpful if, for example, approaches to prayer, spirituality and the vows, were explored, rather than solely fidelity to Vatican documents.

In a few cases, Mrs Carey (doubtless unintentionally) provides comments from Sisters which are intended to point out deficiencies, yet have another effect. For example, she references one Sister who cannot manage to say her prayers unless she rises at 5, but who finds she sleeps in unless the bell calls everyone to rising at that hour. Obviously intended to show how critical common prayer is, this example makes the Sister seem very childish.

Devastating though New Age and related practises are to the spiritual life, it would be highly inaccurate to imply that Sisters who disagree with the Vatican on points about common life and religious garb necessarily have fallen from the faith or commitment to their consecrated life. Sisters who have fallen into such practises are a definite minority!

It is an interesting book, with well developed sections and strong historical significance in many areas. However, it comes across as biased and naive in others.

Unless I missed it, the only thing I found wanting in this excellent history is the answer to the question as to why "change-oriented" sisters would join a tradition-oriented organization to begin with, and then gripe about it. No one held a gun to any woman's head and said, "Put on that habit and take the vows." One of their biggest complaints is that the Catholic Church is a male-dominated organization. Well, helloo-oo. That's, like, kinda obvious even to the most casual observer.

Like other dissidents today, the "change-oriented" sisters want to practice what I call the Gospel in reverse. Jesus told his followers, "Go forth into the world and preach the Gospel, teaching them as I have taught you." He did NOT say, "Go out into the world, find out what the secular, liberal "in" thought of the day is, and bring it back into my church."

If living in a matriarchy or the secular life is so important to a woman, why would she take the vows of a religious order ruled by a patriarchy? As Cosby would say, sounds like brain damage. As though it were needed, further proof of this cranial malfunction is the fact that they succumbed to Leftist ideology, as evidenced by their participation in liberal political causes.

The author, Ann Carey, made a difficult subject both interesting and easy to understand. Her deep conviction to telling the stories of the Sisters was respectful and informative. She shows respect for decisions even though difficult to do so. She allows the reader to develop an indepth understanding of the tragedy of the disappearance of Catholic Nuns in this country. The research and time in doing so must have been challenging, but Carey accomplished what she intended by giving the reader an indepth and inside view of all the political elements that went into the collapse of the Women's Religious Life. I found myself wanting to follow this history and see what the future holds and if things can and will change. I believe those who grew up in Catholic schools will find this book most interesting and who knows, you may even recognize the name of one of the Sisters who so willingly gave of themself to teach you!

This book gives a detailed explanation of the difference between traditional Catholic Sisters and those who have updated their lives and works according to Vatican II recommendations. Public documents are quoted at length, but the writer's use of private communications as well as her own "take" on those Sisters who have changed their lifestyles are often unsupported.

While Carey is certainly entitled to her views, the book would have more substance if the style were academic and her language a little less restrained in discussing groups whose actions reflect a worldview quite different from her own.

I had been looking forward to reading this book because of research I'm doing on a related topic. I'm not a Catholic and certainly not a nun but I am definitely a Christian and interested in how the Good News intertwines with American history.

I was so disappointed in Ms. Carey's approach that I felt downright cheated as a reader. As another reviewer notes, Ms. Carey looses her journalist perspective in this book...if there ever was any, I would add. Certainly by page 15, last sentence of the second paragraph, it is gone entirely. Too bad, because she has done respectable research. I wondered who was paying for the book since the slantedness is so pronounced. The tragedy for the reader is that the more complete, compelling and difficult truths are washed out in easy-to-swallow platitudes.

The section on the Sister Survey has tremendous 'meat' in it, and Carey should be commended for bringing data forward. She fails, however, to put a context on the data beyond "he said/she said" and leaves the reader to pick up on all the well-placed inferences from previous chapters. In short, there is no in-depth thinking and, as another reviewer points out, she reveals clear personal contempt for the 'change-sisters' as a basis for those conclusions she does draw.

For me, the most significant shortcoming of the work is the lack of adequate consideration to what was happening TO the sisters, to the church as a whole in the U.S. (its overall relationship to European mothershouses and even to Rome) and to the communities that the sisters had been serving. Significant poltical, economic and social upheavals in the post WWII America cannot simply be wisked away as 'new age' stuff. It is inconceivable that these upheavals failed to act upon the individual and the community characteristics of religious women any less than they left their mark on Americans as a whole...where/how we lived, our values, our music, our hopes or lack thereof. The notion that the decline of religious sisters' groups is due to internal struggles between persuasive 'change sisters' and apparently passive 'traditional sisters', albeit sparked by Vatican II, is so naive as to be stunning. Yet, that is the message that Ms. Carey brings home more than once.

Even viewed with the narrow inward-looking perspective that dominates the book, no serious consideration was given to the problem of how women religious communities were faring economically, what had caused their economic crises and the impact that community economics had on the outlook of the sisters. Blaming the dilemmas on changing from traditional habit to secular clothes is not a sufficiently comprehensive answer for me.

One psychologist (not a reveiwer) has suggested that one of the possible reasons why social justice was of such interest to many of the 'new' sisters is because their own situation was so unjust. Delve into the on/again-off/again -- mostly WAY off -- support provided to women religious vs priests in some diocesan areas and one wonders how justice was served at all. Clearly that's a whole book unto itself.

Finally, Ms. Carey's work seems to belie a preference for Euro-dominated orders as the ideal - although never stated like that. If that is correct, then it helps make some sense of why 'change sisters' are so abhorent in her view. Sort of like some British still preferring to think of us as 'the colonies.'

Not coming from that tradition, I'd have to say that I don't share her notion. I feel that Ms. Carey put together a goodly amount of data and then proceded to count the trees instead of seeing the forest or well beyond.