Religious women lost prophetic place, but can regain relevance, Gen X nun says

“We are on the verge of extinction, not because of some cataclysmic event, but because for the last 30 years or so, we have slowly removed ourselves from church circles, and have failed to recognize when we were no longer needed as a work force, that perhaps the spirit had a new call for us.”

That quote is from Sr. Laurie Brink who spoke at the LCWR Assembly, that is the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of mostly old nuns who for the most part gave up being Catholic nuns years ago. Sr. Brink spoke positively about a group of former nuns who left the Catholic Church, which is all you need to know about her and this assembly.

This group is not to be confused with the younger, more orthodox group, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. See this post at The Cafeteria if Closed for a brief shot of both groups.

A great post on immigration at Relapsed Catholic

I believe there is a serious problem with immigrants today committing crimes, as anyone who follows the news can see. But the immigrants of old (Italians, Irish and Jewish) were probably worse. The "discrimination" they faced was exaggerated, and probably based on their own bad behavior. I have often said that if I met my ancestors, I would probably not like them and they would not like me. People who are uneducated, whether immigrants or not, often exhibit nasty and self destructive behaviours and are very insecure, leading them to be full of hate. They always blame others for their own problems as well. The problem years ago and today, is not with immigration, it is with the uneducated. The solution is for all to become as educated as their abilities will allow. Higher education must be made more affordable and all parents must value education highly. And everyone must understand that crime, especially violent crime, must not be tolerated.