Women Religious in the Diocese of La Crosse

With all the news of the Apostolic Visitation that is going on, I thought it might be interesting to see what the state of women religious life was in the Diocese of La Crosse.

Religious orders of women in the United States belong primarily to two groups 1)  Leadership Conference of Women Religious which makes up about 80% of religious in the US and 2) The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious which makes up the other 20%.  If you view the two websites, it easy to understand the difference between the two.  Also, it can be said that although a community has an affiliation, that it may not necessarily adhere to certain dissenting positions that a group holds. 

Hat tip to American Papist for this info.  Also some good comments in his article on the numbers. 

447 religious sisters belong mainly to two large religious orders
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration - La Crosse
Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis - Stevens Point

Other orders in the diocese are:
Benedictines of Saint Bede Monastery - Eau Claire
Franciscan Sisters of the Martyrs of St. George - La Crosse
The Monastic Fraternity of Nazareth (Institute of St. Joseph) -  Tilden
Hermits - The diocese's current director of consecrated life, Sister M. Stephania Newell of the Alton, Illinois-based Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr Saint George said there are five hermits living in the diocese. source

The La Crosse Diocese also has consecrated virgin.

I may be missing some.  Please contact me or comment on this post if you know of some I am missing.  I will continue to update this. 

The first two orders listed are LCWR.  Specifically the FSPA members in La Crosse have been know to perform Reiki(Buddhist healing method) at Franciscan Skemp in La Crosse, which the US Bishops have specifically forbid.

Since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy.

-USCCB Statement on Reiki (pdf)

This is exactly the type of shenanigans that the Apostolic Visitation is hoping to uncover and correct.  Now there are many orders and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious who are expressing dissent toward the Visitation. 

I have not seen any orders in the diocese condemn the Apostolic Visitation which is underway(indeed, there are some great religious in the diocese), nor have I seen any statements about whether or not they disapprove of the visitation.  I did find the La Crosse Tribune opined about the Visitation in August 2009, so I can only assume this was in reference to the FSPA in La Crosse(who else could it apply to). 

So it seems that some major religious orders in the diocese are suffering from a lack of catechesis and leadership.  This is not uncommon of many religious orders currently in the US.  May we pray for them and their continued renewal in Jesus Christ.