Elizabeth from Laetificat Madison attended
I and a friend attended a Sunday, Jan 13, 2013 premier showing of the new documentary film about liberal religious sisters, Band of Sisters at Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.continue at Laetificat Madison
The film centers on some liberal women religious who are former heads of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, NETWORK progressive political lobby, and some of their friends. Featured in the film: Reiki, “women’s ordination”, animals, plants, rocks and air have rights from the same source as humans have rights and one species shouldn’t be privileged over others, “the whole earth is a manifestation of God”, and the Sisters’ new cosmology apparently doesn’t have a heaven and hell anymore. Jesus is hardly mentioned. The film also shows one or two of their ministries that seem good. But so many of the beliefs highlighted aren’t those of the Catholic Church, and some of the Sisters in the film are key dissident figures, like Sr Theresa Kane in regards to “women’s ordination” and Sr Jeannine Grammick in regards to homosexual behavior. There’s no narration but it does present a certain angle on the story of American women religious and obviously a heavy concentration on some in leadership roles who hold dissenting views.
Although there wasn’t actually a standing ovation, the film was warmly praised by other attendees. I heard Sinsinawa Dominicans say: “I wonder if she went in the Academy Awards for best documentary!” “I saw so many people I knew, it’s like a reunion!” “The film was true to my lived experience. We’ve been part of something growing like yeast, we’ve been on a trajectory. You [filmmaker Mary Fishman] did it the best I’ve ever seen.” In talking with several Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters after the showing, I was sad not to find one who believed, for instance, the infallible Catholic teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.
Photo
10 comments:
Why is there a picture of Sr Donna Quinn when she is not in the movie and the photo (unattributed) is also not part of the film?
The photo is attributed at the end of the article. Follow the link. She is a Sinsinawa Dominican who assisted women to get abortions. Later her superior found "her actions are in violation of her profession as a Dominican religious."
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-11-04/news/0911030573_1_abortion-rights-american-nuns-abortion-clinics
The photo is included since Sinsinawa has a poor record for defense of those most in need. The NETWORK lobby group who created the film also supports abortion rights.
Clearly Sr Nancy Sylvester, the primary Sister who was involved in creating the film with director Mary Fishman and is on camera quite a bit, is a former NETWORK Lobby director (and former LCWR president). And others also have these same connections. But I do not find clear evidence that "NETWORK Lobby is specifically the group that created this", do you have more info Badger Catholic or is it an educated guess? I cannot doubt, of course, that Sr Simone Campbell and NETWORK Lobby DO support the film!
Ah, I see. Sorry, originally when I posted this I looked at the sisters that were featured, and only 2 of the 8 are NETWORK people. I had thought the majority of the sisters were at that time.
It could be that they are connected with NETWORK but I don't know. Director Mary Fishman tells some at this link: http://mercysisters.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/band-of-sisters-2/ about making the film, and says "Through a friend whose aunt is a Monroe IHM, I got introduced to Nancy Sylvester, IHM, a former national director of NETWORK and former head of LCWR. Nancy then brought in three of her friends, Margaret Galiardi, OP, Carol Coston, OP, and Mary Daniel Turner, SND, to be a focus group through a couple of conference calls, helping me set the scope and direction of the project early on. Among many wonderful observations about the work of U.S. women religious for social justice over the past 50 years, they stressed the idea that contemplation is essential in a life of activism. [new paragraph] This group also introduced me to the universe story, and how it was impacting the spirituality and mission of many women’s congregations."
About Sr Donna Quinn, actually I asked a Sister about her when I was there because recently she was in the news calling for "gay marriage" in IL. I was asking the Sister if she had any knowledge of whether Sr Donna might have been asked not to do that--I know she was publicly corrected after the abortion escort affair. This Sister was not any kind of spokesperson but had no knowledge of Sr Donna being corrected about her same-sex "marriage" advocacy. She emphasized Sr Donna was not speaking on behalf of the order (but did not express personal disagreement with Sr Donna, I didn't ask her personal views on that).
It could be there is a formal relationship. When I first read it I assumed that NETWORK was funding the project, they probably got donations in from the George Soroses of the world from their recent escapades. I don't have anything I see on their website now that could concretely back that up, but my understanding is that their lobby is quite lucrative.
Sr Donna Quinn's political career continues then. That poor woman.
Band of Sisters has a page of who is funding the movie, that lists a large number of funders but I don't think NETWORK Lobby is on there. http://bandofsistersmovie.com/supporters A larrrrrrrge number of liberal orders and individual Sisters who gave to make the movie.
I love the quote about being yeast. Most of the references to yeast in Scripture use it to show its corrupting nature.
They have certainly been yeast among the women religious orders.
Post a Comment