Saturday, December 26, 2015

Nashville Sisters rumoured to be coming to Ireland

The piece below was posted on this blog on May 23, 2012. In correspondence with a Dominican student at the time it was decided to remove the post. He expressed an upset about it appearing.

But here it is again - as it appeared for a short time in May 2012 - with one paragraph deleted.

It now seems the Nashville Dominican Sisters are coming to Limerick to set up a community. It is rumoured that they will be moving into the Dominican Priory in Glentworth Street, which is currently the home of three Dominican priests.

It is rumoured that the Bishop of Limerick has invited the Nashville Sisters to Limerick.

It's a funny old world, a funnier old church and a funnier still Irish Dominican Province.

The lack of information and honest, open discussion on this project says so much about the management team of the Catholic Church in Ireland and the Irish Dominican Province.


Nashville Sisters
Nashville Sisters to speak in St Saviour's
The post of May 23, 2012
The blog for the Irish Dominicans announces that Dominican Sisters from Nashville will be talking in St Saviour's Dublin at the time of the Eucharistic Congress.

No mention of the Irish Dominican Sisters who have been doing great work in Ireland for a long time. They are women who have managed, run and taught in schools around Ireland, providing top class education to thousands of young Irish women.

Of course there is nothing wrong in inviting Dominicans from other countries and traditions to address communities in Ireland.

But has it all something to do with PR, flowing habits and an 'unusual' relationship between women and men within the church? Just a question.

The Irish Dominican Sisters don't tend to take guff and spoof and indeed laziness from their male counterparts. Is it possible that sisters from far away in long flowing gowns will be more likely to say 'yes Father, no Father'?

Are these the same men who are happy to see the Nashville Sisters?

It seems to becoming clearer and more explicit that there is a serious problem within the clerical state surrounding priesthood, sexuality and an inordinate conservatism.

2 comments:

Ciaran Dougherty OP said...

Ciaran here Michael, Happy Christmas!

If you think that the Nashville Sisters are likely to be saying 'yes Father, no Father', then it would seem that you may not have met many, or any, of them. Those that I have met are highly intelligent, serious and dedicated religious sisters. I am fairly certain they won't be bowing obsequiously nor grovelling any time they encounter a priest.

Might I suggest you get to know some of them before you go off spouting such nonsense about them? It might do you no harm to get to know some of your brethren either, perhaps then you will give up spouting nonsense about them too.

Such ill-informed nastiness does not do you nor your reputation any good.

Anyway, happy Christmas all the same.

Ciaran Dougherty OP.

Elizabeth McGuire Cleary said...

The real question as I see it is whether these women from a different culture, who will see us without our cultural hang-ups, will be able to inspire us to give up our proverbial Irish begrudgery, and inspire us to be more merciful in how we use our tongues?

Elizabeth Cleary St Dominic and St Catherine's Chapter, Tallaght

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