Sister Maxine and I got home late last night and are getting today’s podcast together. Since being on the road all week, we’ve not had too much time to prepare so this podcast will be a fun one! As mentioned yesterday, we’ll talk about our mission out west this week plus some of the nun news stories from the week. We now have an “ask sister” portion of the podcast where we’ll take your questions and comments on the air (via chat room or call in).

Here’s what we’ve got today:

• Cardinal O’Malley’s letter of affirmation for the Leadership Council of Women Religious — also mentioned is the Thank You, Sister Campaign which you are invited to participate in
• Mother Angelica of EWTN receives the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award  — also mentioned is the book Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles
• National Communicators Network of Women Religious conference in San Francisco — Sister Julie presented on blogging and social media (FYI A Nun’s Life is on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube)
• a visit to Muir Woods and the redwoods and with our friend Sister Pat Farrell, OP, of the San Rafael Dominicans
• The article Confessions of a Modern Nun in America magazine by Sister Ilia Delio
• a discussion on the Apostolic Visitation and LCWR doctrinal assessment
• Ask Sister – a visitor in the Talkshoe chat room asks why there are age limits for entering a religious community

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Today
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Join in on the conversation during the live broadcast by listening and chatting in our chat room.

POST SHOW UPDATE: Here’s the link to today’s podcast which was broadcast earlier today.

The investigation of women religious (aka Catholic sisters or Catholic nuns) in the United States has raised many questions and concerns since it was first announced earlier this year. Here at A Nun’s Life Ministry, we’ve received a number of questions about the Apostolic Visitation and the doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Council of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization representing 95% of women religious in the United States. Because of the concern that so many people have shared, we’d like to open the door to your questions so that we can begin to address them with the help of experts in the field of religious life and the Catholic Church.

We would like to begin gathering your questions about the investigations. Some of the questions we’ve already received touch on the following concerns:

• why are sisters being investigated? And why only in the United States?
• is this Apostolic Visitation like the Visitation of the Legionaries of Christ?
• why are sisters upset if they have nothing to hide?
• who are Cardinal Rodé and Mother Mary Clare Millea?
• is this a friendly visit?
• why aren’t contemplative nuns and religious brothers and priests being investigated?
• should this be of concern to me as a lay person? as someone who is ordained? as a religious who is not being investigated?

In the next few weeks, A Nun’s Life Ministry will be collecting your questions as well as creating a resource page with information on the Apostolic Visitation and the doctrinal assessment. We welcome all respectful questions. Please use the comment box below or email us at sister@anunslife.org with your questions. We’ll keep you updated as we go along.

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Here’s today’s Praying with the Sisters podcast on a passage from today’s liturgy. Click on the “play” button.

Just got word that Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, will be a panelist on the NPR “On Point” program today, Wednesday, July 8. The topic is “U.S. Catholic Nuns and the Vatican” which will probably include discussion about the Apostolic Visitation. One of the other panelists will be Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, RSM (Religious Sister of Mercy), who currently leads the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious, one of two women’s religious leadership groups in the United States (the other is the Leadership Council of Women Religious).

Also on the panel is Sister Mary Traupman, CDP (Sisters of Divine Providence), an attorney who helps senior citizens with legal work, and Laurie Goodstein, national religion correspondent for The New York Times. Goodstein wrote a recent article “U.S. Nuns Facing Vatican Scrutiny” (July 1, 2009) which included a misquote of Sister Sandra when it stated she “urged fellow nuns not to participate/cooperate in the study” — Sister Sandra has requested a correction.

Check your local station for the broadcast time of “On Point” is aired. You can also listen live on the “On Point” website 10am – Noon, 7 – 9pm (ET). The program will likely be available on the website after the broadcast too.