One of the pro-abortion movement’s propaganda websites has put up an attack on the Sisters of Life, of all people. The crux of the piece is a bizarre accusation that the Sisters are prospering while other Church agencies that care for the poor are suffering for funds.
(You’ll have to take my word for the content of the piece — I refuse to link to such a thing. If you want a thorough demolition of the article, though, you should check out this by the invaluable Kathryn Jean Lopez)
I am offended by this hit-job for several reasons. First, of course, is that I work with the Sisters and I love them, and so I take it very personally when their honor is impugned. Second, I was offended by the sheer number of classic anti-Catholic canards that the author managed to fit in one piece. And finally, the author had the nerve to quote one of my blog posts — including citing me by name — and I just can’t stand the nerve of using my words in the context of any criticism of the Sisters.
The blind animus of the piece is shown by its indifference to basic facts.
One big falsehood underlies the piece — the implication that the Sisters of Life are fat-cat real estate barons. The funny thing is that the Sisters don’t own anything, much less a land empire. All their convents are owned by parishes or by the Knights of Columbus, who have invited the Sisters to live and work in them. They also live a serious life of poverty. If you ever want to see the evangelical counsels in real life, just spend some time with the Sisters (or drive with them in one of their second-hand cars!)
I also found what the article didn’t say about the Sisters to be as revealing as what it did mention. There was no reference to the wonderful and compassionate post-abortion healing work done by the Sisters — that subject, of course, is totally taboo for the pro-choice crowd, who deny that there are any consequences to abortion. Nor is there any comment about the Sisters’ Visitation Mission, which gives poor pregnant women the kind of pragmatic help that they need — referrals to social services, help with medical appointments, diapers, maternity clothes, and just plain friendship. To do so, naturally, would undermine the absurd “rich nuns are indifference to the poor” meme.
The oddest thing about the piece was this accusation that the Sisters don’t care about the poor. And the evidence of this is… well, nothing except some mind-reading. Could it be that there’s a little projection going on here, some guilt by the pro-choice crowd whose only “care” for the poor is to pump them full of contraceptives and kill their babies? It certainly has no relationship with reality on the Planet Earth, where we see the Sisters caring for economically disadvantaged women every day — not to mention the poorest of the poor, the innocent unborn.
The whole piece is perfect evidence of the totalitarian mindset of the Cult of Moloch, particularly their absolute intolerance of anyone who disagrees with their dogma of child sacrifice. The irony is that, as always, every accusation they make against pro-lifers is actually true about themselves.
The Cult of Moloch must be feeling a little desperate these days, if they’re resorting to attacks on the Sisters of Life, on the eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
Stepping Out of the Boat 
They are a treasure of Holy Mother Church, true models of purity, charity, and sanctity.
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This attack just wreaks of desperation. What could possibly be wrong with the Church and an order of sisters using resources to take care of moms without resources, and their innocent babies? And if a private donor wants to support such a work of charity, so much the better!
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Beyond what have you said, I also think the undercurrent is the world’s rejection of prayer and the contemplative life. And what is most striking about the Sisters? – their incredible joy. And what is the source of the joy? I would think it is their prayer life, the Eucharist and devotion to the Blessed Mother. And that is probably what sustains them in the wonderful works they perform for the mothers they serve. The world is obsessed with works and has utter disregard for the human soul. In his book Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Father quotes a German Jesuit, executed by the Nazis, who wrote: “Bread is important, freedom is more important, but most important of all is unbroken fidelity and faithful adoration.” And the Holy Father explained: “when this ordering of good is no longer respected, but turned on its head, the result is not justice or concern for human suffering. The result is rather ruin and destruction even of material goods themselves.”
From what I understand, Cardinal O’Connor saw the Sisters’ primary mission as prayer for a culture of life. The world would say that is a waste of human effort. But perhaps the reason the culture of death is reeling is because of the prayer life of the Sisters sustaining and nourishing all of those, religious and non-religious, doing pro-life work.
And this nonsense about what we should think about when we walk by a failed Catholic institution. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I prayed to Mother Cabrini.
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It’s an old story:
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.
He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn 1:10-13)
One of the ironies of this whole situation is the ignorance of this hit piece. St. Vincent’s Midtown (the shuttered hospital that was the apparent springboard for the piece) actually closed in 2006, and not because the Church failed to support it. The Church poured millions and millions of dollars into that hospital, desperately trying to save it. St. Vincent’s Midtown was closed by the the New York State government, which ordered it to close as a result of the “Berger Commission”, a government commission that decided which hospitals would be allowed to continue in existence. The underlying cause was the economic stresses of the government-regulated market for hospitals, and the inadequacy of government reimbursements (through Medicaid and Medicare). This could have been discovered in about five minutes with Mr. Google.
So, if you want to point a finger at the responsible party, it was the government, which killed it through semi-socialized medicine. Don’t hold your breath for the left wing to admit that.
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