LCWR is engaging its members in a contemplative process designed to create a national conversation among all women religious about the critical questions on the horizon for religious life. The hope is that such a national conversation would:
Enable greater contemplative engagement with the emerging questions being faced by the world and church
Strengthen and shape the mission of US women religious
Strengthen the solidarity among women religious
LCWR members are being asked to include a contemplative process in all of their gatherings that is based on the passage from Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing something new... Can you not perceive it?” The process concludes with the group creating a brief statement that captures at least one of the key insights emerging on what “the new” is to which God is leading us.
These statements will be posted on this site as they are received. All LCWR members and all women religious are asked to reflect on, pray with, and converse about these statements as we communally discern where women religious are being led in service of the needs of the world.
Claiming the giftedness of our unity and integrity, LCWR will speak publicly with a corporate voice that emerges from a contemplative stance and a spirit of collaboration, to effect systemic change and better the lives of the poor.
Region 3
We feel within and among us a deep trust in the movement of God. There is a sense of new life emerging through the many faces of chaos and uncertainty. The integrity of who we are, together, compels us to embrace our ever-expanding solidarity that moves us into Oneness. We yearn to continue engaging the contemplative prayer and discernment process and remain open to where we are led. As women of hope, we see God’s work being birthed in us.
Region 4
Women religious commit to Gospel living with renewed energy, wisdom and vision, being a prophetic and contemplative presence in our world. Believing in our call and charisms impels us to act in solidarity with one another, to speak out for justice, to address the global needs of our times, and to risk for what is yet to be born.
Region 5
Women religious embrace the contemplative and prophetic call of all peoples. We do this through our mission, characterized by unity, wisdom, and availability to overcome all forms of violence and injustice.
Region 6
We are “women and spirit” now
called to prophetic Gospel witness
with a passion for mission, faithfully probing where and how the Spirit calls us forward
speaking truth to our church and world.
We call upon LCWR to refound
moving to a more responsive model of simplicity and inclusivity, expanding definitions of membership and leadership
educating ourselves, applying the Gospel to local, church, and global concerns, and moving these matters forward to the national agenda
Region 7
The source of our hope for the future of religious life is the power of our “we-ness” in solidarity with all others moved by this same Spirit of God.
We ask LCWR to deepen the dialogue among us and to assist us in learning the skills of intercultural living, all grounded in contemplation for the sake of God’s mission.
Region 8
We are ready to enter a new level of engagement. We ask the LCWR National board and staff to develop continuing processes to help us express our prophetic voice and nurture our positive energy as we participate together in God’s creative work, rooted in the Gospel.
Region 9
As vowed women religious leaders in the Church we strive to witness authentically to the Good News proclaimed by Jesus Christ. We embrace LCWR’s mission to develop new leaders; promote collaborative leadership for the common good; and initiate and foster dialogue with others within and beyond the Church for transformative change. We serve in solidarity with persons on the margins to bring about God’s Reign.
Region 10
Continue to deepen the contemplative practice that has begun and find ways to encourage leaders to engage their members in more contemplative practices. These contemplative practices will move us through fear to actions and life styles that speak to the needs of our time. We call on LCWR to make contemplation and the action that follows from it a priority in its activities, programs and publications.
Region 11
The insight that emerges from our reflection is a need to develop contemplative listening as our prophetic gift to the church and the world.
Deeply rooted in the gospel and in our Christian tradition
Explicit focus on empowerment and formation of the laity
Does not depend on size or age of community/congregation
Involves a profound vulnerability…a dying to self as individuals and as congregations/communities
Region 12
What is emerging from our conversations is that the “something new” that we are experiencing is a yearning for a deeper relationship with God, and a desire for more meaningful collaboration with each other. We affirm the value of LCWR but believe that it needs restructuring:
To promote more collaboration on the regional level
To help us develop a stronger public and prophetic voice on issues of social justice
To facilitate new partnerships that support and empower others.
Region 13
As ecclesial women, formed by the Gospel of Jesus, our lived experience as women religious and the call of Catholic social teaching, we as advocates of non-violence are committed to our own conversion to this value while urging others to find non-violent ways to confront the violence that permeates all levels of society – individual, political, social, ecclesial, and environmental.
Region 14
We are called to a deep contemplative listening, to become midwives to the birthing of something new. We’re the Women & Spirit today. We are moving towards a new freedom, letting go of past hindrances and allowing the Spirit to speak. As a result of the Apostolic Visitation we perceive a new interconnectedness, solidarity and collaboration among us. The emerging experience is that life occurs at the regional level. Therefore we invite the LCWR National Office to re-define its role and structure with this in mind.
Region 15
There is an atmosphere of polarization, racism, violence, and disregard for life and human dignity that has resulted from an abuse of power and a self-serving attitude that capitalizes on one’s own agenda to the neglect of the greater good of the whole.
We believe that our commitment to the COMMON GOOD through the skills of non-violence, collaboration, and peacemaking that we women religious have honed over the years can provide a much-needed counter-cultural balance in our world today.
LCWR National Board -- August 15, 2011
Our contemplative depths unite and energize us
to fearlessly participate
in the transforming power of dying
and in the Trinitarian dance of
birthing right relationships –
relationships immersed in mutuality –
with one another, within our Church,
and with global communities.
As we participate in God's unfolding mystery,
we will be a leaven, a transforming, freeing presence
for a fearful, fractured world.
LCWR Regions
Spring 2011
Region 1
Contemplative space draws us to crossborders in our hearts. We listen. We are inspired and enlightened by women of cultures other than our own. To incarnate cultures and inter-cultures dialog is indispensable as are courage, willingness to be transformed, and openness to live outside of our own cultural skin. Convergence of minds and hearts is birthed in presence. We need ongoing dialog and interaction with younger women in our Region, women of cultures other than our dominant culture.
Region 2
Our vows are essential, a dynamic reality rooted in awareness of the deep, transformative call of God who is the Center of our lives. They call us to live in response to what really matters for the transformation of the world. They challenge us to lives of radical openness to God and God's future for the world, to peace in the midst of uncertainty, and to a passion for sharing who we are and what we have with others.
Region 3
We embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the lived traditions of our founding charisms, which give voice to the cry of the poor and call us to authentic transformation. We claim our prophetic voices as women religious within the Church and commit ourselves to address the compelling needs of our global community and the sacredness of the Paschal Mystery that is being played out in our world and in our own lives.
Region 4
There is a growing consciousness among us of our communion with women both locally and globally. As this global spirituality takes hold in us, it energizes us and calls us to a deeper solidarity as we stand together and speak together in our mission and ministry to the world.
Region 5
"Our Gospel mission impels us to respond to the suffering and needs of God's people and in solidarity with women religious throughout the world. We are called to use our diversity of gifts and charisms to be authentic voices of hope in presence and action for all."
Region 6
We are aware that our cumulative spiritual wisdom within a new level of consciousness is more powerful than our works. We listen contemplatively and respond in a nurturing way to LIFE that is evolving in the Church and world by embracing Gospel Life through the Cross as well as the Resurrection. We are called to a new way of being, deeper intentional partnerships, which are global and interconnect all peoples and the planet with compassion as we speak Truth publicly and witness God's all-embracing Love to the most desperate peoples.
Region 7
Grounded in God and our charisms, we will continue to be faithful to our call to be prophetic. Our responses are shaped both by the injustices that bring tears to our eyes and by our efforts to include broader partnerships.
Region 8
WE, as women religious, are called to be an incarnate presence in solidarity with the most vulnerable. Therefore we are spirit led women of the Gospel with an emerging sense of purpose to be a credible women's catholic voice among the people of God (Church). We are also called to live and grow together in the tension of the "not yet" by asking the hard questions for the people of God.
Region 9
We believe that we are made for these times. Grounded in the God who calls us as women religious, we together as members of LCWR Region 9 commit ourselves to listen and collaborate globally with others in order to be a prophetic voice, a loving presence, and to work towards compassionate actions that help our needy world.
Region 10
Having experienced a deepened sense of our solidarity as women religious, we will collaborate around issues of importance, focusing our energies wherever our passion leads us. We intentionally widen our circles of solidarity so that we can affect others and respond to pressing local and international challenges, speaking out boldly for human rights wherever they are disregarded.
Underlying our sense of commonality is the consciousness that we are one in God, united with the universe, and joined with the diverse peoples and cultures of our world.
Region 11
With fire in our hearts and spirit, we strongly believe, as we move forward into the future, that we cannot be alone in our mission as Religious Women. We need to be collaborative and interdependent with one another as well as with the broader community.
Region 12
We are called to claim, in a new and deeper way, our founding charisms and spirits, and to live these out in solidarity and communion as U.S. women religious, speaking out with one voice on issues affecting basic human rights and freedoms of women and children, especially victims of unjust immigration laws, human trafficking and violence along the Mexico/U.S. border.
Region 13
Strengthened by our solidarity with one another, we deepen our commitment to the Gospel, by:
*being in relationship with the vulnerable and marginalized,
*being ambassadors of reconciliation and
*being radicalized by our God through prayer and contemplation.
Region 14
We experience solidarity, support and full relationships with each other. We are looking at our potential realistically, as we create a path through the unchartered mountains which symbolize our future.
Region 15
Out of a deep sense of intercongregational solidarity and an awareness of our global interconnectedness and intercultural reality, religious women of today are called to live at the margins as courageous witnesses of integrity, hope, and reconciliation.
In a world marked by increasing conflict and dualistic thinking, our contemplative stance impels us to respond to the tensions within the Church and in the world in creative and prophetic ways.
LCWR National Board - February 17, 2011
With hearts open to embrace the erupting cries for freedom, dignity and wholeness, together we courageously claim:
a compelling fidelity
to an authentic Gospel witness
for the sake of God's desire for the world.
We see the emergence of women religious living in greater solidarity inter-congregationally and internationally giving public witness to the gospel imperatives and empowering other women to find their own voice. Grounded in contemplative engagement with our present reality and informed by creative imagination, we stand in hope as we experience new energy of transformation, deeper authenticity and right-relationship with all humanity. We are moving toward an uncertain future trusting that God journeys with us as we claim our new identity.
Region 2
Our unity and solidarity will allow us to be a focused force for transformation in our world and church, as we “stay at the table” and continue dialogue from a place of deep contemplative prayer.
Our skills and experience in collaboration and communication, our expanding global awareness expressed in new connections and networking, and our hope-filled and courageous attitude will help us to be a strong corporate and prophetic voice with our members in a world that needs our presence.
Region 3
Through our letting go, we discover a deeper contemplative and prophetic center from which we can speak and act. Out of the richness of our diverse charisms, we move forward in unity with gentle boldness to witness our hope and solidarity with each other, the world and our church.
Region 4
As ecclesial women, we are called to give prophetic witness by responding to global realities from a place of integrity nourished by the contemplative dimension of our life. Our newly-found solidarity impels us to something greater than ourselves:
It shows the feminine face of God
It calls us to engage with those in poverty, the powerless and the voiceless to effect personal, communal and global transformation.
It leads us to collaborative action for/with others who have no voice/power.
Region 5
This is what we see emerging for vowed women religious in the U.S.
We are claiming our integral role as leaders in the church. As an entity of vowed women religious, we live alert to the reality that God continually births newness which focuses the church on the original gospel values.
We desire mutual, respectful dialogue with other leaders in the church to accomplish this.
Region 6
Grounded in deeper contemplation and discernment, we have a renewed belief in the value and prophetic witness of religious life.
With renewed energy, hope and solidarity we are willing to risk moving to a new level of consciousness based on our common vision of the Gospel and freely sharing that vision.
Faithful to the reign of God in our world, we commit ourselves to giving birth to this new reality in a global church.
We value communication among ourselves.
Region 7
We perceive the following to be the “something new” that is emerging:
letting go of our obsession to define the future of religious life
having a relaxed grasp to allow the future of religious life to respond to the unfolding (beyond our control) of God’s mission
refraining from defining the call – rather responding to the call of the Spirit as it is revealed to us, drawing us forward
letting the reality of our global interconnection draw us into and shape the future of religious life
Region 8
To help the members of LCWR clarify our role as a collective voice of women religious, world-wide, in the church and world as we respond to the global unmet needs of the People of God. This is what we ask of leadership.
Region 9
Women religious, standing in solidarity and collaboration with others, are helping to birth a prophetic movement toward peace, reconciliation and justice by:
contributing our best congregational gifts and resources as leaven in the process
deepening our own conversion and transformation
being willing to let go of structures that no longer serve us
expanding our relationships across boundaries of culture, race, gender, faith tradition
articulating and witnessing the Gospel values needed to foster an alternative reality coherent with those values
Region 10
Solidarity among women religious is not new but is stronger, more public, more global, more intentional and deeper. We are more conscious of the relational nature of religious life. We live in communion with the Other, one another, and the environment. Contemplation is our deep call. We sense a profound need for payer and listening in order to recognize the direction in which God is drawing us.
The Paschal Mystery is a guiding reality in our lives. It calls us to embrace diminishment and pain as well as new birth, living simultaneously the roles of hospice worker and midwife.
As women of a church in need of healing we seek to be a compassionate feminine presence open to dialogue and bridge-building. Standing with the poor, we hope to be the presence of that church for which they long.
We rouse one another to courage in these challenging times, energizing one another to be strong women of prophecy, solidarity and mission.
Region 11
How do we women religious foster, encourage, nurture, invite, explore,
expand and enjoy new forms of interconnection and models of community?
The challenges before us include:
Strengthening our contemplative prophetic witness
Mentoring and passing on skills for collaborative servant leadership
Fostering good communication that invites dialogue
Nurturing intercultural and intergenerational communities
Promoting storytelling and networking that moves us toward solidarity
Living as anawim in downward mobility
Living out of a global and inclusive consciousness which leads us to
Greater involvement in Church and society
Region 13
Women religious, steeped in contemplation and grounded in their relationship with Jesus, the Christ, stand in solidarity, ready and willing to embrace the challenges of their present reality and create a future filled with hope and love. Within them is a compelling urgency to let go of their past and move forward as one grace-filled people. Vibrant, energetic, and committed to unity, they offer themselves in service of the common good with their sisters and brothers who share this planet.
Region 14
We recognize the deep solidarity we have as religious women to be prophetic not only in our actions but also by our lived witness. We listen to the Spirit as we respond to the signs of our times with reverence, non-violence and integrity.
Region 15
As we considered the “new” that is emerging within our communities, we focused on:
deepening the contemplative aspect of our lives, recognizing that contemplation is foundation to action;
increasing sense of identity as courageous, hope-filled religious in the church;
increasing sense of solidarity within and outside our communities;
living into inter-cultural communities fostering an inter-cultural world;
increased commitment to engage in collaborative efforts addressing the critical issues.
We believe in the significant impact that our commitment to personal and communal transformation has on our world.
LCWR National Board -- August 16, 2010
The following is the insight reached by the LCWR national board members at the conclusion of their meetings following the LCWR assembly.
