Very true, she is a model for all faithful religious orders of sisters today. It is sad however, to know what has happened to her beloved congregation she founded, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Right at the end of Vatican II in 1965, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had in excess of 12,000 sisters around the world, with close to 2,000 in the USA. They still wore the beautiful habit shown in the photo until about 1971-72, when they adopted a very modified,short white habit. . They immediately began to decline rapidly after 1972, and completely discarded the habit in favor of lay clothes by 1980. The decline and severe lack of vocations intensified. They also began in the early 1980's to adopt dissenting agendas from Catholic tradition, promoted women priests, feminism, and bizarre liturgies. Today, world-wide the Order has gone from 12,000+ in 1964-65. to 3,200 today, In the USA, they are down from over 2,000 in 1965 to less than 140 today. World-wide the median age went from 35 in 1964-65, to 77 today. The network of convents, cloisters, homes for children, schools, hospices for the poor and aged, retreat houses that the Good Shepherd Sisters built up in their first 100+ years are a monument to their holy foundress and the dedication of zealous and holy sisters. However, I do not think that Saint Mary Euphrasia would be proud of what is left of her Order today,
Very true, she is a model for all faithful religious orders of sisters today. It is sad however, to know what has happened to her beloved congregation she founded, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
ReplyDeleteRight at the end of Vatican II in 1965, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had in excess of 12,000 sisters around the world, with close to 2,000 in the USA. They still wore the beautiful habit shown in the photo until about 1971-72, when they adopted a very modified,short white habit. . They immediately began to decline rapidly after 1972, and completely discarded the habit in favor of lay clothes by 1980. The decline and severe lack of vocations intensified.
They also began in the early 1980's to adopt dissenting agendas from Catholic tradition, promoted women priests, feminism, and bizarre liturgies.
Today, world-wide the Order has gone from 12,000+ in 1964-65. to 3,200 today, In the USA, they are down from over 2,000 in 1965 to less than 140 today. World-wide the median age went from 35 in 1964-65, to 77 today.
The network of convents, cloisters, homes for children, schools, hospices for the poor and aged, retreat houses that the Good Shepherd Sisters built up in their first 100+ years are a monument to their holy foundress and the dedication of zealous and holy sisters.
However, I do not think that Saint Mary Euphrasia would be proud of what is left of her Order today,