There is a new community of women being formed in the Archdiocese of Portland – the Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. They are currently a private association of the faithful “intending to become a religious institute, given a charism rooted profoundly in the authority of God who is Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.”
They have the unique mission “of listening, healing outreach, spiritual reparation, and solidarity with people who are despairing, doubting, and hopeless, people on the fringes or outside of the Church, especially those people who have been wounded, scandalized, or abused by members of the Church. God is calling many people right now to address the deep wounds in the Church.
When God called us to a mission of reaching out to those on the fringes of the Church, especially those people who have been abused, wounded, and scandalized by members of the Church, we felt small in the face of this immense mission. But we also know that we are not alone. We are dependent on one another. Renewal always involves the whole Body of Christ.”
More their website:
Whether we are practicing Catholics, on the edge of the pew, or have already left the Church, the following statistics tell us something we already know deep in our bones. The Church is bleeding members and she is bleeding from the wounds caused by her own members.
In the U.S. the percentage of Catholics who belonged to a parish declined to 58% from 76% between 1998 and 2020—twice the rate of decline among Protestants (Gallup).
37 percent of American Catholics in 2019 say news of reported sexual abuse by priests had them reexamining their religion, up from 22 percent in 2002 (Gallup).
A 2021 survey found that 31% of adult U.S. Catholics said the abuse crisis has made them embarrassed to identify themselves as Catholic (CARA at Georgetown University).
These signs of darkness in the Church make clear the need for deep renewal and healing. This sorely needed, profound reform calls us to leave behind the status quo, take risks, reorganize our efforts, and embrace new ways of thinking rooted in the Gospel.
On September 22nd, the sisters professed private vows and were officially recognized as a private association by Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland. They can now be called sister and wear their habits. Here is a description of the habit:
An outward sign of the beauty of our vows, our habit is foundational to our life and mission; it includes a gray tunic, a black apron-scapular, a teal veil, and a rosary. Gray, the color of ashes, poverty, and renewal, reminds us to go to Christ for healing and to live in reparation for the sins of members of the Church. The black apron-scapular, a memento mori, symbolizes our obedient service to God’s beauty unto death. The embroidered crucifix on our apron depicts the moment of anguish when Christ cries out to the Father, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Mt 27:46). The teal of our veil, like the blue sky meeting the green of the earth, represents the Blessed Mother’s intercession for God’s anawim. … In our struggle against principalities and powers (see Eph 6:12), we unite our prayer with Mary, Our Lady of Surrender—Protector of the Anawim by praying the Rosary in reparation for the sins of the Church’s members and for renewal.
If you would like to learn more or to help the sisters in this important mission in the Church, please visit their website: www.sistersofthelittleway.com.