The cloister and politics
Here is a follow-up to a few questions I received regarding the post written on voting.
Do they have driver's licenses just for ID or do they need to drive? Both- although the need for either is rare, especially before First Profession of vows. In response to our driving (which involves our leaving the cloister for a short while, which is done only with the permission of the Superior) - gone are the days when laity took us to all our doctor's appointments, did all the shopping for us and doctors made "house calls" (Interesting aside, when I entered religious life back at the old monastery in Owensboro, we still had a dentist's room with the dental chair and other equipment - quite an interesting museum piece!) Also, one is required to get a new driver's license within 30 days of an address change. But the most essential reason for getting their driver's licenses is so they could be registered to vote in Kentucky for the upcoming presidential elections, which is of crucial importance.
Now to answer Miss Charlotte's question (Shannon was thrilled to hear from you!) I'm wondering what sources of information, aside from the link in this post, you ladies use to decide how you will vote? do you discuss politics as a group at all? do you vote in local as well as national elections? what sort of connection/exposure do you have to local/national/global news?
We certainly have enough resources to make informed decisions. Although the radio and tv are rarely heard by our Sisters we do pre-record the presidential debates and watch those. We also watched the Saddleback civil forum when Pastor Rick Warren interviewed both presidential candidates a couple weeks ago. Currently, we are watching segments of the major speeches of the Democratic National Convention. We have various up-to-date Catholic and Protestant periodicals in our library and our Superior and Vicar will print various articles for us to read from the Internet (such as the statements being published by the Bishops in regard to our Speaker of the House's misinformation regarding when life begins when she appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" this past Sunday, which has provided prime-time opportunity to catechize our nation on the abortion issue!). And of course, we receive the daily newspaper - which certainly gives another perspective than what we read in our Christian periodicals.
Yes, we vote at both local and national elections! Hope this answers your questions. God bless you!
Quotes of the week:
"Our faith should shape our lives, including our political choices...we don't 'invent' our faith, and we don't 'own' it. If we really want to be "Catholic", then we'll live by Catholic teaching. Otherwise we're just fooling ourselves and abusing the belief of other Catholics who really do try to practice what the Church teaches." ~ Archbishop Chaput in interview last week with www.nationalreview.com
"The right to life is foundational. Every other right depends on it...We should remember that one of the crucial things that set early Christians apart from the pagan culture around them was their rejection of abortion and infanticide. Yet for thirty-five years I've watched prominent 'pro-choice' Catholics justify themselves with the kind of moral and verbal gymnastics that should qualify as an Olympic event." ~ Archbishop Chaput at www.lifenews.com
Do we want our nations leaders to be chosen from this category? We're at a serious crossroads...
"Abortion is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it..." ~ excerpt of statement posted by Archbishop Chaput in response Nancy Pelosi's faux pas on "Meet the Press".
God save our nation!