Spiritual leadership for challenging times

In April 2012 the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) received a notification from the Vatican charging the organization with doctrinal and pastoral errors that were "grave and a matter of serious concern." For many Americans, this was their first awareness of the LCWR, a canonically approved organization representing over 80 percent of women religious in the United States. One of the outcomes was an outpouring of support and solidarity with the sisters, an appreciation for their lives of selfless service, and evidence of a strong hunger for a type of spiritual leadership attuned to the signs of the times. This volume collects ten presidential addresses from the LCWR's annual assemblies. Beginning in 1977 with Sister Joan Chittister's reflections on the changing models of religious life, it concludes with Sister Pat Farrell's moving speech at the historic 2012 gathering, responding to the Vatican's notification.