The Dominican Nuns in Summit, NJ do NOT belong to the LCWR

I have written in the past about the "soap sisters", the fine Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, NJ.   They produce Seignadou Soap.  Good stuff.  I have ordered it for myself and for gifts.  They support their monastery this way.

I received a note from them which you will want to read closely.

It’s come to our attention that the LCWR has listed us, [Ugh… but wait! There’s more!] The Dominican Nuns of Summit, as belonging to the LCWR on their exhibition Women of Spirit which is currently being held in OH but which was most recently at the Smithsonian in DC. The friend of one of our novices saw it and well, she couldn’t believe that we belonged to the LCWR but maybe…It also listed the Morristown Carmel!

We don’t know why they did this. [Could it be that the LCWR is mendacious?] Our prioress will be contacting them to ask that our name be removed but it probably is on a permanent display that they won’t want to disfigure. We just don’t want people thinking we belong to the LCWR!

Point taken.

The Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, NJ do not belong to the dissenters of the LCWR.

In the meantime, show support by buying some soap.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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22 Comments

  1. robtbrown says:

    I gave their soap as Christmas gifts to my sister in law and niece, and they were very pleased.

  2. doanli says:

    I love stuff like this…will certainly check it out!

  3. wanda says:

    Visited the soap-site & made a first-time purchase. Some lovely spring scents are available that I haven’t seen before. Hints..Gardenia – ahhh! Lily of the Valley…ooh! Flowers, Spring, good and faithful Dominican Nuns. Go, check it out.

  4. AnAmericanMother says:

    Oh, dear! Their lawyer needs to get on it if they don’t get a prompt response and apology (and a removal of their name, permanent exhibit or not.)

    Meanwhile, we’ll buy some soap!

  5. lofstrr says:

    ask them nicely to be removed from the list and any displays. Then, if necessary, sue them for unauthorized use of the likeness. No, we shouldn’t be seeking to sue our brothers and sisters in the Lord, even if they do appear to practice various heresies. But then, they shouldn’t be deceiving the public either. I am sure they don’t want to make a new display but they should have thought about that before they did what they did.

  6. Jack Hughes says:

    Faithfull Brides of Christ and good soap to boot !! makes we wonder why I ran from my vocation for so long !!, On a more serious note perhaps WDTPRS readers should commit themselves to making a Holy Hour of reperation on Thursday/Friday evening/morning especially for the dissenters of the LCWR, I’m sure that they all made their vows in good faith and somehow got corrupted along the way.

  7. Francis Head says:

    Sounds like time for a cease and desist letter….

  8. Massachusetts Catholic says:
  9. basilorat says:

    Am I the only one to find this deliciously hysterical???

    By all means go to their next coven with needle and thread and teach them the fine art sewing veils!

  10. basilorat says:

    Francis Head:
    You mean a “cease and de-sister” letter!!

  11. Rose in NE says:

    Glad to hear they do NOT belong to the LCWR. I gave my mom some of their soap for Mother’s Day–she loves it! It seems, though, that it’s the LCWR that really needs “cleaning up”.

  12. jmgarciajr says:

    I’m curious as to how many other communities are listed, incorrectly, as belonging to the LCWR.

    AMDG,

  13. frjim4321 says:

    The correct title of the exhibit is “Women & Spirit,” currently showing at the Maltz Museum in Beachwood, Ohio. Fr. Jim

  14. capchoirgirl says:

    UGH!!!! NO they do NOT!!!!!!!!
    I’m discerning with them and hope to make my aspirancy visit this fall! LOVE them, the soap is wonderful, order it! (who knows, I might be making it in the near future…)

  15. stephenocist says:

    On a more positive note, WDTPRS readers might be interested in looking at, and supporting, the groups who belong to the Institute on religious life, which includes the Summit Dominicans, the Benedictines of Mary, the FSSP, and my own abbey, Our Lady of Spring Bank. One of our seniors summarizes it as “the group for religious who wear habits.” There’s more to it than that, but that’s always a good start. Here’s the URL:

    http://www.religiouslife.com/

  16. These nuns have what has to be one of the best vocations videos ever:

    http://www.gloria.tv/?media=47826

    Sourpusses need not apply.

  17. JoanW says:

    There might be a mistake– I saw the exhibit when it was at the Smithsonian, and at the end there is a list of ALL orders of women religious in the United States. It is not just a list of those congregations belonging to the LCWR.

    So if that’s the list their friend saw, it does not claim to be the LCWR, but all women religious.

    On a side note, I took a few of my campus ministry students to the exhibit when we were in DC for the March, and we were all excited to see a history of women religious in the States (which is what we were told the exhibit was about)… and instead saw a very clear history of how women religious orders fell apart. The beginning of the exhibit was gorgeous… the end was very depressing. It fostered great conversation amongst the students, however, and they all said they came away with a greater appreciation for our own Sisters at school, the Nashville Dominicans.

  18. jflare29 says:

    Um, I hope people won’t be offended by this, but….

    I’m inclined to support faithful nuns, but scented soap?!
    I enjoy the fragrance of trees or flowers when they’re in bloom; I enjoyed standing by a seashore in Japan. I don’t know that I want to take long enough in the bathroom to “enjoy” these various scents.

    Then again, they seem to be wrapped in various colors….
    How many men do you know that want soap that’s wrapped in PINK?!

  19. Kerry says:

    “[Could it be that the LCWR is mendacious?]” Wouldn’t that be “wymyn-dacious…? Heh.

  20. Patikins says:

    jflare29:

    No offense taken…but consider buying some soap for the women in your life who do enjoy such things and support the good sisters.

    Some of the scents sound like they are more masculine, line the Bay Rum variety.

    JoanW:

    If in fact the listing at the exhibit is of all the women religious orders in the U.S. (I’ll take your word for it as I haven’t seen the exhibit) I think a disclaimer stating that not all are members of the LCWR or sponsors of the exhibit might be helpful.

    What was the exhibit like?

  21. JoanW says:

    Patikins- I guess it wasn’t apparent, since this friend misunderstood, but I thought it was pretty obvious- I know that we never assumed all the congregations listed were members of the LCWR, but maybe it was just because we knew several of the congregations personally? It is an enormous list, with all the convents listed separately (for example, the Poor Clares are listed as the Poor Clare Colettine Convent in Kokomo, IN, the Poor Clare Colettine Convent in Santa Barbara, the Poor Clare Colettine Convent in Cleveland, etc). The list was wrapped around a kiosk-type structure.

    The exhibit was fairly well done, at least in the beginning– there were several really neat artifacts, like the letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to Ursaline sisters in Louisiana, and the exhibit profiled several aspects of American history in which Sisters were pioneers (the Mayo Clinic, etc). It was just depressing to see the beautiful habits make way for the suits and pins, & the charisms of healthcare and education turn into social justice and activism– all in the name of the spirit of VII.

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