Prayer vigils to support nuns planned in major cities

by Alice Popovici

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The Nun Justice Project, a group of Catholic justice organizations working to support the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), is planning a series of weekly candlelight prayer vigils across the country this month, with confirmed events so far starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston.

The weekly vigils, most of which will take place in front of the local cathedral, will be held every Tuesday, leading up to the LCWR’s first meeting May 29.

Jim FitzGerald, a spokesman for the Nun Justice Project, said the objective for the vigils is twofold: to show the wide support for women religious in this country, and to inspire the Vatican to rescind its statement criticizing the U.S. nuns.

FitzGerald, who is executive director of Call To Action, one of the organizations working on The Nun Justice Project, said his own view of the church was shaped by a nun who was the campus minister at his college.

“She taught me the church is more than just doctrine,” FitzGerald said of the sister, “it’s about serving the poor and advocating for social justice.”

The Nun Justice Project is working with its nationwide network of Catholic groups to organize vigils in additional cities, and will announce them as they are confirmed.

It is also circulating a petition to support the sisters, aiming to get 57,000 signatures – one for every nun in the United States. So far more than 35,000 people have signed.

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