Second Nun Story

I promised in my Story of a Persecuted Nun to return to a second story, because, it so happens, I also sat next to a Nun on my way *back* from Chicago after the conference at Notre Dame.

It was almost surreal to find my seat and again go through the heuristic by which nuns may be identified. Since the odds of being randomly seated next to two *orthodox* nuns was even less than being seated by two nuns *simpliciter* I thought that this time I was really in for it.

However, much to my surprise here too was a nun with sense. My Diocese--the the Diocese of Rochester, New York--has the second lowest degree of priestly vocations in the country--the lowest is somewhere in Alabama I think. It might have *something* to do with the fact that the Diocesan Vocations Director is a lay woman. Anyway, she said that it was common knowledge that low recruitment was a *conscious policy*. It was thought that the "priesthood crisis" of not enough priests would finally "break the back" of Rome and cause the Pope to allow Priestesses in the Church. Recruiting more male priests would only be a setback in that endeavor.

Seems almost diabolical, doesn't it.