Every day, nuns around the country take care of the sick,
teach children, serve the homeless and pray without ceasing.
But March 23, more than 150 of them left their ministries to
support their fellow religious women. They gathered as the
Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the Little Sister of
the Poor’s case against the Health and Human Services
contraceptive coverage.
The Little Sisters of the Poor are a religious order that
runs nearly 30 homes for the elderly poor in the United
States. Along with Priests for Life, Catholic University,
Geneva College, and others, the Little Sisters have filed
against the court for forcing them to provide a healthcare
plan to their employees that offers birth control – a
violation of Catholic doctrine. If the Little Sisters refuse
to comply with the mandate, they will be charged $70 million
dollars in fines per year.
According to the Becket Fund, a religious liberties law firm
defending the Little Sisters, large companies such as Pepsi,
Visa and Exxon are exempt already from the mandate for other
reasons. Churches are exempt as religious institutions, and
for-profit companies with religious owners, such as Hobby
Lobby, also have an exemption. But the government considers
the Little Sisters a non-profit group unaffiliated with the
church, therefore making them subject to the mandate.
“What’s decided in this case will affect all of us,” said
Sister Benedicta of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual
Adoration in Indiana. In addition to their life of prayer,
the Sisters of St. Francis also run hospitals, that will be
affected if the case is lost.
“If the Little Sisters of the Poor have this conflict, then
our religious communities are in danger as well,” said Sister
Mary Catherine of the School Sisters of Christ the King. Four
members of their community of teaching sisters flew from
Nebraska to be at the Supreme Court rally. “We’re hopeful,
and we love the Little Sisters,” she said.
On the cool, sunny morning, nuns in all colors and types of
habits were joined by students from the affected colleges,
including Southern Nazarene University, as well as by local
Catholics.
“I think it’s really important to stand up for religious
liberty and the right to be able to practice our religion
without the government saying what we can and cannot do,”
said Becky Finger, a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University
Students) missionary from George Mason University in Fairfax.
During the rally, the cheerful crowd heard from speakers,
sang hymns and chanted “Let them Serve.” They held signs
saying “Help a Sister Out,” “Women for Religious Freedom,”
and “HHS Mandate – I’ll Have Nun of It!” The Little Sisters
handed out chocolate chip cookies with wrappers that read,
“Life is sweeter when you serve.”
A crowd supporting the opposition also was there with signs
reading “I Heart Access to Birth Control” and “I Shouldn’t
Pay for My Boss’s Religion.”
Around 75 girls from Mount DeSales Academy in Catonsville,
Md., volunteered to come to the rally out of love for the
nuns.
“I volunteer at the Little Sisters of the Poor and they’re
the sweetest people I’ve ever met,” said senior Katherine
Pope. “I can see the way they bring joy to the elderly.”
“We don’t want to see them not be able to serve,” added Mary
Swann. “I think the case is much more than Catholics opposing
abortion and birth control. I think it’s about supporting our
religious liberty and being able to live (out) our faith
under our government.”
Di Mauro can be reached at [email protected] or on
Twitter @zoeydimauro.
