During the past months, as the scandal of sexual abuse of minors has unfolded in our church, we, the Religious of the Sacred Heart, like Catholics across the country, have struggled over how to respond. Most of us have experienced a range of shifting emotions, sometimes within a single hour: anger, embarrassment, shame, wrenching sorrow. All around us we see faithful Catholics reeling from a crisis of confidence in the church even as they recognize the complexities and the profound impact that decisions – whether about victims or accused priests – have on human lives. As women religious in the church, many of us want to distance ourselves from bad decisions by our leaders. Yet we know, when we are honest, that our own decisions, when viewed retrospectively, have at times brought us and others pain.

Sister Husson, former president of Newton College in Newton, Mass., somehow found words to cut through complexity and speak clearly about what is perhaps the only certainty in the midst of this crisis: the boundless love of Christ. Her short message, which she directed to Newton alumnae, appears below in full:

There is not much good news anywhere these days, least of all in the Catholic church. The personal cost of being a disciple of Christ has just risen considerably. It used to be quite respectable to be known as a Catholic; now it requires some courage. Holding firmly in mind that the Church is not the hierarchy, or the organization of a billion people throughout the world, or the real estate the Church owns, but that the Church is Christ living in us, his members, helps us to remain loyal to him. His Body is grievously wounded, there is no doubt of that. Loving fidelity to him heals those wounds gently and over time. Let us not lose faith or hope in this resurrection. And most of all, let us, members of the Body of Christ, be convinced that all, whatever their human frailty, are loved by Christ and must be loved by us for his sake.

It should not be surprising that Sister Husson has found her way through the morass that has left so many of us at a loss for helpful words. The love she speaks of is the love that we, the Religious of the Sacred Heart, are committed to making present in the world through our relationships and our ministries. We thank Sister Husson for calling us back to our charism at this difficult time.