The illicit order of nuns hiding in plain sight

Saturday, 20 July 2024

A group of women purporting to be Catholic nuns appear to be operating illicitly in Christchurch by appealing for donations for their work despite not being recognised by the church.

The Press can reveal that the Sons of The Most Holy Redeemer, a Catholic order recently ousted by the Christchurch diocese following an investigation into alleged abuse and unauthorised exorcisms, secretly established an order of nuns.

They are the Daughters of The Most Holy Redeemer. They were created nearly a decade ago, even registering as a charity in 2017. Despite having no authority in the eyes of the Catholic Church, they have solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations over the years for their work and living expenses.

They appear to have been set up as a private association, which is not the same as being an order of nuns, but it still requires permission. However, the women wear habits, and a spokesperson for the Sons’ group referred to them as nuns.

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The Press visited their rural North Canterbury monastery this week. It is a modest 1950s bungalow on an 8 hectare orchard, bought mortgage-free for $740,000 in 2023.

The group has also built five small sheds, which they call “cells”, on the property. These are used by the women for prayer and it appears for sleeping in.

The group previously owned property on Pines Beach, about 30 minutes north of Christchurch, but (according to posts online, authored by members of the group) the order wanted to move somewhere more secluded. The new property was bought in the Sons’ name.

It is unclear exactly when the Catholic Church’s Christchurch diocese found out about the group, but The Press understands its origins formed part of the Vatican investigation which recently resulted in a recommendation to ask the Sons to leave the diocese.

The Press was unable to enter the Daughters’ property due to a padlocked gate but was able to call out to the women who appeared on the grounds. They kept their distance and on hearing we were journalists turned away without comment.

Religion expert Peter Lineham and a Catholic nun, who The Press agreed to keep anonymous, have both raised concerns about the Daughters.

Lineham said becoming a nun took making a pledge before God - a pledge that had to be regulated. “If the order has no standing in the eyes of the Church, are they [the rules] to be obeyed?” he said.

He was also concerned for the women’s welfare as the Church would not be responsible for a group it had not authorised. And now that its leadership in the Sons’ group had been told to leave the diocese the women were “stranded”.

A Catholic nun, who went through the proper channels to dedicate her life to God, said the Sons’ willingness to create an order of nuns without permission “sounds suspicious to me”.

“I wouldn’t trust them,” she said. “This is not kosher. It’s not Catholic.”

She said the life of a nun was a spiritual calling and she cherished the life she spent with her Sisters. She said the support network within her order, and with other orders of nuns, was important, and she was concerned that the Daughters were isolated from the Church and operating without authority.

“People can’t set things up willy nilly … [for] the safety of the people, their wellbeing and the Church’s wellbeing,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Christchurch diocese confirmed the group was established without the Bishop’s approval along with a second group the Sons formed called the South Islanders which also had “no official Church recognition”. Little is known about this group.

The Press asked if the diocese had any responsibility to look after the women; if the diocese had made any enquiries about or welfare checks on them prior to the Vatican investigation; and, how the group was able to fly under the radar despite being a registered charity and posting photos of its activity online.

The Bishop’s office did not answer these questions.

New religious orders or societies could previously be created with the approval of any Bishop. But in 2020 Pope Francis decreed that the Holy See - the government of the Roman Catholic church based in the Vatican - must give permission.

According to reporting in The Tablet, this decree followed investigations from the Vatican which found problems in newly established congregations, such as authoritarian leadership styles (with founders developing a cult of personality), psychological manipulation, and financial mismanagement.

There was also excessive focus on traditionalist liturgies “out of sync with the local church”, the report said.