Six years after the Vatican first started its investigation into U.S. nuns who participate in apostolic ministries, it released an official response during a press conference Dec. 16.

Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life held a press conference to release the Final Report on the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in The United States of America.

“The report offers a clearer understanding of how we live our lives,” said Sister Peggy Conway, C.S.J., associate director of advancement at The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates. “Pope Francis and the Vatican committee offer another avenue of conversation and acknowledge the wonderful work Sisters have done for centuries. The fact that they released it at the beginning of the Year of Consecrated life acknowledges it to the rest of the world.”

“The report from Rome today is very positive and affirming of the American Catholic Sisters,” said Sister Camille D’Arienzo, R.S.M., associate in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). “I was never apprehensive. I felt in my heart, God was with us every inch of the way. We were in religious life because God called us and we spend the whole of our lives trying to be faithful to what Jesus wants of us.”

Sister Maryann Lopiccolo, S.C., episcopal delegate for religious, was among the nuns who visited their fellow women religious to help put the visitation report together for Rome. The results of these visits were sent to Mother Mary Clare Millea, A.S.C.J., the American superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who was appointed by the Vatican to conduct the visitation.

“I have to say right across the board every community was quite apprehensive because they didn’t know what we were going to do and what our underlying purpose was even though we said out front: ‘we are coming to just meet with and learn more about you,’” Sister Maryann said.

Sister Helene Conway, C.S.J., pastoral associate of St. Francis Xavier, Park Slope, said the investigation in January of 2009 came as a surprise to the sisters in the U.S.

“The whole investigation was launched without any collaboration or dialogue,” she said. There was a sense of a “lack of trust and lack of respect.”

“It was frankly insulting; I felt that way and I know many others did,” Sister Camille said.“We have been for over 100 years in this diocese. Bishops know what we do, lay people know what we do. Why would we be singled out in an investigation?”

She said that a positive outcome of the investigation, even before the final report came back from the Vatican, was that religious life was put front and center for many lay people in the U.S.

“It energized the lay people to come mightly to our defense because they knew the answers to the questions that were posed,” Sister Camille said. “They were greatly in support, highly encouraging.”

Sister Karen Cavanagh, a Sister of St. Joseph for 55 years, said it was not easy knowing that religious life in the U.S. was being investigated by its mother, the Church.

“It has been six years of feeling under the cloud of an investigation of that what I hold most dear,” she said. “It was hurtful.”

“It was a strange feeling that we were being investigated,” said Sister Dolores F. Crepeau, C.S.J., principal of Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Dyker Heights.

“We did what we had to do, we put our best foot forward and cooperated,” said Sister Alice Michael, S.U.S.C., diocesan R.C.I.A. coordinator. “I felt from day one, if we are living the life the best we can, with out shortcomings, what do we have to fear?”

“It was, in a way, a little bit shocking,” said Sister Virginia Connors, O.P., who ministers at the Amityville Motherhouse.

However, she said, she could understand the Vatican’s reasoning. She entered her congregation right after Vatican II and has seen many changes occurring in the lives of American nuns. She also added that dwindling numbers in vocations to religious life was one of the reasons for the investigation.

Sisters Maryann said Vatican investigations are not rare in the Catholic Church.The Vatican takes an interest in many of its institutions.

She did point out that the diminishing numbers in vocations are impacted by many factors uncontrollable by religious houses. She said there was a great influx in religious vocations during the 1940s to the ’60s due to societal factors. It was a extraordinary boom that makes it hard to compare to other years. She also said that women today have more options in contributing to society and to the Church, without entering religious life.

Nonetheless, Sister Maryann says she believes religious life will continue well into the future.

“God will call those who we need,” she said.

Sister Maryann’s optimism is also founded in the religious communities she visited as part of the Vatican investigation. The designated sisters spoke with neighbors, guests, leadership and individual sisters.

“We really partook of their life, their way of being, their prayer life and had a real inside look of what it was like to be in that community,” she said. What the visitors found was “their dedication to being women of the Gospel to taking the mission of Jesus and living it through the lens of their particular congregation.”

Religious houses were also asked to answer questioners that would be part of the investigation.

Sister Maryann said Mother Mary Clare told the visitors that she has been hearing positive reports from throughout the U.S. Therefore, Sister Maryann said she was fairly certain that the outcome would be positive. However there was always that uncertainty. “I’m glad the cloud is gone,” Sister Karen said.

“In the earlier stages there was misunderstanding as to who we are as American women religious,” Sister Peggy said. “We stayed the course of reconciliation and collaboration. The end result was a deeper understanding on part of all who participated both in Rome and in the United States.”

The final report “recognizes that differences are okay,” Sister Maryann said. “There are different styles and different ways of responding to the Gospel. That’s what we are about: the call that we share, whether we wear a habit or we don’t wear a habit, whether we’re old or we’re not old, the call of the Gospel of Jesus needs to be preached and needs to be served.”

In the report “gratitude for what sister have done in the United States has been mentioned several times,” Sister Helene said. “That is very encouraging.”

Sister Helene added that there seems to be “a real openness to hearing what women religious have to say and hopefully that will have an impact on policies and even decision-making in the Church.”

“It’s calling for Sisters to really be involved in what’s important in the life of the church,” Sister Dolores said. “The element of collaboration is such an outstanding thing.”

Sister Dolores also said she thinks Pope Francis is in a good position to understand the needs and virtues of American religious women, because he is a member of a religious order himself.

“Rome is telling us that we are doing a good job,” Sister Virginia said. However, aside from praise, she believes the document offers opportunity.

“It needs to be read,” she said. “It needs to be discussed simply because it will enrich everyone who will be involved in the dialogue.”