Intercessors of the Lamb
Encyclopedia
The Hermit Intercessors of the Lamb was a Roman Catholic Association of priests
, brothers
, nun
s, and lay people
, based in Nebraska
, United States. The organization was suppressed by Omaha Archbishop George Joseph Lucas
in 2010.
back to Saint John Eudes's Congregation of Jesus and Mary
. The founder of the Intercessors, Nadine Brown, was formerly a member of the Sisters of the Cross of the Good Shepherd Congregation in Minnesota, which was itself an offshoot of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. Brown discerned
that she was being called out of the life of the cloister
ed Sisters of the Cross, and thus sought to bring the charism of that order to the wider body of the faithful
.
The Intercessors of the Lamb was canonically erected on 27 May 1998 as a Public Association of the Christian Faithful, which is commensurate with a lay ecclesial movement
. This is one of the steps to the society's recognition as an Institute of Consecrated Life
.
A separate legal entity, Intercessors of the Lamb, Inc., was also formed in 1980 as a tax exempt corporation to manage the business affairs. The society's contemplative formation center in Omaha is called "Bellwether
" , located in the Ponca Hills north of Omaha, Nebraska
. The corporation also owns property outside the United States. Many members signed over their assets to the Intercessors.
Thousands of people participated in summer conferences conducted by the Intercessors in Omaha each year. The Intercessors published several books and tapes authored by Brown. Among these are Bathe Seven Times : A Contemplative Look at the Seven Capital Sins (2003) and God's Armor (1998).
During 2004, neighbours to Bellwether opposed their plans to build four group homes, the Our Lady of Light chapel and 18 hermitages.
In 2009, Nadine Brown requested Archbishop George Lucas' guidance in determining the group's future. In an effort to familiarize himself with the association, Lucas delegated the canon law professor Rev. James J. Conn to commence a canonical visitation
of the Intercessors during May 2010. His findings included widespread dissatisfaction with leadership, lack of safe environment policies, violation of privacy of the confessional, use of intimidation tactics to secure obedience from the members and irreverent custody of the Blessed Sacrament
. However, the visitation process was not completed.
On September 30, 2010 Lucas requested the resignation of Nadine Brown from both the corporation and the Association, and she complied. He appointed an Omaha priest, Fr. Gregory P. Baxter as trustee of the Association. Nadine Brown left Bellwether on October 5.
Lucas wished to bring the organisation into conformity with Catholic canon law. Because most of the directors of the Board refused to cooperate with the reform, Lucas made a decree of suppression on October 15, 2010.
Forty-eight members of the community left Bellwether that day to accept temporary housing offered by the Archdiocese. Most of these now live on the former campus of Dana College
in Blair, Nebraska, as “the Intercessor Relief Community.”
Four other members have decided to leave religious life. Lucas stated that the vows of the members ceased at the moment of suppression. The Bellwether chapel is no longer a recognised Catholic chapel.
Two days after the suppression, ten Hermits and Brown returned to Bellwether. The community was reorganised with different goals. Intercessors of the Lamb, Inc, is now disassociated from the Catholic Church. A 2011 conference at Omaha was proposed and later cancelled. The corporation retains ownership of the 75 acre property.
and the provision of spiritual guidance, with the aim of inspiring spiritual renewal among Catholics. The priests, deacons, brothers, and nuns of the order called themselves hermit
s, and live with a "desert spirituality", a commitment that includes public vows of "chastity, poverty, obedience and zeal for the salvation of souls". The main apostolate of the association is prayer for priests.
The group maintained a international nation-wide network of "Companion" groups that pray in unity with the Intercessors, especially for priests, and new vocation
s to the priesthood.. The Companions were not canonically recognised; some of these groups have continued their work despite the suppression.
The habit
of the Intercessors was a teal
scapular
; the merging of the colors green, for the earth, and blue, for heaven expressed the society's role as intercessors .
The Intercessors of the Lamb had a distinctly charismatic
piety. CatholicCulture.com notes the society's emphasis on Međugorje
and its "uncritical focus on an exclusively charismatic spirituality".
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
, brothers
Brother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...
, nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s, and lay people
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, based in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States. The organization was suppressed by Omaha Archbishop George Joseph Lucas
George Joseph Lucas
George Joseph Lucas is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fifth and current Archbishop of Omaha, having previously served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.-Biography:...
in 2010.
History
The Intercessors of the Lamb were founded in 1980. They trace their spiritual charismCharism
In Christian theology, a charism in general denotes any good gift that flows from God's love to man. The word can also mean any of the spiritual graces and qualifications granted to every Christian to perform his or her task in the Church...
back to Saint John Eudes's Congregation of Jesus and Mary
Eudists
The Congregation of Jesus and Mary , commonly referred to as the Eudists is a Society of Apostolic Life in the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
. The founder of the Intercessors, Nadine Brown, was formerly a member of the Sisters of the Cross of the Good Shepherd Congregation in Minnesota, which was itself an offshoot of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. Brown discerned
Vocational discernment in the Catholic Church
Vocational discernment is the process in which men or women in the Catholic Church discern, or determine, their vocation in the Church. Though one may also speak of discerning a vocation to marriage or to life as a single person, discerning a vocation most frequently refers to a special vocation...
that she was being called out of the life of the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
ed Sisters of the Cross, and thus sought to bring the charism of that order to the wider body of the faithful
Faithful (baptized Catholic)
Faithful is a Roman Catholic term referring to those who:The term comes from the Latin word fideles, from fides, faith....
.
The Intercessors of the Lamb was canonically erected on 27 May 1998 as a Public Association of the Christian Faithful, which is commensurate with a lay ecclesial movement
Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement
Lay ecclesial movements are one form of associations of the faithful of the Catholic Church.Associations of the faithful are groups of baptized Catholics, clerics or laity or both together, who jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote...
. This is one of the steps to the society's recognition as an Institute of Consecrated Life
Institute of Consecrated Life
Institutes of consecrated life are canonically erected institutes in the Roman Catholic Church whose members profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience by vows or other sacred bonds...
.
A separate legal entity, Intercessors of the Lamb, Inc., was also formed in 1980 as a tax exempt corporation to manage the business affairs. The society's contemplative formation center in Omaha is called "Bellwether
Bellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
" , located in the Ponca Hills north of Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. The corporation also owns property outside the United States. Many members signed over their assets to the Intercessors.
Thousands of people participated in summer conferences conducted by the Intercessors in Omaha each year. The Intercessors published several books and tapes authored by Brown. Among these are Bathe Seven Times : A Contemplative Look at the Seven Capital Sins (2003) and God's Armor (1998).
During 2004, neighbours to Bellwether opposed their plans to build four group homes, the Our Lady of Light chapel and 18 hermitages.
In 2009, Nadine Brown requested Archbishop George Lucas' guidance in determining the group's future. In an effort to familiarize himself with the association, Lucas delegated the canon law professor Rev. James J. Conn to commence a canonical visitation
Canonical Visitation
A canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view of maintaining faith and discipline, and of correcting abuses by the application of proper remedies.-Catholic usage:...
of the Intercessors during May 2010. His findings included widespread dissatisfaction with leadership, lack of safe environment policies, violation of privacy of the confessional, use of intimidation tactics to secure obedience from the members and irreverent custody of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
. However, the visitation process was not completed.
On September 30, 2010 Lucas requested the resignation of Nadine Brown from both the corporation and the Association, and she complied. He appointed an Omaha priest, Fr. Gregory P. Baxter as trustee of the Association. Nadine Brown left Bellwether on October 5.
Lucas wished to bring the organisation into conformity with Catholic canon law. Because most of the directors of the Board refused to cooperate with the reform, Lucas made a decree of suppression on October 15, 2010.
Forty-eight members of the community left Bellwether that day to accept temporary housing offered by the Archdiocese. Most of these now live on the former campus of Dana College
Dana College
Dana College is a now defunct baccalaureate college located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre campus is approximately 25 miles northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley....
in Blair, Nebraska, as “the Intercessor Relief Community.”
Four other members have decided to leave religious life. Lucas stated that the vows of the members ceased at the moment of suppression. The Bellwether chapel is no longer a recognised Catholic chapel.
Two days after the suppression, ten Hermits and Brown returned to Bellwether. The community was reorganised with different goals. Intercessors of the Lamb, Inc, is now disassociated from the Catholic Church. A 2011 conference at Omaha was proposed and later cancelled. The corporation retains ownership of the 75 acre property.
Charism
The society's particular ministry, or spiritual charism, is the promotion of contemplative spiritualityChristian meditation
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...
and the provision of spiritual guidance, with the aim of inspiring spiritual renewal among Catholics. The priests, deacons, brothers, and nuns of the order called themselves hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
s, and live with a "desert spirituality", a commitment that includes public vows of "chastity, poverty, obedience and zeal for the salvation of souls". The main apostolate of the association is prayer for priests.
The group maintained a international nation-wide network of "Companion" groups that pray in unity with the Intercessors, especially for priests, and new vocation
Vocation
A vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
s to the priesthood.. The Companions were not canonically recognised; some of these groups have continued their work despite the suppression.
The habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
of the Intercessors was a teal
Teal (color)
Teal is a medium blue-green color. It is named after the Common Teal, a member of the duck family, whose eyes are surrounded by the color.Teal is one of the initial group of 16 HTML/CSS web colors formulated in 1987, shown below....
scapular
Scapular
The term scapular as used today refers to two specific, yet related, Christian Sacramentals, namely the monastic and devotional scapulars, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular"....
; the merging of the colors green, for the earth, and blue, for heaven expressed the society's role as intercessors .
The Intercessors of the Lamb had a distinctly charismatic
Catholic Charismatic Renewal
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church. Worship is characterized by vibrant Masses, as well as prayer meetings featuring prophecy, healing and "praying in tongues." This movement is based on the belief that certain charismata , bestowed by the Holy Spirit, such as...
piety. CatholicCulture.com notes the society's emphasis on Međugorje
Status of Međugorje
Međugorje, a village located in present day Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been the site of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary since June 24, 1981. This article describes the Catholic Church's response to these alleged apparitions....
and its "uncritical focus on an exclusively charismatic spirituality".