My favorite quotation from some years ago, from one of these nun conferences, went something like this: “We must go to the Vatican and tear down the idols of patriarchy, the idols with the smoke of the burned bodies of women belching from their nostrils, the hideous idols of the patriarchal hierarchy! Smash them! Smash them all!,” said Sr. Iliana O’Brien, of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.
The purpose of the conference shall be to promote a developing understanding and living of religious life by:
assisting its members personally and communally to carry out more collaboratively their service of leadership in order to accomplish further the mission of Christ in today's world.
fostering dialogue and collaboration among religious congregations within the church and in the larger society.
developing models for initiating and strengthening relationships with groups concerned with the needs of society, thereby maximizing the potential of the conference for effecting change.