Omaha, Neb., Oct 4, 2010 / 19:07 pm
The Archdiocese of Omaha announced on Oct. 4 that the leader of contemplative group the Association of the Hermit Intercessors of the Lamb was asked to resign from her position following a canonical visitation. According to the archdiocesan spokesman, the questioning of the association's members produced “alarming” findings.
On Sept. 30, Archbishop George Lucas asked for and accepted the resignation of Sr. Nadine Brown – who founded the association of lay and clerical hermits in Omaha – and appointed Fr. Gregory Baxter as trustee. The group was started by Sr. Nadine, who is a former member of the Sisters of the Cross (now the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The archdiocese stated that the Intercessors were originally recognized by Archbishop Daniel Sheehan as a private association of the Christian faithful in 1992. Several years later in 1998, the group's juridical status changed when Archbishop Elden Curtiss recognized them as a public association of the Christian faithful.
Deacon Timothy McNeil, chancellor of the archdiocese and director of communications, explained to CNA on Monday in a phone interview that Sr. Nadine had approached the newly installed Archbishop Lucas last year in order to move the group's status to the next canonical tier.