The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is one of two associations of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States (the other being the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious). In 2025 LCWR includes "nearly 1270 members, who represent approximately 66 percent of the 35,000 women religious in the United States" (i.e. approximately 23,100 women religious). Its members belong to 288 religious congregations in the United States as of 2025.
Founded in 1956, the conference describes its charter as assisting its members to "collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today's world." The canonically-approved organization collaborates in the Catholic Church and in society to "influence systemic change, studying significant trends and issues within the church and society, utilizing our corporate voice in solidarity with people who experience any form of violence or oppression, and creating and offering resource materials on religious leadership skills." The conference serves as a resource both to its members and to the public who are seeking resources on leadership for religious life.
In April 2015 the Vatican closed a controversial, multi-year investigation initiated in 2012 by Cardinal Gerhard Müller of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. According to Associated Press' Vatican correspondent, Nicole Winfield, the investigation "embittered many American Catholics against what they perceive as heavy-handed tactics by Rome." While Pope Francis, elected after the investigation began, reaffirmed it and the organization's members were ordered to review their statutes and reassess their plans and programs, the Holy See in its conclusion praised the nuns' work.
Mission and purpose According to its official website, the LCWR serves as a resource to its members and to others seeking information on leadership for religious life and living religious life. Its mission is to "promote a developing understanding and living of religious life by":"Mission Statement", LCWR "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."
Members of LCWR congregations The membership of the LCWR is composed of women who are the superiors, or leaders, of their respective congregations. In 2019, congregations led by LCWR members included 32,475 members "nearly 80% of the approximately 38,000 women religious in the United States".
Year Members of LCWR Congregations 2007 60,642 2010 47,872 2011 46,289 2012 44,637 2013 42,335 2014 41,014 2015 39,085 2016 37,418 2017 36,555 2018 33,431 2019 32,475 2025 23,100 "approximately 66 percent of the 35,000 women religious in the United States".
In 2009 the average median age of women in final/perpetual vows in LCWR member congregations was 74 (compared to 60 in CMSWR member institutes).National Religious Vocation Conference, "Recent Vocations to Religious Life", August 2009. Among those who entered since 1994, 56% were over 30 by 2009.Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life (2009, available only to members - August 06, 2012)
A 2009 survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate showed that 78 percent of women who joined CMSWR organizations were under 30, compared to 35 percent of those who joined LCWR organizations. According to Mary Johnson, Patricia Wittberg, and Mary Gautier, in New Generations of Catholic Sisters (2014):
Some commentators, for ideological purposes, attempt to create generalized typologies that mask the complexity of the religious reality, arguing that all new entrants go to traditionalist (CMSWR [Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious]) institutes and few or none go to LCWR [Leadership Conference of Women Religious] institutes. ... The reality of the situation is that almost an equal percentage of LCWR and CMSWR institutes have no one at all in formation at the present time (32 percent and 27 percent, respectively). One of the most striking findings regarding new entrants is that almost equal numbers of women have been attracted to institutes in both conferences in recent years. quoted in This did not continue to hold true, however; by 2016, according to the Global Sisters Report, CMSWR grew in total numbers to nearly 6,000, while the LCWR continued to shrink at an accelerated rate; in addition, the CMSWR's number of novices and postulants continued to grow, standing at 900 in 2016.
History In April 1956 the Holy See's Congregation of the Affairs of Religious requested that nuns in the U.S. form a national conference. In November of that year, the committee of nuns in the U.S. called a meeting in Chicago of general and provincial superiors of pontifical communities to consider the formation of a national conference. They voted unanimously to establish the Conference of Major Superiors of Women (CMSW) to "promote the spiritual welfare" of the country's women religious, "insure increasing effectiveness of their apostolate," and "foster closer fraternal cooperation with all religious of the United States, the hierarchy, the clergy, and Catholic associations." Its Statutes were approved by the Sacred Congregation for Religious in 1962. The name was changed in 1971 to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Its revised Statutes were approved by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) in 1989. In 1992 the approved the establishment of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), as an alternative superiors conference. The LCWR contains a "Vatican II reformed" membership while the CMSWR contains a "more traditional or conservative" membership.
Doctrinal issues In April 2015 the Vatican closed a controversial, multi-year investigation initiated in 2012 by Cardinal Gerhard Müller of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.ABS-CBN News, Reuters: "Sacked cardinal issues manifesto in thinly veiled attack on Pope Francis" Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle was appointed to work with the conference. According to Associated Press' Vatican correspondent, Nicole Winfield, the investigation "embittered many American Catholics against what they perceive as heavy-handed tactics by Rome."
While Pope Francis, elected after the investigation began, reaffirmed it and the organization's members were ordered to review their statutes and reassess their plans and programs, the Holy See in its conclusion praised the nuns' work. The joint final report of both the Vatican and the LCWR stated that the conference is "a public juridic person centered on Jesus Christ and faithful to the teachings of the Church," its publications "need a sound doctrinal foundation," and "when exploring contemporary issues, particularly those which, while not explicitly theological nevertheless touch upon faith and morals, LCWR expects speakers and presenters to have due regard for the Church's faith". Women's ordination On October 7, 1979, Theresa Kane, former president of the LCWR, issued a formal plea during Pope John Paul II's Apostolic visit to the United States at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for "providing the possibility of women as persons being included in all ministries of the church." According to Franciscan Florence Deacon, someone doing the doctrinal assessment in 2012 may have been concerned with a statement made 35 years earlier in 1977 which was in favor of women's ordination, which the LCWR had never withdrawn.
"Moved beyond Jesus" On August 2, 2007, Laurie Brink during her keynote address quoted another sister's comment that stated, "I was rooted in the story of Jesus, and it remains at my core, but I've also moved beyond Jesus," going on to explain that religious traditions outside the Christian fold may also have something to teach us, and are deserving of respect.
Apostolic visitation LCWR representatives were asked by the CDF in 2001 "to report on LCWR members' reception of Church teaching on the sacramental priesthood, the CDF document Dominus Iesus, and 'the problem of homosexuality'." The CDF looked at "the doctrinal content of various addresses" at the LCWR annual assemblies and decided "that the problems which had motivated its request in 2001" remained.
On December 22, 2008, Franc Rodé, prefect of the announced it would conduct an apostolic visitation of U.S. women religious to examine their quality of life, ministries, vocation efforts, and financial status, which many saw as indictment against some of the less traditional communities within the LCWR by "seeking answers about 'the soundness of doctrine held and taught'." Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was appointed as the Apostolic Visitator. LCWR said that the Holy See had not fully disclosed the reasons behind the investigation, nor its funding.
Raymond Burke, then prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, declared on a televised interview that "the question is now for conversion to the true nature of religious life" and if the LCWR "cannot be reformed, then it does not have a right to continue."
CDF Investigation
On April 8, 2008, William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Benedict XVI, met with LCWR leaders in Rome and communicated that the CDF will conduct a doctrinal assessment of the LCWR. The doctrinal assessment would evaluate three "major areas of concern": Addresses at the LCWR assemblies that "manifest problematic statements and serious theological, even doctrinal errors" and call into question "core Catholic beliefs" in ways which are both "a rejection of faith" and "a serious source of scandal and is incompatible with religious life." Policies of dissent "regarding the question of women's ordination and of a correct pastoral approach to ministry to homosexual persons," such as "letters about New Ways Ministry's conferences" that "suggest that these sisters collectively take a position not in agreement with the Church's teaching on human sexuality." The "prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith ... including theological interpretations that risk distorting faith in Jesus and his loving Father," commentaries that "distort the way in which Jesus has structured sacramental life in the Church," and other commentaries that "undermine the revealed doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of Sacred Scripture."
According to Laurie Goodstein, the controversial investigation, which was viewed by many U.S. Catholics as a "vexing and unjust inquisition of the sisters who ran the church's schools, hospitals and charities," was quietly closed in 2015 after a delegation from the conference met with Pope Francis.
CDF doctrinal assessment of the LCWR From 2009 to 2012 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) conducted a doctrinal assessment of the LCWR. In April 2012, the CDF "announced a major reform of the LCWR" and described "the need to remedy significant doctrinal problems associated with the group's activities and programs ... in areas including abortion, euthanasia, women's ordination and homosexuality." Same as