There are often times when it isn’t fair to compare a story from one news source with a story offered by another newsroom on a very similar topic. This may be one of those times.
I’ve been reading The Atlantic and The New York Times for decades, through good times and bad — focusing on coverage of religion. I am well aware of the ingredients that you tend to find in feature stories in these elite publications.
Earlier this week, I joined readers and religion-beat pros in pouring social-media praise on an Atlantic feature about the Little Sisters of the Poor. The key was their efforts, in a Catholic nursing home, to carry on with their ministry work — while the coronavirus kept striking down elderly sisters (and a priest) in their flock. Click here to see that post.
As you would expect, the story was packed with news information, as well as poignant details that took readers inside the prayers and rites that define life among the sisters, while discussing the deep religious challenges and questions raised by the pandemic. Yes, “theodicy” questions lurked in the background.
The bottom line: These sisters were living lives defined by the vows and traditions of their faith. There was no way for readers to avoid that — which was crucial during this life-and-death crisis.
This brings me to a stunningly faith-free report at New York Times that ran under this headline:
After Decades of Service, Five Nuns Die as Virus Sweeps Through Convent
The coronavirus outbreak was difficult to trace in the Wisconsin convent, which specializes in care for aging nuns with dementia.
This feature focuses on the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a global order that — as the name suggests — focuses on teaching, at all levels. Here is how they define their mission, shown in an excerpt from the order’s constitution:
Our Mission is to proclaim the good news as School Sisters of Notre Dame, directing our entire lives toward that oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. As He was sent to show the Father’s love to the world, we are sent to make Christ visible by our very being, by sharing our love, faith, and hope.
How is this mission expressed in Times-speak? This summary is near the top of this feature:
The women had moved into the convent after decades of service in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. They worked in parishes, schools and universities, teaching English and music, ministering to the aged and the poor and nurturing their own passions for literature and the fine arts. Our Lady of the Angels, which specializes in caring for people with dementia, was meant to be their final home.
It’s crucial to understand that this is a rather long story — 1,200-plus words. There was all kinds of room to explore religious issues linked to the lives and work of these nuns. Why did they take vows in the first place, since there is nothing unusual about women becoming teachers?
In this case, it helps to search the story for some symbolic terms.
Take “Jesus,” for example. Zero hits.
How about “God”? Zero hits.
Maybe “rosary”? How about “Mass,” “vows,” “faith” or “chapel”? No references to any of those terms.
The story does mention prayer in a rather generic sense of the word. Here is one example:
Jane Morgan, the administrator of the convent, said in a statement that she was cooperating with health authorities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“We welcome prayers for the health and comfort of our residents and staff as we grieve the loss of our sister,” Ms. Morgan said.
Has the coronavirus affect the prayer lives of these nuns? Apparently this is not a relevant topic, either.
What do we learn about these nuns? Here are a few examples of the life summaries:
In early April, Sister Mary Regine Collins was several weeks away from her 96th birthday. She had retired to Our Lady of the Angels after a life filled with religious service and education, according to a biography provided by her ministry, the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
She taught in Catholic schools and at a university in Milwaukee; she earned a master’s degree in art at the University of Notre Dame in 1962 and was known for her wood carvings.
More?
A day after the first coronavirus death, another nun died: Sister Marie June Skender, 83, a former elementary schoolteacher and musician whose symptoms had begun with a fever a few days earlier.
Sister Mary Francele Sherburne, 99, died two days later. Before retirement, she was a full-time college professor, a music teacher to elementary students and a volunteer instructor for decades to Milwaukeeans learning English as a second language. “Sister Francele had a passion for kite flying,” said a biography provided by her ministry.
The story — this is good — is loaded with details about the medical issues involved in the testing and treatment of elderly COVID-19 patients. It is certainly appropriate to stress that these tragedies at Our Lady of the Angels fit into a national pattern in nursing homes. It’s good to know that administrators are following all of the safety guidelines that they have been given.
But something seems to be missing here. There seems to be a faith-shaped hole in the reporting or editing at the Times.
Just saying.