We gleaned from the initials following her last name, "SSM," that Ms. ("Sr.") Marilyn Vollmer, commonly known as "the other bishop" around the Diocese, likely belongs to an order called Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. Founded by German Mother Frances Streitel, the SSMs describe themselves as Franciscan and involve themselves primarily with healthcare and education among the poor. Quote:

The purpose of our Congregation is to hold out to society the witness of God's love and in so doing invite people to turn to God. We are dedicated to the Franciscan values of peacemaking, hospitality and reverence for all creation.

Other than that, the order's official website has very little information on it, and it appears to be a very small, aging order. Surprisingly, pictured in one of the few photos on the site are a couple of sisters wearing habits. Not surprisingly, there are no newsletters in their newsletter section and there is no way of finding out how to visit or join the order.

In any case, one wonders why an order like this one would allow one of its members to go around the country doing "work" like Ms. Vollmer is engaged in (coast-to-coast diocesan take-down aid for bishops involved with corruption scandals, etc.). How would a member of a seemingly modest Franciscan order from Wisconsin get involved with this sort of thing?

On the Archdiocese of Milwaukee site, it says that the SSMs'

ministries focus on those who suffer deprivation, social fragmentation, family disintegration, and personal isolation.

How ironic! It does not say that their ministries include causing these things, it only says that their ministries focus on these things. Hmmm. Oh, it's made a little clearer here, a little further down:

We minister in many places, from the central city to the AODA unit, from retreat centers to board rooms, from migrant camps to offices.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's website directs us to an SSM website with literally no content whatsoever: ssmfranciscans.org. That's no help. But maybe they are a small order, but not such a modest one. On the Marian Healthcare System site, they tell us just a tad more. They came to this country in part to help an ailing hospital in Kansas, and

The Sisters stayed busy during the 19th century, establishing healthcare ministries throughout Wisconsin and in Denville, New Jersey. The congregation has continued its growth in healthcare and education with ministries established in Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Iowa, New Jersey and several foreign nations.

And this leads us to a 1997 article that describes a name change for the sisters' ministry, and this is where we learn of the order's extensive involvement with the health care industry:

Health care isn't the kind of mission called to mind by the name Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.

So beginning April 1, Sisters of Sorrowful Mother Ministry Corp. will be known as Ministry Health Care to better represent the Milwaukee-based health care system's purpose.

"The name Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother -- while it reflects the system's Catholic sponsor -- doesn't carry a lot of meaning for the average consumer that we're meeting in our marketplace," said Sister Lois Bush, chief executive officer. "The new name is simple and reflects what we do, which is the business of health care."

The article goes on to say that the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother's health care system is "one of the largest in the state [of Wisconsin]." However, when we looked up the "SSM Ministry Corp" nothing much in the way of information is available, but we did find another name: "SSM Diversified Health Services" located at 11925 West Lake Park Drive, Suite 100, Milwaukee, WI 53224, phone (414) 359-1070.

Maybe they've changed their name again? There's something called "Ministry Health Care" that describes itself in this way:

When you walk into any Ministry hospital or clinic, you will see the healing ministry and values of our founders, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, at work. Here, everyone works together, as one, to provide the best care available for all patients. 

At Ministry, we continually look to tomorrow. We push ourselves as an organization and as individuals to grow, to take the extra step, to work as hard as we can to bring hope, respect and dignity to each patient and their family.

Here, we see that a "Ministry" can be a business, even a multiple-clinic and hospital health care system, "one of the largest in the state" of Wisconsin.

I'm confused. Is this a non-profit group? If so, what services are they providing? It would seem, based on Ms. Vollmer, that it's just a bunch of professional women sharing their income, but maybe this is just something we need to do more research into.

Anyway, the point is that it is pretty clear that health care has been the mission and apostolate of the SSMs from the beginning. And indeed they continue in this booming industry now. So again, what is Marilyn Vollmer doing here in the Diocese of Camden? Why is she not off nursing, teaching, helping the poor in some way, or manning a retreat center somewhere? And how can we get her retrained?

(BTW, they also have "Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother International Finance, Inc.": link, which is sort of funny.)

As a side note, there is another question, which is sure to become an issue at some point.  Most members of this type of order, because of their vows of poverty, do not pay income taxes.  At what point, however, does this "vow of poverty" become a joke?  How is a "sister" who has a solid middle management position (with wages that are more than competitive for her level of ability) and who lives independently from the order to which she belongs different from the rest of us?  What is she giving to society, as a whole, to warrant special tax treatment?