A2 · ElementaryAdapted from ElDiario.es

Two Nuns Launch New Order to Help Abuse Victims

Dos monjas crean una nueva orden para ayudar a víctimas de abusos

Sep 8, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

Read along

Free preview — playback stops here. Full audio comes with Plus.

Theresa Aletheia y Danielle Lussier eran monjas en Estados Unidos. En 2022, dejaron su orden religiosa después de sufrir abusos espirituales por parte de su director espiritual.

Las dos mujeres han pedido permiso al obispo de Lexington para fundar las 'Hermanas del Pequeño Camino de la Belleza, la Verdad y la Bondad'. Esta sería la primera orden religiosa dedicada a acompañar a los supervivientes de abusos sexuales en la Iglesia católica.

El obispo apoya el proyecto porque ellas pueden empatizar con las víctimas. Las hermanas ya han recibido decenas de solicitudes de ayuda de todo el país. Una víctima dijo: 'Simplemente me escucharon, y eso me ayudó'.

Go Plus

You've reached the end of the free preview.

Plus unlocks everything on SpanishReadingDaily:

Every article in full — no daily limit
Word-by-word audio read-along
Smart review that brings saved words back until you own them
Wordbook and streak on every device

Get Plus — $9.99/mo · $79/yr

Free full article every day — see today's. No card needed.

Have a Plus activation code?

Watch out, English speaker

English speakers often use the simple past (e.g., 'were') for background descriptions, but Spanish requires the imperfect (e.g., 'eran') to set the scene. Using the preterite here would imply a completed action rather than an ongoing state. English uses the simple past for recent events with present relevance (e.g., 'They asked'), but Spanish uses the present perfect (e.g., 'han pedido') to emphasize the ongoing impact. Mixing them up can make your Spanish sound off.

Key vocabulary

monjaf.
nun
“Las monjas viven en un convento.”— The nuns live in a convent.
Pattern ser monja to be a nun
Compare religiosa
Plural: monjas
💡 From Latin 'monacha', corresponding to 'monje' (monk).
abusosm.
abuse
“Los abusos espirituales son difíciles de detectar.”— Spiritual abuse is difficult to detect.
Pattern abusos sexuales sexual abuse
Compare maltrato
Singular: abuso
💡 From the verb 'abusar', referring to excessive use of power.
director espiritualm.
spiritual director
“El director espiritual le dio consejos.”— The spiritual director gave him advice.
Pattern tener un director espiritual to have a spiritual director
Compare guía espiritual
Plural: directores espirituales
💡 In Catholicism, a person who guides the spiritual life of believers.
congregaciónf.
congregation, religious order
“La congregación ayuda a los pobres.”— The congregation helps the poor.
Pattern crear una congregación to found a religious order
Compare orden religiosa
Plural: congregaciones
💡 From Latin 'congregare', meaning to gather.
víctimaf.
victim
“La víctima contó su historia.”— The victim told her story.
Pattern víctima de abusos victim of abuse
Compare damnificada
Plural: víctimas
💡 Note the stress on 'vi'; do not write it as 'victima'.
supervivientem./f.
survivor
“Los supervivientes necesitan apoyo.”— Survivors need support.
Pattern superviviente de abusos abuse survivor
Compare sobreviviente
Plural: supervivientes
💡 Composed of 'super' (over) and 'vivir' (to live).
obispom.
bishop
“El obispo bendijo la nueva iglesia.”— The bishop blessed the new church.
Pattern el obispo de Lexington the bishop of Lexington
Compare prelado
Plural: obispos
💡 From Greek 'episkopos', meaning overseer.
permisom.
permission
“Necesitas permiso para entrar.”— You need permission to enter.
Pattern pedir permiso to ask for permission
Compare autorización
Plural: permisos
💡 From the verb 'permitir'.

Grammar spotlight

Pretérito imperfecto: describing background

Use the imperfect (like 'eran') to describe past states or background situations. It sets the scene rather than focusing on a completed action.

“Theresa Aletheia y Danielle Lussier eran monjas en Estados Unidos.”— Theresa Aletheia and Danielle Lussier were nuns in the United States.

⚠️ Don't confuse it with the present tense; pay attention to the time context.

Present perfect: haber + past participle

Use 'han pedido' to talk about a past action that has relevance to the present. The auxiliary 'haber' must be conjugated correctly.

“Las dos mujeres han pedido permiso al obispo.”— The two women have asked the bishop for permission.

⚠️ Watch out for the conjugation of the auxiliary 'haber'; don't leave it out.

Sentence patterns to steal

Esta sería la primera orden religiosa dedicada a acompañar a los supervivientes de abusos sexuales en la Iglesia católica.
This would be the first religious order dedicated to accompanying survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Esta sería + noun + dedicada a + infinitiveThe noun can be replaced with other things, e.g., 'la primera escuela' (the first school).
El obispo apoya el proyecto porque ellas pueden empatizar con las víctimas.
The bishop supports the project because they can empathize with the victims.
Subject + apoya + something porque + reasonThe subject and object can be replaced, e.g., 'La comunidad apoya la iniciativa porque...' (The community supports the initiative because...).
Las hermanas ya han recibido decenas de solicitudes de ayuda de todo el país.
The nuns have already received dozens of requests for help from all over the country.
Subject + ya han + past participle + objectThe verb and object can be replaced, e.g., 'han recibido cartas' (have received letters).

Religious orders in the Catholic Church

A congregation is a group of believers within the Catholic Church, usually with a specific mission such as education, healthcare, or missionary work. Nuns (monjas) take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Founding a new congregation requires approval from a bishop and, ultimately, recognition from the Vatican.

Source: Wikipedia: Congregación religiosa católica

Finish the story to log today's read

Discussion

Be kind, stay on topic, no ads or links. Community guidelines

No comments yet — be the first to share what you noticed in this article.