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The modern US nun is an ex-soldier, lawyer and has a blog
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) just published an article which appeared on Yahoo News — “The Modern US nun is an ex-soldier, lawyer and has a blog” by Jocelyne Zablit. There appears to be wide interest in what is happening here in the US in terms of young women interested in religious life. Here’s a snippet:
They are among a growing number of women in their 20s and 30s across the United States who have shed high-powered jobs, career ambitions and boyfriends for a nun’s veil and a life devoted to the church.
Though the trend is by no means spreading like wildfire, several Roman Catholic communities throughout the country say they have noticed a surprising and welcome phenomenon in the last decade as younger women join their ranks.
The article focuses on a particular way of living religious life which is exemplified by the Sisters of Life community in New York. While each religious community varies in its mission, spirituality, and community life, there is a common thread of living the evangelical counsels — poverty, obedience, and celibacy — and following Jesus. You will find this in all religious communities regardless of dress, location, size, or mission. And women coming to religious communities have similar attractions:
“These women are looking for something deeper,” said Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the National Religious Vocation Conference. “They are looking to develop their Catholic identity and given our secular values in the United States where we promote sex, money and power, it is a very counter cultural thing to profess celibacy, poverty and obedience.
The article also highlights the role of the Internet in helping women learn about and connect with religious communities.
But apart from divine intervention, those interviewed also credit the Internet with breathing new life into the nunnery. Most orders today have Web sites and about 20 nuns run their own blogs.
“The (Church) today needs to be on the Internet because that’s where young people are going to go,” Bednarczyk said.
As I’ve suggested before, more women religious need to get online, get a blog going, and interact with the cyberspace community. It is a wonderful blessing.
Jocelyne Zablit’s article concludes with a few a lines about yours truly.
Julie Vieira, 35, who began a blog entitled “A Nun’s Life” last July to chronicle her experience as a sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, said she gets about 600 hits a day and at least a half dozen e-mails from people inquiring about religious life.
“One of the reasons I started the blog was to explain what it’s like to be a nun and to address the stereotypes out there,” Vieira, who works at Loyola Press, a Catholic publisher in Chicago, told AFP. “I just wanted to tell people ‘Hey I’m an ordinary person’.”
Do read the full article by clicking here.
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{ 11 comments }
Hello Sister,
The Today Show featured a piece on the Sisters of Mary, and the high-tech techiques theyre using to attract new vocations. I think youll find this interesting!
http://www.sistersofmary.org/category.php?id=36
After you click the link, click the lastest news edition near the top.
Deo Gratias!!
Great! Thanks for the link to the Sisters’ web site and the Today Show video “Nuns goes high tech” (February 5, 2007). There are also some other news items about the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist on their web site.
Why do you all think that congregations like the Dominican Sisters of Mary in Michigan/Sisters of Life in NY have so many vocations? I’ve heard some attribute it to their traditional views and wearing of the veil/habit. That’s all well and good but I can’t help but think it must be way more than that. If it isn’t, then how will these young women sustain themselves as sisters throughout their lives as their faith develops and grows?
Another explanation I heard is that members of these “popular” congregations live more “radical” lives than sisters in the more established orders. This makes a little more sense to me.
Or could this all just be divine intervention, that is, for some unknown reason God is attracting women to some orders while others are on the sharp decline?
What do you think?
donna
P.S. Julie – good picture.
Hi Donna … thanks! Your second comment is much easier to respond to than the first one. As I’ve mentioned before, I think there is great diversity in the religious life as well as the Church. This is a very good thing because different periods of history call for different types of responses.
Perhaps this is one of those times when communities with a very visible individucal and corporate presence are being called upon. Religious communities certainly exist with their own charism and mission, but they are also part of the Church. Their presence, viability, etc. says something to people about the Church as well.
I think it is wonderful that communities are experiencing growth. But it doesn’t mean that communities that do not have the same growth proportionally are declining. God calls whom God call, when and where and how.
As to the radicalness of communities, I’m committed to the belief that anyone who vows to God poverty, obedience, and celibacy is living a pretty darn radical life. Anyone who gives their life over to a crucified God is living a radical life. Anyone who aligns themselves body and soul with the poor, the outcast, the oppressed is living a radical life.
If you’ve read my past post on numbers in religious life, then you know that this topic is one about which I am a tad passionate and for which there are no clear answers. What I know for sure is that we are the Body of Christ. Each one of us, each of our communities lives out God’s call.
Sr. Julie:
I agree that anyone that makes a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience is well set up to live a “radical” life. And personally, I’m not one that belives the habit makes the nun. As you have probably gleaned from my other postings, I’m a fan of women religious. They are a remarkable group of individuals.
Here is an observation vis a vis the radical life comment. I assume most sisters live a life of chastity and obedience. Although I’m sure a good number do live a life of poverty/simplicity, it seems a good percentage also live the life of middle – upper middle class Americans. Perhaps that is where some sisters’ lives are less “radical” than others. This is nothing new though. Throughout the years, reforms have been started due to this very issue. Wasn’t that one of St. Teresa of Avila’s concerns in starting her reforms?
donna
Julie:
I just read your post on numbers in religious communities. In case I didn’t make it clear in my last post, I don’t equate the numbers of women flocking to certain orders with the “quality” of those orders, i.e., they follow the teachings of Jesus better than those with fewer novices, etc. I would just say that in order to do God’s work, we need to sustain given ministries. We may not require 20 sisters for each grade school, for example. But it’d be nice to have a few to oversee religious ed and formation of the children. In some places, we don’t even have that. In that way, a few more sisters would be a true asset.
donna
Hi Donna — I know you weren’t equating numbers with quality. Others have and it drives me crazy which leads to my occasional soap box moments. You are absolutely right, it does sort of help to have people to sustain given ministries. We live in hope that we pass along our charism through the student we teach, through our colleagues, and the many people with whom we work. But I too think we need to have a presence. We are in interesting times right now!
And yes, radical has a variety of meanings. It is so difficult to define what poverty means and how it should be lived. This is something we all need to deal with individually and as a community.
I don’t want to sound cynical, but perhaps a bit of caution is in order? Where will these new communities be in twenty years time? What will have happend to the idealism of the twenty-somethings when they are forty-somethings? I don’t know the communities referred to, but only time can tell whether they are really able to form people for the long haul…
When I look at the communities and dioceses that are experiencing growth, there seems to be some common threads. Namely, a strong focus on the EUCHARIST, devotion to our BLESSED MOTHER and complete fidelity to the HOLY FATHER.
Of course this can and is lived out in the many charisms we find in our rich tradition.
If our faith is built on these foundations, the Lord will bless our work!
DEO GRATIAS!