Wondering how God is calling you? Are you curious about how your job or set of relationships is really a vocation? Do you want some awesome discussions around faith in real-life and more? Think hanging out with Catholic sisters and a fun thoughtful, faith community is cool? Then you are in the right place! Welcome! Explore and be sure to visit with us every weekday at 6 pm CT in our chat room.
Videos Illustrate Vast Range of Perceptions about Nuns
In my never-ending quest to fine-tune things and play with new techie features, I have discovered and attempted to use WordPress’s new VodPod widget. Basically it means I can create a list of videos and post them on my blog’s sidebar. I’ve done very little in terms of keeping up on the video side of things though I have had occasion to visit YouTube.
Anyways, I’ve put together a “nunpod” of videos, most of which have nun themes. I find the sheer range of nun videos fascinating as they range from nun ninja fights to life in a monastery. I’m not necessarily endorsing the content of any of these videos (especially those in the “beware” category) but have included them because I’m inspired, strangely amused, perplexed, and/or edified. Each in their own way gives us a glimpse of how nuns are perceived in our culture and society, and how nuns perceive themselves. The juxtaposition of the two is really quite interesting. What happens when the image of “nun” has been sensationalized, romanticized, and commercialized by people other than nuns themselves? How do we nuns reclaim our own image?
Do check out the videos. If folks find this new widget useful, I’ll continue to add to it. If you find an interesting nun-themed video on YouTube or something, please let me know. Cheers!
Previous post: What is a day in the life of a sister like?
Next post: How do you pray?
Get your nun schwag! -- We've got cool nunly items including this awesome mug at 
{ 9 comments }
I love the nunpod videos… especially the Sister Act ones.
When I was in Catholic school, in middle school, for a fundraiser they dressed all the 8th graders up in habits. We sang songs from Sister Act. People thought it was fun! I had a lot of fun as well! It was a big movie at that time. Sisters I know say Sister Act gave a bad name to sisters, but I think Sister Act made people realize sisters have fun! So I applaud the Sister Act videos especially!
I must say, I loved the movie before I became a nun, then eventually disliked the movie because that’s all anyone ever thinks of when you tell them you are going to be a nun, now I don’t mind the movie so much because I am a nun and came to the same realization that you articulated. I believe it is on us as nuns to reclaim our image. For a long time we have allowed the world to interpret this image to us. Just enter the words “catholic nun” into a video search engine. 9 out of 10 videos (at least) are “mockumentaries,” spoofs, erotica, or just plain stupid stuff written by people who may have little to no experience of real nuns today. The problem is not so much with these videos (though I do find some utterly reprehensible), it’s that we nuns have not put ourselves out there, save for a few communities and individuals (whom I applaud). We offer very little in mainstream media to suggest that there is another image of nuns. Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ — a real nun whose story is told in the movie Dead Man Walking — is the only person that immediately comes to mind in terms of a real nun of today that is widely accessible. Sister Wendy would be another one. Mother Angelica has certainly done a fabulous job of presenting her religious community to the masses. We nuns need to do more. We need to reclaim our image. Now some of us may not think this is an issue. So what if people think we are all guitar-playing, singing, demure nuns? I think we owe it to the integrity of religious life and the future of religious life to be concerned about such things.
Hmmm…would be interesting to hear which ones you think do a horrible job of portraying women religious. Why isn’t there the image problem with men? There doesn’t seem to be quite the image problem when you hear the word “monk,” although perhaps they have their own problems.
True, Jen, so true. The videos/images I am opposed to are the “naughty nun” type videos and those that perpetuate stereotypes of nuns as angry ruler-armed tyrants or demure and helpless or repressed. While I’m all for free-speech, I tend not to like videos which are derogatory towards nuns or Catholics or anyone for that matter. Constructive criticism? Yes, that’s all good. Gratuitous mocking, cheap-shots, and slams? No, not so much.
But what fun is a video about nuns if the nun isn’t wearing a veil or if she is dressed in street clothes? (Note veiled sarcasm.)
Sr. Julie and Jen:
This is indeed one interesting, thought-provoking topic.
From what I have seen through the years, most people (many of whom do not really know any nuns) think of them mainly as, as you mentioned, either “angry, ruler-armed tyrants” or sexually “repressed.” Some people do view nuns as holy. (That’s positive!) Others see nuns as just plain bizarre. There is most definitely a tendancy, whether just randomly among those in secular society or in the media, to mock nuns. It’s also considered politically correct to mock any Catholics/Christians. Well, I don’t want to get on that soapbox here.
Although I grew up in the Church, my exposure to nuns was minimal. I had a few for CCD and one as a guidance counsellor in college. I never really thought that much about them. Occassionally, I’d hear the nun jokes and other paltry comments. Everybody seemed to think they were funny. Noone objected. Either did I at the time.
During my 20s and most of my 30s, I was only a sporadic churchgoer. As the result of a dramatic conversion experience, I became very religious. It was then that I got a spiritual director and began attending retreats, workshops, started doing charity work, etc. Through these activities, I came in contact with a lot of nuns. Much to my amazement, I found most of them to be women of substance, i.e., intelligent, educated, spiritual, committed, just plain good people. I really enjoyed their company. It was refreshing to talk with folk who weren’t always focused on money, prestige, etc. I love being with people who love God.
The most impressive part about nuns, though, is the role they have played throughout history as WOMEN. I recently heard a statistic that the RCC has educated, nursed, housed, fed and clothed more people than any institution in the entire history of the world. Who did all that work mostly? Yup. Nuns. Who founded hospitals, colleges, missions, etc. Nuns. While women in other cultures were limited to marriage and children (which is a good vocation – it’s mine), sisters were CEOs of educational institutions, healthcare organizations, bankers (in monasteries), composers, poets and artists. Sounds like something Gloria Steinem was fighting for in the 60s. Too bad she didn’t read any Hildegard of Bingen (ok, maybe a bit of an exaggeration!).
If sisters, the Church, the guy who owns Domino’s pizza, etc. could publicize how crucial women relgiious were to the development of society/civilization in Europe, the US, etc., the general public might just be shocked into respect.
As you said, Sister H. Prejean has had a positive presence. And Mother Teresa, noone could question her. On the videos, I personally liked the interview with the sister relaxing on a couch, petting her dog.
donna
Jenn and Jen is different on this comment thing.
Anyway, the reason people think of nuns as the tyrants is because as children many did know nuns who were like that. My parents can tell you stories of being smacked on the hands with rulers… but my parents can also tell stories of sisters in the same order who played jump rope with them on the playground.
Sisters I knew told me that sometimes it was an expectation for them to act like the “tyrant.” Some didn’t want to smack kids with the ruler, but were expected to. Other sisters have told me that some of those tyrant sisters weren’t very healthy mentally.
Today there are more psychological screenings for the sisters. And I hope better discernment. Sisters told me stories that they didn’t have much discernment! Many of them just went through with the other 20 some people they entered with. Sisters told me they were never asked what they wanted.
I think even today we know sisters who are loving and very spiritual. But we also know some that don’t know a loving God, and sometimes aren’t loving to one another… very similar to the world… we know people in the world who are loving and some who aren’t so loving towards us… I think all of us have to work on being loving like Christ and that is a life long challenge.
My hope for formation today is that it is for women who know a loving God, who are able to discern knowing their choices, and who are healthy. I think Donna had a very good point- that while some women are called to marriage, some of the sisters did things women of that time couldn’t do. But women today can do the same careers as sisters. So what is religious life today? It is a mystery God is leading us to.
But I hope we can see Christ in one another no matter what vocation we choose. Oh man, I sound like I’m on a soapbox now!
My mother really enjoyed the sisters who taught her. She fondly reminisces about them playing kickball with the kids in full habit. On the other hand, most of my in-laws talk about how mean the nuns were in their grammar school. As Jenn mentioned, there are all sorts out there.
I am really not that familiar with the past discernment process (40-50 years ago plus) of nuns. I know most entered right after high school at age 17 or 18. One of my nun friends went to a boarding high school for girls who wanted to be sisters. So her choice was made at age 13. She said her grandmother always told her that she was the one in the family to be given to God while her sister was the one to marry.
It seems almost like being a nun was just something you did back then, especially if you were a devout and religious parochial school girl. I don’t know if tons of thought or discernment was behind it all. Most 18 year olds are really still just kids. It’s tough to make lifelong decisions then. I know I wouldn’t want my daughter to get married or enter religious life until she was at least in her mid-20s.
Since women can do whatever they like in this day and age, it does seem that religious life will attract more women who are interested for the right reasons, i.e., not just to escape marriage, have a career, do what their friends were doing, etc. I find this positive.
donna
Jenn and Donna … thanks for the comments. You both hit on a number of very good points. What sticks with me the most is that although stereotypes exist, there is also an unmistakeable, powerful, positive nun presence that is almost palpable in our our church and world. Donna, your paragraph beginning “The most impressive part about nuns …” is fabulous. Well put. If you ever come across that statistic, do send it to me! Sister J
What fun….I thought about adding VodPod to my blog, but decided it didn’t fit with the theme of “personal spiritual journey” I’m attempting to be faithful to. However, I did have to give in to the temptation to add some Math stuff to today’s post after I read the developers’ news item, “Math for the Masses”.
Go geeks!!