A beauty contest for nuns? Forget that. How about a real demonstration of the life, ministry, community, prayer, skill, and passion of Catholic sisters? I’m talking some 3-on-3 basketball. Lace up your high-tops, ladies, we’re hitting the courts!
Think that’s crazy? Not at all. Nuns aren’t just a pretty picture or a nostalgic memory — we are alive and well, actively praying and living in today’s world. Whether we are contemplative nuns or apostolic nuns, we are Catholic women embracing life fully, ministering to the needs of others, and being a prayerful, compassionate presence in the world.
After reading about Miss Sister 2008, I and some of my readers started envisioning what sort of thing we might do instead of a beauty contest. What would be a cool (and respectful) way of helping people to get to know Catholic sisters and nuns and to understand a bit more about what a vocation to Catholic religious life is like?
Chuck got us started playing off of my suggestion about 3-on-3 basketball:
“The problem is that Vatican City never sends athletes to the olympics. I want to see a team of weightlifting nuns. Or Nuns curling at the winter games. That would shoot down some stereotypes.”
So give us some more ideas … there’s got to be some great ways Catholic sisters and nuns can breakdown stereotypes and replace them with a more compelling image of who we are.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
how about a Nun ’80s sitcom? Sort of like the Facts of Life. A stodgy red haired mother superior has to keep the convent in line. You could have a skinny nun, fat nun, rich nun, nun from the wrong side of the tracks, and a black nun. The show could follow them as they have misadventures in their ministry. Every episode would have a message, lesson learned, and a fake laugh at the end. I wanted to do nun versions of I love Lucy or the Dick Van Dyke show, but i couldn’t figure out how.
How would I show the world the beauty and diversity of being RCC nun or sister?
Here are a couple of my ideas>
The first idea:
I envision a mini-tv commercial that would start out with scenes of various group of sisters/nuns in the different habits/dress of their orders: some with veils and habits ( a “look” that has been portrayed by Movie Studios ) and other groups in more “contemporary” attire. Their would be individual screen shots of the nuns/sisters beginning their day in prayer with the concluding scene of nuns/sisters church with some additional close ups of the sisters/nuns in contemplation as they receive The Holy Eucharist.
Next would be the transitioal scene in which two large doors of a church are being thrust open with again the various collage of sisters/nuns coming out through these doors literally beaming with the beauty of the Holy Spirit within them and clearly evident in their faces.
The following scenes would show the nuns/sisters going about their day.
Examples would have : Sister Sandy riding her bike :
http://nunsuch.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/logging-the-miles/ ;
Sister Julie in the city either at work in the literary field and/or playing basketball ;
Sister Mary Martha … in her garden and/or blogging :
http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2008/08/little-miss-sunshine.html
The final snippet would show Sister Katy in her “day job” as a School Principal and then her “night life” as a comedianne :
http://onefunnunslife.blogspot.com/2007/11/comedy-sportz.html
The final scene “breaks” from the “activity” of the day and cuts to each of the above sisters/nuns ending their day in prayer.
The main “thread” / connection : the beginning of the day – throughout the day – and ending of the day a beautiful way that these “sisters” live their lives in their own diverse/unique way while all sharing the commonality of God being the core of their lives.
Amen.
I don’t know about a sitcom. I think a reality show setting would be more, well, real. How about these?
Survivor Mission: (Name country/city here)–2 teams of missionaries from various communities try to survive is harsh environments while trying to outwit, outplay, outlast their sister. Nah. The “professional” missionary orders like Maryknoll or Missionaries of Charity would have too much of an edge. Besides, the humble sisters would just vote themselves off each week instead of picking on someone else. And the challenges would be too easy because the sisters already know how to work together well.
Convent Idol–Sisters with amazing vocal talents will compete for a multi-million dollar contract to be paid directly into the wining order’s retirement fund. Instead, the sisters all band together and for a national choir and put the winnings into S.O.A.R. so that ALL the religious can share. Oh, wait. Been there, done that. It’s called Sisters in Song, and we put out three albums.
Sisters’ Got Talent–Oh, yeah! We can showcase the many and varied talents of nuns. The winner will get a year’s contract to appear in Vegas. Uh, wasn’t this done as a movie? Sister Act comes to mind….
Flip This Motherhouse–This remodeling show will demonstrate clever ways of changing huge, drafty, non-ADA-compliant, dormitory-style motherhouses into welcoming, green, mixed-use, small communities.
Extreme Makeover Convent Edition–Like Flip This Motherhouse but on a smaller scale. The EMCE team will turn a small, traditional convent into a place where the sisters can live, pray and play while being an inviting place for their neighbors to experience Christ.
This is too fun!
As far as nuns and sports–The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Vocation Office has always sponsored a group of seminarians, religious, priests, and laity to run in the LA Marathon. They raise money and awareness for ordained and religious vocations. One of our sisters ran the event at least ten years straight. There were several marathon-running nuns in the event, so I know that is one Olympic event we could already cover!
A local parish sponsors a regular powerlifting event. The flyers at my gym all say to contact a Fr Mike for registration. All i could picture in my head was a priest with the sleeves ripped off of his clergy shirt—Hulk Hogan style.
Seriously I work with the elderly in a social work type job. By total accident I found out that there is a local retirement community tended by a convent. I think the local dioceses need to have their PR departments do a little work in the communities.
Actually has there ever been a religious house on an episode of Trading Spaces?
You all are seriously amazing with the ideas! I love the creativity. I particularly like “Flip This Motherhouse” because it just sounds cool!
I have often wanted to contact ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition to check out a Motherhouse or smaller convent of sisters. People would get a sense of how sisters live, their ministries, the community and prayer life, etc. Many of the ABC episodes have included help not only for the family but for the surrounding community which is so very good.
Wasn’t there a reality TV show proposed a few years ago, where they sent people to live with cloistered religious? I’d think something like that would work for more apostolic orders, as well. Some sort of reality TV show could raise awareness of what religious do in this century and what their life is like.
Hey! Y’all are laughing!!! My oldest daughter told me when she was 7 that she wanted to become a nun. When asked why, she replied, “Because they play basketball!” She was in a “pick-up game” with Sr. Gilchrist Conway while Mom and Dad were Cursillo grouping. Now? She is the mother of two and teaches art at a local parochial high school. There is a lot to be said about the influence of these dear sisters.! Thanks be to God
You know, when I was in grad school at Notre Dame a while back, we actually had a team of nuns for the (in)famous Bookstore Basketball Tournament. Our team name was “Nuns on the Run.” We had lots of fun…especially the times we played men’s teams. We would tell them it was a sin to foul a nun, never mind that some of the nuns didn’t understand that it was against the rules to gang-tackle the guy with the ball. But it was all in good fun…our opponents always advanced in the tournament, and had some fun stories to tell.
Sister’s Got Talent – I’d watch that.
Flip this Motherhouse – I’d watch it just for the title.
Extreme Makeover, Convent Edition – This one could have legs. They seem to like to honor people who do good works and nuns would be perfect to honor for their selflessness.
I’d totally watch (and support) Flip this Motherhouse… and I’m so loving all the creativity here! I’ve often thought the reality of sisters lives makes for great entertainment. Lots of laughs, lots of lessons, lots of helping others.
When I lived with 11 other novices at the Common Franciscan Novitiate,life was quirky with so many different personalities and charisms, we thought we should shot a reality series called Big Sister.