At the end of January, Sister Maxine and I had the awesome privilege of attending our congregation‘s General Chapter. It was a week long and consisted in prayer, community, study, conversation, reflection, and decision-making. Our primary decisions were to embrace a specific direction for our congregation over the next 6 years and to elect a new leadership team.

Although Chapter is part and parcel of our life as Catholic sisters and nuns today, it might seem like a secret event veiled in mystery for those outside of religious life! So, here’s a bit more about what Chapter is. I am drawing here from my brother Redemptorists who provide a great intro on General Chapter.

The General Chapter is a visible expression of a fundamental sense of democracy that lies at the heart of religious life. This democracy is based on the radical equality of all the members by virtue of their baptism and their religious consecration, hence their common vocation to be prophets or spokespersons for God. In this sense, a General Chapter resembles more the gathering of Mary and the apostles at Pentecost than a modern parliament or congress. The participants in the General Chapter gather in the name of Jesus Christ, confident that his Spirit will help us to accomplish our work.

What are those tasks? The General Chapter must first take an honest look at the state of the Congregation… This examination should then lead the Chapter members to face honestly certain discomforting questions: are we faithful to our mission or have we slid into mediocrity? What is the Lord asking of us today? How are we being asked to change? The General Chapter will offer specific directives for the whole Congregation as it proposes a path to help [religious] live more authentically their … vocation. Finally, the delegates will elect the leadership of the Congregation for the next six years … (source: Redemptorist website)

For our IHM General Chapter, we had a gathering of over 150 IHM Sisters and were joined for some parts of Chapter by our IHM Associates and others who could be of great help in our discernment and decision-making. One of the best parts was that we come together from across the globe, across ministries, across generations, across cultures and gather under one roof. It was a visible expression of the community we experience with one another every day of our religious life no matter where we are.

What questions do you have about Chapter or related topics? Sister Maxine and I are going to tackle the subject on this week’s Ask Sister Podcast so let’s get the conversations started now!

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Join the A Nun’s Life Community for prayer at 6 p.m. CT in the chat room today.

Founded in 2008, the HOPES Center is the newest ministry of the Racine Dominicans. The mission the HOPES Center is “to shape the future by collaborating for healing, peace, spiritual growth and action on behalf of justice.”

The HOPES Center includes three unique services. Cup of Hope is a fair trade coffee shop. Purchasing fair trade products from the Just Trade store is one way of fighting global poverty by providing workers throughout the world with a living wage. The HOPES Center provides mental health and healing arts services free of charge to people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless in Racine County.

How can the HOPES Center offer free services? The Board Directors, staff and volunteers at the Center seek grant monies, fund-raise, and accept monetary gifts to carry on the work. The dream is that one day profits from sales in the coffee shop and fair trade store will also help support services to those in need.

The HOPES Center is located at 507 Sixth Street, Racine, Wisconsin. Stop by for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or consider a unique gift from Just Trade. Not near Racine? Visit HOPES Center at www.racinedominicans.org and click on the HOPES logo. Be sure to sign up for the HOPES newsletter and learn about ways that you, too, can volunteer.

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The mission of the Racine Dominicans: “Commitment to truth in the light of the Gospel compels us to consecrate our whatever power and influence we have personally and as a community, to sustain the fundamental right of every person to pursue the fullness of life and to share in the common good.” (Racine Dominicans, Constitutions 8.1)

For more on the Racine Dominicans and to meet some of the sisters, check out our Ask Sister podcast with the Racine Dominicans.

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There will be no prayer leader today but please feel free to meet at 6 p.m. CT in the chat room to connect with the A Nun’s Life Community.

Sister Hiltrudis Powers of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, was an amazing nun and artist. She died on December 31 and left a legacy of beauty.

Sister Hiltrudis Powers was well-known for her work painting colorful murals, designing stained-glass windows, and making sculptures, silk-screened banners and other items that decorate churches here and abroad. (source)

She was born in Quincy, Illinois, and belonged to the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, Missouri. The sisters are known for their beautiful artwork.

In 1945, when Sister Powers was 25, the director of the embroidery department died. Sister Powers was named director of what came to be the Ecclesiastical Art Department, and this became her life’s ministry.

She specialized in stained glass, metal and wood. When newly appointed Archbishop Justin Rigali needed a coat of arms, the St. Louis Archdiocese commissioned Sister Powers to design and craft the work in copper and enamel on wood.

Before Vatican II, in 1962, her order’s art department made articles only for Catholic churches. After that, the department began making artworks for other denominations….

Sister Powers designed the miter and stole worn by Pope John Paul II during his visit to St. Louis in 1999, according to the order.

Here is an awesome sampling of Sister Hiltrudis’ work.

Stole for Pope John Paul II

Iron works in St. Joseph Chapel in O'Fallon, MO at the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood

Stained-glass window in St. Joseph's Chapel that Sister Hiltrudis Powers designed and help make.

Icame across this article yesterday about Prof. Thompson, one of my fav historians! Through her work, she tells the stories of U.S. women religious and how they have shaped U.S. culture and society. Plus she’s a lively writer–she makes history come alive! I am grateful to her and all historians who help to share accurate, authentic stories about sisters!

Sister Julie and I were delighted to have Prof. Thompson join us on a live podcast last year. To hear a recording of the conversation, go to the In Good Faith webpage.

Are there sisters you know whose stories should be told? Please share your stories here and on the A Nun’s Life Discussion Forum

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer tonight and every weekday at 6 p.m. Central Time at aNunsLife.org/live.

On this day of celebration for IHM Founders Day and for the A Nun’s Life Community surpassing its fundraising goal, we give thanks for you and for the way the Spirit continues to live and move and have being in the world and in us! We welcome as our guest blogger today our dear friend and IHM Sister, Margaret Brennan.

Today we celebrate one hundred and sixty-six years of IHM life… and as we do on each Founder’s Day, we look back to many celebrations of the old story which we learned from our earliest days in the congregation … the frontier community of Monroe, the log cabin, the first women, the zealous young founder – Louis Florent Gillet whose words have given us life and continued existence – “…if I cannot find a religious community I will make one.” And so he did.

When the young Redemptorist missionary visited Baltimore from Monroe, he met Theresa Maxis Duchemin who was searching for a spiritual home in which she could pursue her calling. On November 10, 1845, Louis and Theresa along with Charlotte Martha Schaaf and Therese Renaud formed the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The story of the two founders, like those of many others, was fraught with struggle and challenge that honed and humbled their spirits in the crucibles of suffering and misunderstanding. Yet in the end, they both came to rest in the deep consolation of knowing that a work begun in poverty and obscurity had flourished and taken root.

Today we continue to stand within the charisms of these two founders at another critical juncture in religious life. The over-flowing novitiates of the pre-Vatican era are no more and have given way to another reality, the deep meaning of which has yet to be discovered and discerned.

Women religious such as Sandra Schneiders IHM and Joan Chittister, OSB, among others have written and reflected on this reality. Rather than being discouraged, they have seen in the changing landscape of religious life a new hope, a new direction, and a new understanding of a way of life that has enriched the Church in countless
ways for generations.

We are challenged today to see the working of God’s Providence in our present reality … to find meaning rather than mourning or dispair. We are challenged further to consider the possibility that what lies ahead of us is not something merely to survive but, by the grace of God, something that will truly allow us to flourish.

For many U.S. Catholic sisters and indeed for many Catholics across the U.S. and abroad, the Apostolic Visitation of American Women Religious that began in 2009 turned out to be a graced opportunity to reflect on apostolic, or ministerial, religious life. At the public helm of this reflection has been Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, professor emerita of New Testament Studies and Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She has served as president of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality and on te board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Perhaps her greatest claim to fame, however, is that she is a person deeply grounded in prayer who has given her life to serving God, the Church, and the world. She is a person whom I am proud to call my sister.

At the time of the Apostolic Visitation, Sister Sandra stepped up, offering her reflections on religious life into the public forum. These were certainly not random thoughts and opinions but ones steeped in faith and “in decades of biblical scholarship, religious life scholarship, and lived experience in a congregation.” (Sister Maria Cimperman, OSU, writing about Sister Sandra). These reflections, originally published by National Catholic Reporter, are now collected in the book Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church, published by Orbis Books.

A note about the title … We can be a bit sceptical about prophets, especially when one self-appoints oneself as a prophet! The job description for a prophet has never been public acclaim or celebration or even a pat on the back. It is perhaps one of the most arduous of callings that exists. Yet the Church recognizes that some callings are prophetic by nature. One such calling is religious life.

“Religious Life has, from its inception, been recognized not simply as a ‘work force’ in the church but as a prophetic vocation…. For a hundred years before the [Second Vatican] Council a process of institutionalization, standardization, and even domestication muted to the point of virtual silence the specifically prophetic character of the life. Religious began to rediscover that important dimension of their identity as they emerged into public life by their increasing participation in social justice issues in the 1960s and their enthusiastic espousal in the Church of the agenda of Vatican II. Intrinsic to the prophetic vocation within the Judaeo-Christian biblical tradition is the tension between prophecy and institution.” (Prophets in Their Own Country, 22-23)

Though the Apostolic Visitation has faded from the news, the important articulations of who we are as women religious remain as well as the deep connection that women religious have across congregations and with the wider lay Catholic community (women religious are lay people after all). Sister Sandra’s book is a great springboard into deeper reflection on religious life as a gift to the Church and to the world.

Sister Sandra has joined us before at A Nun’s Life Ministry for our In Good Faith program, and she will join us again for a live broadcast on Tuesday next week, November 1, at 9 a.m. CST. We’ll talk with Sister Sandra about the saints as we honor All Saints Day. Join us! The event is one among many others to help kickoff the A Nun’s Life Ministry 1st Annual Fundraiser, and we encourage you to support this ministry that strives to promote religious life and to encourage people in living their calling. Please consider a one-time gift or a monthly gift to support the ministry.

What’s up with the news coverage of Anita Caspary?

Caspary, a luminary in religious life died at age 95 on October 5. She was a great woman, scholar, and leader. Her faithfulness to the call of the Second Vatican Council and her love of the gospel are impressive. Anita Caspary had integrity. Too bad that some of the recent news articles about her don’t.

The headlines give the first clue. Here’s the headline from a recent New York Times article: “Anita Caspary, Nun Who Led Breakaway From Church, Dies at 95.” A similar headline appears in the Washington Post: “‘Rebel nun’ Anita Caspary, leader of breakaway Los Angeles order, dies at 95.”

Breakaway? From the church? Really? In the 1960s, Caspary served in leadership for the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in Los Angeles. The congregation took seriously the Vatican II call for the renewal of religious life. They began to make changes accordingly – in daily prayer times, in religious dress, in their types and locations of ministry, etc. (And they weren’t the only ones. Sisters across the U.S. were moving in similar directions.) But the archbishop of Los Angeles objected to the changes. And when the sisters didn’t stop, he retaliated.

Ultimately, Caspary and about 300 other sisters chose to leave the congregation and begin a new, non-canonical community. To my way of thinking, they didn’t “breakaway.” There wasn’t a “schism,” as the NYT article characterized it. The sisters left an oppressive, unfair situation. They did so after much deliberation and prayer. And their departure wasn’t from “the church” but from an abuse of power by some in formal roles of authority in the church.

Compare those headlines with this one, from the National Catholic Reporter: “Anita Caspary, religious visionary, dies in Los Angeles: ‘Integrity’ moved her community to sever canonical ties to church.” A great headline and a good article.

As I read the articles, I gave thanks for Caspary. I celebrate her life and her legacy to religious, the church and the world.

May you rest in peace, Anita Caspary.

Anita Caspary published a book in 2003, Witness to Integrity, that describes the events that took place during her time in leadership in the 1960s. It’s an interesting and informative account!

A nun cares for a wounded soldier in this detail from a larger Civil War-era print featuring the field ministry of Holy Cross Father P.P. Cooney. In Civil War battles, at least 300 Daughters of Charity ministered to soldiers on both sides of the war. (CNS photo/courtesy University Archives, The Catholic University of America)

Catholic nuns and sisters are no strangers to the battlefield. In a recent interview with Catholic News Service, Sister Betty Ann McNeil, DC — a Daughter of Charity and archivist of the Emmitsburg, Maryland, province — said that the Daughters of Charity and 11 other religious communities had a unique role in the Civil War.

The sisters provided food, water, bandages and basic medical care. They also gave spiritual solace to soldiers who requested it: praying with them, distributing religious medals, baptizing the dying and writing letters home to soldiers’ families.

At Gettysburg and other Civil War battles, at least 300 Daughters of Charity ministered to soldiers on both sides of the war. In all, more than 600 sisters from 12 religious orders responded to this national crisis by doing everything from bandaging soldiers in the battlefield to coordinating makeshift hospitals. (source: “Story of sisters’ role in Civil War ‘under-told,’ archivist says” by Carol Zimmermann in the Archdiocesan newspaper, The Boston Pilot, 10/07/2011)

Sister Betty Ann said “little is known about the role of these sisters in history because they simply were responding to the needs of the time, not unlike the work these sisters continue today in caring for the sick and helping those in need.” She herself knows quite a bit about the history because of her own work in editing the book Charity Afire about the sisters’ Civil War ministry. She was particularly inspired by Sister Juliana Chatard.

Sister Juliana Chatard [was] a young Daughter of Charity who longed to be in the field of action. Eventually this young woman, who was from the North, was sent to Richmond, Va., and made an administrator of a soldiers’ hospital there….

Describing the 1862 Battle of Richmond, Sister Juliana said fighting during the weeklong battle started each day at 2 a.m. and ended around 10 p.m. with bombs “bursting and reddening the heavens” just yards from the hospital door. She also said the sisters at the hospital were shaken by cannon firings and the “heavy rolling of the ambulances filling the streets bringing in the wounded and dying men. The entire city trembled as if from an earthquake with the exception of few short hours.”

As Sister Betty Ann sees it, Sister Juliana’s ministry was similar to what so many of these sisters were doing during a time of great national turmoil.

“Her charity knew no bounds,” she said. “Her love embraced the Northern soldier who was dying as well as the Southern soldier who was thirsty.”

Read the entire article at The Boston Pilot website.

What other stories have you heard of involving nuns at war? In what ways are Catholic nuns today serving “during a time of great national turmoil”?

Join A Nun’s Life Community for evening prayer and chat at 6 p.m. CST (your time zone) today at aNunsLife.org/live.

Rock star! That’s how National Catholic Reporter described the response of Catholic sisters to Sr. Sandra after her talk last Saturday in Notre Dame, Indiana. Rock on, Sandra!

Sandra’s insights into religious life are music to the ears! Her rendition of religious life past, present and future is one of the clearest and most articulate that I’ve ever heard. The NCR article does a good job of highlighting her key points.

I especially like Sandra’s explanation of why the works of Catholic sisters have changed over time. She describes how the changes in ministry affect the way that Catholic sisters live, what they wear, how they pray, etc. She also offers a compelling vision of religious life for the future – and there will be a future! (She opened her talk with, “Reports of the demise of religious life, to paraphrase Mark Twain, are greatly exaggerated.”)

I appreciate how Sandra links the past to the present, then suggests directions for the future that are already emerging. Here’s an excerpt about that from the NCR article:

Increasingly, religious women have taken their expertise into ministries that, while still in continuity with those of the past and arising directly out of their communities’ charisms, are not ones most Catholics tend to associate with “the Sisters.” Schneiders grouped them into four “clusters”:

• Social justice ministers focused on systemic or structural change, whose “theological glue” tends to be Catholic social teaching. These include social scientists, activists, lawyers, political and community organizers, economists and sociologists, urban farmers and legislators.

• Ministers who work directly with the victims of social injustice or natural disasters, whose theological glue is deep compassion for the suffering Body of Christ. These include chaplains, social workers, counselors, literacy tutors, providers of child care or elder care, managers of low-income housing, those who work in homeless shelters or with victims of torture or sex trafficking.

• Intellectuals, scholars and artists, whose theological glue is faith seeking understanding in our time. These include composers, performers, journalists, writers, teachers and researchers in theology, philosophy and the sciences.

• Ministers who address the thirst for meaning and transcendence, with the theological glue of spiritual nourishment and growth. They work in spirituality centers, campus ministry, spiritual direction, retreats, holistic healing, or as popular writers or speakers on the lecture and workshop circuit.

I encourage you to read the article and to share your responses to it!

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Join A Nun’s Life Community and the nuns for prayer today at 6 p.m. CST (your time zone).

Monday is NUNDAY revival! Our dear friend Sister Julianna of the Felician Sisters sent us a photo of one of her nuns. Meet Sister Mary Genettee Kukula, CSSF!

Sister Mary Genette is a huge fan of anything Chicago, as you can see by her shirt. In May she turned 101 years young. She began religious life in Milwaukee, then moved to the new motherhouse on Peterson Street in Chicago, Illinois. Next she moved to Oklahoma to start the new province, then followed the sisters to New Mexico when the Oklahoma motherhouse was relocated here. Now she’s part of the new North American province. That’s a lot of moving in 85 yr of religious life! And I haven’t even touched all the ministries she’s had or the places to which she has been assigned as teacher, principal and historian!

In 2010 when Sister Genette turned 100 years old, Sister Julianna wrote an article about this amazing nun. Here’s what she wrote, complete with more pictures of Sister Genette!

Sophia Kukula was born on May 8, 1910 to Jacob and Angela Kukula in Chicago, Illinois.  At the tender age of 13, Sophia left her home to enter the Aspirancy of the Felician Franciscan Sisters at Mother of Good Council Provincial House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Sophia entered the postulancy at the end of her junior year.  She graduated from Mother of Good Council High School in May, 1927 and was invested as a novice on August 12 of the same year.  She was given the name Sister Mary Fulginetta, which was later shortened to Sister Mary Genette in the mid-1960s.

Sr. Genette received a Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.  She has taught on the elementary and high school level from north to south and east to west, serving in Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and California. She also ministered as principal in Texas and Nebraska.

Sr. Genette began a new career at the age of 70 when she became provincial historian.  She also served as interim chairperson of the Felician Historians Commission.  She is now part of the St. Clare Center community at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent in Rio Rancho, her home since 1988.  The sisters living at the Saint Clare Center are known as a “Powerhouse of Prayer.”  They pray for the needs of the world and for all the special intentions entrusted to them.  Sister Genette prays fervently for these intentions from sisters, friends, benefactors and strangers alike.  This is a holy ministry entrusted to her and she performs it with all her heart and soul.

Sr. Genette keeps active as she is able.  She greets visitors to her table in the convent dining room with a hearty, “Welcome!”  She keeps abreast of world issues by watching the news channels, and she enjoys monthly Bible study classes.  She has seen much and lived through much in her 100 years, but for her there is always one more thing to be learned, one more sight to see.

Good genes and clean living may be the secret to longevity, but Sr. Genette would agree as she greets each day with arms wide open, that a hearty laugh and a warm heart couldn’t hurt.

Source: Article by Sister Julianna Vagnozzi, CSSF, for People of God, the Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2010.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for evening prayer and chat at 6 p.m. CST (your time zone) today at aNunsLife.org/live.

Sister Trude “Thomas” Collins, SC, is being honored this Sunday for her 60th Jubilee, that is, 60 years as a Sister of Charity of New York. Nearly 50 of those years were spent in the South Bronx at Saint Athanasius Church where Sister Trude taught int he classroom and did community organizing.

“People would knock on the convent door for help,” she said. “It cemented the idea you had to be with the people.”

Forty-eight of her years here were all about helping and hope, about rebuilding the wreckage of arson, drugs and crime.

The tan brick building named “Sister Thomas S.C. Apartments” on Southern Blvd. is on the last of the burned-out lots in the South Bronx.
(source: “Sister gives 60 yrs.” by Patrice O’Shaughnessy in NY Daily News, September 1, 2011)

The building is an all-affordable, 105-unit apartment building.

In the 60′s and 70′s the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx was a desolate place lined with the carcasses of buildings still smoldering from the latest fire. Landlords torched their buildings for insurance money, gangs ruled the streets, and crime was at an all time high. The community complained of no heat and hot water, no garbage pick-up and no police presence. The only refuge was the neighborhood Roman Catholic Church – St. Athanasius and its priests and nuns, namely Fr. Louis R. Gigante and Sister Thomas, who became beacons of hope and leaders in the tenant’s rights movement and in empowering this community.

The building’s name pays tribute to the strength and character of Sister Thomas, S. C. a key leader in the Hunts Point community that empowered her community by meeting their needs at a grassroots level. The beloved Sister of Charity boasts that although she is a NYS licensed teacher, her unofficial training came by way of the “Academy of the South Bronx Streets,” where she earned what she refers to as her “P.H.D.” – a degree in Poverty, Hunger and a Determination to bring about Social Change.
(source: Press Release from NYhomes.com, June 19, 2008)

Happy Jubilee, Sister Trude! May your light continue to shine brightly through your life and through the lives of all those whom you have known!

So here’s a question … if you were to be named after a building to characterize something about your life’s mission (as it’s unfolded or how you hope it unfolds), what building would it be and why?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for evening prayer tonight at 6 p.m. CST. Head over to aNunsLife.org/live for prayer and chat.

Happy Feast of Saint Jane de Chantal! Today’s guest blogger is Marsha West who has spent time with the Visitation Nuns who were founded by Jane and Saint Francis de Sales.

SAINT JANE DE CHANTAL (1572-1641)

Founder, with St. Francis de Sales,
of the Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary

Married at 20 and widowed at 28, Jane de Chantal devoted herself to raising her children, managing her household, that of her father-in-law, and doing works of charity. Still young and beautiful, Jane vowed never to marry again. Struggling with grief and a difficult life situation, her faith deepened.

In a dream, God promised to send her a spiritual guide. That guide was Bishop Francis de Sales. Together they founded the Congregation of the Visitation of Holy Mary – a congregation open to widows, the elderly, the disabled – women not up to the rigorous austerities of religious life in that time. Visitation sisters would live a life of prayer, going out occasionally to serve the needs of the poor and sick in the neighborhood.

Their community grew quickly. New foundations were made. The church wasn’t ready yet to accept the idea of sisters leaving the cloister to go out in ministry, so Visitation sisters became enclosed contemplatives, whose prayer was grounded in the gentle spirituality of Francis de Sales. Over time, many of their foundations came to have apostolic work attached, like schools, but prayer remained their paramount focus.

THE NUNZ-IN-THE-HOOD

Four hundred years later, four sisters in Minnesota heard a call to take Visitation to the inner city. Their superiors agreed, and a new foundation was made in Minneapolis in 1989 – one that would embody a new form of Visitation life, one very close to the original dream of their founders– an urban monastery, grounded in prayer, but open to serve the needs of the world. I went to see it for myself . . .

Six sisters live in two houses, a block apart, in an aging, sometimes violent neighborhood. They live a monastic life, chanting the office four times a day. At prayer time, a sign is put on the door:

The sisters are at prayer.
If you would like to join us,
ring the doorbell.

Neighbors – street people – teenagers – mothers with children – sometimes victims of violence – come to pray; they stay to talk, or to share a meal.

The doorbell rings all day. Each time, a sister goes to answer, she expects to encounter Jesus at the threshold. She will try to “be Jesus” for that person.

Three times a week, mass is celebrated in the living room. Neighbors join them. All are welcome.

The nuns are loved in the neighborhood. Greetings of Yo! Sisters! resound wherever they go. Children help themselves to books from the porch shelves. Teenagers drop by to say hello on their way down town. Some leave with a sandwich to eat on the way – or with bus tokens in their pockets. A mother, out of food stamps, gets a cash card for a couple bags of groceries. A group gathers to plan a project for neighborhood improvement. A neighbor weeds the garden.

It’s all very simple. It’s all very real. It’s an amazing expression of what Jane and Francis envisioned 400 years ago:

- to be a peaceful, prayerful presence to others –
to LIVE JESUS every day.

Thanks, St. Jane! What a great idea!
Happy Feast Day!

Cheers for the U.S. federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph for their public show of support for their sister Elizabeth Johnson!

Elizabeth Johnson is an internationally known theologian and a professor at Fordham University. She has done a great deal of work in the area of feminst theology. Recently, her 2007 book Quest for the Living God came under fire by the Doctrine Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The nine-member group of bishops said, among other things, that the book failed to reflect the teaching of the magisterium. Johnson responded, saying in part that the bishops had seriously misinterpreted the book. Maybe that could have been avoided had the committee initially contacted Johnson to talk things over, a measure that’s included in committee’s own guidelines.

When the 900-member U.S. federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph gathered last week, it issued a corporate statement of support for Johnson. Around the same time, the Catholic Theological Society of America also publicly supported Johnson!

There are lots of issues involved in this matter – too many to address in detail here. And the situation continues to unfold.

To the Sisters of St. Joseph – way to go!! Standing together in regard to a justice issue is an important part of what it means to be sisters and what it means to be the church. For now, I’m going to re-read my copy of Quest for the Living God and savor it once more.

I love that Catholic sisters and nuns are increasingly present on the Internet and in social media and networks. Sister Maxine and I have seen astronomical growth since we first began in 2006 with blogging and social media and then adding a forum in 2008, podcasts in 2009, an iPhone app in 2010, and a newly updated forum in 2011. What’s next?!

When we started, there were very few nuns around but today I’m happy to see them in many areas of the Internet, social media, and technology! In fact, there is now a nun who develops software applications, commonly know as “apps”. Sister Catherine Wybourne is a Benedictine nun of Holy Trinity Monastery in Oxfordshire county in southeast England.

Rather than turning to traditional bake sales to raise money for the monastery she founded along with two other Benedictine sisters seven years ago, Wybourne is setting her sights on software application sales, and developing two apps for the iPhone.

She says one app will focus on the rule of Saint Benedict and will be free, and other is an app to help parish priests. The nun wouldn’t elaborate more on the idea, except to say she can’t believe nobody else has thought of the idea before.

“We are going to charge for our apps because we are in the middle of a fundraising campaign and we are trying to get people to get hold of the idea of philanthropic investment,” Wybourne said, sounding more like the banker she was for a few years before entering religious life in 1981. “So it would not be a good idea on the one hand to say please invest in us, and on the other, give everything away for free.” (source: Apple and the App-Making Nun by Margaret Rock, May 11, 2011)

You can find Sister Catherine on Twitter @DigitalNun and at Holy Trinity Monastery.

What other areas of the Internet, social media, and technology do you think nuns should get into?

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There is no better way to celebrate Monday of Holy Week than with NUNDAY! Today Nunday features the Congregation of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (Pauline Family).

Sister M. Louise, O’ Rourke, pddm, sent in this photo of an international group of junior sisters representing nine nations. They were gathered in Rome from September to November for a three month intense preparatory course for Perpetual Profession.

Writes Sister Louise, “The experience was memorable as we returned to our charismatic roots, visiting where our Founder Bl. James Alberione (S. Lorenzo di Fossano, Cuneo, Italy) lived and brought to life our religious family. One of the highlights was the visit to our elderly sisters who recounted the austere yet joyful beginnings of our Congregation in the early 1930’and 40’s.
They are a beautiful and living example of women who were willing to leave everything in blind faith, out of love and conviction for the call of God!

During these months which we journeyed together, we discovered that the bonds of our consecrated life and a common love for our mission keep us together even though we are miles apart, have different habits or speak different languages!

LEFT: (top to bottom): Sr. M. Gabriela (Poland), Sr. M. Kelly (Brazil), Sr. M. Cecilia Dieu (USA, native of Vietnam). RIGHT: (top to bottom): Sr. M. Louise (Ireland), Sr. M. Marta (USA, native of Nicaragua), Sr. M. Emma Manuela (Mexico), Sr. M. Hedda (Philippines) and Sr. M. Justine (Burkina Faso). Photo taken outside the house where Bl. James Alberione was born in S. Lorenzo di Fossano, Cuneo, Italy.

The photo was taken in November 2010 and since then three sisters have professed perpetual vows and the others are preparing for this step in the upcoming months. Let us keep the sisters in our prayers!

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To see more photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

Sister Erin volunteers as a lawyer at East River Legal Services (Elisha Page / Argus Leader)

Sister Erin Colgan had a great plan … be a teacher and get married and have kids.

Guess what?

She’s now a nun with the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton in South Dakota. To boot, she’s also become a lawyer!

Sister Erin had met a Benedictine nun while teaching a confirmation class.

Colgan had started attending retreats offered by the Benedictine centers then. She vividly recalls one at the convent at Norfolk where a sister said, “When I came here, it felt like home.” In her head, Colgan said, “You are absolutely nuts.”

“Then I came to Yankton, and at the end of that week, it was, yeah, this is home,” Colgan said.

Read more about Sister Erin in the Argus Leader newspaper, “Sister Erin makes mark in courtroom: Benedictine nun follows circuitous vocational journey” (February 28, 2011) by Jill Callison.

What inspires you about Sister Erin’s story? What ideas pop into your head?

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Join the sisters and A Nun’s Life community at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE for Praying with the Sisters live podcast and chat.

We celebrate the life and work of Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange whose memorial of death was February 3. Mother Lange, along with Sulpician priest Father James Hector Joubert, founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence. She was born around 1784 and died February 3, 1882.

Mother Lange was a native of the Caribbean. In the early 1800s she settled in the United States eventually, by the Providence of God, finding her way to Baltimore, Maryland, where she lived, worshiped, and ministered within a community of French-speaking Catholics from Haiti. Having been well-educated prior to arriving in the United States, Mother Lange put her gifts and skills and passion for God to work by tending to the education of both the children and adults of the community. At the time, there was no free public education for African American children in Maryland.

She responded to that need by opening a school in her home in the Fells Point area of the city for the children. She and her friend, Marie Magdaleine Balas (later Sister Frances, OSP) operated the school for over ten years.

Providence intervened through the person of Reverend James Hector Joubert, SS, who was encouraged by James Whitfield, Archbishop of Baltimore, and presented Elizabeth Lange with the idea to found a religious congregation for the education of African American girls. Father Joubert would provide direction, solicit financial assistance, and encourage other “women of colour” to become members of this, the first congregation of African American women religious in the history of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth joyfully accepted Father Joubert’s idea. She no longer needed to keep locked up the deepest desire of her heart. For years she felt God’s call to consecrate herself and her works entirely to Him. How was this to be? At the time black men and women could not aspire to religious life. But now God was providing a way! On July 2, 1829 Elizabeth and three other women professed their vows and became the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

Read more about Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange on the website of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Currently, the Sisters are promoting the cause of Mother Lange for beatification. For more info, check out the Mother Mary Lange Guild.

Blessings to our Oblate Sisters of Providence! Our prayers are with you!

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Join the sisters and A Nun’s Life community at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE for Praying with the Sisters live podcast and chat.

Nunday is back! “Monday is Nunday” features Catholic sisters and nuns in our tireless effort to promote religious life in all its diversity and to populate the Internet with authentic images of real sisters and nuns. (More on Nunday)

This Nunday we have the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious community begun by Saint Jeanne Jugan and dedicated to the care of the elderly. In addition to the vows of poverty, obedience, and celibacy, the sisters also profess a vow of hospitality:

Sister Eva with residents of Saint Martin's and guest musicians

By our vow of hospitality we promise God to consecrate ourselves exclusively to the service of the elderly poor. We welcome them into our homes, form one family with them, accompany them from day to day and care for them with love and respect until God calls them home.

Through our vow of hospitality the Church has given us a mandate to prolong Christ’s mission of charity—to convey to the elderly, in the concrete realities of everyday life, the kindness and love of God for them, his eldest children.

Consecrated hospitality is a witness to the mercy and compassionate love of the heart of Jesus. (source)

Learn more about Nunday and submitting your photos of Catholic sisters and nuns.

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Join the sisters and A Nun’s Life community at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE for Praying with the Sisters live podcast and chat.

Bobbling, giddy nuns? Stern, ruler-wielding nuns? Holier-than-thou and out-of-touch? Not so, my friends. The Philadelphia Daily News recently published an article about the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) and did a great job at tapping into the real spirit and life of Catholic sisters and nuns.

It is Monday and today we celebrate another NUNDAY! It’s been a while but Nunday is still alive and kicking! I invite you to send in your photos and stories about the nun featured in the photo. For more info check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

Today’s Nunday photo is of Sister John Catherine, OP, and Sarah Wooten at All Saints after the Baccalaureate Mass.

Sarah writes …

Sister John Catherine of the Nashville Dominicans taught me senior year of High School. She always taught with great passion and love. Class was always entertaining and special. She helped me regain my faith and God used her to convert me to Catholicism. She would do anything, she could to help a student who was having struggles in their lives. I enjoyed learning about religious vocations from her. She opened my eyes to think of what God wants me to do. Now I have religious life on my mind constantly. She was one of the many Angels God has sent me throughout my life. She has amazing zeal and love for Christ. Anyone who gets to experience her presence are truly blessed. She has many talents but one is playing sports in her habit.

Thanks, Sarah! And blessings to you.

Sister Maxine and I attended a screening yesterday for the film “Band of Sisters,” a documentary by independent filmmaker Mary Fishman. Mary’s project took her to our IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan, a few times and since she’s based here in Chicago, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her.

Filmmaker Mary Fishman (l) with friend Prof. Avis Clendenen (r)

The screening was attended by a great crowd of people, including many Catholic sisters. We saw Benedictines, Sisters of Mercy, Dominicans, Presentation Sisters, and of course, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters! Among the folks were “stars” of the film, Mercy Sisters JoAnn Persch and Pat Murphy, and Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM. Also there was cinematographer Ines Sommers who filmed many parts in the documentary (including a certain convent studio that we all know and love).

Band of Sisters, a work-in-progress due to be finished within a year, is a stunning portrait of Catholic nuns in the United States tracing their journey through the renewal period of the Second Vatican Council up to the present including the current investigation by the Vatican into the lives of these same sisters. The film’s tag line says it all: “Called by Vatican II to renewal and a return to their roots, they shed the outdated rules separating them from the world, put their lives on the line to stand with the poor, and are now in a pivotal conflict with the church hierarchy over who they have become.”

As a woman religious, I am profoundly grateful to Mary for her work and her great care for this project. It is a very real and personal story that allows sisters to speak in their own voice about their lives, their history, and their lived vision now and into the future. Mary herself was educated by nuns in Catholic grammar and high schools. She is also an architect and urban planner with a passion for social justice and filmmaking.

I believe that this is an important time for this film to come out because there has been so much interest and speculation about Catholic sisters in the United States. Underlying some of that speculation has been a confusion about how exactly sisters went from exclusively habited and cloistered and in teaching or nursing apostolates to being a diverse group representing many was to live faithfully the call to religious life. Mary’s film gives viewers a unique lens through which to see how these changes unfolded. Read more about the film.

What can you do? Check out Mary’s website Band of Sisters, sign up for her eNewsletter, donate to help Mary finish the film, and stay tuned for movie clips coming to an Internet near you!

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

In 1954 a young nun by the name of Sister Bernadette Lynch, MM, was profiled in none other than Cosmopolitan magazine and photographed by the legendary George Barris, who also photographed the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.

Sister Bernie's mission crucifix, a symbol of her misionary vocation, given to her before departing for her assignment in Bolivia

The topic? An article presenting religious life as an attractive option for young women through the story of someone their age who embraced it. Sounds like a typical Cosmo story, right? Well the article following Bernie’s journey into religious life with the Maryknoll Sisters was so well received that the book author Sister Maria del Ray Danforth, MM, and George Barris decided to create a book based on the article. Thus was born Bernie Becomes a Nun a fascinating book that describes the process of becoming a sister from the inside out, complete with over 200 photos with captions from Bernie about what she was thinking and feeling. The book, published in 1956 by Farrar, Straus and Company, had a huge impact on young women — both those who found that extra encouragement to pursue a religious vocation and those who felt called to other vocations through marriage or ministry. And, not only does the book continue to inspire people, but Sister Bernie herself continues to be an inspiration.

Yesterday, Sister Maxine and I met Sister Bernie for the first time via phone and got to talk with her a bit about her experience with the book and as a missioner for over 61 years! Sister Bernie will be joining us tomorrow night for In Good Faith podcast — a live broadcast at 7 p.m. CST (your time zone). We’ll talk with Sister Bernie about the book, life as a missioner and Maryknoll sister, and what it means for each of us to be a missioner in everyday life.

The classic book Bernie Becomes a Nun by Sister Maria del Rey with photographs by George Barris (New York: Farrar, Straus & Company, 1956)

More on Sister Bernie tomorrow!

For today, we wanted to be sure to tell you about the book which is a classic — out-of-print and not easy to find! We were fortunate enough to score one from our dear friend Suze!

The book has four parts:

• Entrance – You make up  your mind
• Postulancy – You knock on the door
• Novitiate - Just inside
• Professed - At home, within

Each of the four parts begins with some writing by Sister Maria describing the stage of becoming a nun in ordinary, accessible language. Here’s the beginning of the book for example:

It isn’t so easy to start being a Sister.

If you appear at the front door of any convent, for instance, and announce, “Here I am, ready to live my life for God,” I am sure the Sisters will tell you, “Think it over and come back in six months or so.” That is, unless they know you very well and realize that you have already been thinking about it for a long time.

Let’s get down to the crux of a vocation. You must begin with the basic question, “Why do I want to be a Sister?” …

You see, a religious vocation is not a question of your making a heroic gesture of “throwing your life away,” “trampling on the glittering pleasures of the world,” “toss away the joys of married life.” No. It is simply a matter of following the path God points out for you.

Throughout each part, we are treated with photos of Bernie and her reflections on her journey from deciding to enter religious life to boarding the Santa Luisa as a professed sister and missioner headed to Bolivia.

We look forward to a conversation with Sister Bernie tomorrow night. And we would love for you to join us by listening in and chatting with us in the chat room during the live broadcast where you can ask your questions and interact with us and other listeners! More info tomorrow!

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “nun”? Risk-takers? Innovators? Entrepreneurs?

The Oblate Sisters of Providence -- Mother Mary Lange, the founder of this religious community, is another foremother you should know! www.oblatesisters.com

The more I study the history of sisters, the more I see the truth of those images. A number of scholars are helping bring those images to light. One is Margaret Susan Thompson, a historian at Syracuse University. In her work, she shows how risk taking and innovation, as well as lots of persistence, are part of the very nature of religious life.

Sister Julie and I often talk about religious life as an adventure, and history helps us see that it always has been!

Here are some examples that Prof. Thompson uses in her discussion about religious life in her article “Discovering Foremothers.” (To listen to a 25-min based on this article, click here.)

What examples come to mind for you?

Mary Ward, [a] seventeenth-century Englishwoman … founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a society she envisioned as a female counterpart to the Jesuits: without habits, convents, or fealty to local bishops. [She] was imprisoned by one Pope and who walked hundreds of miles to Rome to win the patronage of another and whose descendants did not … [gain] permission to acknowledge her as their founder until the 1800.

Katharine Drexel, an American … used the millions of dollars left to her use by her banker father (a partner of J. P. Morgan) to found and fund the works of a community dedicated solely to “Indians and Colored People” and who, because her father authorized that only she receive the income from his estate and only for the duration of her natural life, managed to survive until the age of 97 so as to get as much of that income as possible.

Sister Julie and I are delighted to have Prof. Thompson as our guest on “In Good Faith” tomorrow, Thursday, at 7 p.m. Central Time (your time zone). Hope you can join us!

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. FOR TONIGHT ONLY we’ll be one hour earlier than usual at 5 p.m. CST (your time zone). Join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

In her recent essay “When good (bad) things happen: Religious life in the wake of the investigation“, Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, hits a very key point about how we understand God and God’s relationship to us and the world. She also well articulates many of the positive effects of both the Apostolic Visitation and the doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Council of Women Religious (an organization representing 95% of women religious in the United States).

Read the article and let’s have a conversation here about our questions, concerns, observations and hopes. To start, here are just a few of the lines that struck me …

The “attribution of direct causality for mundane happenings to God can be a spontaneous reaction to bewilderment in the face of inexplicable evil and suffering, but it reflects bad theology and encourages worse spirituality.”

“God is not manipulating by some giant computer in the sky …”

“God is supporting us, urging us to the best responses to reality of which we are capable and even beyond what we think we are capable of, consoling us in suffering, sharing and affirming our joy, strengthening us in conflict, and enabling us to learn and grow through everything we experience no matter how tragic or overwhelming it may be. But this does not make God the direct and immediate cause of each event that happens in the universe.”

“In short, bad causes, whether natural disasters or accidents or stupidity or human evil, do not produce good results, but human beings dealing courageously and creatively with natural or moral evil can cause great good to emerge for themselves and others.”

“Many people … are beginning to realize that two Vatican investigations of U.S. women religious and their leaders … have nevertheless been the context for some very positive developments. These developments were clearly not intended by the investigations and certainly not caused by them. But God is not limited by human intentions …”

“Perhaps the most important development is the impetus … to articulate much more clearly the theology and spirituality that has developed in and energized the last 40 years of ministerial religious life in this country.”

“Are we taking time to interact with younger women who, as they were growing up, may not have known personally any sisters and perhaps thought of them as timid and domesticated “good little nuns” or “father’s little helpers” but who now are hearing and reading about educated and powerful women religious committed to a Vatican II church and a redeemed world?”

“Adversity often calls out of people conviction, strength and commitment that they were not conscious of possessing. That does not make adversity, especially gratuitous adversity caused by human beings, a blessing, even a “blessing in disguise.””

For more on Sister Sandra Schneiders, check out our recent interview with her on our monthly series In Good Faith as well as other articles we’ve written.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Mother M. Borgia Egan, RSM, was recently named to the Erie Hall of Fame. She was a Sister of Mercy of Erie, Pennsylvania, and the founder of the founder of Mercyhurst College.

Oddly, the article announcing this honor notes Mother Borgia’s height. FYI, we are not told the height of any of the other four honorees. Again, as noted in the story of Mother Teresa, why the reference to her height? Is that really the second most critical thing we must know about Mother Borgia? It just feels so novelty-esque.

Here are a few other descriptors that perhaps give us a bit more insight into the immense coolness of this Catholic sister (fortunately, the aforementioned article did include two of those listed below, albeit after the much more news-worthy mention of her height):

• Born Catherine Egan on March 22, 1876, she entered the Order of the Sisters of Mercy on July 1, 1891.
• She graduated from Catholic University of America and Duquesne University.
• Mother Borgia was the superior of the Sisters of Mercy in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
• She was a respected educator in the parochial schools of the Diocese of Erie.
• She was an advocate for the higher education of women.
• Using money earned from candy sales and other door-to-door solicitations, she bought a 70-acre farm on which Mercyhurst College would be built.
• When the men building the college walked off the job, Mother Borgia handed the nuns paintbrushes.
• Wanting the institution to be a masterpiece of harmony, she directed that the exterior of the college be given as much attention as its interior.
• She was not only the founder but the first president of Mercyhurst College guiding the college from 1926 to 1959
• There is now a Mother Borgia Egan Award, presented by Mercyhurst College to the graduating honors student who fully embodies the spirit of a liberal arts education.
• And as the student-produced Mercyhurst college newspaper noted, Mother Borgia’s “towering stance and ready sense of humor combined with intellectual prowess make her an unforgettable woman”

Read more about Mother Borgia at the Erie Hall of Fame and at Mercyhurst College.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

On September 5, 2010, the United States Postal Service released a new stamp in honor of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Here’s the scoop:

The United States of America on September 5 honored Mother Teresa with a special stamp marking the 13th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death.

The stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa painted by award-winning artist Thomas Blackshear II of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stamp was unveiled at a function in Washington.

“Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years,” the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) stated in a note.

The 44-cent stamp shows the humanitarian icon wearing her customary shawl and smiling. (source: Christianity Today)

Always good to see Catholic sisters and nun honored by the public. An important message is that the work of religious must cross boundaries — we do not serve only “our own” but tend to the needs of all people and all of God’s creation. Compassion, care, love, peace, justice — these know no boundaries.

Not sure why the USPS needed to say “diminutive” in their media advisory. Presumably it referred to her height and not her impact on the church and world.

You can purchase the stamp at USPS.com.

Interested in other nunly commemorations? Check out the Mother Mary MacKillop coin!

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Interested in using social media and the internet for your ministry? Join us for a live broadcast of our new Digital Ministry podcast this Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. Central Time (your timezone). Our guest is Catholic social media maven Lisa M. Hendey of CatholicMom.com.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

The Leadership Council of Women Religion (LCWR) held its national assembly this year in Dallas, Texas (August 11-14, 2010). The gathering was an opportunity for education, reflection on issues pertinent to religious life leadership, networking, prayer and celebration.

Among the highlights of the week were the following:

Our own Sister Margaret Brennan, IHM received the 2010 LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award. Sister Margaret, a theologian and former LCWR president, played a key role in the renewal of religious life following the Second Vatican Council. In her response she gave testimony to the founding spirit of LCWR and its continued ministry and mission. (Download the full text of her response GIFT… In gratitude … and awe: A Response)

Richard R. Gaillardetz, PhD of the University of Toledo, spoke on the fidelity of Catholic sisters to the vision of the Second Vatican Council, noting that the tensions sisters are experiencing with the church hierarchy have significance for those not in religious life as well. “The way you respond to the ecclesial tensions you are experiencing right now will be a witness to all Christians, instructing all of us in how to most fruitfully and productively respond to the inevitable ecclesial tensions that we undergo,” he stated.

M. Shawn Copeland, PhD of Boston College emphasized that the prophetic ministry of Catholic sisters is critical for the future of the church. Noting that the Catholic tradition is in crisis, she asked, “How are we to live in the presence of God in this time of disappointment and diminishment? What are we to do in a situation in which nothing seems to be moving forward, when life-giving possibilities for the future seem foreclosed or beyond immediate realization? In such a situation, prophetic ministry not only is needed, it is imperative.”

In her address to the assembly, LCWR president Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA urged the body to claim its role in the church. She said, “We do not have to mimic our founders to find the answer about how to articulate our ecclesial role. The Gospel will show us what to do, how we must act with the attitude of Jesus who emphasized an inclusive love of all in right relationships. We take our power from the Word of God.” (Download Sister Marlene’s full address Called to Hope as Prophets, Artists, Healers, & Lovers)

Before the close of the assembly, Sister Mary Hughes, OP of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville, New York, assumed the office of LCWR president for 2010-2011.

(sources: Leadership Council of Women Religious and Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; see also US Catholic article LCWR Members urged to maintain ‘hope in the midst of darkness’)

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Jeanne de Chantal who, with Saint Francis de Sales founded the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady, or Visitation Nuns, in 1610.

Stained Glass window from Visitation School, Mendota Heights, Minnesota

Saint Jeanne was an amazing woman — a wife, a mother, a spiritual mentor, and a religious. Her life is a testimony to faith, to love for God, to service of others, and she opened herself to being personally transformed through all of the events of her life.

Her life experiences “opened her heart to her longing for God and she sought God in prayer and a deepening spiritual life. Her commitment to God impressed Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop who became her director and best friend. Their friendship started before they even met, for them saw each other in dreams, and continued in letters throughout their lives.

With Francis’ support, Jane founded the Visitation order for women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. She even accepted a woman who was 83 years old. When people criticized her, she said, “What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I’m on their side.” She believed that people should have a chance to live their calling regardless of their health.” (source)

I like Saint Jeanne, I like her a lot because of her deep commitment to God. She opened herself to be “more than”, to acknowledge but not get stuck in the contrarieties of life nor the conventions of life! She opened her door to people who were poor, even when she was living on a tight budget. She forgave and even befriended the person who killed her husband. She founded a religious community for those thought too old or sick to be a religious, a community which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year.

We have much to learn about following Christ from Saint Jeanne de Chantal. And thankfully for us, we have not only her life witness but some of her writings and sayings! Here are some great quotes.

Follow your own way of speaking to our Lord sincerely, lovingly, confidently, and simply, as your heart dictates. (Source: Letters of Spiritual Direction (Classics of Western Spirituality))

In prayer one must hold fast and never let go, because the one who gives up loses all. If it seems that no one is listening to you, then cry out even louder. If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other. (Source)

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote a great piece on attending Catholic grade school. In Mary we crown thee with blossoms today (Chicago Sun-Times, August 4, 2010) Ebert recounts his experiences at Saint Mary’s Grade School in Champaign, Illinois, including stories about the Dominican nuns who taught him.

We [were] taught by Dominican nuns who knew their subjects cold, gave us their full-time attention, were gifted teachers and commanded order and respect in the classroom. For eight years we were drilled on reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Periods were devoted to history, geography and science, taught from textbooks without visual aids or any other facilities. We learned how to write well, spell, and god knows we learned how to diagram a sentence. And we looped away at the Palmer Handwriting Method, neatly writing JMJ at the top of every page, for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who would bless our lessons, but not always.

…

The school building had a basement for Sister Ambrosetta’s first grade room, the cafeteria and the gymnasium. The gym was just slightly larger than a basketball court, and had two or three rows of seats across one of the short ends. Pads under the baskets protected us from crashing into the walls. Our coach was the tomboy Sister Marie Donald, who tucked up the hems of her habit and dribbled and shot better than any of us. She taught second and third grades on the second floor, and it was there we had what passed for school band practice. She passed around triangles, tambourines, ratcheted sticks, maracas and wooden blocks, and we formed a rhythm section to pound, scrape, ding and rattle along with music on 78 rpm records. Fifth and sixth grades were taught by Sister Nathan, a fresh-faced favorite who usually seemed amused by us. We took this as a sign of favor.

…

Sister Rosanne, an immensely kind woman, very smart about current events, taught seventh and eighth grades. Sister Nathan, a great favorite with the students, taught third and fourth, and then moved right along with us to fifth and sixth. I can’t account for second grade; in my memory, Sister Ambrosetta only taught first, but maybe we were all so young we seemed the same to one another. The school was supervised by Sister Gilberta. To be sent to the principal’s office was a special damnation. We feared her, because we feared the feeling of guilt. None of these nuns were “strict” in the sense usually meant. They simply assumed we would behaved, and for the most part we did. No sister ever laid a hand on any student as far as I know. Nor did they raise their voices. It was an orderly school. We regarded the nuns with a species of awe, because they were the brides of Christ and had the entire Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church backing them up.

Read the full article, and some of the comments too! One of Ebert’s classmates who is pictured in one of the photos even comments!

Use the comment box below to offer your thoughts on Ebert’s piece. We’d love to hear from you. Let’s get the conversation going!

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Please keep the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia in your prayers.

Sister Denise teaching in South Africa, 2006

Sister Denise Mosier, OSB was fatally wounded in a head on collision on Sunday, August 1 while riding with two other sisters as they were coming home to Bristow, from the convent in Richmond, for the sisters’ annual retreat. Sister Denise died at the scene of the accident.

Throughout her monastic life, Sister Denise was an educator, a spiritual mentor to women in formation, a retreat director, and an advocate for peace and justice. Her love of liturgical music, movement, and hospitality flowed into the community through her artful use of liturgical dance at special events celebrations.

In the car with Sister Denise on August 1 were Sisters Charlotte Lange, OSB and Connie Ruth Lupton, OSB. They were both badly injured in the accident and were immediately air lifted to Fairfax Inova Hospital. Sisters Charlotte and Connie Ruth … remain in critical condition. (source: Benedictine Sisters of Virginia website)

The sisters also ask for prayers for the driver of the other vehicle, Carlos Martinelly Montano, and for his family.

The sisters have been in retreat this week and today celebrate the Mass of Resurrection for Sister Denise. Michelle Boorstein of The Washington Post has a good article about how the retreat (to which Sisters Denise, Charlotte, and Connie Ruth were headed) provides an amazing backdrop to all that has happened this week (Under God: Forgiveness at Benedictine nuns’ silent retreat, August 4, 2010).

Even in their mourning and in the silence of their retreat these sisters continue to be a message of hope and Good News and healing and reconciliation. Our prayers are with you, dear sisters.

Normally a pilgrimage is when people set out on a journey to visit sacred places and holy people. But this pilgrimage does it the other way around!

Catholic News Agency, Jul 15, 2010 – Relics of Blessed Mother Teresa are scheduled to visit several cities across the Midwest this weekend, as part of a tour of the United States and Canada. The tour is being held in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the sister’s birth on August 26.

The relics are in the care of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, and include her sandals, crucifix and rosary, as well as a lock of her hair and drops of her blood contained in reliquaries.

The tour has already traveled through Boston and Baltimore, among other cities, and is scheduled to make stops in Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota in the coming days. (source)

In two days, Mother Teresa’s relics will be present at Saint Mark Church in Gary, Indiana, not far from Sister Maxine and me. Mass time is 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. We are hoping to make it there and if we do, we will share our experience with you. Has anyone else had the opportunity to see the relics?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Sister Paula Gonzalez is a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati and the founder of EarthConnection. She was recently featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer in the article Nun marries science, spirituality: Teaches that all life is sacred and connected by Shauna Steigerwald (July 11, 2010).

A few of my favorite quotes from the article …

On vocation:

… the daughter of two teachers was “a curious little kid” who learned to read at an early age, skipped first grade and was bumped from third grade to fourth, finishing that grade level when she was only 7. She came to the College of Mount St. Joseph on an academic scholarship in 1948, graduating with a bachelor’s in biology in 1952 at age 19. But even at that young age, Gonzalez knew that her life’s calling lay in religious service. She entered the Sisters of Charity two years later, in 1954.

“It just hit me like a ton of bricks, and that was it,” she said. “All of a sudden, I knew.”

On care for God’s creation:

Much of Gonzalez’s reverence for the natural world was instilled by her father, who was raised on a farm and taught his own family to grow food. From his Spanish heritage, he taught her the concept of “La tierra es bendita,” “the land is holy.”

“My father was truly a person of the soil, which got through to me,” said Gonzalez, who calls her own garden her “spiritual director” and cites her spirituality as another contributor to her concern for the planet.

What do you think of the article? What are ways that you recognize “all life is sacred and connected”?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

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There are so many ways that people move into their calling from God. For some it may be that one vocation gives way to another. That’s what happened with Sister Patti Robinson, a Sister the Congregation of Saint Agnes, a mother and grandmother, who began thinking about religious life after a major turning point in her life.

“Sixteen years ago, my life changed drastically,” said Sister Patti. “My husband died unexpectedly and my priorities began to change. A few years later, I moved to Tulsa and went to work for a large Catholic hospital. I became very active at church, especially in social justice, but I continued to feel incomplete.

“I sensed an unexplainable desire for a deeper transformation,” she continued. “The spiritual path is a long one and takes many different directions but I have found religious life and CSA in particular to be an incredible community of women religious. We call one another to spiritual authenticity and integrity without denying each other the right to forge her own unique journey with God. Our vows unite us together and we become one as we gratefully share our combined gifts with others.”

Check out the full article Mother will profess final vows as a nun in the Fond du Lac Reporter (July 7, 2010)

I love Sister Patti’s quote at the end of the article because it busts a stereotype about nuns from popular media that often shows nuns as mean and repressed. Says Sister Patti about her life and professing final vows as a religious sister: “I feel blessed and fulfilled and I thank God for the abundant love in my life.”

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

For a minute, I thought that the Chicago Tribune had discovered Sister Maxine flinging kitchen knives as she prepared for dinner, but no such luck.

Suburban Chicago nun skilled with blade by Casey Toner (Chicago Tribune, June 30, 2010) is an article about Dominican Sister Dorothy Solak who coaches fencing at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights. The article explains how she got into fencing as well as her thoughts on the art of fencing. I also appreciate that the writer of this article included Sister Dorothy’s experience of being a sister. Here’s a quote from the article about her decision to become a nun.

Solak said she thought about becoming a nun when she was 13. The idea became more tangible when she started working full time.

“It’s like a nagging feeling you have, like there was something more I wanted to be involved in, that I would want to give my life to in a more intense way,” Solak said.

She joined the Dominican Sisters of Springfield in 1976 after she visited the Sacred Heart Convent in Springfield. She took her first vows in 1979 and her perpetual, or lifelong vows, in 1984.

“It’s more of a feeling within yourself, within your heart,” Solak said about her decision to become a Dominican nun. “I think it’s true in the same way if you find the right guy. You know it’s the right one for you. You can’t explain it intellectually. It’s a feeling, a feeling you are in the right place.”

Be sure to read the entire article Suburban Chicago nun skilled with blade. Share your thoughts with us!

And also, be sure to join us tonight for Praying with the Sisters LIVE podcast. We are on the road and staying the next couple nights with the Immaculata IHM Sisters in Pennsylvania. Last night two sisters joined Sister Maxine and I for our prayer podcast and a few others were in the chat room. Also this is our 100th prayer podcast episode! YEA! Not to be missed!

Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

At the Conference of the History of Women Religious today I attended a presentation by Dr. Carmen Mangion of the University of London. She presented the project of her colleage Dr. Caroline Bowden. The project is called Who Were the Nuns? and it is a prosopographical study of the English convents in exile in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Scene from the Painted Life of Mary Ward. Mary Ward and some of the first seven Companions setting sail for Flanders.

Who Were the Nuns? project is “a comprehensive study of the membership of the English convents in exile. That is, the period between the opening of the first English convent in Brussels to the nuns’ return to England as a result of the French Revolution and associated violence. Most were enclosed convents, in theory cut off from the outside world. However in practice the nuns were not isolated and their contacts and networks spread widely.

Why did the nuns have to go into exile? Well, Catholic nuns, monks, and clergy were not exactly welcome in England at the time. In fact monasteries and convents were forcibly disbanded, and it was illegal to establish any new ones. (See Wikipedia on Dissolution of the Monasteries for more information).

As a result, “vast numbers of Catholics left their home country for the continent including many men and women religious and men and women with a religious vocation. Some of them found a new haven in Spain, Portugal, Italy or Bavaria, but northern France and the Southern Netherlands were particularly appealing to these Catholics in exile. The English Carthusians were the first to settle themselves on the continent in 1559, later followed by many other religious communities of men and women. Forty years later the first ‘English convent’ for English nuns was founded in Brussels. About a dozen others were to follow in the next fifty years, most of them enclosed and contemplative, but often hosting prestigious boarding schools for children of the English Catholic elite.” (source)

Dr. Bowden found that “twenty two convents were founded on the continent and around 4000 women were professed. The convents became significant cultural centres, fostering the education of Catholic girls, making collections of books, commissioning works of art and maintaining substantial buildings.” The sisters, and their legacy, survived despite exile, wars, and natural disasters.

It is a fascinating study and project and I hope to learn more about it. I encourage you to check out Who Were the Nuns? project website.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

My Nun’s Life
by Sister Pat Aseltyne, IHM

Greetings from my “nun’s life”, a life that has almost completed the journey (65 years of Vowed Commitment). Sister Julie and I belong to the same IHM Community. Sometimes we think that we must be at total peace before we can believe that the Spirit is with us. If this were so I would not be completing this amazing nun’s life journey.

My life has carried me far and near; from Monroe County, Michigan, where my father happened to have grown up to Chicago, Washington D.C., and back to Michigan. The best part of the journey has been relating to so many people in so many ways — as a teacher, a school principal, a counselor, and now as coordinator of an outreach program.

At present, I live and minister in Houston, Texas. My worship place is Rice University Catholic Student Chapel. My ministry place is with a small agency called Casa de Esperanza de los Niños (House of Hope for little children). The people I meet here are from economic extremes; the rich and the poor and the Casa staff in between. As we touch one another’s lives we get that feeling of wanting to become a part of life together. So, those who have an over abundance, wish to help us to help others who are under nourished in so many material ways. Most of the poor among us seem to have an inside track to the Heart of God where they find so much comfort in their dire circumstances.

The rich wish to connect with me because my life takes me into the midst of poverty; usually to places where most people do not wish to go. They know that I know who the needy are. The poor wish to connect with me because they know that I care about them and so there is a mutual love that inspires courage. I find it difficult to put this into words because the truth is so deep in our souls once we experience this mutual desire to see one another as equals – each in need of something that the other has and wishes to share.

As I think back on joys and struggles in life I realize the place of the Spirit. Most meaningful to me has always been Jesus’ word that he would send His Spirit to nourish our Spirit. Though we may seem old to others, we are still young in Spirit. I do have a quandary about why others expect us “oldsters” to slow down just because we keep adding numbers to our age. Remember the song, “Young at Heart”? That is exactly how most of us want to be perceived. So, please keep this in mind when you meet up with someone who looks like they are a little “withery” or “dithery” in mind or body or both.

What do you hear in Sister Pat’s words that can apply in your own life? What Word from Jesus or one of the saints or holy people of God nourishes you, inspires you?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters”. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

In May 2010, some 800 international women religious superior generals met in Rome under the auspices of the International Union of General Superiors (UISG) to ponder the twin themes of mysticism and prophecy. The following  statement was issued after the conference and “aims to express the spirit, intent and direction of the organization for the next three years through a series of public commitments” (Thomas C. Fox for NCRonline.org). Here is the statement in full:

“I know the fountain well that flows and runs… though it is night”
(St John of the Cross)

THE FUTURE OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IS IN ITS MYSTICAL AND PROPHETIC FORCE

“My soul is thirsting for God, the living God” Ps 42, 3

During this Assembly:

We, 800 superiors general coming from 87 countries, have quenched our thirst together at the Fountain of life, the God of Jesus Christ, source of our joy, our hope and our strength.

We commit ourselves to:

• Rediscover anew and listen to the Fountain which speaks in our hearts, through others and through creation.
• Draw water from the Source of our charism and rediscover the dynamism of our first call.
• Taste and share together the Word and the Bread.
• Promote a constant dialogue between the Word of God and the events which happen in our world.
• Invite others to come and drink at the Fountain.

“If you consider me a believer… come and dwell in my house” Acts 16, 15

Like Lydia, a listening and faith filled woman, we are invited to open our hearts and our homes and to remember the living waters of our baptism.

We commit ourselves to:

• Create a new style of mystical and prophetic life, open and hospitable, inclusive, respectful of differences and acknowledging the richness of other cultures and religions.
• Recreate the art of living in common, marked by deep human relationships, a listening heart, empathy and non-violence in order to be witnesses of Gospel values.
• Focus on initial and on-going formation in order to unify the mystical and prophetic dimensions of our consecrated life.
• Live in harmony with the whole Cosmos and to dwell respectfully on this Earth.

“Put out into the deep… and cast your nets…” Luke 5,4

We have become aware that we should not fear the night of the deep waters.

We commit ourselves to:

• Courageously identify the “nights” of the Church, of society and of our congregations.
• Discover the sparks of light hidden in the heart of violence, poverty and the lack of meaning.
• To open our eyes to discover new paths of light in the darkness of our world: in the precarious situation of women, the existential restlessness of the youth, the consequences of war and natural catastrophes and the extreme poverty which leads to violence.
• Offer as consecrated women a ministry of compassion and healing.
• Build inter-congregational networks at local and international levels, involving the laity in order to initiate different projects and to work for the transformation of unjust structures.
• Go beyond the frontiers of our respective charisms and to unite ourselves in order to offer a mystical and prophetic word to our world.
• Engage in truthful dialogue with the hierarchical Church at all levels in order to achieve a greater recognition of the role of women.

As Mary, let us remain awake and vigilant,
constantly searching for the Fountain that flows,
certain that It will be found, although it is night.

Click here for a PDF of the statement as well as more information on the 2010 UISG Conference.

What strikes you about this statement? What is something that you hear in this that you can incorporate in your own life? What does this say to you about the possibility of religious life?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters”. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Taking off your outer garment
by Sister Paula Cooney, IHM

I was recently privileged to share a reflection by Ron Rolheiser, OMI on “Creating Sabbath Space in Our Lives” with a group of elder women religious. His suggestion was a new and challenging insight into Jesus’ washing of the feet at the last supper.

The gospel of John tells us, “Jesus, knowing that he came from God and was going back to God, took off his outer garment…” Jesus was able to let go of all the stuff that wasn’t really essential – his outer garment – to minister to the other.

So we asked ourselves: “What are the “outer garments” that we think are essential that keep me from freely washing the feet of the “others” in my life? Democrat/Republican? Gay/Straight? Islamic/Christian? Pro-life/Pro-choice? Pro-immigration/Anti-immigration?

One of the sisters reflected, “It wouldn’t be so difficult if everyone would become vulnerable but it’s really hard if you are the only one doing it.” Another shared, “If I could only remember that “the other” is just like me – one who has come from God and is going back to God!”

I wonder what our world would be like if everyone “took off their outer garment?”

Paula Cooney, IHM, is an IHM Sister who is currently in ministry to the retirement community of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange, California.

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Check out a clip from a video of Ron Rolheiser, OMI, on
Creating Sabbath Space in Our Lives.

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My Greatest Peace Teachers
By Alice Baker, IHM

In reflecting on the question, who are my greatest peace teachers, I’ve come to a simple conclusion; they are all those persons in my life who are Risk-Takers for Peace. So many have touched and inspired me to “step out of the box.” Risk involves just that, and much more. For me, it implies one is grounded in a deep faith and trust in the One who calls — God. For me, Jesus is my prime example of a risk-taker: facing the powers of darkness all around Him with courage and compassionate love. There are many others, too, such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert F. Kennedy, John XXIII, Dorothy Day, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Catherine of Siena. Each one had to listen to that inner voice of Truth that called them to speak their truth to power, risking all. Facing misunderstanding, making mistakes, and suffering through consequences only made them stronger and more courageous workers for peace.

For me, peace work calls me out of myself, stretches my limits, and challenges my status-quo thinking. Never did I dream I would find myself marching for migrants’ rights in the Yale-Croswell-Lexington, Michigan, area in the late 60’s. Nor did I ever see myself driving overnight to a march in support of Daniel and Philip Berrigan and the “Harrisburg 7” in Pennsylvania in the early 70’s. Or did I ever think I would be involved in rallies to save our Catholic schools and parishes in the inner city of Detroit in the 70’s and 80’s. In the last two decades, I’ve found myself responding to peace demonstrations at the School of the Americas, in Ft. Benning, Georgia, and at the nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. And, one of my most recent challenges came when I found myself in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a member of the Michigan Peace Team in the summers of ’02 and ’04. In all of these peace experiences I find hope from the community of peace activists with whom I walk. Though some immediate effects may not be positive, I know, and believe, the long term effects will always be with me. I have been stretched, challenged, and changed, and have made long-lasting friends for peace.

In Webster’s thesaurus, the word “risk” as a verb or action word can mean: to run a risk, take a chance, lay oneself open to, gamble, do at one’s one peril, go beyond one’s depth, lay oneself open to, go through fire and water, skate on thin ice, fish in troubled waters, live in a glass house, or leap before one looks. Without exception, I am thankful for the many unnamed people in my life that fit these descriptions. They have been present with and touched me deeply. They are Risk-Takers for Peace. May I continue together with them to run the risk – for peace.

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall – always! (from the movie “Gandhi”)

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Who are your greatest peace teachers and why?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters”. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

You are in for an AWESOME treat! My dear sister Joyce Durosko, IHM, stars in this YouTube video. Sister Joyce talks about the wonderful mystery of being called to religious life. Are you a person who is open to being surprised … especially to a God who is full of surprises!? Sister Joyce offers great wisdom for people discerning religious life, including what to look for as you meet sisters and discern, try to figure out if they are “home” for you.

What questions or insights percolate as you watch and reflect on this video?

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Join Sister Maxine and Sister Julie and the A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters”. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

Today is NUNDAY and we celebrate Sister Mary Devlin, a Sister of Charity who will be celebrating her 93rd birthday at the end of July. Sister Mary is from Saint Stephen, New Brunswick. I love how she describes her calling … one that many of us can relate to!

Sister Mary Devlin, SC; Doug Geddes photographer

She was still a young teenager when she first heard the call to become a nun, and it was “very strange” to her because she didn’t know any sisters at the time. Her first exposure to that way of life came when an Order of the Sisters of Charity opened a house in St. Stephen.

“The first time I saw them in church was the first time I’d ever seen them (at all) and within myself I heard: ‘One day I will be one of them.’ I thought, ‘Well that’s the funniest thought I’ve had yet.’ It was unreal. I was 14 then and I didn’t enter until I was 28.” …

Sister Mary Devlin remains highly active. Her life in the Church has been enormously fulfilling, and she continues to give generously to others, what she knows best — love. “The most important thing in life is love, and we all need it,” she smiles. “It’s a necessity.”

- SOURCE: St. Stephen native became a nun at 28
in Times & Transcript (May 18, 2010)

Did you ever experience that sense of God calling you as “very strange”? How did you respond immediately and/or eventually?

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer and chat
every night at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).
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A new book about Sister Thea Bowman is now available. Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman is written by Charlene Smith and John Feister, and it is published by Orbis Books (January 30, 2010). Sister Thea has been hailed as the “patron saint of racial reconciliation”. She was a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who “become widely known as a promoter of intercultural awareness in Mississippi churches as well as in black or mixed parishes across the United States. She was a popular educator, evangelist and gospel singer.”

Read more about Sister Thea and about the book Thea’s Song in Friar Jack’s E-spirations (April 28, 2010). Here are some selections:

“Thea owed much of her spirituality to the Franciscan tradition,” write the authors of Thea’s Song. “She projected an authentic, happy style…. Be joyful, be peaceful. Reach out; help the poor, the outcasts of society, the sick, the psychologically needy. Divest yourself of possessions and give to the poor….” Coauthor Charlene Smith, F.S.P.A., was Thea’s classmate and remembers well her love for St. Francis and St. Clare.

“St. Francis had loved nature, and, in turn, nature was responsive to Francis in unusual ways. Thea shared this gift. Growing up in the South, where the climate lured people to the out of doors much of the year, Thea had learned to revel in nature. She learned to appreciate Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and Mother Earth, as St. Francis called them. In his spirit, she knew how to treat all of nature as neighbor: love the animals and all sentient beings and they will reflect love back to you. She continued to be fascinated by birds–and enjoyed warbling back to them!” (Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman, p. 138)….

Thea’s Song, as embodied in this Life of Thea Bowman, will surely live on in the memory of those who read this book. And who knows? Someday she may officially be declared a saint, as many call her now. The memory of Sister Thea will live on, as well, in all who continue to seek “racial reconciliation” with her kind of joy, courage and sparkle.

Check out the book Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman by Charlene Smith and John Feister and also Friar Jack’s E-spiration on Sister Thea.

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Join the Sisters and the A Nun’s Life community for prayer today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE.

Theologian and priest Reverend Richard McBrien provides an excellent summary of the five-part essay written by by Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, on religious life. Sister Sandra’s essay was published in National Catholic Reporter from January 4-8, 2010.

• Part One: Religious Life as Prophetic Life Form, January 4, 2010
• Part Two: Call, Response and Task of Prophetic Action, January 5, 2010
• Part Three: What Jesus taught us about his prophetic ministry, January 6, 2010
• Part Four: Tasks of those who choose the prophetic life style, January 7, 2010
• Part Five: Religious life: sharing Jesus’ passion, resurrection, January 8, 2010

McBrien published his summary of the main points of the essay on his blog Essays in Theology (NCR).

• Sandra Schneiders on religious life – I, March 16, 2010
• Sandra Schneiders on religious life – II, March 22, 2010

Sisters Sandra Schneiders and Julie Vieira, IHM, standing in a redwood tree at Muir Woods

I encourage you to read both Sister Sandra’s essay and McBrien’s summary, the latter of which serves as a good guide for reading the essay.

What in the essay or summary makes you say “Yes!”? What challenges you? What surprises you?

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Join the sisters for prayer today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone). Praying with the Sisters is a live podcast where you can chat with us and others in A Nun’s Life chat room. All you need is an internet connection and a heart open to prayer.

http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE

Sister Dorothy Stang “was Dot to her friends and family and Irma (Sister) Doroteia to the people in Brazil who took to calling her the ‘Angel of the Amazon’ because of her passionate support of poor farmers’ rights to the land and her protectiveness of the rainforest. Dorothy, a Sister of Notre Dame, devoted almost 40 years of her life to the people and land of Brazil. On February 12, 2005, two hired gunmen shot her six times thinking they had finally silenced this gentle, tenacious crusader for the poor.” (dorothystang.org)

Recent news from dorothystang.org, a website of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur:

NEWS from Brazil – 5/2/2010 – Rancher Regivaldo Galvao was found guilty of ordering the murder of Dorothy Mae Stang and sentenced to 30 years in jail. Sr. Jane writes, “The people gathered outside the courthouse at dawn, singing, praying and celebrating that for the first time in the history of Para, we have managed to bring everyone indicted for assassination of someone in a land conflict to trial, and even more convicted! His family, of course, is devastated…they were sure this would not happen….it never has. The people who came for the trial return filled with peace and hope to Anapu. Dorothy lives!”

4/13/2010 – A milestone victory: wealthy rancher Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura has been convicted of ordering the murder of Sr. Dorothy Stang and was sentenced to 30 years in jail. “This conviction sends a strong message to the other masterminds that the impunity is ending,”says Sr. Rebeca Spires, who has worked in Brazil for 40 years.

Related articles:

• Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN: Sister of Notre Dame de Namur: Humanitarian, Mystic, and Martyr, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur website, Ask an SND
• Conviction of rancher over killing of US nun in Brazil, hailed, Ecumenical News International (May 3, 2010)
• Sister Dorothy Stang, New York Times (May 3, 2010)
• Brazilian gets 30 years for U.S. nun’s murder, Reuters (May 1, 2010)

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Join the sisters for prayer today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone). Praying with the Sisters is a live podcast where you can chat with us and others in A Nun’s Life chat room. All you need is an internet connection and a heart open to prayer.

http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote an interesting op-ed piece called Who Can Mock This Church? (New York Times, May 1, 2010).

It’s a tough read in the sense that he makes some rather pointed statements about the church’s sex abuse scandals and a church teaching or two. But, his message is that those who wish to “sniff derisively” at the church as a whole ought to first take a look at the “brave souls” who work tirelessly, and many times in very dangerous situations, to live truly the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Among the fine examples is Sister Cathy Arata, a nun from New Jersey. Kristof writes:

Photo by Nicholas D. Kristof/The New York Times. Sister Cathy Arata, a nun from New Jersey who now works with a Catholic project called Solidarity With Southern Sudan.

In the city of Juba, I met Cathy Arata, a nun from New Jersey who spent years working with battered women in Appalachia. Then she moved to El Salvador during the brutal civil war there, putting her life on the line to protect peasants. Two years ago, she came here on behalf of a terrific Catholic project called Solidarity With Southern Sudan.

Sister Cathy and the others in the project have trained 600 schoolteachers. They are fighting hunger not with handouts but with help for villagers to improve agricultural techniques. They are also establishing a school for health workers, with a special focus on midwifery to reduce deaths in childbirth.

At the hospital attached to that school, the surgeon is a nun from Italy. The other doctor is a 72-year-old nun from Rhode Island. Nuns rock.

Sister Cathy would like to see more decentralization in the church, a greater role for women, and more emphasis on public service. She says she worries sometimes that if Jesus returned he would say, “Oh, they got it all wrong!”

She would make a great pope, too.

Check out the full article and let us know what you think. What challenges you about the article? What insights popped into your mind?

Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd is runner and a member of the order of the Religious Teachers Filippini. Sister Mary Beth was featured on ESPN Page 2 in the article Sister Mary Beth is no ordinary nun by Jack McCluskey (April 26, 2010).

Sister Mary Beth is part of the crew of Lisa Smith-Batchen, an ultra runner who is on a mission to raise money for the Orphan Foundation of America, AIDS Orphans Rising, and the Caring House Project. Smith-Batchen is the first person to attempt to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states. And Sister Mary Beth is right there with her. “Sister Mary Beth, 61, will walk as far as she’s able — her goal is 20 miles a day — and provide support and encouragement as part of Smith-Batchen’s crew when she can’t help keep the pace.”

Click to see a video of Lisa and Sister Mary Beth on CNN

The image of “habit” is woven in throughout the article. Though perhaps unintended, it offers an interesting commentary on what a habit is and the power of every day lived habits, like Sister Mary Beth’s habit of generosity.

Let us know what you think of the article — and also what your habits are or ones you hope to develop within yourself for the sake of others.

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Join Sister Maxine and Sister Julie for LIVE prayer podcast today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone). You can share your prayer requests with us and the A Nun’s Life community. http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE

From the Leadership Council of Women Religious (LCWR) about one of my nuns …

We are very pleased to announce that Margaret Brennan, IHM, has been chosen to receive the 2010 LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award. The honor will be presented to Margaret at the LCWR assembly in August in Dallas.

Margaret, a Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan, is a theologian, a former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and a professor emerita of theology at Regis College (University of Toronto), where she taught for 25 years.

She has made numerous contributions to the renewal of religious life and has been a courageous voice in the church. Novalis Publishing released her memoir last year, What Was There for Me Once.

At the assembly … we will commemorate Margaret’s life and celebrate her significant influence as an inspirational leader in the church and in religious life.

Read more about Sister Margaret Brennan on aNunsLife.org.

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Join Sister Maxine and Sister Julie for LIVE prayer podcast today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone). You can share your prayer requests with us and the A Nun’s Life community. http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE

Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, is a Sister of Saint Joseph and has worked tirelessly against the death penalty. She wrote Dead Man Walking which became a film directed by Tim Robbins and starring Susan Sarandon. Because the book and film provoked much discussion and debate about the death penalty, Tim Robbins and Sister Helen began offering the stage play for college and university students as a way “to further widen the circle of public discourse on the death penalty”. Their project is called The Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project.

Here are some selections from a blog post by Rose Mohan, a BFA student at Naropa University, who is learning the role of Sister Helen Prejean:

I thought I was going to have to tone down my feistiness in order to be able to play a nun. Turns out, I have to find new heights of grit in order to be able to do justice to the character of Sister Prejean in Dead Man Walking. In almost every scene, Prejean manages to slice through what she perceives to be someone else’s delusions. She really holds her own with those hard-shelled prison men. I’m still working on getting there; sanely. One day after rehearsal I was so fired up that I had to walk out of the building jumping and punching the air.
…

I have learned so much in this process already. I grew up mildly Christian and when I go to church it still leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t want some old white guy telling me what to do, as if he understands faith better than I do. A lot of the messages are beautiful but there is no way anyone can convince me that the church provides the only way to God.

Sister Prejean is so refreshing to me because she is not afraid to openly question her faith, to form her own relationship to God outside of the church, to trust her own sense of what is right. It takes a lot of strength to hold one’s faith and be able to question at the same time. But if we are not willing to question, how can we learn?

I also really appreciate her humanness. My acting teacher expressed that she is a gritty, tenacious woman first and a nun second. Throughout the play we see that Prejean makes mistakes, feels afraid, experiences loneliness, questions the authority of the church and her own involvement in prison work and expresses dislike for someone she is trying to help. She is just an ordinary person who has made a commitment that has changed the orientation of her life. I am taking some cues from Prejean — how to not back down, how to be curious, how to continue when you don’t know.

(Do I have to be a nun? post from the Naropa BFA Performance News blog)

It is very cool to see how learning about Sister Helen and playing her can be such a transformative experience. I also like how Rose describes what I would call a “vocation” to performance. It strikes me as being very similar to the calling of wanting to give one’s life to something more, something that is bigger than us like “truth” and “goodness” and “beauty” … and God.

I am beginning to understand why people devote their lives to performance. It is like following an elusive and beckoning beast to try to convey something that means something, something that makes sense of all the somethings that happen to a person. We keep trying to hit something that is the ultimate truth, but of course, that is impossible, and yet it also doesn’t feel far away. It is like truth is already there just watching you try to make a model of it and you can always feel how close you come. I hope that we will capture some part of truth in what we are making.

For more information about Naropa University’s performance of Dead Man Walking as well as other actors’ thoughts, check out Tim Robbins play coming to Naropa in the Boulder Reporter (March 26, 2010).

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via a live podcast at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone)

The Oblate Sisters of Providence are a great group of women religious. I am honored to know many of them including my friend Sister Marcia Hall, OSP.

Sister Virginie Fish

Sister Marcia Hall

I’ve known Sister Marcia since before either of us were fully professed sisters. Now she’s the vocation director of her community and I’m doing vocations work too! After Sister Maxine was on Michel Martin’s program “Tell Me More” on NPR, Sister Marcia sent us a link to when she and Sister Virginie Fish, OSP, were on the same program back in 2008. It was an awesome show. They totally rocked it!

By all means, listen to the program! Sisters Marcia and Virginie do a wonderful job explaining what apostolic religious life is and well communicate the joy and adventure of religious life. You can also check out the main OSP website and the OSP vocation website.

What struck you about the interview?

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Join the sisters for evening prayer tonight at 6 p.m. Central Time and every Monday through Thursday at http://anunslife.org/live

Read the story of Ane Kirstine Wynn, a 25-year-old woman who recently entered Saint Joseph’s Monastery, a cloistered community of Passionist Nuns in Kentucky. Becoming a Passionist nun: Ane Kirstine Wynn by Amy Wilson of the Lexington Herald-Leader (April 4, 2010) tells the story of Ane Kirstine’s journey to religious life. It is a remarkable story that includes her shift from the Lutheran faith to the Catholic faith, struggles with her parents over her decision to become a nun, the fear and joy of discerning a call to religious life, and reflections on her first 3 months in the monastery.

Writer Amy Wilson paints an intimate picture of Ane Kirstine’s journey and conveys a sense of feeling and adventure. I appreciate the evident care that she took in preparing for and writing this article. What’s cool is that Amy kept up an email correspondence with Ane Kirstine since she entered in January. The superior of the monastery agreed to this correspondence which is a wonderful testimony to the community. By virtue of their cloistered life, the life of Passionist nuns, like other cloistered nuns, isn’t publicly accessible. Yet, allowing such a correspondence gives the world a glimpse of the life as well as the choice to enter into that life. This can be encouraging to people who might be attracted to cloistered life and it can also help in providing accurate, “real” information about cloistered life, not the variety you’d most likely find in the entertainment industry. You can read these emails on Kentucky.com.

Here are a few quotes from the article itself:

Mother Marie Catherine, head of the monastery, on discerning a call to religious life:

“God’s gifts,” says the Mother Superior, “are God speaking His will. The religious life is a gift from Him to you. The price tag is about bucking against the odds. Every one of the sisters walks that path.”

Ane Kirstine’s “ah-Ha” moment with the Passionist nuns:

In March 2007, she wrote in her blog: “I think I’m going to join this community. Like, seriously. When Mother spoke to us about the Passionist charism, my heart just started burning in me, because it was like she was describing myself to me! My spirituality, my understanding of God and prayer and my place in the world, every little thing she said resonated exactly with my own heart. They take five vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, enclosure and dedication to Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. They have a striking joy and vivacity that stems from contemplating the lifeblood of Jesus, poured out in love for the world.”

Ane Kirstine on “simplicity of heart” in religious life:

“One of the most beautiful — and most challenging — facets of convent life, at least that I have noticed,” she writes, “is its ability to foster a simplicity of heart. Nearly every time I speak with a sister who has lived her vocation for many years, I am struck by how unified her love is, indeed, how wholly she is God’s. She has become simple, not so much in her mind or actions — for nuns have sharp wits and manifold pursuits, just like the rest of us! — but certainly in her being and in her heart.

What thoughts do you have after reading this article? Questions? Uncomfortable nudgings? Inspirations?

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Join Sister Maxine and Sister Julie for evening prayer
at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone)
at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE.

Catholic? Feminist? That’s right. Catholic sisters and nuns were some of the first feminists in the U.S. and across the globe.

I just read an interesting post To “write women back into history,” include the first feminists: Women Religious by Linda Stamato, co-director of the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and a member of the graduate faculty at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University

Now before we go on here, let me clarify “feminist” because too often it is a word that is used to polarize and demonize women. As Megan Sweas, a young Catholic and feminist pointed out in an article she wrote last year for U.S. Catholic, feminists and feminism is often dismissed (usually with some amount of hostility, I might add) as “too radical, man-hating, or pro-choice”. I think she sums it up well and gives a good view of the challenges of and the connections between being both Catholic and feminist. I encourage you to read her article Catholic and feminist: You got a problem with that? (January 2009, Volume 74, Number 1; pages 23-25).

Back to Stamato’s article:

Roman Catholic Sisters built and managed hospitals, orphanages, and charitable institutions that served millions of people in America long before similar positions were open to women.  But Women’s History Month rarely mentions them or their contributions.  It’s time it did. The scope and quality of the institutions they created and sustained, and, indeed, their acts of mercy, manifest courage, conviction and selflessness, have been nothing short of extraordinary.

She goes on to mention some of the contributions of Catholic sisters and nuns which were detailed in Resolution 441 by U.S. House of Representatives. She writes of this resolution that it is “an action that applauds the social, cultural, and political contributions of Catholic Sisters in the United States, while at the same time recognizing that these women have led community lives dedicated to prayer and service, ‘fearlessly and often sacrificially committing their personal lives to teaching, healing, and social action.’”

Stamato also notes the traveling exhibit Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America which celebrates the history of American Sisters in the Roman Catholic Church and was created by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

There are other great stories of Catholic sisters and nuns in her article. She concludes saying,

On the 30th Anniversary of Women’s History Month, can’t we give new and special meaning to the theme, “Writing Women Back into History,” and include the first feminists? They deserve the recognition, this month, and every month, for what they have given: selfless service to those in need of an education, health care, support and inspiration. And for what they continue to do, much as they have done since they began their work centuries earlier. Truly, these are women of history. It is their lives too, their work too, their exercise of leadership, their legacy and their continued works of charity, generosity, caring and mercy that this month should also seek to acknowledge and respect.

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Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today at 6 p.m. Central Time (check your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE.

Today Wednesday is Nunday! Unorthodox, true, but these are unorthodox times, my friends! What with a new website design and new ideas in the works for A Nun’s Life Ministry, we thought we’d shake it up a bit!

And who better to feature today than Sister Rose Ann Fleming, SNDDeN, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, who was recently profiled in The New York Times.

Photo Credit: Barbara Johnson for The New York Times

In the article At Xavier, Nun Works Out Players’ Academic Side by John Branch (March 15, 2010) we meet Sister Rose Ann who is the academic adviser for Xavier athletics .

She was dressed not in a habit, but in gray Nike sweats with Xavier’s Musketeer logo and white tennis shoes. Her hair, nearly all white, is cropped above the ears. She wears a heavy gold cross on a chain around her neck, representing her order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She cannot help smiling when she talks.

“She’s not that nun you had in first grade that hits you across the hand with the ruler,” said [Xavier Coach Chris] Mack….

She rises at 4 a.m. for an hour of prayer and meditation. Then she usually spends an hour or more at the computer, often researching law cases that she takes on for Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor. (A law degree is one of several she holds, including Master’s degrees in English, business administration and theology, and a doctorate in education administration.) She exercises on an elliptical trainer, lifts weights and swims. Daily Mass is at 8.

By 8:30, she is usually in her office, overseeing two other full-time advisers and two volunteers who help her track Xavier’s 271 athletes in 17 sports.

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Join us for prayer tonight at 6:00 p.m. Central Time on this feast of Saint Patrick!
http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE

Happy feast of Saint Katharine Drexel, foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Saint Katharine was canonized on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. Here is a bit about Katharine Drexel from the Vatican website.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, on November 26, 1858, Katharine Drexel was the second daughter of Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth. Her father was a well known banker and philanthropist. Both parents instilled in their daughters the idea that their wealth was simply loaned to them and was to be shared with others.

On February 12, 1891, she professed her first vows as a religious, founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament whose dedication would be to share the message of the Gospel and the life of the Eucharist among American Indians and Afro-Americans.

Katharine left a four-fold dynamic legacy to her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who continue her apostolate today, and indeed to all peoples:

• her love for the Eucharist, her spirit of prayer, and her Eucharistic perspective on the unity of all peoples;
• her undaunted spirit of courageous initiative in addressing social iniquities among minorities — one hundred years before such concern aroused public interest in the United States;
• her belief in the importance of quality education for all, and her efforts to achieve it;
• her total giving of self, of her inheritance and all material goods in selfless service of the victims of injustice.

For more information about Saint Katharine, check out the following resources:

KatharineDrexel.org
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
SQPN on Saint Katharine Drexel
National Catholic Reporter article on Katharine Drexel (March 3, 2010)

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time
(your time zone).

Check out this article Heeding founders’ call, women religious combat racism by Kate Childs Graham in National Catholic Reporter (Feb. 27, 2010). Here are some selections (links mine) …

In 1945, when Mary Paul heard God’s call to religious life, she could not enter any community of women religious in her hometown of Philadelphia, including the Sisters of Mercy. Not because her vocation was untrue, but because she was a person of color. At the time, women of color in the city were referred to three orders: the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, the Franciscan Handmaids of Mary in Harlem, N.Y., or the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans — communities comprised mostly of women of color. Paul entered the Baltimore order. Her story is the story of many other women of color who were refused entrance to so-called “white” communities.

…

The Sisters of Providence engaged an organization called Crossroads. Founded in 1986, Crossroads provides ways to understand and combat institutional racism, while establishing structures of accountability to people of color. The organization offers a series of trainings that “provide a framework for institutions that are striving to achieve antiracist and anti-oppressive transformation.” They also help institutions analyze any internal policies and procedures that maintain white privilege, and create antiracism teams that “build an intervention strategy to dismantle these oppressive systems.”

The Sinsinawa Dominicans and Sisters of Mercy have also turned to Crossroads. For all three communities, the journey with the organization began with a two-and-a-half day training, “Analyzing and Understanding Systemic Racism,” which explores the history of racism in the United States, how racism still exists in institutions today, and how this affects people of color and white people.

This first training for the Sisters of Providence was in 1997. “We weren’t just addressing personal prejudice,” said Sr. Jenny Howard. “We all have prejudice about something. What made it different for us was that the definition was: Personal prejudice plus misuse of power by systems and institutions equals racism.”

…

However, the work goes much deeper than providing trainings. It is also about looking at power and privilege and the structures that keep white privilege in place.

“As a white person, I am so accustomed to access,” Howard explained. “Any motel, any restaurant, any neighborhood. Yet I know that experience is not the same for some of the other members of the antiracism team. I will never forget the day, when one of our persons of color from our team said to me, ‘Jenny, you can think about racism whenever you want to. I have to think about racism every day of my life.’

“I haven’t done anything to earn these opportunities, these rights, these freedoms, this access,” Howard said. “So, how can we use this power of privilege in a positive way to work together for racial justice?”

Read the whole article Catholic Sisters Combat Racism.

What are you thoughts this?

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

Happy Nunday! Here at A Nun’s Life Ministry we celebrate some Mondays in a special way — Mondays become Nundays when we have photos of Catholic sisters and nuns to share with you. We invite you to submit your own photos of sisters and nuns that you know along with a little description. For more info see our post about Nunday.

Today’s Nunday photo is of Sister Barbara Valuckas, SSND, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame since 1958.

As you might guess from the photo, Sister Barbara has a bit of broadcasting in her background. She worked as an educational television teacher and producer and later received degrees in Radio, TV, and Film, and in Instructional Technology and Communications. In addition to these ministries, Sister Barbara has also worked as a facilitator and a consultant and as a leader in her congregation. Sister Barbara now works with Pilgrim Ministries, Inc., a facilitation ministry she began for the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

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To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

My dear friend and IHM Sister Margaret Brennan recently published her memoir, What Was There for Me Once (2009 Novalis) and last week National Catholic Reporter published a review of the book called “A life of change and renewal” (February 19, 2010).

In Sister Margaret’s book, we find not just a memoir but a compelling and insightful story. Kilian McDonnell, OSB, remarks, “Here is a story of a young girl, sister, novice mistress, elementary and high school teacher, president of the congregation, and university professor in the midst of rapid social change.” Sister Margaret “had a major part to play in developing women’s religious, academic, and spiritual lives in the second half of the 20th century.”

Here are a few quotes from NCR’s review of the book:

This preconciliar church experience was fulfilling and made sense to her — and she embraced it. Of religious life as it approached Vatican II, she writes: “While I was entirely happy in the traditional model of religious life as it had been lived for hundreds of years, I was open to the coming changes.”

The Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were among those religious who were quick to internalize the Vatican documents and the new theologians appearing on the scene. “To use the framework of [Jesuit theologian] Bernard Lonergan, I would say that for me the change from the traditional model of religious life to the Vatican II model was a process of conversion. In involved a real change in worldview, in horizon.”

“To keep the question of God — and God’s questions — high on the horizon of the world is worth the gifts of our lives,” Brennan says. And, without a doubt, her memoir attests to this purpose.

There are many things I love about this book — most especially to hear the voice of one of my sisters, one who was instrumental in my own vocation and religious life. I also love the way she writes with grace and a confidence in the providence of God. Sister Margaret also fills a huge gap in the Catholic and popular imagination about nuns and sisters. Kilian McDonnell notes this well writing that the book takes us through “the passage typical of many women’s religious apostolic communities from monastic models to religious forms more in keeping with their original active charism.”

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Join us for prayer this evening during our live Praying with the Sisters podcast at 6 p.m. CST at http://aNunsLife.org/live .

Australia will have its first Catholic saint in the person of Mary MacKillop, a Sister of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Mother MacKillop founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, a religious community that has ministered across Australia and New Zealand, including building dozens of schools for impoverished children in the Australian Outback in the 1800s. They are also committed to “care for the homeless and destitute both young and old, and Refuges for ex-prisoners and ex-prostitutes who wished to make a fresh start in life.” (source: Sisters’ website)

Mary MacKillop is not only a saint for Catholics but she is a saint for Australia. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd noted that her canonization is “a great, great tribute to her hard work in education” and “a great honor for Australia.” (source: Associated Press) She is even featured on a one dollar coin, the first of the Royal Australian Mint’s series featuring inspirational Australians.

This saint, like many saints before her, took her religious vows seriously and followed God even when it meant challenging the Church that she loved dearly. “She was a strong-willed advocate who sometimes got into trouble for challenging orthodox thinking within the male-dominated church. In 1869 she was excommunicated for inciting her followers to disobedience, though the bishop who punished her recanted three years later and she was exonerated by a church commission.” (source: Associated Press)

The Sisters themselves note, “Throughout her life, Mary met with opposition from people outside the Church and even from some of those within it. In the most difficult of times she consistently refused to attack those who wrongly accused her and undermined her work, but continued in the way she believed God was calling her and was always ready to forgive those who wronged her.” (source: Sisters’ website)

Blessed Mary MacKillop is, even today, “an example of great courage and trust in her living out of God’s loving and compassionate care of those in need.”

Mary MacKillop will be canonized on October 17, 2010, in Rome. The process of canonization is an expensive one, so please, keep the sisters in mind and consider donating funds to them.

Congratulations to the Sisters of Saint Joseph and all women religious, to Australia, to the Catholic Church, and to all whom Mary MacKillop inspired and will continue to inspire.

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Join us for prayer this evening during our live Praying with the Sisters podcast at 6 p.m. CST at http://aNunsLife.org/live .

I love watching the Olympics! It is one of my most favorite sporting events. Some day I’m going to find me a snowboard and ride a half pipe or do some snowboard cross.

Today we celebrate an Olympian who is now a Franciscan nun. Kirstin Holum was just 17 years old when she competed in speedskating at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. She took 6th place in the 3000 meter which was considered a great achievement and a sign for future greatness.

Kristin is now Sister Catherine and prayers, ministers, and lives in community at Saint Joseph’s Convent in Leeds, England.

Yahoo! Sports did a good article on Kristin’s journey and her life as a Catholic nun. Here are a few quotes from the article U.S. speedskater took leap of faith by Martin Rogers (February 14, 2010).

After completing an art degree, including a thesis on the Olympics at the Art Institute of Chicago, Holum joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, a faith whose mission is “work with the poor and homeless and evangelization.”

Based first in New York, Sister Catherine and her fellow nuns stepped onto the mean streets of the Bronx to work with some of the Big Apple’s most underprivileged children in areas steeped in gang culture. Such work and sacrifice in homeless shelters and soup kitchens gave her a deep-rooted sense of satisfaction that skating had never been able to provide.

Last year, missionary work took Sister Catherine to England, where she has found her previous life as an athlete a useful tool in providing some “street cred” when dealing with skeptical youngsters.

“When I give my religious testimonies, it is fun to watch the reaction of the kids when I tell them I was in the Olympics,” she laughed. “Their eyes get really big and they start paying a lot more attention. It is a great thing to share with them and it gives me a lot of pleasure to think back and talk about it.

“It is not exactly something you would normally expect from a sister. But I think it is good for people to see that members of the religious order can come from any background and any walk of life. It is all about your commitment to the message.”

See more photos of Catholic sisters and nuns at our Facebook page.

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Join us for prayer this evening during our live Praying with the Sisters podcast at 6 p.m. CST at http://anunslife.org/live .

A group of us were chatting on Facebook that it would have been great if Oprah had shared the story of other ways of living religious life on her February 9th show. So, we decided to draft an Open Letter to Oprah from younger women religious.

An Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey

February 16, 2010

Dear Oprah,

We are younger Catholic Sisters and members of Giving Voice, an organization made up of Sisters in their 20s-40s from all over the United States. We would like to thank you for highlighting the lives of Catholic Sisters on your Tuesday, February 9, 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. No doubt, this was the first exposure of many of your estimated 7.4 million viewers to the lives of Catholic Sisters.

We are pleased that you were able to share the story of the Dominican Sisters of Mary. It is clear that they are very happy in their religious lives. For this we rejoice! We too are happy in our religious lives. Like the Sisters featured on your show, we joyfully live out our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. We are women who find numerous ways to follow Jesus’ call to serve others while fully engaged in the world. For example here is a sampling of what some of us Sisters were doing on Tuesday during your show:

• Working as an instructional consultant with teachers of children with special needs in Harlem, NY
• Collaborating with other Sisters on how to serve people who are poor in San Antonio, TX
• Joining 200+ Catholics at the State Capitol to lobby for social service programs in Olympia, WA
• Preparing to teach a class on human dignity to teenagers involved in gangs in Tyler, TX
• Reading applications for a volunteer program with underserved populations in Baltimore, MD
• Wrapping up after teaching school all day in cities around the country

Our lives of ministry and service are grounded in our experiences as members of our religious communities. Prayer is also an essential component of our way of life. The very nature of our lives is communal, not independent. For this reason, we were disappointed and concerned by how we, as Sisters who are engaged in active ministry in the community, were presented on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on your website:

“Some sisters choose an independent path, which means they live alone, go to college, pursue careers and don’t wear a habit.”

We live in community with our Sisters, often in small groupings close to where we minister. We go to college to develop the skills needed to be effective agents of loving service to God’s people. We do not pursue careers, but seek to educate and transform the world as Jesus would. Our clothing is the least significant part of our lives, yet receives so much attention. However, most of our religious communities choose to dress simply rather than wear habits. We are called to be prophetic, giving voice to God’s love in the world.

We would love the opportunity to share more about our lives of prayer, community and ministry on a future episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. We would gladly speak with you, invite you to experience our daily service, or help broaden your viewers’ understanding of religious life in any way we can.

Visit the Giving Voice website to see the 40 signatures. I am glad to have had the opportunity to sign such a well articulated letter.

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Happy Feast of Ash Wednesday! Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer this evening during our live Praying with the Sisters podcast at 6 p.m. CST at http://anunslife.org/live .

This week is an important one in the church calendar. We celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent in two days. A wonderful Catholic tradition is to celebrate Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. So in light of the advent of Mardi Gras, I’m sharing a picture from a gathering of IHM Sisters from Monroe, Scranton, and Immaculata, and Oblate Sisters of Providence. In true Philly style we had the Mummers join us for one of our celebrations. The Mummers remind me of the art, performance, and regalia that we often see during Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.

In honor of Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent, A Nun’s Life will be hosting a special Community Podcast tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. CST (your timezone). For more information, please see our blog post on Mardi Gras Podcast.

Tune in this morning for the Oprah Show which features Oprah Winfrey chatting with some of the Dominican Sisters of Mary of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Lisa Ling’s experience visiting their “real-life nunnery”. It airs at 9 a.m. CST on ABC.

I am both delighted and a bit concerned about how this show will go. On the one hand I am delighted for the Sisters of Mary. This is an excellent opportunity for them to raise awareness about their particular way of living religious life. I am excited that Oprah is profiling the work of Catholic sisters and nuns, even if just one congregation, because it helps raise awareness about religious life and maybe even sparks the imagination of someone who is open to a vocation to religious life.

On the other hand, I am concerned about a few things. One is how the sisters will be portrayed. The promo for the show reads: “They’re young and have given up sex, careers and having children to become nuns! Lisa Ling spends the night in a real-life convent.” Now I’m all for a good sound bite to catch people’s attention, but I worry about this one. Sure it does grab attention, but it also conveys the messages (reinforced by the promo photos and video) such as you have to be very young to join, religious life is about “giving up” stuff, and nuns and sisters are not allowed to have a profession. I think this is the danger in profiling only one congregation because there is a huge diversity of ways of living as a Catholic sister or nun, and viewers might get the impression that that particular way is the only way. Now, I’ve only seen the promo stuff so maybe this will be addressed on the show.

A second concern. Already the show has paired two stories — nuns and geishas. A geisha is, according to Merriam-Webster, “a Japanese girl or woman who is trained to provide entertaining and lighthearted company especially for a man or a group of men”. It is difficult to miss the comparison to the image of nuns portrayed by the show. Both nuns and geishas have a particular “stance” in regard to men — nuns “give up sex” and geishas entertain men. Kind of a “good girl / bad girl” thing. Both nuns and geishas have a particular form of dress — geishas wear a kimono and nuns (in this case) a habit. While it is indeed a fascinating comparison simply by positing the two stories next to one another with no commentary, again there are messages being conveyed here.

Well the show is on soon! More later!

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

Happy Nunday! We had a great podcast last night on consecrated life and now we’ve got Nunday! God is good.

Today’s picture and story comes from Sister Catharine Mary Perry, OP, a Dominican Nun of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, New Jersy. She writes, “Here is a photo for Nunday! It’s not a Dominican but a Sister, Slave of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

“This is Sister Christopher Margaret, and I’ve known her for 33 years! I was a little kid when she entered the convent and she and the other sisters of the community have always inspired me by their love for God and our Lady, their dedication and their love for joy and fun! They were my teachers in school.”

“This picture was taken last year at their fall YARD SALE and BAZZAR which raises funds for the school. Sister CM is one heck of a corn dog maker and as you can see by the photo was more than happy to show ‘em off! It was DELICIOUS!”

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To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

Sister Mary Daniel was a scholar, teacher and a woman of vision. She championed human dignity and justice for all; she was a strong advocate for those living in poverty. She confronted tirelessly the inequality of women in the Church and in the world. Her life and leadership demonstrate the power and influence of one person. Her prophetic message impacts religious and social change not only for this but for future generations. (from the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur)

Sister Mary Daniel Turner, 84, dies; led American nuns

By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 1, 2010

Sister Mary Daniel Turner, 84, the former superior general of the international Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and a national leader among Catholic religious women, died Jan. 27 at Holy Cross Sanctuary in Burtonsville. She had breast cancer that metastasized into bone cancer.

Sister Turner co-wrote an influential 1992 book, “The Transformation of American Catholic Sisters,” and was “a driving force for justice and church renewal before and after the Second Vatican Council,” which modernized the Catholic Church worldwide in the 1960s, the National Catholic Reporter said in its story about her death. In an interview last August with the paper’s editor, “the gentle but frequently provocative Turner lamented that Vatican clerics cannot accept women religious as moral agents.”

“I think the issues are wider than women religious,” she said. “It’s really a difference in values between the church of Rome and the U.S. church.”

Sister Turner appears in a video at the exhibit of “Women in Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America,” which opened Jan. 15 at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center. Too sick to attend, she learned from another nun that the Vatican’s emissary to investigate American nuns had come to the opening ceremony. Sister Turner “simply suggested that her presence at the Smithsonian might be another opportunity for bridge building,” Sister Camille D’Arienzo wrote in an online memorial. “For decades, she had put her intellectual and spiritual gifts at the service of numerous religious communities. She was a visionary rooted in reality.”

She had ventured boldly into controversy before. In 1985, she was among religious leaders who, when asked their advice, urged a committee of bishops not to write a pastoral letter on women in church and society. The all-male, celibate hierarchy should not write about women without more extensive study, she and others said, noting that the bishops wrote a pastoral on economic justice, not poor people, and about racism, not black people.

While Sister Turner worked for female equality, she also “championed human dignity and justice for all; she was a strong advocate for those living in poverty,” the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur said in a news release.

Margaret Turner was born Nov. 21, 1925, in Baltimore and moved to Washington as a child. She attended Catholic elementary school and graduated from the now-closed Academy of Notre Dame, operated by the order she joined in 1943. She took her final vows in 1951 and graduated from what is now Trinity University in 1959. She also received a master’s degree in philosophy from Catholic University in 1962 and a master’s degree in theology from the University of Toronto in 1972.

She taught elementary school and was principal of St. James School in Mount Rainier in the 1950s, then was put in charge of newly professed nuns who were in college. In 1962, she became provincial superior of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a province which at the time reached from New York to Georgia. Ten years later, she was made executive director of what is now called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of about 1,500 top-level nuns who represent most of the 68,000 Catholic women religious.

Sister Turner was elected in 1978 to a six-year term as superior general in the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international group with provinces in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

After she completed her term, she worked with Lora Ann Quiñonez to write “The Transformation of American Catholic Sisters,” which reviewers described as “an important work that will enlighten and challenge.”

A prolific writer and lecturer, she gave commencement addresses in 1981 and 1989 at the Washington Theological Union. When Trinity gave her an honorary doctorate in 1984, it was because “in her unflinching search for truth she has empowered women to believe in the possibility of a transformed world that is inclusive, collaborative and pluralistic.”

In the 1990s, she was the administrator for Joseph’s House, a home for chronically ill homeless men. After her retirement in 1994, Sister Turner lived in a multi-generational, multiracial household where poor children who had attended the order’s schools came to live or to call a second home. She continued to consult with religious organizations until her death. (article source)

More on Sister Mary Daniel Turner in the National Catholic Reporter.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

It is Monday which means NUNDAY! Yup, we’re back with photos of Catholic sisters and nuns in our never-ending campaign to help folks get to know real sisters and nuns and to change the face of nun imagery on the web (which, if you haven’t noticed, is heavily populated by nun caricatures and erotica).

Sisters and nuns and lay folks from across the world have been sending us photos and wonderful stories. Today we are featuring a photo from our friend Sister Lovina Pammitt, OSF, a Franciscan Sister of the Sacred Heart.

The photo is of Sister Mary Barbara Hassler and Sister Patricia Ann Murray and was taken during an outreach ministry week in Danville, Illinois.

Sister Mary Barbara works as the Religious Formation Coordinator at Saint Joseph School in Libertyville, Illinois and is the Novice Minister for the community.

Sister Pat has been the Director of Religious Education at Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Fort Wayne, and recently moved to West Virginia to work in social service ministry.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

This past weekend, Sister Maxine and I stayed with the Benedictine Women of Madison at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, Wisconsin. It was a delight to be with the sisters and with the wonderful community of oblates, retreatants, coworkers, and members of the Sunday assembly. The monastery grounds held so much beauty too — trees, trails, hills, and critters!

Benedictine Women of Madison is an ecumenical religious community in the monastic tradition of Saint Benedict. The sisters community is for single women of any Christian tradition. There are also other community at Holy Wisdom Monastery including the Sunday Worship community and the Oblate community, that is, “an intentional community of women and men who find a practical spirituality in the Rule of Benedict.”

Sisters Lynne, Mary David, and Joanne

Because this is an ecumenical community, women from any Christian tradition are welcome to become a Benedictine sister. So if you are a Christian woman who is drawn to monastic life within an ecumenical context, I invite you to get to know the Benedictine Women of Madison. You can remain as a Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, or part of another Christian tradition and become a sister! To learn more, check out the Benedictine Women of Madison website.

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Join A Nun’s Life community for prayer today at 6 p.m. CST (your time zone).

Happy NUNDAY! Nundays are Monday blog posts that feature photos of real Catholic sisters and nuns. Today we have a lovely tribute from Shannon Spicciati about her nun, Sister Joan Sobala, SSJ.

Last summer I had the opportunity to re-connect with a very special nun, Joan Sobala, SSJ. Her community is Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester, NY.

I met Sister Joan when I was a student at the Eastman School of Music, and attending St. Mary’s parish in downtown Rochester. She was the pastoral associate of the parish at that time. She came into my life at a fragile time for me, spiritually speaking. I had grown dissatisfied with my Catholic faith, and was ready to search for something different. I knew faith was important in my life, but I hadn’t felt connected to the parish my family attended. But, several girls from my dorm hall were going to Mass the first week I spent in Rochester, so I went along.

It was an entirely new experience for me – wonderful music, a community that immediately embraced us newcomers, and a woman (Sister Joan) giving the scriptural reflection! I felt as though she was speaking directly to me, and with such wisdom. I became involved at St. Mary’s in music, and it really was my home away from home during the 4 years I spent in Rochester.

Sister Joan and Helen Halligan (the music minister at St. Mary’s) traveled to Hillsboro, OR, when my husband and I got married in 1995, and both took part in our wedding. This past summer of 2009 was the first time I had seen Sister Joan since our wedding, and it was wonderful to get together in person. She will always be my example of “living faith”.

The photo attached shows L-R, Sister Joan, Helen Halligan, Shannon and her husband Alan at Highland Park, Rochester, NY.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

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Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

The magazine U.S. Catholic has just published three articles on U.S. Catholic Sisters. Each of them is a “must read”. I encourage you to take the time to read each one and then come on back here to offer your thoughts: what struck you? what do you have more questions about?

1) Entered into Evidence: Women religious respond to the Vatican investigation by Heather Grennan Gary, posted online November 24, 2009 and in the January 2010 issue (Vol. 75. No. 1, pp. 12-17).

This article represents a final report compiled from U.S. Catholic‘s recent survey of Catholic sisters. The survey, though acknowledge to be U.S. Catholic conducted its own “visitation” of sorts, and this final report compiles our findings. The “completely optional, unscientific online survey provided a forum for American women religious to assess the quality of their own lives, raise their concerns about the present and future religious life, and share their thoughts on the visitation process itself.”

Our sisters Angela Hibbard, IHM, and Mildred Baker, IHM, are quoted in the article.

2) Character Witnesses by Heidi Schlumpf, posted online November 24, 2009 and in the January 2010 issue (Vol. 75. No. 1, pp. 20-23).

This article offers the results of “an online survey of U.S. Catholic subscribers and website visitors about the Vatican visitation and doctrinal assessment of U.S. women religious elicited a record 1,700 responses and passionate, lengthy comments. Visitors came from all over the Internet-from both liberal church organizations and conservative Catholic blogs-to take the survey.”

3) The Sisters of Mercy aren’t McDonald’s by Sandra Schneiders, IHM, posted online November 24, 2009 and in the January 2010 issue ( (Vol. 75. No. 1, pp. 18-19)

If you read no other article explaining why Catholic sisters are responding the way they are, read this one. Sister Sandra Schneiders, whose sister I am proud to be, addresses two of the most oft-asked questions about the investigation of U.S. women religious:

• If religious have nothing to hide, why would they object to being investigated by the Vatican?
• Why should religious congregations be any more immune to surprise checks by the Vatican on their quality of life than a fast-food franchise is to a surprise check by the main office on the quality of its operations and products?

Sister Sandra offers analogies of our situation as women religious to ordinary situations that most people are familiar with. Again, a must read.

We look forward to your thoughts on these articles. What struck you? What do you have more questions about?

Here is a great blog post by Sister Rose Pacette, FSP, a Daughter of Saint Paul, called High on (religious) Life in National Catholic Reporter. Sister Rose attended a couple recent events on religious life. Here are a couple of quotes from her that I especially liked:

The vows are an extension of our baptism. The vows lift our spirits and set us free. Joyful simplicity, humble gratitude (from Notre Dame Sister M. Regina Robbins speaking on “Fruitful Poverty”)

“When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.” (Don Helder Camera quoted by Sister Donna Markham, OP)

We are back after an extraordinary time home at our IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan. In the midst of congregational meetings, liturgy and prayer, and socializing (we did occasionally get sleep too!), Sister Maxine and I were podcasting live from the motherhouse! Each day we had sisters join us on the air with the finale being Saturday night with Special Podcast – IHM Sisters Unplugged! We invited four brave sisters to join us on the air for a live podcast and interaction with you our online audience. In addition, we invited sisters to be present as our very first live audience! We packed the place and were so delighted to share the experience with our nuns!

So it is fitting on this Monday to celebrate our nuns with some Nunday photos courtesy of Sister Joyce Durosko, IHM, our dear friend and ministry partner!

Sister Julie (left) explains to the live audience how podcasting live works while Sister Maxine (right) briefs Sisters Marge Polys and Susan Mahalik (Go Phillies!) on what they’ll be doing.

Just a few of the many nuns who came to be part of the live “convent studio” audience! Sisters Theresa Koernke and Anne Crane are in the audience and took part in the second part of the podcast. The warm setting is the community room of the IHM Sisters who live on second floor, A wing. We are grateful for their hospitality and encouragement!

Be sure to listen to the podcast. Here’s a recording:

We talked about life as Catholic sisters, ministry, how each sister discovered and responded to her vocation, prayer, nuns swimming, dealing with doubt in the spiritual life, anchorites and the eremitical life, IHM charism and mission, entering a religious community, and lots of other things!

Sister Maxine and I are back in our own convent studio and will join you tonight for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone).

And we’ll be back with more NUNDAY photos and stories coming soon!

Picture this: you’re going through a difficult time, you’ve got a lot on your mind, you just can’t seem to make sense of stuff. Then someone says it, that dreadful line: “Offer it up.”

If you are like me (admittedly, not my most admirable quality) you have to suppress an overwhelming desire to take a swing at the person.

To me, “offer it up” is not exactly the most compassionate thing a person can say when another is in a tough space. In fact, sometimes it rings of a kind of dismissal, an unwillingness to be with a person in their struggle, even if only in silent vigil.

Though not fond of this line, I found it was exactly the one that came to mind this morning as I read Saint Teresa of Avila. As mentioned before, I’m re-reading The Life as translated by Mirabai Starr in Teresa of Avila: The Book of My Life and am at a significant moment in Teresa’s life where she has a conversion. Teresa writes about how difficult prayer has been for her. “By now, my poor soul had grown weary. But no matter how much she wished she could rest, the bad habits I had developed would not let her” (p. 58). Teresa speaks of losing trust in herself, of being unable to imagine Christ in prayer, of having distracting thoughts that would torment her, of being plagued with doubts. “I slid back so many times that I was exhausted” (p. 59).

Teresa was indeed in a tough space. So what did she do?

She offered it up.

In this tough space Teresa gave to God all that she had — not successes or insights or any kind of “worthiness” — but the only things she felt she had left: her fears, her doubts, her temptations, her “deep soul-weariness”.

To God she offered them.

There is real wisdom in Teresa’s experience. Sometimes we feel like we don’t have a whole heck of a lot going for ourselves. We struggle, we deal with pain, we despair, we worry, we just don’t feel like engaging anymore. God does not ask us to give that which we don’t have. In these times, God doesn’t expect us to offer perfectly manicured prayers, devout thoughts, or deeds of righteousness. What God asks us for is who we are and what we do have. We can offer to God as a gift our pain, despair, worry, and struggle. Doing so is not abnegating responsibility or expecting that it will all magically go away. Rather, offering these our gifts is an opportunity to open the door to God, to God’s love and deep compassion. It is a chance to move beyond the impasse we experience in our life and become ourselves more fully.

“O God, help me! How a soul suffers when she loses the freedom to be who she truly is. What torment she endures. I am amazed to see that I survived such pain. Praise be to God, who gave me life when I was on the brink of such a deadly death.”

What comes to mind as you hear the words “offer it up” and as you hear Teresa’s experience? What’s the hardest part of “offering it up”? What’s happened for you when you’ve tried to offer up your own tough situations?

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Join us this evening for Praying with the Sisters podcast — 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://anunslife.org/live. We’ll have a special reading in celebration of our IHM Founders Day.

November is a month that U.S. Americans traditionally express our gratitude through the celebration of Thanksgiving. This year is special because the month also honors Catholic sisters and nuns. For the past few months, people have been sending in letters to thankyousister.com expressing their gratitude and support of women religious. Now in the month of November, those letters are being published on the same website and also sent to various leaders in the Catholic Church.

Here’s part of one of the letters posted yesterday:

“Over the past seven years, I have had regular contact with Sisters of Mercy. Before I met them, I had never before met a Sister and I’d had almost no contact with Catholics. I’d had a lot of prejudices against Catholics, and I’d expected them to be mean, narrow, simple-minded, and incredibly rigid.

I was delighted to see all of the prejudices of my early years quickly dispelled by the Sisters of Mercy I’ve met and worked with over these many years. The women I have met have been genuinely warm, hospitable, intelligent, well-spoken, deeply religious and spiritual, and they live out the tenets of their faith in such a way that gives me great hope for Christianity. They do not ask what one’s faith is before they give healing or love; they offer their help to all who come to them, regardless of denomination or religion.”

It is a delight to read these letters and to celebrate the lives of so many women who have given their lives to the quest for God and to living the Gospel of Jesus. And it is inspiring to see how people have been transformed through their encounter with sisters — and how sisters have been transformed through their encounter with those whom they seek to serve!

Who (anyone, not just a sister!) has had a transformative influence in your life? What gift have they given you?

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Join us this evening for Praying with the Sisters podcast — 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://anunslife.org/live. We’ll pray with today’s readings from the Bible and take time for prayer requests.

Any remember, Friday is now dedicated to your questions about a nun’s life, prayer, ministry, and everything but the convent sink! Ask your questions through the week and we’ll respond to them during the Ask Sister podcast on Friday at 6 p.m. Central Time

I have a great fondness for the written word and treasure well-written books. I’m back reading The Book of My Life by Teresa of Avila. One can never experience Teresa’s writing too many times. It has a formative character which, to be biblical, is written over and over again on one’s soul, creating a well-worn path to God.

Teresa of course is a great teacher and wisdom figure on prayer, and one of the reasons she is so wise on matters of prayer is because she had such a difficult time with it during various periods of her life. Early in the book Teresa notes how certain forms of prayer did absolutely nothing for her.

“I would think about a scene in his life and then try to picture it with my mind’s eye. But … my imagination was so clumsy that no matter how hard I tried to meditate on the Lord’s humanity, I could never quite succeed.” (p 21)

When this happens, the temptation is to think then that one can’t pray or doesn’t know how to pray. But Teresa came to a different conclusion. She tried something different — in fact, she tried something that she was quite fond of: books! In the midst of describing her struggles with praying using the imagination and mental prayer, Teresa writes, “But what I liked best was to read good books.” She goes on to say how reading good books (not just any books) helped her to keep her on track and not spin out of control in prayer or end up discouraged. Such books, writes Teresa, can be an aid in prayer and can anchor us when our prayer is difficult or arid.

“During all that time [of not being able to meditate], I never dared to sit down to pray unless I had a book close at hand…. Books were my companions, my consolation, my shield against the explosion of thoughts. If I didn’t have a book, I would suffer from terrible aridity. The minute I found myself without something to read, my soul would become immediately agitated and my mind would start to wander. But as soon as I started reading, the words acted like bait to lure my soul and my thoughts began to collect themselves again. Sometimes it was enough just to know that I had a book beside me; I didn’t even have to open it. Sometimes I read just a little, sometimes a lot, depending on the mercy of God.” (p 22)

Good books are for Teresa, as they are for me, wonderful spiritual companions. I think you know what one of my favorites to take to prayer is! What about for you? What book is your spiritual companion and why? If not a book, what is your spiritual companion in the sense of what Teresa is saying here?

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Praying with the Sisters podcast is in experimentation mode! We’re trying out an evening time slot and a slightly new format. Join us today at 6 p.m. Central Time (time zone converter). Join us at at http://anunslife.org/live.

Blogging from my cell phone is a new experience for me! I’m hanging out in Wilmington with one of my nuns and dear friend Ginny and can only access the Internet by my phone. Fortunately there’s a handy WordPress app for my phone.

So I’m in transit via car, feet, train, shuttle bus, and airplane today back to Chicago. I’m looking forward to the adventure and ever so glad I packed lightly!

I’ve had prayer and contemplative life on my mind and heart … Intensely since the Feast of Teresa of Avila. I’ll share more soon. Prayer (like myself today!) is often in transit, moving and changing, pausing, and sometimes even getting lost or stopped along the way. I have found it so helpful to be able to share with my nuns the journey of prayer. And so I’d like to open the door to you too. What way(s) of praying do you find yourself drawn to? Any “techniques” that you find helpful too (e.g., praying at same time; going for a run first)?

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P.S. Sister Maxine is also in transit so we will not have a midday prayer podcast today. Back tomorrow at noon Central Time.

Fellow blogger Father James Martin, SJ, posted a beautiful tribute to a sister who died recently. Sister Louise French, BVM, died last week. She was a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Dubuque, Iowa.

Sister Louise was a sister for 69 years and a lifelong educator who taught philosophy taught philosophy at Clarke College in Dubuque and Mundelein College and Loyola University in Chicago. Father Martin first met Sister Louise when he was sent to Loyola to learn philosophy with other Jesuit scholastics. Father Martin writes that she is “one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

Father Martin writes,

“At this point in my life I had scant experience with any real-life nuns, or, to use a more contemporary term, “women religious.” In my childhood I had run into a few at our local parish during C.C.D. classes (a sort of Catholic Sunday School). But apart from seeing “The Nun’s Story” and “The Sound of Music,” and bumping into a very few during my novitiate years, I remained completely ignorant about religious life for women. As a result, I arrived in Chicago carrying the same stereotypes about women religious that many Americans hold: sisters compassionate, of course, but they were also a little clueless, rather uneducated, somewhat naïve and perhaps even silly.

Sister French was none of those things–except compassionate. She had completed her Ph.D. in philosophy at Saint Louis University, and by the time I met her had enjoyed a long and distinguished teaching career…. Her intellect, memory and grasp of even the most mind-bending philosophical proofs were nothing short of astonishing. As all great teachers do, Sister French could make even the most difficult concepts seem easy: this was one reason why she was so valued by the Jesuit seminarians….

The other reason we valued Sister French was Sister French herself: she was a patient, gentle and caring woman.

Be sure to read all of Father Martin’s blog post about Sister Louise on the website of America Magazine (10/21/09).

Our condolences to the BVM Sisters and to Sister Louise’s family and friends, and all those whom she touched with her life and spirit.

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Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer today at noon Central Time at http://anunslife.org/live.

This is the final in a series of three posts on Saint Teresa of Avila. The whole piece was originally published in VISION, the Catholic Religious Discernment Guide.

Read the first part My BFF is a 16th century nun, Teresa of Avila and the second part Teresa of Avila’s desire to give her life to God.

A leap of faith

Teresa spent a year and a half living with the nuns. Still, she resisted becoming a nun, saying, “I could not be persuaded to be one” (Life 3.2). Though obviously attracted to the life, Teresa needed time to adjust to the possibility of God calling her to religious life. Like Teresa we are often given the same challenge of imagining our life in a different way. Teresa says little about how or even if she resolved her questions, but we do know that she decided to become a nun anyway. She was able to set aside her doubts and fears and respond to God’s call.

This didn’t mean that Teresa’s life was easy once she made the decision to become a nun. Explaining her call to family and friends proved to be a challenge. Her father so loved her that he couldn’t imagine letting her leave for the convent until after he died. Nothing Teresa said or did could change his mind. But Teresa wished to remain true to the call from God. She knew herself well enough to know that if she didn’t pursue God’s call now, she might never do it. So early one morning, Teresa quietly left her father’s house for the convent: “I remember, clearly and truly, that when I left my father’s house I felt that separation so keenly that the feeling will not be greater, I think, when I die. For it seemed that every bone in my body was being sundered” (Life 4.1).

The pain which Teresa wrote about here is real. Whether it be family or friends, careers or possessions that we want to hold onto, God’s call is all-encompassing. It is a call to be open to radical change in our lives, if that’s what God asks of us.

Filled with a new joy

Teresa entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation in 1533, took the habit, and eventually professed solemn vows as a Carmelite nun. Her initial struggle gave way to a lasting joy: “[God] gave me such great happiness at being in the religious state of life that it never left me up to this day, and God changed the dryness my soul experienced into the greatest tenderness. All the things of religious life delighted me, and it is true that sometimes while sweeping, during the hours I used to spend in self-indulgence and self-adornment, I realized that I was free of all that and experienced a new joy that amazed me.” (Life 4.2)

When I first began considering religious life, I never would have imagined I’d experience this “new joy” of which Teresa wrote. But the experience of responding to God’s call and eventually professing my vows as an IHM Sister was a joy that I’d never felt before. I felt like a new person, yet more myself than ever.

Trusting in God Always

All along the way, it helped to have Teresa by my side. Today she is still very much a companion. Sometimes I turn to her writings for encouragement, other times for help in a pastoral or theological quandary. Whenever I have questions about prayer or don’t quite understand how the Spirit is moving in my life, I pray and seek guidance from Teresa. Even Teresa’s own tangles with God (once, when complaining of her suffering, Teresa heard Jesus respond, “This is how I treat my friends” to which Teresa rejoined, “No wonder you have so few!”) give me assurance that my struggles are not out of the ordinary and that there is a way through the darkness.

Although I have known Teresa for many years now, I continue to discover new things about her. Recently, I read a book of her letters. The letters reveal a woman who was deeply committed to a contemplative life but who was, of necessity, engaged in what one commentator calls “a maelstrom of activities.” Sometimes this maelstrom got the best of her. Wrote Teresa, “With so many duties and troubles … I wonder how I’m able to bear them all” (Letter 39 in The Collected Letters of St. Teresa of Avila).

As a religious I can identify with this constant balancing of prayer, ministry, and community life. It is both a joy and a challenge to live this life. Religious life calls us to our best selves and often summons strengths and gifts that we didn’t even know we had. I’m sure on more than one occasion Teresa was surprised to see how things worked out or what paths opened up that she could have hardly imagined. Perhaps some of the best advice that Teresa has ever given to me is to trust always in God, even when things are tough or unclear. She reminds me that determination is indeed a virtue and a necessity in the life of faith.

“Have great confidence,” Teresa wrote, “for it is necessary not to hold back one’s desires, but to believe in God that if we try we shall little by little, even though it may not be soon, reach the state the saints did with his help. For if they had never determined to desire and seek this state little by little in practice they would never have mounted so high.” (Life 13.2)

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What struck you about Teresa’s life and her desire to trust always in God? If you could ask Teresa anything, what would it be?

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Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer today at noon Central Time at http://anunslife.org/live.

This is the second in a series of three posts on Saint Teresa of Avila. The whole piece was originally published in VISION, the Catholic Religious Discernment Guide.

Read yesterday’s post, which is part one in the series:  My BFF is a 16th century nun, Teresa of Avila

Doing Something Big for God

One of Teresa’s first mentions of wanting to give her life to God comes in a story from her childhood. Teresa, at the tender age of seven, was inspired to do something big for God. We’re not talking here about making crosses out of clothes pins. Teresa decided that she and her brother ought to become martyrs because that was the quickest way to heaven (Life 1.4). So Teresa and her brother set out in search of unbelievers so that they could “beg them, out of love of God, to cut off our heads.” But no sooner had the children started their journey than an uncle caught sight of them and promptly returned them to their mother. Teresa surrendered her dream of martyrdom, concluding that “having parents seemed to us the greatest obstacle.”

She resigned herself to an ordinary childhood. Still, she clung to the desire, however innocent and immaturely expressed, to do something big for God. She took consolation in pretending to be a nun: “When I played with other girls I enjoyed it when we pretended we were nuns in a monastery, and it seemed to me that I desired to be one, although not as much as I desired [becoming a martyr or a hermit]” (Life 1.6).

This episode in Teresa’s life reflects the difficulty of feeling called to something, but not knowing exactly what. When I felt called I thought maybe it meant joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps or dedicating myself to marriage and raising a family. Not convinced that religious life was for me, I tested many alternatives. But no matter how good they were or how much I welcomed them, they didn’t seem to fit.

No substitute for real nuns

Just as Teresa had romantic notions about what it meant to be a martyr or a nun in the 16th century, so too I had some skewed ideas about religious life in this century. My ideas came from a number of sources; actual experiences with nuns as an adult wasn’t one of them. It occurred to me that I hadn’t considered religious life before because I didn’t know what it was about. My lack of accurate information left me with a superficial understanding of religious life and the women and men who lived it.

Teresa’s life shows the importance of first-hand experience with people in religious life. When Teresa was twelve, her mom died, and she was raised by her father and older sister. When her sister left the house to get married, Teresa’s father decided to send Teresa to the convent school to be taught by the nuns and live with them. Teresa wrote of her initial unhappiness with this, mostly because she was afraid the nuns knew that she didn’t always live an exemplary life. Within days, however, her unhappiness gave way to peace, and she began to feel at home.

“My soul,” she wrote, “began to return to the good habits of early childhood, and I saw the great favor God accords to anyone placed with good companions.” (Life 2.8) While living with the nuns, Teresa found one who became a mentor and friend. This nun talked to Teresa about the things of God and even shared with Teresa her own path to religious life. This personal experience lead Teresa to free herself “from the antagonism that I felt strongly within myself toward becoming a nun” (Life 3.1). Still, Teresa notes, “I had no desire to be a nun, and I asked God not to give me this vocation.” (Life 3.2)

Throughout my discernment about religious life, I took great comfort in Teresa’s words. How many times did I pray to let this vocation pass me by? Yet even then, I felt as attracted to the life as I was terrified by it. What kept me going were the IHM sisters around me who encouraged me and who, by their lives, showed me the great gift and adventure of religious life. Had I not had a direct experience with nuns, I might never have been open to the possibility of religious life.

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In what ways have you tested out your desire to give your life to God or to a vocation like marriage or education or art or parenthood? What words of wisdom do you hear from Teresa in pursuing this desire?

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Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer today at noon Central Time at http://anunslife.org/live.

The feast of Saint Teresa of Avila is just around the corner on October 15. I am delighted because Teresa is such an important person in my life. I never had any idea that someone who lived in the 16th century could become a close companion in my own life today. It underscores the power and presence of the Communion of Saints.

In honor of Saint Teresa, I am devoting this week’s posts to her. What follows is a piece I wrote last year for VISION, the Catholic Religious Discernment Guide sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference and published by TrueQuest Communications.

Introduction

As a 21st century nun ministering in the digital world, I try to stay on top of the latest technology so that I can best serve the people who visit my website, aNunsLife.org. But when it comes to living religious life, I’m old-school. One of my greatest mentors is Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Carmelite nun from a small town in Spain. Teresa is best known for her writings on prayer and reforming the Carmelite order. She is venerated today as a great saint and Doctor of the Church.

Personal Connection to Teresa

My first encounter with Teresa was in grade school, when I needed to take a saint’s name for Confirmation. Teresa seemed as good a saint as any. I chose her name and then pretty much forgot about her.

But Teresa did not forget about me. Over the years Teresa remained with me, waiting, it seemed, for me to come by her convent cell and chat awhile.

That day came one Fall morning in a graduate theology class in which I was introduced to Teresa’s writing. I took an immediate liking to Teresa. She wrote of ordinary, everyday stuff and of profound theological truths. I discovered that Teresa was a wise woman from whom I could learn much about the spiritual life. At that time, I had no idea how important Teresa would be for me in the months and years ahead, when my world would be turned upside down by the possibility that maybe, just maybe, God was calling me.

I first read Teresa’s classics, Interior Castle and Way of Perfection, because I needed to write a paper for a class. But soon I began to realize that Teresa’s words were there not just for me to study. I felt a personal connection. Through her writing Teresa was alive to me. She gave me insights not only into our shared Catholic faith but into my own self and how I was living the Gospel.

Later in my studies, when I began considering religious life, I returned to Teresa. I wanted not to study her writings, but to see what she was like as a nun. I wondered if Teresa had any of the same questions as I now had. Did she know for certain that God was calling her to religious life? Did she resist or doubt or panic at the thought? Hoping to get a glimpse into how Teresa realized her call from God, I turned to her more autobiographical work, The Book of My Life.

To be continued tomorrow … Teresa of Avila’s desire to give her life to God

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How is Teresa of Avila present in your own life? What would you like to know about Teresa?

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Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer today at noon Central Time at http://anunslife.org/live.

Happy Nunday! Hot of the press is a photo and article about Sister Anne Higgins, DC, a Daughter of Charity. Sister Anne is a Catholic sister and a poet! Check out her blog of poetry at Scattered Showers in a Clear Sky. A link to her blog can also be found in our director of Blogs by Catholic Nuns.

Sister Anne was recently featured in The Frederick News-Post in the article Mount teacher’s poetry writing talent is a gift, not a compulsion by Marge Neal (October 04, 2009). Here’s a clip from the article and, of course, a photo of Sister Anne:

The Mount St. Mary’s University teacher leads classes in English, theology and poetry. As a member of the Daughters of Charity, she lives her faith on a daily basis. As a teacher at a Catholic university, she gets to share that faith with her students while getting them excited about the written word, another passion of hers.

“I’ve been writing my whole life,” Higgins said Thursday. “I probably started writing poems in fourth grade, just regular little rhyming poems.”

Sister Anne Higgins, DC; photo by Graham Cullen

Sister Anne’s fourth book of poetry, “How the Hand Behaves,” is set to be published Nov. 8 [Note: Correction to article: publish date = Nov. 30; also, hyperlinks mine]

On September 22, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution honoring Catholic Sisters in the United States. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and co-sponsored by 67 members of both parties.

Here is the full text of the US House of Representatives Resolution honoring Catholic Sisters:

H. Res. 441
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

September 22, 2009

Whereas the social, cultural, and political contributions of Catholic sisters have played a vital role in shaping life in the United States;

Whereas such women have joined in unique forms of intentional communitarian life dedicated to prayer and service since the very beginnings of our Nation’s history, fearlessly and often sacrificially committing their personal lives to teaching, healing, and social action;

Whereas the first Catholic sisters to live and work in the United States were nine Ursuline Sisters, who journeyed from France to New Orleans in 1727;

Whereas at least nine sisters from the United States have been martyred since 1980 while working for social justice and human rights overseas;

Whereas Maura Clark, MM, Ita Ford, MM, and Dorothy Kazel, OSU were martyred in El Salvador in 1980;

Whereas Joel Kolmer, ASC, Shirley Kolmer, ASC, Kathleen McGuire, ASC, Agnes Mueller, ASC, and Barbara Ann Muttra, ASC were martyred in Liberia in 1992;

Whereas Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN was martyred in Brazil in 2005;

Whereas Catholic sisters established the Nation’s largest private school system and founded more than 110 United States colleges and universities, educating millions of young people in the United States;

Whereas there were approximately 32,000 Catholic sisters in the United States who taught 400,000 children in 2,000 parochial schools by 1880, and there were 180,000 Catholic sisters who taught nearly 4,500,000 children by 1965;

Whereas today, there are approximately 59,000 Catholic sisters in the United States;

Whereas Catholic sisters participated in the opening of the West, traveling vast distances to minister in remote locations, setting up schools and hospitals, and working among native populations on distant reservations;

Whereas more than 600 sisters from 21 different religious communities nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers alike during the Civil War;

Whereas Catholic sisters cared for afflicted populations during the epidemics of cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, smallpox, tuberculosis, and influenza during the 19th and early 20th centuries;

Whereas Catholic sisters built and established hospitals, orphanages, and charitable institutions that have served millions of people, managing organizations long before similar positions were open to women;

Whereas approximately one in six hospital patients in the United States were treated in a Catholic facility;

Whereas Catholic sisters have been among the first to stand with the underprivileged, to work and educate among the poor and underserved, and to facilitate leadership through opportunity and example;

Whereas Catholic sisters continue to provide shelter, food, and basic human needs to the economically or socially disadvantaged and advocate relentlessly for the fair and equal treatment of all persons;

Whereas Catholic sisters work for the eradication of poverty and racism and for the promotion of nonviolence, equality, and democracy in principle and in action;

Whereas the humanitarian work of Catholic sisters with communities in crisis and refuge throughout the world positions them as activists and diplomats of peace and justice for the some of the most at risk populations; and

Whereas the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Traveling Exhibit is sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and will open on May 16, 2009, in Cincinnati, Ohio: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

1. honors and commends Catholic sisters for their humble service and courageous sacrifice throughout the history of this Nation; and
2. supports the goals of the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Traveling Exhibit, a project sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and established to recognize the historical contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States.

Attest

Clerk.

Happy Feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux! Saint Thérèse, also known as the “Little Flower”, was a Carmelite nun and writer. She is patron of missionaries and a Doctor of the Church. She lived from 1873 – 1897, dying when she was not even 24. What is so remarkable about this young woman is that is is precisely through her “little way” that she became so “great”. “She never went on missions, never founded a religious order, never performed great works. The only book of hers, published after her death, was an brief edited version of her journal called The Story of a Soul … But within 28 years of her death, the public demand was so great that she was canonized.”

Read more about Thérèse’s life at catholic.org.

Here’s a great quote from Saint Thérèse … and a challenging one!

“I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.”

What “little way” do you practice in your own life?

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Join Sister Maxine and me for prayer on
this Feast day
at 12:00 p.m. noon Central Time (UTC-5)
at anunslife.org/live

This past weekend I was home in Monroe at our IHM Motherhouse for a gathering of sisters from the Oblate Sisters of Providence and the 3 Immaculate Heart of Mary communities (Immaculata, Scranton, and my community of Monroe). This is the fourth year that I have been part of this group. I’ve written in the past about what the group is like (see posts from 2006 and 2007) so today on Nunday I thought I’d share some photos of our weekend gathering in Monroe, Michigan, at our IHM Motherhouse. Many thanks to Sister Fran Fasolka, IHM (Scranton) for the beautiful photos.

Sister Mary Anne Bolger, IHM (Immaculata) enjoying desert in the Ice Cream Room. Independent Dairy ice cream is a big-time local favorite!

The OSP IHM Sisters of the Round Table

Sister Jill Kress, IHM (Monroe) Novice, Sister Clarice Proctor, OSP, Sister Fran Fasolka, IHM (Scranton) visiting "the Barn", the IHM House of Prayer

OSP IHM Board of Directors 2009 at the IHM Motherhouse, Monroe, Michigan

Be sure to check out our new OSP IHM Website created by Sister Fran Fasolka, IHM (Scranton), and Sister Kathy Burns, IHM (Scranton).

And don’t forget to join Sister Maxine and I today — and every weekday — at anunslife.org/live for a live podcast. There’s a link in the top menu labeled LIVE SHOWS.

Happy Monday and happy Nunday! Nunday is alive and well but we still need your photos of Catholic sisters and nuns. Maybe it’s a nun that is a friend or relative of yours. Maybe it’s your teacher or catechist or coworker. Send in your photo to be featured on NUNDAY. By participating in Nunday, you’re helping in our ministry by promoting authentic images of women religious, that is, Catholic sisters and nuns, and helping people to get to know us personally!

You can view past Nunday blog posts or see the whole collection of nun photos on the A Nun’s Life Facebook page.

Today’s Nunday is a photo from Trish Clark, author of the book Good Night and God Bless which was recently reviewed here at A Nun’s Life. Trish writes:

“I took this photo when I was staying a convent guesthouse in Venice researching my book on convent and monastery accommodation for tourists, called Good Night and God Bless: A Guide to Convent and Monastery Guesthouses in Europe.

The sister was sitting at the reception desk knitting and came outside to give me directions.  She was very happy to have her photo taken and was thrilled with the instant (digital) result.”

I just learned that Trish shares all of the royalties from the sale of this book with the Mary MacKillop Foundation, an organization founded by the Sisters of St Joseph of Australia to help “helps those without choices, without hope, without a voice”. Way to go, Trish! You can find out more at the book’s website goodnightandgodbless.com.

So get a great book and at the same time support this author’s work and the Mary MacKillop Foundation. You’re also supporting the ministry of A Nun’s Life as we receive a small percentage (4%) of the purchase price from Amazon when our visitors click on links from our website to Amazon. Since I’ve inadvertently headed in this direction, I might as well add that A Nun’s Life Ministry welcomes direct donations as well — any contribution you can make helps offset some of the costs associated with providing this online ministry. To donate or to find out more, please our donate page.

UPDATE: Listen to today’s Praying with the Sisters podcast.

Sister Sandra Schneiders’ essay on U.S. Women Religious and the Apostolic Visitation is a must-read essay for all Catholics, all people interested in Catholic sisters and nuns and/or in U.S. history, and definitely all those discerning religious life.

The National Catholic Reporter has just published an essay by Sister Sandra Sandra Schneiders, IHM, called Why They Stay(ed) (NCR, August 17, 2009). The essay addresses two sets of questions concerning U.S. women religious that are “roiling the waters” in and outside the church today:

1. Why are religious disturbed about the apostolic visitation?
2. What is the real motivation for this investigation?

What follows is the most lucid discussions on the topic of the Visitation that I’ve encountered. Not only does Sister Sandra address how the Apostolic Visitation is being received by many U.S. sisters and nuns as well as many priests, men religious, and lay people and why it’s disturbing, but she explains what the situation of women religious is and has been since around the Second Vatican Council.

I have to re-read the essay and will offer more thoughts. For now just want to make sure you have seen it. Please bring your questions, comments, and thoughts about this to the comment section below.

A new documentary about Catholic Sisters and Nuns has just been released. Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism is a one-hour documentary that “explores the experiences of Greek and Roman Catholic Sisters of Eastern and Central Europe sisters who at the end of World War II were trapped under Soviet domination as Josef Stalin seized control.” (source: USCCB press release)

The documentary will be released to ABC stations and affiliates later in September and hopefully we’ll have a copy soon so that we review it here on A Nun’s Life.

The executive producers are Sisters Margaret Nacke, CSJ, and Mary Savoie, CSJ, both Sisters of Saint Joseph of Concordia, Kansas.

The sisters realized the urgency (because of the age of sister survivors) of interviewing sisters who had “endured imprisonment, exile to Siberia, forced farm and factory labor, deportation, seizure of their schools and hospitals and expulsion from their convents.” (source: USCCB press release)

Preserving the stories of the extraordinary courage and unwavering commitment of these sisters is important historical data for the archives of the Catholic church.  Every effort was made by the Soviet communists and their satellite countries to suppress all activities of the sisters, depriving them of ministries that would in any way influence others and placing them in works that would negate any contact; therefore, whether on farms, in factories, caring for the elderly or incarcerated in prisons, sisters seemed undeterred in living their faith. (source: Sisters of Saint Joseph, Concordia, Kansas)

For more info on the making of the documentary, check out the Sisters of Saint Joseph link above and a 2003 article by Margot Patterson for the National Catholic Reporter “Preserving the gospel stories of today: Project seeks to record Catholic experience under communism” (September 19, 2003).

I am home at the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan. Today we have our summer “community days”. All of my sisters come home for days of prayer, study, and discernment about our life together and how God is continuing to call us to live the liberating mission of Jesus. Then on Saturday we have our big community celebration of our Jubilarians, the sisters who celebrate the 25th, 60th and 75th anniversary of their entering the community.

I am thrilled to be home and to see everyone. The whole house is buzzing with good energy and excitement about being together. That is one thing I absolutely love about being an IHM Sister. We cherish our time together, we like hanging out with one another. It energizes us and renews us as we then move back into our ministries.

I hope to post again this week but may be a bit challenging with all that’s going on here. I ask for your prayers and will try to check in when I can. Do continue the conversations started this week and last — some very good ones going on about Vocation Directors, Paul Rudnick’s infamous piece on nuns, and Spiritual Writing. Also don’t forget to tune into the Discussion Forum — you can follow the “live” conversation we had on Sunday and add your thoughts.

Blessings!

Thanks to Father James Martin, SJ, for this article – “Pope Hopes Excommunicated Nun Might Become Saint (America, July 9, 2009).

Mother Mary McKillop, the foundress of the Australian-based Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, was, in 1871, officially excommunicated by her local bishop, on the grounds that she “‘she had incited the sisters to disobedience and defiance.”  That same church leader, Bishop Sheil, had earlier invited her to work in Adelaide, where she and her sisters would eventually set up schools, a women’s shelter and an orphanage, among their many works….

In April of this year, in an extraordinary gesture, Bishop’s Sheil’s successor, the current archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, made a public apology to the Sisters for their foundress’s excommunication.  Standing before her statue, said that he was “profoundly ashamed of the Bishop’s actions in driving the Sisters out onto the streets.”  McKillop was beatified (the next-to-last step for canonization) by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

This is an interesting article in its own right but also in light of the swirling news about the Apostolic Visitation to some U.S. women’s religious communities. There is a great variety of speculation, study, interpretation, experience, and plain old ignorance about the Visitation. Sadly, some in the Catholic blogosphere have used this opportunity to slander individual Catholic sisters and nuns and congregations with accusations that sound pretty much like the ones Mother Mary MacKillop received. I am reminded of the words of Saint Augustine (which someone had posted elsewhere as a rebuke to slanderous comments) — “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.”

I’d love to hear your comments about Father Martin’s piece, Pope Hopes Excommunicated Nun Might Become Saint. The article goes a lot deeper than the headline suggests and includes the fabulous line “Musty stories of dead nuns?” How can you resist wanting to know how Father Martin slipped that line in??

Just came across a new-to-me blog by Catholic Sister — Sister Helen Prejean: Talking about life, death, New Orleans and social justice. You can now find this blog regularly in my listing of Blogs by Catholic Nuns. Sister Helen is a member of the Congregation of Saint Joseph and has done a lot of work around the injustice of the Death Penalty and has worked with many people on death row.

Any other blogs that you are aware of that I can add to the list of blogs by Catholic nuns? My basic criterion is as follows:

• blogs by women religious and those women who are formally in the process of formation AND
• blogs which are currently active and not anonymous

Any that are listed that are no longer updated? Any links that are wonky?

While we are on the topic of soliciting feedback, anything you’d like to see more of on A Nun’s Life? topics? media (e.g. video, podcast, etc.)? guests?

Would appreciate your input!

Sister Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, has made public an important paper on Ministerial Religious Life. In the paper God So Loved the World … Ministerial Religious Life in 2009 Sister Sandra describes what Apostolic Religious Life is and how it is evolving (or has evolved) into what she has called Ministerial Religious Life.

Here’s my very brief outline of the paper — any inaccuracies here are mine and not Sister Sandra’s. It’s meant only to give you a sense of the topics in the paper and to encourage you to read the full paper. You really don’t want to miss it if you are at all interested in Religious Life.

Sister Sandra looks at the origins of Apostolic Religious Life (which “has had official canonical recognition since 1900 and existed for centuries before that”) and situates it both canonically (what does Canon Law say about this form of consecrated life) and ecclesiastically (how does Apostolic Religious Life as a lifeform fit within the structure of the Church).

She shows how the Apostolic Religious Life that is being lived today is still authentically religious life and at the same time “involves some very significant discontinuities with earlier understandings of enough of the constitutive dimensions of that life that it is really a new form in relation to traditional apostolic Congregations.” Two important aspects of this evolution are what Sister Sandra calls “the end of Religious Life as Total Institution” and the simultaneous “ministerial turn”. She looks at how both of these have affected our understanding and living out of the vows, community life, ministry, and public witness.

Once Sister Sandra has set the context she goes on to asks, “What has brought about this development and how do we interpret, evaluate, and appropriate it?” What follows is an excellent piece on the impact of the Second Vatican Council on Religious Life. She notes how “most Religious Congregations of women, especially in the developed world, did not read Perfectae Caritatis in isolation, as a kind of self-sufficient magna carta for renewal. They read it through the lenses of Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes.” Note: Perfectae Caritatis is the document on the renewal of Religious Life; Lumen Gentium is the document on the Church affirming the universal call to holiness of all the baptized; and Guadium et Spes is the document on the Church in the modern world.

Sister Sandra then looks at the development of a new theology of world and the development of a new spirituality of world as a result of the shifts and the ongoing urgings of the Holy Spirit. Finally, she articulates some of the implications of these developments for vowed Religious Life.

Sister Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, is one of my nuns and a leader in the study of religious life and of biblical spirituality. This talk was originally presented at our IHM Motherhouse for the Sisters and Associates of my community.

Read God So Loved the World … Ministerial Religious Life in 2009 and let’s get a discussion going about this. It’s an excellent paper, a good read, and definitely worth reflecting on.

Happy NUNDAY! It’s a beautiful day here in the Illinois — the sun is shining, the breeze is cool, and I’ve got a full day of domestic and ministerial responsibilities! The new IHM house is up and running. Hoping to score a bed frame from Craigslist today and to get the moving boxes to the recycling center. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes as we transitioned out of the Petri Dish convent to our new home.

We celebrate Nunday today with two beautiful photos from Amparo, a young woman from Argentina.

Writes Amparo (who is pictured on the left), “In the middle is Sister Ceci, from the congregation of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, and the picture was taken in a “Life’s Projects” camp they held at the beginning of this year. She chose not to wear the habit, though she usually wears a blue skirt. Ceci is a great friend of mine.”

“In this pictures all of the ladies, minus the one wearing pants are disciples. The one with the veil is Sister Gaby (she chose to wear the habit), the first disciple I met and also a great friend of mine. In the bottom the two are Luciana and Ceci in order. The one between the two men is Sister Luz and the other one is Sister Ana, the Superior of the Argentinian province.”

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

Nunday is back and to celebrate we have my own IHM Sister Sharon Holland. Sister Sharon is not only a legend, but a holy and gentle woman of God.

Sister Sharon, one of the first female lawyers to work at the Vatican, was recently presented with an award (a bronze statue created by sculptor Clay Enoch) from the Catholic Health Association (CHA) on April 23 in Rome. Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of CHA, presented the award, saying Sister Sharon was the association’s “greatest asset in Rome.”

The CHA Board of Trustees passed a resolution honoring Sister Sharon for her years of assistance to CHA and the U.S. health ministry at large. According to Ed Giganti, vice president of communications and marketing for the United States’ CHA, the board’s resolution proclaimed Sister Sharon “a champion of American religious congregations and their ministries” throughout her time in Rome.

Since 1988 Sister Sharon has worked as bureau chief of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life at the Vatican. In 2007 Sister Sharon was awarded the International Medal from St. John’s University in Rome. In the citation for that award , St. John’s called Sister Sharon one of the world’s leading canon lawyers and said she “models what is best about religious life.”

After getting word about Sister Sharon’s CHA award, journalist John L. Allen, a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and analyst for CNN and NPR, wrote, “Aside from being an accomplished canon lawyer and trailblazer for women at the Vatican, Holland is also a legend in religious life.” (source; hyperlinks mine)

Sister Sharon is retiring from her ministry in Rome and returning to Michigan this month.

Pictured: Lloyd H. Dean (CHA Board), Sister Carol Keehan, DC, and Sister Sharon Holland, IHM, holding the award.

Good morning and happy NUNDAY! Today’s Nunday features Catholic Sister Carla Kovack, OP, a San Rafael Dominican Sister.

Sister Carla is engaged in campus ministry at Dominican University in San Rafael. She believes it is a privilege to participate in the lives of students – especially the freshmen and new transfer students. During this important time of transition, growth and learning, students explore key questions of adulthood: who am I, who am I in relationship to God, self and others and how can I make a difference in others’ lives?

Photo Caption: Campus ministry is the ministry of feeding the students.

As other who are active in campus ministry, Sister Carla creates programs that empower students to explore these important issues. Retreats, small faith communities, service opportunities, study about issues of justice, and weekly Sunday liturgies, invite young adults to a journey. She says,

“Our journey is on sacred ground but I find that a good sense of humor and a deep respect for the freedom of the individual allows us to form community that bridges diverse faith traditions, age and life styles. Building the Dominican spirit, our theme this year in campus ministry, is both an individual and communal challenge. Our common commitment to study, reflection, community and service integrates and makes us one.”

Sister Carla on right

Thanks to Sister Pat Farrell, OP, for photos and text! Visit Sister Pat at her blog OPreach.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

Happy Nunday! Today’s Nunday photo reminds me of the countless times I sprained my ankles playing basketball! “Fortunately” I had a coach that wouldn’t take some little sprained ankle as an excuse to not play. He’d load up a big bucket full of ice and snow and make me stick my leg in there until it was so numb that I couldn’t feel the pain (or my sneaker) and could get back out on the court. Ahhh, good times.

I hope and pray that Sister Mary Grace did not have to do that with her sprains. Sister Mary Grace, a member of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, sprained both of her ankles and was unable to walk up the stairs to the church. “Thankfully,” writes Elizabeth (who submitted the picture), “we had a ride available to her.” Also in the picture is Sister Elizabeth Ann.

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their mission is as follows:

“We are consecrated women first, and so our foremost model is Mary, the Mother of God. Inspired by the charism of St. Dominic, our prayer life comes first so that our apostolate overflows from a contemplation nourished before the Eucharist.”

Blessings to Sister Mary Grace — we hope you are back on your feet! (though it looks like the ride might have been fun!)

Kudos to Sister Mary Alternative (an Episcopalian woman considering religious life) for starting this post: “You may be a nun if …” Here are some of her responses that I love!

You may be a nun if …

• you see nuns everywhere you go
• you see nuns so often that now even your friends are seeing them in airports and stuff
• you have the book of common prayer online version saved to your favorites on the blackberry

Here’s a few more from personal experience:

• have vocation/nun material hidden where no one can find it
• you want nothing to do with the idea of being a nun, but yet you find it strangely compelling too
• you know what it’s like to fall in love with a person or a lifework yet it feels like all the pieces aren’t quite together yet … something is missing
• you regularly engage in “nun surveillance“

How would you finish this sentence? “You may be a nun if … “

Check out Psychology Today magazine this month for an interview with me about being a Catholic sister and about A Nun’s Life. It’s called “Mass Communication: God connects through a new medium” by Jessica Pilot in Psychology Today (May-June 2009).

While I’m not happy that my name is misspelled — VIEIRA, not VIERA — I am thrilled that they put the photo of me in full regalia on the front cover of the magazine.

Nah … I’m kidding, that’s not my habit although if it were, I’m pretty sure no one would mess with me or dare to suggest a nun stereotype in my presence.

Happy month of May! May is the month which we traditionally honor as Mary’s month. It’s only fitting that for our first Nunday of the month of May we have a photo of a Catholic sister who belongs to a religious congregation named for Mary — the School Sisters of Notre Dame (notre dame = “Our Lady”, a title for Mary).

Sister Anastasia is a School Sister of Notre Dame in Elm Grove, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee). The photo of her was sent in by Callie, a young “discerning” woman who had the good fortune of meeting Sister Anastasia.

Writes Callie …

In December of 2007 I spent time with the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their Motherhouse in Elm Grove. I met Sister Anastasia, SSND, and within a few days of us meeting we clicked. We started talking about Thomas Merton, prayer in complete silence of deep breathing, life, and her stories as a teacher in Guam (where she taught for 33 years). She is a bundle of joy and truly loves the Lord. She is one woman who has impacted so many people’s lives.

Our friendship has grown. We send letters to each other, and we also see each other every 2 or 3 months. During the summer I saw her quite often because I didn’t have college and lots of homework! No matter what route God puts on my path, I am blessed and joyful that God has put me with Sister Anastasia.

I love the picture because it captures to women 50 years apart in age, smiling all for the love and joy of God! “The joy of the Lord is our Strength.”

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story (how you know Sister) of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

I am home in Monroe at our IHM Motherhouse. It’s a delightful day, the birds are chirping, the sky is blue, and so many budding trees and flowers! My nuns showed me a place in our cloister where a robin has taken up nest in the crook of tree. This morning I peeked in (you can look into the nest from the hallway window on the main floor) and saw the perfect, little blue eggs. Have not seen Mama Robin yet but I’m sure she was close by!

This weekend is our IHM Come and See, an opportunity for women to spend time with us who are discerning religious life. I’ve had the privilege of hanging out with one young woman since Wednesday getting to know her and showing her around. This afternoon Sister Maxine and I will be working on our 45 minutes of fame — an intro to and discussion about our founding charism and the story of how IHM came to be. Then tonight the women will come to our home and see what we are all about!

It’s kinda wild to do this Come and See because it reminds me of how it feels when I introduced a boyfriend to my friends or family. You want so much for them to love him and see the beauty in him that you see all the time! At the same time you want to let them come to know the guy in their own way. Sigh.

For now I’m off to hang out with my girl and maybe go for a walk and visit our iconographer’s studio!

Greetings! Monday is Nunday here at A Nun’s Life because we feature photos of real Catholic sisters and nuns.

Today’s Nunday photo is from Susan, a Lutheran seminarian and oblate of the Sisters of Saint Scholastica in Chicago. (Yes, you can be an oblate or associate of a Catholic religious community and not be Catholic!)

Writes Susan, “Once a year the women of my church make a retreat with the Benedictine sisters at St. Mary Monastery in Rock Island, IL. Theirs is an interesting story.” Sister Charlotte Sonneville, OSB, is one of the nuns that Susan met at the monastery

Sister Charlotte Sonneville is in charge of Benet House, the retreat center.  She is, in the best sens,e a guest mistress. Her welcoming face is the one that greets us each year as we arrive in the February cold for our retreat.  She is efficient and thorough, friendly and conscientious. She relays the rules of the house with an explanation and a smile, making us all feel like beloved family members who have just been away for a time.  I look forward to seeing her each year.

Sister Charlotte is originally from Moline, IL, which is right next to Rock Island, so in a sense coming to St. Mary Monastery and Benet House has been a homecoming for her.  Sixty years ago, she chose to become a nun, she says, because she “wanted to share my faith with others.”  She taught at the school and held many jobs within the order, always striving to do just that. She now sees the running of Benet House as a part of her ministry of welcoming people as Christ, just as St. Benedict stated in his rule.

Her sweatshirt says, “Lord, thank you for letting me see all the colors.” This captures Sister Charlotte perfectly, as she is someone who not only sees all the colors of God’s creation, but loves them all deeply.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo and story of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

Happy Nunday! Today’s nun photo is of Sister Aneesah McNamee, OP, an Adrian Dominican from Adrian, Michigan. Adrian is just down the river from Monroe and the IHM Motherhouse, and our sisters have worked together on many occasions.

Writes Sister Aneesah:

This photo was taken at our Motherhouse in Adrian, Michigan. I was the acolyte for a Final Profession. I don’t normally wear the habit, but this was special as I was participating in the Eucharist.

I am currently in school in Savannah, Georgia, for a MFA in Graphic Design. I am an artist — and a graphic designer — but my first profession was in health care, before i entered the Dominicans. My true love, and I believe my ministry, is in the visual arts.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.

Women and the Catholic Church is always an intriguing and provocative topic. “Women of Faith: A Film about Women and the Catholic Church” is a new documentary by filmmaker Rebecca Alvin that explores this topic.

The one-hour film includes interviews with Maryknoll Sisters and Poor Clares and, among other things, looks at “the choice to lead a profoundly religious life in the Catholic tradition in the post-feminist era”.

According to reviewers of the film, there is no narrative, allowing the women to speak for themselves without the intrusion of interpretation or commentary. While a good idea, it’s important to note that no documentary can be completely “objective” because the very process of selecting and editing clips is itself an interpretation by the filmmaker. Still, I like the approach and appreciate it.

I’m hoping that the film will be screened in Detroit or Chicago as I’d love to see it for myself. The reviews have been interesting but I’ve not read anything from a nun perspective about the film.

Here’s one of the reviews for your reading pleasure.

Alvin Unveils ‘Women of Faith’: New documentary shines a light on local women and the Catholic Church in Cape Cod Today by Bethany Gibbons (April 7, 2009)

Also, you can check out the Women of Faith website — it’s got a few things on there, but unfortunately much is still “under construction”. Will write more on this when I am able to see the documentary.

Happy Easter! This Easter Monday we celebrate Easter and Nunday with a beautiful photo and story of Sister Mary Ruth Dittman, SDS. Sister Mary Ruth is a Sister of the Divine Savior. The Salvatorians, as the Sisters of the Divine Savior are known, minister throughout the US and world.

The photo and story below were sent in by Miss Dina.

I am part of Saint Catherine Church congregation in Phoenix, AZ, and we had went on a 12 day pilgrimage three years ago to Italy. That was when I met a Nun for the very first time, her name was Sister Mary Ruth. Sister Mary Ruth sat next to me through out our pilgrimage, and we ventured through to the many sites and beautiful churches of Italy. Even though my time with Sister Mary Ruth was for a short period of time, we had many talks about the pleasantries and harshness of our world. As each day went by and I watched her, I saw a servant of the Lord deal with these everyday obstacles with dignity, diplomacy and with such grace. I realized that I too should not have to compromise my dignity, my kindness and my love for the Lord in order to live in this sometimes harsh world. I believe God puts people in our paths for a reason and I’m glad God put Sister Mary Ruth in my path.

Oh yes!! As we finally reached our destination to our visit to the Vatican and to see Pope Benedict, you could see Sister Mary Ruth glow with excitement.

The photo is of Sister Mary Ruth and Miss Dina at the Vatican waiting to see Pope Benedict.

To see all the photos of Catholic sisters and nuns and links to their stories, visit the A Nun’s Life Facebook photo album. If you’ve got a photo of a real Catholic sister or nun, check out the details on submitting your photo for consideration.