Comments on: Nun or Sister? http://anunslife.org Catholic Sisters and Nuns in Today's World Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:32:01 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sister Julie http://anunslife.org/sister-or-nun/#comment-33847 Sister Julie Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:47:57 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/sister-or-nun/#comment-33847 Hi Theresa, Thank you for writing. What a beautiful thing to be in love and to feel God's calling! There are many ways for you to respond to this calling, but unfortunately <a href="http://anunslife.org/how-to-become-a-catholic-nun/" rel="nofollow">becoming a Catholic nun</a> is not one of them. <a href="http://anunslife.org/2008/12/23/can-catholic-nuns-get-married/" rel="nofollow">Catholic sisters and nuns are required to be unmarried</a> and make a vow of celibacy. But this doesn't mean that God doesn't have something special in mind for you. It just means that your vocation, your calling, is intimately connected with the vows you already made with your husband. Teaching is a wonderful way to live that calling too. I encourage you to spend some time alone and with your husband reflecting on how you are called individually and as a couple. If you still feel attracted to a religious community you might think about becoming an associate of the community. An associate can be male or female, married or single, Catholic or not. Here's more info on <a href="http://anunslife.org/2007/01/05/the-role-of-lay-affiliates-in-religious-life/" rel="nofollow">lay associates</a>. For help with considering how God is calling you, check out #1 of <a href="http://anunslife.org/how-to-become-a-catholic-nun/" rel="nofollow">How to Become a Catholic Nun</a> -- it applies to everyone discerning a call. Also we had a great discussion with a <a href="http://anunslife.org/tag/mary-mcdevitt/" rel="nofollow">spiritual director on discernment</a>. Blessings, Theresa. Hi Theresa, Thank you for writing. What a beautiful thing to be in love and to feel God’s calling! There are many ways for you to respond to this calling, but unfortunately becoming a Catholic nun is not one of them. Catholic sisters and nuns are required to be unmarried and make a vow of celibacy. But this doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have something special in mind for you. It just means that your vocation, your calling, is intimately connected with the vows you already made with your husband. Teaching is a wonderful way to live that calling too. I encourage you to spend some time alone and with your husband reflecting on how you are called individually and as a couple. If you still feel attracted to a religious community you might think about becoming an associate of the community. An associate can be male or female, married or single, Catholic or not. Here’s more info on lay associates.

For help with considering how God is calling you, check out #1 of How to Become a Catholic Nun — it applies to everyone discerning a call. Also we had a great discussion with a spiritual director on discernment.

Blessings, Theresa.

]]> By: Theresa http://anunslife.org/sister-or-nun/#comment-33706 Theresa Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:41:20 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/sister-or-nun/#comment-33706 HI, my name is Theresa and I was wondering if as a married woman I can become a nun I am going to colledge to be a teacher and I love my husband and God and I feel like God has something special for me to do !! HI, my name is Theresa and I was wondering if as a married woman I can become a nun I am going to colledge to be a teacher and I love my husband and God and I feel like God has something special for me to do !!

]]> By: Sister Julie http://anunslife.org/sister-or-nun/#comment-24435 Sister Julie Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:07:16 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/sister-or-nun/#comment-24435 Hi Carol, Both religious sisters and nuns can call their dwelling a "convent". Typically cloistered nuns and some of the older religious communities call their dwelling a "monastery". Not all nuns (technically speaking) are cloistered, though often the term nun does refer to cloistered, contemplative communities. Hi Carol, Both religious sisters and nuns can call their dwelling a “convent”. Typically cloistered nuns and some of the older religious communities call their dwelling a “monastery”.

Not all nuns (technically speaking) are cloistered, though often the term nun does refer to cloistered, contemplative communities.

]]> By: Carol http://anunslife.org/sister-or-nun/#comment-24401 Carol Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:08:31 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/sister-or-nun/#comment-24401 Sisters do not live in a Convent as a rule, but Nuns do. This is how I have understood this. We do often call Nuns, Sisters, but rightly they are Nuns only if cloistered. Sisters do not live in a Convent as a rule, but Nuns do. This is how I have understood this.

We do often call Nuns, Sisters, but rightly they are Nuns only if cloistered.

]]> By: Sister Julie http://anunslife.org/sister-or-nun/#comment-22699 Sister Julie Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:47:59 +0000 http://nuns2day.wordpress.com/sister-or-nun/#comment-22699 Dear Victoria, The lifestyle of a sister or nun varies greatly across religious communities. Some sisters or nuns might spend most of their day in prayer and reflection. Others might spend their day in any number of ministries. There are sisters with medical degrees and who actively practice medicine. The sisters I've known who are/were pharmacists did so within their own community's health care center or as a missionary. So it is possible. It's difficult to answer your last question because again, it depends on the particular community. What kind of community are you attracted to? Is there a specific community or kind of community that you are looking for? E.g., contemplative, international, missionary, teaching, active in the world, cloistered, teaching, etc. If you are interested in connecting with other people discerning God’s call, check out the Vocation Forum here on A Nun’s Life: http://anunslife.org/vocationforum . Blessings, Victoria. Dear Victoria,

The lifestyle of a sister or nun varies greatly across religious communities. Some sisters or nuns might spend most of their day in prayer and reflection. Others might spend their day in any number of ministries. There are sisters with medical degrees and who actively practice medicine. The sisters I’ve known who are/were pharmacists did so within their own community’s health care center or as a missionary. So it is possible.

It’s difficult to answer your last question because again, it depends on the particular community. What kind of community are you attracted to? Is there a specific community or kind of community that you are looking for? E.g., contemplative, international, missionary, teaching, active in the world, cloistered, teaching, etc.

If you are interested in connecting with other people discerning God’s call, check out the Vocation Forum here on A Nun’s Life: http://anunslife.org/vocationforum . Blessings, Victoria.

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