Click PLAY below or right-click here to download the MP3.

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

Today is our weekly live Ask Sister podcast. This podcast is for you and is an opportunity to ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between! During the live podcast we’ll respond to your questions and comments.

Questions already in the queue for today:

• How do you know if God is calling you to be a nun?
• When did nuns stop wearing the habit? After Vatican II?
• I am baptized a Baptist but I feel a strong pull toward becoming Catholic. Any advice?

Visit ANunsLife.org/live
Today
6 p.m. Central Time (your timezone)

We welcome your questions.You can send them in any number of ways:

• comment below
• email us any time before the podcast
• comment in the chat room during a live show
• calling in during a live show

In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential. So what’s on your mind?

Listen to other Ask Sister podcasts.

The National Catholic Reporter has a new article posted by Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, called Discerning Ministerial Religious Life Today (September 11, 2009). In this article, Sister Sandra helps explain why it is that all nuns do not wear a habit, live in a cloister, or pray the horarium. Essentially Sister Sandra is filling a gap in people’s experience of women religious. Many people have had experience of or heard about sisters who live a monastic form of religious life and sisters who live an apostolic or ministerial form of religious life. But it’s not always easy to explain how we got the two or how the two are similar and how they are dissimilar.

This essay is also a kind of continuation of a discussion on religious life by Sister Sandra in recent publications: the essay Why they stay(ed), the personal email that NCR published, We’ve given birth to a new form of religious life, and the address she gave to the IHM Congregation, God So Loved the World … Ministerial Religious Life in 2009.

In this latest piece, Sister Sandra, a member of my own IHM community, responds to the question, What is ‘apostolic Religious Life’? which, as she notes, has been answered though often times with misinformation. The question appears in various forms, often around three main questions about lifestyle:

“Is culturally conspicuous, uniform garb (habit), fixed group dwelling from which members exit only by necessity and from which non-members are excluded (enclosure, cloister), and a daily schedule including shared meals, work, and especially the oral recitation of prescribed texts and vocal prayers, e.g., divine office, litanies, at several fixed times a day (horarium) essential to Catholic Religious Life as such?” The short answer is “no.”

The article goes on to provide a longer answer contextualized within history, scripture and theology.

This is a very important piece of writing and I recommend that you take a read, especially if you are considering religious life or know someone who is. Use it as a starting point to explore some of the issues and insights that Sister Sandra has raised. Whether or not you agree with what she has written, she has done a good job at naming the significant issues that can create confusion and misinformation.

Discerning Ministerial Religious Life Today
(National Catholic Reporter, September 11, 2009)

Please read the article and then join in the conversation below. (NB: The conversation actually got started on another post here so I moved those comment over here.)

Yesterday’s post on the question Is the habit the answer to vocations recruitment? drew a lot of discussion and perspectives. I want to pull out of there an interesting sub-conversation about what it means to be counter-cultural. In context, the comments are about the extent to which clothing/accessories of nuns are counter-cultural.

But the very concept of “counter-cultural” is understood in many different ways, and, as Jean notes, “I think you have to first talk about what and which cultures one seeks to counter.” My first stop, as always, is a dictionary or encyclopedia, just to get the basic meaning of the word.

Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. A general example would be a competing, dissenting culture that wishes to change the nature of, or at least the dominance of, a predominant culture in a particular society. (Wikipedia)

Now I’ve mentioned in past posts that being a nun is being counter-cultural. But I don’t spend a lot of time consciously thinking about the link between the two. I don’t think that one is a nun in order to be counter-cultural. The counter-cultural part is a kind of by-product of the fundamental desire to serve God and live the Gospel. I don’t wake up in the morning and say, “I wonder how I can subvert mainstream culture today” rather, I wake up and say “Thanks be to God” (… and shortly thereafter, “I need coffee.”)

So say more about this counter-cultural thing … doesn’t necessarily have to be in regard to nuns’ clothing/accessories … but what does it mean to be counter-cultural? Does it always have to be publicly displayed? Does it reside in a single act or belief or is it more of a collective thing? Would you describe yourself as counter-cultural? Why or why not?

The question about the habit being the answer to vocations recruitment comes up every now and again on the blog in various forms. It’s an interesting question that is way more complex than a simple “yes” or “no” can account for. Hilary well articulates this question in a comment on Why is a nun’s habit called a “habit”? Hilary writes:

Nuns are practically invisible nowadays, even in my very Catholic area, which is probably part of the reason why more women are not becoming nuns and even do not realize that that is an option. Perhaps if more orders wore some sort of habit – not necessarily the full, traditional habit – to distinguish them, to make them visible to the public, more young people would answer a call to vocation?

A couple different ways to look at this … one would be to look at the visibility issue by looking at priests, for example, who are clearly dressed as priests during liturgical events and often in other settings. One might say they are clearly visible yet why are U.S. seminaries not overflowing?

Another way to look at this is to consider the Internet. In this day and age, it is possible to get bounds of information about any subject (provided one has access to the Internet). One can easily, “visibly” find any number of Catholic sisters, nuns, brothers, priests, monks, friars, deacons, hermits, consecrated virgins, etc. There is more information accessible to a larger number of people than ever. Yet seminaries and houses of formation are not overflowing — of course that begs the question, do they need to be? Is quantity what we are aiming for here?

What do you think? Is the habit the answer to vocations recruitment? Are there other other ways that the issue of “visibility” could be addressed?

Monday is NUNDAY! Every Monday A Nun’s Life features YOUR photos of nuns and your story in relation to those nuns. Last week we missed Nunday because we had a special guest blogger for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception — and as all good Catholics know, Holy Days of Obligation always trump the ordinary day!

Today we’ve got a great photograph from Raphael Borja, a Catholic and university student from Canada doing an exchange semester in Italy. This photo was shot in Rome (Vatican City) on All Souls Day in St. Peter’s Square, shortly after Pope Benedict’s noon address.

Writes Raphael,

“I’ll be the first to admit that I’m sometimes guilty of buying into mainstream media’s depiction of nuns as meek, quiet introverts and ruler-slapping school tyrants. Coming from a culture where men and women of the cloth are increasingly rare (and sometimes even latently taboo), it’s ever-refreshing to see flocks of priests draped in cassocks and sisters donning habits. Furthermore, to be reminded that a sister’s ministry is not always limited to cloistered halls as the stereotype projects, to see an overlooked side as she lives and fulfills her vocation among everyday people in a variety of ways, is nothing short of sweet.”

Question from Jack …

Dear Sister Julie, Could you tell me why a Nun’s Habit is called a Habit, I cant seem to find the answer anywhere! Best wishes

I had to do a little searching for this one. First stop: Merriam-Webster.

Main Entry: hab·it archaic : clothing
Pronunciation: ˈha-bət
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin habitus condition, character, from habēre to have, hold
Date: 13th century

Next stop: Elizabeth Kuhns’ “popular history” book The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns. Not much in the way of an origin or meaning of the term, however Kuhns does succinctly define the term: “Habit refers to the ensemble of clothing and accessories that make up religious dress. It can also mean specifically the robelike tunic or dress that is the main garment worn over the body.” (page 5) And a glance at the table of contents also reveals a range of terms that have been associated with the term “habit”, each of which is a whole discussion in and of itself:

• enigma
• tradition
• holiness
• conformity
• emblem
• charity
• courage
• explosion
• remnants

What I find most helpful in understanding why the habit is called a habit is to look at the symbolic meaning behind it. As M-W and Kuhns note, the word habit refers to “clothing”. Often times when persons go through a major change in life, especially in a religious context, it is symbolized by a change in clothing symbolically covering up the “old” person and expresing the “new person”. Sound familiar? It’s what we do at baptisms and funerals with the white robe or cloth which symbolizes our new life in Christ Jesus. And it’s not just Catholicism that does this. Many religions have special garb to designate a “new” personality or state in life.  There’s an interesting discussion of “religious dress” at Encyclopedia Britannica.

Other thoughts on the origin of the word “habit”?

Just found this story via my Plurk friends … “Woman is first consecrated virgin in Richmond diocese” by Steven G. Vegh (The Virginian-Pilot © July 27, 2008)

Here’s the first section of the article:

Fresh-faced and vivacious, Bernadette Snyder says she grew up in Virginia assuming Catholic girls like her either became nuns or found a man.

At 29, she is still single, and assuredly not a nun.

“I mean, do you see this in a convent?” Snyder said, glancing at her flowered skirt, peasant blouse and jewelry. “It just doesn’t happen. I mean, really!”

Instead, Snyder chose a little-known third path with a long tradition in Catholicism: She became a consecrated, perpetual virgin – the first in the 188-year history of the Richmond diocese, which includes Hampton Roads.

Wearing a white sundress and big pink earrings, Snyder knelt in May as Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo laid hands on hers in the rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity of Women Living in the World.

It’s pretty cool that there is interested in this Catholic vocation of consecrated virginity. It most definitely is not widely known which is unfortunate because people like Bernadette might find their life’s calling within that vocation. It’s important that we know more about this vocation and encourage others to consider it. Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke about the beauty of this Catholic vocation of consecrated virginity. The pope noted:

“The choice of virginal life is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the kingdom.”

I do beg to differ, however, with the characterization of nuns in this article (I’m very protective of the image of Catholic nuns as A Nun’s Life readers probably know by now!). I know lots of nuns who wear ordinary, modest outfits which may include flowered skirts, peasant blouses, or jewelry. Why, just the other day I was donning my cycling habit — coolmax tank top, cool biker-dude sunglasses, and black spandex shorts (okay, well that’s something that no one should admit to in public, but I’m trying to make a point here ). There are a variety of styles of dress that Catholic nuns wear, among them are the “traditional” habit, the modified habit with or without veil, and dress that resembles the ordinary, modest clothing of a particular culture.

For whatever reason (intrigue, sensationalism, ignorance, cutesie-ness, etc.) the writer of this article about Bernadette chose to make dress an issue and to play it against stereotypes of nuns as women who only ever wear traditional habits and who lack personal flair. (Note: this is a false stereotype but one which surfaces again and again.)

Okay, i’m done with my nun stereotype crusade, at least for now.

Back to this amazing event … wow, a young woman becoming a consecrated virgin. Way to go, Bernadette! You’ve given many people a glimpse into a wonderful vocation within the Catholic Church. Please be assured of my prayers.

Thoughts, reactions, questions?

It’s not often that nuns get a mention in the world of pro cycling. Emma Pooley — who rides for Team Specialized and is a contender for the British Olympics cycling team — details her experience riding the Tour de l’Aude on Cycling Weekly’s blog. Here’s a snippet of her post:

Stage 1, Gruissan, 3.9 km prologue
Friday, May 16

It wasn’t an overly technical course but I cornered like a nun in a habit (actually that’s not fair; a nun would at least have had faith), and in a short little time trial like that you can lose a lot of time…

Sadly I could not comment on the post because no comments are allowed. So I will write my comment on my own blog.

Dear Emma,

First and foremost, congratulations on being a top cyclist! Your diary about riding the Tour de L’Aude inspires me to keep pushing through my own difficult rides. And congrats on being in the top 10 at the Montreal World Cup. Way to go!

Now, regarding your comment about having “cornered like a nun in a habit,” permit me to offer a few comments.

As a Catholic nun and road biker, I find that most cycling nuns (and there are a number of us, for example, visit Sister Sandy at Nunsuch blog) do not wear a habit when riding. There are issues with chain grease getting all over our skirts, flying strings of rosary beads jamming our Campy drivetrain, heat rash from wearing the veil under our helmets, and other such inconveniences. Normally we wear the habit of a cyclist — a nice wicking jersey, classic spandex shorts, a sturdy yet lightweight helmet, and cushy gloves. Yes, we even have clipless cycling shoes and slick-looking sunglasses.

And when we do hit those technical corners, we rely not only on our faith but on our skill as cyclists. This skill far supercedes our choice of habit for the ride. Whether we are in nun habits or cycling habits, we know how take a corner. No flapping scapular is going to slow us down. So next time you write about a time when you really rocked it out and deftly handled technical corners, be sure to mention that indeed you rode “like a nun.”

Blessings,
Sister Julie

Sister Judy over at The Digital Nun has a 3-part series on habits …

• Why Do Young People Want Habits?
• The Habit: Pros and Cons
• What Makes a Habit a Habit?

While the habit does not make the nun, it is a part of religious life. Unfortunately the habit is sometimes used by Catholics and the media as a gauge of faithfulness, catholicity, and/or relevancy. I can never understand why Catholics want to be so divisive within our own Church or why the media must pit groups against one another. Religious life is meant to be diverse, and this diversity is a gift to the Church and world. We need nuns in identifiable habits and nuns in habits that aren’t much different from the ordinary, modest dress of the people. We need nuns who are devoted to solitude and pray ceaselessly for the good of the Church and world. And we need nuns who are actively engaged in apostolates in every sphere of life. These ministries, these callings have been present in the church since its inception.

Well check out Sister Judy’s posts for more thoughts on habits.

Over the last year I’ve received requests from folks about how to make habits and where to find sewing patterns and fabric. I’m hoping that you might have some suggestions for me to pass along to these folks.

I would especially like to help a woman who wrote me last week. She has volunteered to help a religious community by making their habits for them. The community is Cistercian and is having a difficult time finding the black and white fabric used to make their habit. I would be most grateful if you have any suggestions as to where to get fabric (keeping in mind the value of frugality), patterns for habits, and any other suggestions you might have for this woman who is trying to learn as much as she can (she has limited time talking with the nuns because they are cloistered).

If you happen to have some expertise in this area and would be open to connecting with this woman, I know she’d be so thankful — just let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions, ideas, etc. that you can offer. Sister Julie

According to the footnotes in The Life, Saint Teresa of Avila entered the Monastery of the Incarnation November 2, 1533, and made her profession November 3, 1534. Though scholars disagree about these dates,  Teresa undoubtedly entered the monastery and professed vows as a Carmelite nun.

When I took the habit, our Lord at once made me understand how He helps those who do violence to themselves in order to serve Him.  [Teresa seems to be referring to the terrible pain at entering the convent without her father's consent. See previous post.] No one observed this violence in me; they saw nothing but the greatest good will. At that moment, because I was entering on that state, I was filled with a joy so great, that it has never failed me to this day; and God converted the aridity of my soul into the greatest tenderness. Everything in religion was a delight unto me; and it is true that now and then I used to sweep the house during those hours of the day which I had formerly spent on my amusements and my dress; and, calling to mind that I was delivered from such follies, I was filled with a new joy that surprised me, nor could I understand whence it came.Whenever I remember this, there is nothing in the world, however hard it may be, that, if it were proposed to me, I would not undertake without any hesitation whatever; for I know now, by experience in many things, that if from the first I resolutely persevere in my purpose, even in this life His Majesty rewards it in a way which he only understands who has tried it. When the act is done for God only, it is His will before we begin it that the soul, in order to the increase of its merits, should be afraid; and the greater the fear, if we do but succeed, the greater the reward, and the sweetness thence afterwards resulting. I know this by experience, as I have just said, in many serious affairs; and so, if I were a person who had to advise anybody, I would never counsel any one, to whom good inspirations from time to time may come, to resist them through fear of the difficulty of carrying them into effect; for if a person lives detached for the love of God only, that is no reason for being afraid of failure, for He is omnipotent. May He be blessed for ever! Amen. (Life 4.2-3)

When I professed final vows, I did not expect to feel any different than I had because I’d been with the community for approximately 10 years already. I’d taken my first (“temporary”) vows 3 years earlier and figured that I’d already had the “vow experience”. I was looking forward to it and knew it’d be great, I just thought that it would be a confirmation of everything that had already happened.But surprisingly, the experience of professing final vows was different than anything else I had ever experienced. I felt ontologically (in my very being) changed, like my DNA was uncoded and re-coded with IHM. I felt like a new person, different, yet more myself than ever. The way I saw my sisters and my place in the community shifted too. This is one of those things that again is difficult to express but unmistakeable nonetheless.With Teresa I can say, “I was filled with a new joy that surprised me, nor could I understand whence it came. Whenever I remember this, there is nothing in the world, however hard it may be, that, if it were proposed to me, I would not undertake without any hesitation whatever.” Blessed be God forever!

In an earlier post I reflected on the question of what makes a nun different. One thing that in the past has set nuns apart from others is the habit.

A habit is simply clothing characteristic of a group, in this case, a religious community. The traditional habit is most commonly recognized as a black veil and long black dress with a white coif (close-fitting material beneath the veil that surrounded the face). In my community, most of the sisters no longer wear this type of a habit. Our habit (which used to be a beautiful dark blue … known as IHM blue) is basically anything that is simple, modest, and appropriate for the context in which we find ourselves. That may mean a suit, or business casual, or shorts and a t-shirt. Since we live and work in a variety of places (from missionaries in developing countries to leading professionals in the fields of education, medicine, art, administration, and human rights), we dress according to what is appropriate to that situation and to who we are as IHM sisters. So, we may not be as immediately recognizable as we once were, but we are still present and active in the world.

Because we don’t have a common, “standard issue” habit, it’s difficult sometimes for people to pick us out of a crowd. We are no longer “different” because of how we dress. Sometimes this is a good thing — people see you as a person first. I’ve discovered that being a nun can be an intimidating thing for people. They’re just not sure what to do with you. Some people are put off by it. Other people see you though the lens of unhelpful stereotypes. It’s okay not to always be seen as a nun. When I’m picking up bathroom supplies at the store, I really don’t need to let everyone know that I’m a nun (ATTENTION KMART SHOPPERS: WE HAVE A NUN IN AISLE 5 … REPEAT … A NUN IN AISLE 5). However, in most situations–when I am at work, publishing my blog or an article, at a funeral, or wherever it is important for folks to know I’m a nun (for whatever reason)–I let it be known that I am a nun.Being a nun is something I’m proud of and am pleased to share with others. As a nun I am something of a “public” figure and represent my religious congregation and the church. This is a honor that I take seriously.

Back to the habit to bring some sort of closure to this post … I personally like our IHM habit of simple, modest, and appropriate dress. Though sometimes, I admit, I think I would have looked very cool in that IHM blue habit!