Question from Nicole …

Sister – Could you please explain to me what it means to be a lay nun? I’m not quite sure exactly what lay nuns do.

In the past (as far back as the middle ages), some religious communities had a kind of hierarchy of membership.

Choir sisters were women who typically came from an educated, wealthy family. These sisters were able to read Latin and thus able to chant and recite the prayers that were central to the Divine Office. Their ministry was typically teaching.

Lay sisters, or lay nuns, were young women, mostly from country areas, who did not have the advantage of education or wealth. They did not say the Divine Office in Latin, but generally said a certain number of Pater Nosters instead.  They did the heavy domestic work of the Monastery – which was heavy in those days because of the lack of running water and electricity, and all the modern conveniences we have today. Lay sisters were not allowed to vote or have a voice in the affairs of the community.

This “two-class” system is no longer practiced in religious communities. Today, all members are equal members of the community with no “classes” or privileges based on education or wealth.

For more information, check out the article Overcoming two-class systems from the website of the sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in Saint Joseph and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville. Also, my thanks to Sister Mariam, ocd, of Saint Thomas Carmelite Monastery in Auckland, New Zealand, for her advice in writing this post.