As a Catholic nun, I was not aware that it was possible for anything, let alone a foul word, to curl a nun’s toes. This curling business kind of freaks me out. Not the least reason of which is because I dare not imagine how many toes I unknowingly curled in my earlier days.

Now either I live in a bubble of rainbows and puppy dogs with nary a word of foul language spoken OR there is something very wrong with this cliche. I’m going to go with the latter.

“Go into any English soccer stadium on any given Saturday afternoon and you are assured of hearing language that would curl a nun’s toes,” writes Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times. “Wayne Rooney’s expletive-laced rant in front of a TV camera during a recent match is just one example of the abusive behavior that is on display at every English soccer stadium.” Rooney, it seems, is no resident of rainbow and puppy land. What I’d like to know is WTH does this have to do with curling a nun’s toes? ( WTH = What the Heck! and is used for purposes of ironic emphasis. )

Mr. Jones, what is your image of nuns? Is it of gentle, innocent little creatures that can’t take the reality that sometimes language is rude and harsh? Is it of childish women who don’t know the ways of big, bad men? Is it of paragons of holiness and righteousness that look down the length of a rule and condemn? Please help me to understand why a nun (and also why a Neanderthal? they’re always getting a bad rap) is your chosen image. If the language is so bad, indeed, “a shocking foulmouthed rant,” shouldn’t everyone be aghast and appalled? Is it just to “titillate” and “sell” as you noted in your article about media who “fuss” with Rooney’s bad behavior?

Just something to think about, Mr. Jones. And, to set the record straight, the only curling that I hope ever happens to me is this kind of curling.

For more conversation about why people are so gosh darn interested in the image of nuns, hang out with Sister Maxine and myself for tomorrow’s live webcast of In Good Faith with special guest Dr. Bren Ortega Murphy at 7 p.m. CST. We’ll talk with Dr. Murphy about her new documentary “A Question of Habit: The Image of Women Religious in U.S. Popular Culture,” a documentary exploring “popular culture’s fascination with all things ‘nun’.

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 has been a while since I’ve offered my thoughts on news items related to Catholic sisters and nuns. The story itself is unfortunate — Sister Mary Gabriel De Leon, a Franciscan sister, had her purse stolen while packing groceries in her car. Thankfully, Sister is okay, though understandably shaken up.

Beyond the story itself, there is much in the reporting of the story that fills me with a variety of emotions, from amused to perplexed. Here we go:

Headlines

Man Robs Nun, Earns Free Trip to Hell

I am rather fond of this headline even though it is theologically suspect.

Thief stole nun’s purse but not her faith

Not so fond of this one though nice attempt.

Quotable Quotes

“It’s worse than stealing candy from a baby.” – bystander

I’m not sure exactly what the parallel is here … nuns as helpless babies?

“Hal joins us live with reactions from the Sisters of the Convent.” – Fox

Granted, most folks don’t really know how to refer to us, our “religious garb”, or our dwelling places. Kudos to those who do try. This one was kind of a mash-up between how to name the sisters and how to identify their dwelling place.

“A Nun is robbed while fully dressed …” – KTLA TV

I’m sorry but this one just kills me. He of course finishes the sentence with “in a religious habit” but by then it’s just too late!

What I really like about this story is the story within the story. After the sister was robbed and later interviewed by the police for details, the officers decided to chip in to purchase Sister Mary a new purse, a scarf, and a gift card.

That earns them a free trip to heaven in my book.

* * *

Join the A Nun’s Life community for prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone). We’ll be keeping Sister Mary, her sisters, and the officers in our prayers. Right after prayer we’ll have our very first ever Food Podcast on the topic of Thanksgiving food, meal prayers, recipes, music, and more!

It’s like something out of a comic book — Nuns spy evil-wrongdoing in a quiet village and mobilize forces (“Wonder Twin powers ACTIVATE! Form of a holy vigilant!”) to swoop down from the heavens and accost said perpetrator to restore peace and tranquility to the land. “Hail, Sister Mary!!” shout the peasant people as the nuns drop the befuddled criminal at the doorstep of the jail.

I’m referring to the recent “quality” news reporting about two Catholic sisters who helped police catch a crook. Let me first say that I applaud and admire Sister Catarina da Silva, OSF, and Sister Connie Boulch, OSF, both Sisters of Saint Francis of the Holy Eucharist in Independence, Missouri. And yes, Mr. and Ms. Media Person, they have names. But don’t let a person’s name get in the way of reporting the facts of a nun running down a gun-toting madman.

Where was I? Oh yes, Sisters Catarina and Connie are awesome. They saw trouble and responded. My beef is not with them. Not at all. My beef is with those members of the media (not all!) who feel compelled to trivialize and belittle the lives of my Sisters so that they can link together as many ridiculous nun clichés as possible.

“Thou shalt not steal — especially within sight of a convent.” [Ironically the very next commandment is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor."]

“You can call it an act of God, or divine intervention. But, whatever you call it, one thing is clear: you don’t mess with nuns from the Sisters of Saint Francis.” [You can add to your list a blogging nun who finds this kind of reporting ridiculous and offensive.]

Sister Connie soon realized the man was not on a mission from God…. Not a man of the cloth, but a gun toting, tool wielding suspect who police think is responsible for two other burglaries in the area.” [It's just wrong, so wrong.]

And it doesn’t stop there. Bloggers and other social media folks have picked up on the story and had their fun. One blogger commented on the story next to which he posted a photo of a woman in sexy nun attire. Degrading on so many levels.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not adverse to a little good-natured fun with nuns. But much of this kind of reporting/writing dehumanizes the women who are nuns … reduces them to a laughable caricature, an object with no name, no dignity, no human agency. It makes me very sad to see people treated that way.

Enough of that. Let me tell you the real story — which some reporters did well at communicating, though others had it so buried in clichés that it was difficult to take seriously.

“He could have harmed us and he didn’t. Instead he chose to run, that tells me something about this young man,” said Sister Connie. (Fox News)

We’re in the business of saving souls,” said Sister Connie of the Sisters of St. Francis. “We’re not in the business of stopping crime.” … Sister Connie admits that the story is unusual and a bit humorous, but she says it’s also serious because it involves a young man who she and the rest of the sisters pray turns his life around. (Fox News)

“I will pray that his life changes so that he doesn’t come to the point when he needs to steal or he needs to break into people’s houses,” Sister Connie said. (Kansas City Star)

That, my friends, is the heart of the story. Two courageous women named Sister Catarina da Silva and Sister Connie Boulch who step up to the plate and act to protect the local community and to reach out to a troubled teenager. Two women who humbly but confidently redirect the cameras from themselves to the well-being of a young man named Cory whose dignity they did not forget. Two women who have the strength to challenge wrong-doing and the grace to believe in redemption.

I received an email from an A Nun’s Life reader alerting me to TIME Magazine’s finalists for the list of 100 most influential people of 2009. You can vote online for your top pick. Among the list of “leaders, artists, entrepreneurs and thinkers” is Sister Mary Scullion, RSM, a Sister of Mercy who ministers on behalf of homeless people in Philadelphia. According to the TIME profile on her, “over 95 percent of those who cycle through her Project H.O.M.E. program have never again been forced to live on the streets, a success rate which has made the program a model for dozens of other U.S. cities.”

It’s awesome that TIME is featuring a Catholic sister on their list of influential people. I’m proud of Sister Mary for the work she is doing and for representing nuns and the awesome work that nuns do throughout the world — from the cloister to corporate office to impoverished villages.

Check out TIME’s list and be sure to vote for Sister Mary!

VOTE NOW

I’m sure that rocker Jon Bon Jovi voted for Sister Mary!

For more info on Sister Mary, check out the Project H.O.M.E. website as well as various media coverage.

• Philadelphia Inquirer – Ask Sister Mary Scullion – Sister Mary questions about homelessness (February 26, 2008)
• Philadelphia Magazine – The Good Generation – Jon Bon Jovi and Project H.O.M.E. (December 2007)
• NBC News – Philly nun aims to end homelessness: Organization she founded has already cut homeless population in half (November 16, 2005)
• MSNBC The Daily Nightly – More About Sister Mary (November 15, 2005)