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.

Question from Shana …

Can nuns be visual artists? I’m studying art and minoring in education right now. I don’t really plan on becoming a nun because I want a husband but then again religious life has some appeal to me. I’m really interested in theology and in using art to redeem culture, my faith is very central to me. Also, my favorite subjects for art are people, so I like portraiture and figurative stuff. Would nuns/ sisters not be able to work from nude models? Do you know of any artists who are nuns? Nuns are awesome.

Thank you and God bless you!

Hi Shana! Thanks for writing. Yes, nuns can be visual artists and pretty much any other kind of artist they want! God gives us all wonderful gifts and whatever state of life we choose (single, married, religious) we are to use the gifts God gave us. I love what you write about art and theology — I’ve done some work in my own theology around art and visual expression. I also took a fine arts class a few years ago in which we had a nude model. Nuns, especially nuns who are artists in whatever medium, have a great appreciation for beauty and that includes the human body. Have you ever seen Sister Wendy Beckett discuss art masterpieces that reveal the human body? She deals with it quite naturally. (See an archived article from the LA Times that addresses this.)

I know a ton of nuns who are artists, many of which are in my own congregation. Here are a few off the top of my head:

• Sister Nancy Lee Smith, IHM (my nun) an Iconographer, painter, and photographer at Saint Joseph Studio
• Sister Doris Klein, CSA (Sister of Saint Agnes) watercolor
• Sister Helen David Brancato, IHM (Scranton) oil, acrylic

Also there’s a fascinating book about medieval nuns as artists … Nuns as Artists: The Visual Culture of a Medieval Convent by Jeffrey F. Hamburger. Check it out!

Who are other Catholic nun visual artists that you know?