A Nun's Life » podcast episode

AS100 Ask Sister – Highlights of fav shows in honor of 100th Ask Sister episode, World Day for Consecrated Life, GPS rosary for finding religious life, vow of obedience vs. doormat

Sister Maxine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:10:14 +0000

AS100 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on February 2, 2012. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Highlights in honor of 100th episode, World Day for Consecrated Life, GPS rosary for religious life, vow of obedience vs. doormat, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

In honor of the 100th episode of Ask Sister, audio clips of some of our favorite shows: tin-can podcast #1, Chloe the Convent Cat, putting the “man” in “mantilla,” and the sisters’ best jokes.
World Day for Consecrated Life–an opportunity to celebrate God’s calling in our lives.
The Rosary as a GPS for finding one’s way to religious life.
The Rosary as a Marian devotion, and the role of Mary in our lives and in the tradition of religious life.
Fond memories of the glow-in-the-dark Rosary.
How does one live out the vow of obedience, without falling into the unhealthy habit of being a doormat? The ups and downs of obedience not just for sisters but for all Christians!

Do you have a question for us? Contact us http://anunslife.org/contact/and, using your computer, record your question on voice mail. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS099 Ask Sister – Mass fracas over word changes in liturgy, unruly use of church rules, where to find a spiritual mentor, does God have plans for the world

Sister Maxine — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:08:55 +0000

AS099 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 19, 2012. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Mass fracas over word changes in liturgy, unruly use of church rules, finding a spiritual mentor, does God have plans for the world, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Why are some people vehemently upset about the changes to the Mass? Jesus is still Jesus in the Eucharist — isn’t that why we go to Mass anyway?
Can I be a sister if I am not a conservative Catholic (or in other words, have a problem with strict applying of rules in the church)?
Where to find a spiritual mentor when it seems there’s not one anywhere nearby.
What are God’s plans for today’s world?

AS098 Ask Sister – the difference between penance and sacrifice, speechless God, is grief a rejection of faith

The Nuns — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:44:24 +0000

AS098 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 12, 2012. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: the difference between penance and sacrifice, speechless God, is grief a rejection of faith, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is the difference between penance and sacrifice?
Austerities and asceticism
I don’t feel like God is telling me much. Am I going to hear a voice one day before graduation telling me to go to a convent? Or is saying “I want to go to college and study anthropology” sufficient?
Measuring up to the holiness of friends and other people.
My mother died recently and I’m very sad. But some of my bible study friends say, “She’s in heaven with God now and you should be happy about that.” Is my sadness somehow a rejection of my faith?

AS097 Ask Sister – Travel troubles for road nun, Christian feminists-do they really exist, building the kingdom of God locally

The Nuns — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:06:40 +0000

AS097 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 5, 2012. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: travel troubles for road nun, Christian feminists – do they really exist?, building the kingdom of God locally and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What happens when a nun is traveling and runs into really bad weather? Is prayer her only option?
What does it mean to be a Christian feminist?
What does it mean to build the kingdom of God? How can we do that locally?

AS096 Ask Sister – run-ins with the Blessed Virgin Mary, hanging on to pre-Vatican II stuff, adopt-a-nun, and more

The Nuns — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:31:46 +0000

S096 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 29, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: run-ins with the Blessed Virgin Mary, hanging on to pre-Vatican II stuff, adopt-a-nun, how to know and respond when God is calling, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

I’m not Catholic but have had a few run-ins with the Blessed Virgin Mary. What could this possibly mean?
Is it wrong to hang onto pre-Vatican II understandings and expressions of the faith? Of religious life?
I’d love to spiritually adopt a nun. How to I go about doing so?
How do you know if God is calling you to something, and what can you do about it?

Do you have a question for us? Contact us http://anunslife.org/contact/and, using your computer, record your question on voice mail. Be sure to give us your first name and city from which you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS095 Ask Sister – the nature of grace, renouncing things one never had, nunly vows, my church NO my church!

The Nuns — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:37:45 +0000

AS095 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 8, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: nature and theology of grace, renouncing things one never had, nun vows, the Trinity as two men and a hen?, my church NO my church!, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What exactly is grace? Is it like The Force or getting a shot of Red Bull?
How does grace lead to freedom?
Two men and a hen — A new image for the Trinity?
Can a person renounce something if they’ve never had it? e.g., can I give up sex if I’ve never even had a romantic relationship?
Aren’t the vows about renouncing things?
Whose church is it, anyway? Is the Church my church, your church, God’s church, or our church?
A Sister is interviewed on CBS News regarding the Apostolic Visitation and sisters’ responses

Do you have a question for us? Contact us http://anunslife.org/contact/ and, using your computer, record your question on voice mail. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS094 Ask Sister – nun hairstyles, a question of morals, debunking nun myths for your friends, nuns for 4-year-old, weird detours

The Nuns — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:18:40 +0000

AS094 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 30, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: nun hairstyles, a question of morals, debunking nun myths for your friends, explaining nuns to a 4-year-old child, weird detours, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

A novelist wants to know what’s under the veil for sisters circa 1960: hair or no hair?
A listener asks if there are moral qualifications to be a nun. We’ll expand the convo to talk about moral qualifications for vocations of all types.
What to tell friends about nuns and virginity, nuns and trust funds, and nuns who are parents.
Can sisters and nuns keep assets and inheritances when they enter religious life?
Do nuns get an allowance or stipend?
A mom wonders how to explain what nuns are to her four-year-old.
Are weird detours part of God’s plan?

AS091 Ask Sister – novelist needs info for nunfiction, hanging up on a call from God, how nuns pray, submissiveness, unholy spirits, gay saints

The Nuns — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:35:06 +0000

AS091 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 9, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: novelist needs info for nunfiction, hanging up on a call from God, how nuns pray, submissiveness, unholy spirits, gay saints

Click PLAY below or right-click here to download the MP3.
Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

A novelist is looking for info for a new work of nunfiction
Hanging up on a call from God? What happens when a nun leaves religious life?
A rosary a day? How nuns pray.
What is submissiveness?
Unholy spirits and what to do about them
Are there any gay saints?

Do you have a question for us? Using your computer, record your question on voice mail. It’s easy to do! Just click this Record link to get started! Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

Two saints walked into a bar…. LOL for a healthy spiritual life

Sister Maxine — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:25:22 +0000

Idon’t know if saints ever did stand-up comedy, or if the Scripture writers ever LOL’d at what they wrote. But they do show us that there’s a connection between faith, humor, happiness and transformation. It’s what Father James Martin writes about in his new book Between Heaven and Mirth.

Sister Julie and I are delighted that Father Martin will join us for a live podcast on All Saints Day! It’s part of our very first A Nun’s Life Fun!raiser. We’ll talk with him about saints and the role of humor in the spiritual life. Join us in the live chat room during the podcast, which begins at 2 pm Central, to ask questions and share your best spiritual humor! Check out the sidebar to the right for more info about events during the Fun!raiser!

In the meantime, if you need a spiritual boost, check out this video clip of Father Martin sharing a joke with journalist Sally Quinn.

We hope you can join us for the podcast with Father Martin and for other fun and one-of-a-kind events during our nine-day Fun!raiser. A Nun’s Life Ministry relies on gifts from readers and listeners like you, who make these podcasts and this ministry possible. We encourage you to support this ministry that strives to promote religious life and to encourage people in living their calling. Please consider a one-time gift or a monthly gift to support the ministry. Thank you!

AS089 Ask Sister – do family duties trump religious life, schnauzer in the convent, Mrs. Sister, so many choices–how to decide which religious order to enter

The Nuns — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:37:39 +0000

Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 27, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: do family duties trump religious life, schnauzer in the convent, Mrs. Sister, so many choices–how to decide which religious order to enter

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Family duties vs. the call to religious life — which takes priority?
Can pets come too when a person enters religious life? Dilemma of the mini-schnauzer.
Have you heard of any movement that advocates sisters being allowed to marry?
I would like to become a sister. Now the problem is, which congregation? The more I search, the more I get confused.

AS088 Ask Sister – Sister Godmother, faithful – or not – to the magisterium, tithing, embracing a vocation

Sister Maxine — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:50:30 +0000

AS088 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 13, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Sister Godmother, faithful-or not-to the magisterium, tithing when the collection plate passes you by, what it means to embrace a vocation.

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can a nun be a godmother, and vice versa?
I’ve heard the phrase “faithful to the magisterium.” What does it mean to be faithful–or not–to the magisterium? If not, is that a fast-track to excommunication?
Is it okay to give my weekly church donation to other charitable organizations? Is it still considered tithing to the church?
How does a person embrace a vocation?

AS087 Ask Sister – the meaning of the word virgin, the prequel to a nun’s life, what’s up with Martha and Mary (Lk 10), finding God, speed-dialing for the Divine

Sister Maxine — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:13:53 +0000

AS087 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 6, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: the meaning of the word virgin, the prequel to a nun’s life, what’s up with Martha and Mary (Luke 10), finding God, speed-dialing for the Divine

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What does the word “virgin” mean in religious life?
Are nuns supposed to act like nothing in their “non-nun” life existed? Are you allowed to talk about funny stories from your childhood?
Scripture Soundings: What’s the scoop on Martha and Mary? Jesus serves up some surprising words. (Luke 10: 38-42)
Developing a relationship with God
Speed-dialing for God

AS086 Ask Sister – nun and reverend? balancing Facebook and life, battling demons and giants, prayers for discernment

The Nuns — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:40:04 +0000

AS086 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 29, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Sister and Reverend Lynne Smith talks about her vocation, balancing Facebook and life, battling demons and giants, prayers for discernment

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

A NUN AND AN ORDAINED MINISTER AT THE SAME TIME: The Sisters chat with Sister Lynne about her vocation.
SEEKING BALANCE: I often feel like technology takes over my life. I don’t know what a good balance is to use Facebook and stay in touch with old friends and also maybe become a witness to them but at the same time. So if you can help me figure out a balance as to how long to keep facebook – should you keep it up to the point that you’re going to leave for your community? Or should you cut yourself off completely right before? I’m not sure. Your help would be appreciated!
TANGLE WITH OR RUN FROM DEMONS?: Is it helpful for us to make a “one-time”, “fix-all” decision (e.g., never to open a refrigerator door again because we are afraid we’ll indulge too much) because it then saves us from having to repeatedly battle the same giant? Or do we do ourselves a disservice by not tangling with the giant head-to-head (e.g., like learning to be better disciplined or finding different strategies for coping)?
PRAYER FOR DISCERNMENT: I am still discerning to become a hermit or sister. Do you know a prayer to enlighten me regarding my vocation?

Do you have a question for us? Visit http://anunslife.org/contact/and leave a message for us. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS085 Ask Sister – telling college buddies you might join the nuns, cosmetology in the convent, saints for extreme sports, bible snakes, can you be a nun if…

The Nuns — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:28:23 +0000

AS085 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 22, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: telling college buddies you might join the nuns, cosmetology in the convent, saints for extreme sports, bible snakes, can you be a nun if…

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How to tell your college buddies that you’re thinking of joining the nuns
Does God call professional hair stylists to religious life?
I’m into extreme sports. Do you know of any saints that could relate to being in high risk situations for something they love?
Scripture Soundings: Moses and the bronze serpent (oh, we got snakes)
Can you be a nun if….? Questions about what it takes to be a nun.

Do you have a question for us? Visit our new portress Sister Mary Evoca http://anunslife.org/contact/and leave a message for us. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS084 Ask Sister – The Nun’s Story movie vs. real nuns stories, can you become a nun if you have health issues, can techies be nuns too, and more

The Nuns — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:31:51 +0000

AS084 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 14, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: The Nun’s Story movie versus real life nun stories, can you become a nun if you have health issues, can techies be nuns too, and more!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How accurate is “The Nun’s Story” movie with Audrey Hepburn when compared to actual nun life? Sr. Helena Burns, movie critic, joins the nuns to weigh in on the question.
Can you become a nun if you’ve got a few medical issues?
What if you’re a techie, not a teacher or nurse or writer — can you still become a nun?

AS083 Ask Sister – God a tempter?!, seeking God, The Mighty Macs movie, name-calling nuns, and more

The Nuns — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:17:22 +0000

AS083 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 8, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: God a tempter?!, seeking God, The Mighty Macs movie, name-calling nuns, and more!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Isaiah writes, “Seek God, while God may be found. Call to God, while God is near” (55:6). Does that mean that sometimes God can’t be found or isn’t present to us?
Would God really lead us into temptation as Jesus’ prayer seems to suggest: “Lead us not into temptation”?
Nuns and basketball, really?? The Sisters talk about the new movie The Mighty Macs coming to theaters in October (the movie features our IHM cousins the Immaculata IHM Sisters)
What do sisters call each other when they’re not in public? (No need to turn down the volume if young children are in the room…)

AS082 Ask Sister – is it true that “many are called but few are chosen,” what’s a “charism,” young adults reflect on vocations, tweeting for vocations, and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:23:09 +0000

AS082 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 1, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: unpacking scripture on called v. chosen, understanding charism, young adults on vocation, vocation seminar learnings and surprises, and more!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What’s with the passage “many are called, but few are chosen”? Would God call you, then not choose you?
Religious congregations talk a lot about their “charism.” What does that mean?
Reflections on “calling” and “vocation” from young adults at World Youth Day, Madrid, Spain.
Tweeting for vocations?! The nuns talk about the J.S. Paluch Vocations Seminar they attended earlier this week in Chicago, on the topic of social media.

AS081 Ask Sister – online ordination, life of prayer, ups and downs of entering religious life, married and called to religious life,The Sound of Music

The Nuns — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:12:26 +0000

AS081 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on August 25,2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: online ordination, life of prayer, ups and downs of entering religious life, married and called to religious life,and The Sound of Music.

Here are some of the topics we address in this Ask Sister podcast:

Are online ordination certificates legit in the eyes of the Catholic Church?
I’ve heard it said that “our lives are a prayer” — what does this mean and is it different from “a life of prayer”?
What happens when an individual and a religious community part ways before final profession of vows? Is it a mutual agreement, or a unilateral decision?
Happily married but feeling called to religious life — how can that be and what to do about it?
A listener asks the nuns to give their take on the classic nun movie, The Sound of Music.

Nuns in Spain Day 2: The nuns broadcast live from World Youth Day in Madrid!

The Nuns — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:17:27 +0000

Hola! We arrived in Madrid yesterday, and already the city is filled with young Catholics celebrating their faith! In our first live broadcast from Madrid yesterday, we talked about the sights and sounds of World Youth Day. Check out the video below! Join us again this evening at 3 p,m. Central Time (U.S.) / 10 pm Madrid Time for another live broadcast!

For other info on the nuns at World Youth Day, check out our Facebook page and sign up for our eNewsletter!

AS080 Ask Sister – Internet Mass, veil or no veil for church women, oblates and associates and how they’re different, the kindom of God

The Nuns — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:51:01 +0000

AS080 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on August 4, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Internet Mass, veil or no veil for church women, the difference between oblates and associates, the kindom of God, and more!

Does watching the Mass on the Internet meet my obligation as a Catholic of attending Mass every week?
What you think of the veil/no veil issue for women in church?
What is the difference between an oblate and an associate?
Do you hope for the perfection of the Kindom of God, whereby we will receive celestial bodies without defect and the removal of sin, disease and famine for God’s children?

Do you have a question for us? Visit our new portress Sister Mary Evoca http://anunslife.org/contact/ and leave a message for us. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS063 Ask Sister – Live from the Motherhouse! The nuns talk about the daily Examen prayer, God and free will, different notions of vocation, feeling unconnected to God and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:50:13 +0000

Welcome to a special ENCORE PRESENTATION of Ask Sister podcast. The nuns are in nunly meetings all week but wanted to be sure you still had an opportunity to listen to an Ask Sister podcast. This is one of our favorite ones with special guest Sister Kathie Budesky, IHM, the director of Visitation North Spirituality Center.

As you listen to this podcast, jot down your questions and insights and then head on over to the A Nun’s Life Community Forum and start a conversation! Go for it!

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

In this podcast episode, we chatted about the “Examen Prayer”, God and free will, the difference between vowed religious vocations and ‘non-vowed religious vocations’, and what to do when you don’t feel connected with God.

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

AS079 Ask Sister – bible books aplenty, dropping “sisters” from liturgical language, control freaks and God

The Nuns — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:32:35 +0000

AS079 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 21, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: bible books aplenty, dropping “sisters” from liturgical language, control freaks and God, and more!

I came across an older bible recently. It has more books than one I recently bought, e.g. the book of Enoch. Why are these bibles different?
Do you find yourself allowing God to direct your ministry and life or do you need complete control over such matters?
Why do some churches omit “and sisters” from parts of the Mass such as the penitential rite which says, “and you, my brothers and sisters”?

AS078 Ask Sister – engineering nuns, total consecration, when the saints go marching off the General Roman Calendar, and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:13:06 +0000

AS078 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 14, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: engineering nuns, total consecration, when the saints go marching off the General Roman Calendar, and more!

Here are some of the topics we address in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can I use my engineering skills as a sister? What kinds of ministries could I be involved in?
What does “total consecration” mean theologically and how does it fit into a person’s daily faith life?
Who in the Catholic Church decides if a saint like Christopher or a “place” like limbo no longer exists? How do they decide?

AS077 Ask Sister-Special Edition. The sisters’ fav Catholic jokes; discerning religious life; origins of A Nun’s Life Ministry; why stay Catholic; and more!

The Nuns — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:17:26 +0000

AS077 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 1, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: The sisters fav Catholic jokes; discerning religious life; origins of A Nuns Life Ministry; why stay Catholic; and more!

Here are some of the topics we address in this Ask Sister podcast:

Guest host Regina Heater interviews the sisters about their experience of discernment
The sisters’ favorite Catholic jokes
What was the sisters’ “pre-nun” life like?
How did A Nun’s Life Ministry begin, and what’s ahead
Adventures of A Nun’s Life
Why Catholic, why now?

Do you have a question for us? Visit our new portress Sister Mary Evoca http://anunslife.org/contact/and leave a message for us. Be sure to give us your first name and city from which you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS076 Ask Sister – going on retreat, detachment from (YIKES) gadgets, nun-fiction writer seeks authentic religious life, and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:39:47 +0000

AS076 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 23, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: going on retreat, detachment from (YIKES) gadgets, nun-fiction writer seeks authentic religious life, and more!

Here are some of the topics we address in this Ask Sister podcast:

I want to go on retreat. Where would I go and what should I expect?
Could you talk about what detachment from material things means? I’m thinking about religious life, and I’m scared about giving up my things especially my gadgets!
Another novelist contacts the nuns! The author wants to authentically portray a modern-day nun for her sitcom-esque story. Help the nuns in their advice for the story.

AS075 Ask Sister – college grad talks about volunteering for a year; recognizing God at work in daily life; called to be a nun or doctor (or both?) and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:41:05 +0000

AS075 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 16, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: college grad talks about volunteering for a year, recognizing God at work in daily life, called to be a nun or doctor (or both?), and more!

Here are some of the topics we address in this Ask Sister podcast:

How to recognize God at work our daily lives — putting on our God goggles
Should I become a doctor or a nun or can I do both?
SPECIAL ON-AIR GUEST: Eilis talks about volunteering for a year and living the three pillars of service, community, and spirituality. We talk with her about the Franciscan Community Volunteers, helping refugees resettle in the U.S., how it has affected her faith, and more!

AS074 Ask Sister – testing God, praying for safety in risky situations, religious medallions, psalm selections, does prayer really work

Sister Julie — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:13:33 +0000

AS074 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 9, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: testing God, praying for safety in risky situations, religious medallions, psalm selections, does prayer really work.

Does participating in something inherently risky, like bike racing, equate to “testing” God?
A lot of bike racers have religious medallions. My Mom also puts guardian angel pins in my car. Do medallions actually do anything?
Does prayer really work? How can you tell?
How does the church pick which verses of a psalm to use?
What does it mean to test your “readiness” for a vocation?

AS073 Ask Sister –God and suffering, does the bible prohibit women from teaching the faith, romance-mystery novelist returns, lessons from the rapture

The Nuns — Thu, 26 May 2011 10:12:43 +0000

AS073 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 26, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: does the bible prohibit women from teaching the faith, God and suffering, romance-mystery novelist returns, lessons from the rapture.

What is your take on why God allows suffering?
Our romance-mystery-suspense novelist returns with more questions about her nun character (and assures us that the nun won’t get bumped off … yet)
Does the bible say that women shouldn’t teach the faith? Which verses do that, and how should we interpret them?
Rapture update: what have we learned?

AS072 Ask Sister – surfing Madonna, purgatory discovery, why Jesus was baptized, dealing with mockers and naysayers, and more!

The Nuns — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:04:02 +0000

AS072 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 19, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: the surfing Madonna, purgatory discovery, why Jesus was baptized, dealing with mockers and naysayers, and more!

How to deal with people who mock your life and the choices you’ve made
Is it a myth or legend or truth that Saint Patrick discovered Purgatory?
Why Jesus was baptized
An apparition of Mary that’s causing waves in one California town
Up for discussion: “The more someone is present on the internet, the less they are present in real life.”

AS071 Ask Sister – Lady Gaga and Judas, blessed and cursed, dieting and Eucharist, and more!

The Nuns — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:13:39 +0000

AS071 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 11, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Lady Gaga and Judas, blessed and cursed, dieting and Eucharist, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What’s your take on Lady Gaga’s music video “Judas”?
Biblical imagery in Lady Gaga’s “Judas”
If we are blessed by God when things go well, does that mean we’re cursed by God if things aren’t going well?
Rohald Rolheiser’s and “blessed consciousness”
Update on Lenten fasting by a province of Felician sisters
Dieting and the Eucharist

AS070 Ask Sister – feeling okay about filioque, Anglican Ninja Nuns, living community, following in a religious brother’s footsteps

Sister Maxine — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:39:13 +0000

AS070 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 4, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: feeling okay about the filioque, Ninja Nuns, living community, following in a religious brother’s footsteps. A surprise guest joins the nuns!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What’s up with the two Anglican Nuns at the Royal Wedding? Is the taller one really a ninja?
Please explain the filioque and how the trinitarian relationship has implications for our daily life.
How do ideas about the filioque relate to generosity and kindness?
What has been your biggest struggle and/or benefit from living in community?
Living in community, and living community
Is God really calling me to be a religious sister or could it just be because my brother is a religious brother and I want to follow in his footsteps?

AS069 Ask Sister – what good are nuns? Dial 666 for Devil, younger nuns v. older nuns, a romance-suspense novelists consults the nuns, the Great Schism of the East and West

The Nuns — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:23:30 +0000

AS069 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 28, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: what are nuns good for? Dial 666 for Devil, nun generations, romance-thriller novelist consults the nuns, Great Schism of East and West and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is there a generation gap in orders of women religious? Do the older nuns ‘think’ different from the younger ones? or does ‘community’ transcend that type of thing?”
We wanted to know what religions nuns are for. [Nun Note: So many ways to take this question but we'll do our best tackling it from all sides!]
What’s the deal with 666? Is it really a sign of the devil? Should we be concerned when it pops up? [For more on hell-related items, descend to the depths of our blog and read Free Trip to Hell]
Could you talk about what the Great Schism of the East and West is?
A romance-thriller-suspense novelist asks for help with the character development of a young woman who may be thinking about joining a religious community.

AS068 Ask Sister – making your own scapular, opposing human trafficking, becoming a nun, the Stations of the Cross

Sister Maxine — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:34:24 +0000

AS068 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 15, 2011, at the Motherhouse of the Racine Dominicans. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org Ministry. Topics include: making your own scapular, opposing human trafficking, becoming a nun, the Stations of the Cross.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can you make your own scapular?
How can scapulars be blessed, and what does the blessing do?
Do the Racine Dominican sisters have associates, and if so, what is associate life like?
The call to social justice–how the Racine Dominicans and other sisters are working against human trafficking?
Ways to pray the Stations of the Cross, including an app for your smart phone!

AS067 Ask Sister – leveraging nunly shareholder power, obedience and authority, associate commitments, marriage, and more!

The Nuns — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:18:23 +0000

AS067 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 8, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org Ministry. Topics include: leveraging nunly shareholder powers for good, obedience and authority, associate commitments, marriage, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can spouses release one another from marriage vows in order to enter religious life?
What does it mean to make a commitment or covenant as an Associate of a religious community? What would such a commitment look like?
The vow of obedience as it relates to authority and how the vow affects a Catholic sister or nun in daily life (for context, see our last episode AS066 Ask Sister)
Plus the Sisters talk about nuns in the boardroom and how congregations are leveraging their shareholder powers for good

AS066 Ask Sister – trash-talkin nuns, felonies, divorce and annulment, obedience, and bathtub Marys

The Nuns — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:46:15 +0000

AS066 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 1, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org Ministry. Topics include: trash-talkin nuns, questions about becoming a religious after having been in prison or divorced, the vow of obedience, bathtub Marys, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is the converse of the vow of obedience? Is that a struggle for you in everyday life?
Is a divorced person whose ex-husband dies free to become a nun?
The sisters consider a new podcast series … Trash-Talkin’ Nuns
Is it possible to enter a religious community after been a felon?
What’s the deal with bathtub Marys?

AS065 Ask Sister – psychics and nuns, meditating on Scripture, sisters in the parish, “Celibacy in the City” tv show (not…), meet Sister Mary Evoca

Sister Maxine — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:31:45 +0000

AS065 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 25, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org Ministry. Topics include: psychics and nuns, meditating on Scripture, sisters in the parish, Celibacy in the City TV show?, meet Sister Mary Evoca, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

I visited a psychic who told me to go to nuns for direction. Help!
What does it mean to meditate over (or on) scripture?
What is the role of Catholic sisters and nuns in parish life?
What’s up with that new recording gizmo on aNunsLife.org/contact (aka our new portress Sr. Mary Evoca)
Celibacy is CRAZY! Can anyone really live that way?

AS064 Ask Sister – confession and reconciliation, chapel veils, Lent, a real nun on the set of Sister Act II, and more!

Sister Maxine — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:42:25 +0000

AS064 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 18, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Julianna Vagnozzi, CSSF. Topics include: confession and reconciliation, chapel veils, Lent, a real nun on the set of Sister Act II, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

New Protestant religious order seeks advice on habits.
What’s up with chapel veils and mantillas in church — too old-school, sign of respect, gender stereotyping?
Confession and reconcilation
Do habits “cause” vocations?
Lenten solidarity with people who are poor
A real sister gets into the act in the movie Sister Act II

Do you have a question for us? Visit “Sister Mary Evoca” at http://anunslife.org/contact and record your question or comments for us and the A Nun’s Life Community. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS063 Ask Sister – Live from the Motherhouse! The nuns talk about the daily Examen prayer, God and free will, different notions of vocation, feeling unconnected to God and more!

The Nuns — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:31:36 +0000

AS063 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 11, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Kathie Budesky. Topics include: the daily Examen prayer, God and free will, different notions of vocation, feeling unconnected to God, and more!

This episode was broadcast live from the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan, with an in-house audience! Sister Kathie Budesky, IHM, the director of Visitation North Spirituality Center, joined Sister Maxine and Sister Julie on air.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can you talk more about the “Examen Prayer”? What is it? How do you use it/apply it?
How do we make sense of God and free will?
What is the difference between vowed religious vocations and ‘non-vowed religious vocations’?
What do you do when you don’t feel connected with God as usual?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS062 Ask Sister – live from the University of Notre Dame, with questions about common v. personal prayer, spiritual poverty, preparing for Lent, ways to pray, and prayer and healing

The Nuns — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:36:41 +0000

AS062 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 4, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: common v. personal prayer, spiritual poverty, preparing for Lent, ways to pray, and prayer and healing.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is there a dynamic in community prayer that you cannot get from praying on your own?
What is spiritual poverty? Should I run from it or embrace it?
With Lent approaching, how do you plan to honor the season?
The nuns’ favorite ways to pray
Does prayer promote healing?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS061 Ask Sister – cathedral v. basilica, dealing with depression, the basics on Catholic prayers and practices, encountering less-than-nice vocation/formation personnel

The Nuns — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:34:07 +0000

AS061 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on February 25, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: cathedral v. basilica, dealing with depression, the basics on Catholic prayers, encountering less-than-nice vocation/formation personnel.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is the difference between a cathedral and a basilica?
Do nuns and sisters get depressed? Can prayer help?
Unpleasant encounters with vocation/formation personnel — should this be a determining factor in whether or not to enter religious life?
How to listen to Ask Sister in Spain…and other places around the world!
Is there a comprehensive resource for basic Catholic prayers and practices?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS060 Ask Sister – nuns in India, praying to Mary, missing God’s call, Saint Scholastica, and more!

The Nuns — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:49:20 +0000

AS060 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on February 11, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: praying to Mary, missing God’s call, nuns in India, Saint Scholastica, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Do Catholics pray to Mary? What is the Church’s teaching, especially in
light of 1 Timothy 2:5?
Finding Catholic sisters in India — be sure to check out our interview with Sister Sabitha
Can you become a nun if you have a child? (see also episode AS059 where Sister Hildegard talks about being a contemplative nun with grandchildren!)
Is it possible to miss God’s call? What do I do if I did?
Thoughts on Thursday’s feast of Saint Scholastica

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

DM006 Digital Ministry podcast featuring the Podcast Answer Man, Cliff Ravenscraft!

The Nuns — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:29:01 +0000

DM006 Digital Ministry with Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man, on techniques and technology around all things podcasting. Recorded live on February 10, 2011. Produced by aNunsLife.org ministry. Be inspired by technology, technique, and theology.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Guest: Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man

Cliff Ravenscraft is the founder of GSPN.TV and is a full-time podcast producer and consultant. Among his shows is Podcast Answer Man, a weekly broadcast on techniques and technology around all things podcasting!

Topic: The nuns talk with Cliff about podcasting, what it is, how to get started, tips and secrets to a successful podcast, and growing online community.

We welcome your questions for our guest. Please submit them using the comment box below or you can type them in the chat room during the live broadcast.

Show Notes

what is a podcast and podcast basics
The 11-step Checklist to Starting a Podcast in depth
how does a podcast compare to a blog?
what does an RSS feed have to do with a podcast
deciding to go from podcasting as a hobby to podcasting for a living
how do you make money as a podcaster?
gaining financial insight from Dave Ramsey
understanding podcasting and online community as a form of ministry
the influence of Leo LaPorte
the Generally Speaking Production Network – gspn.tv
growing online community
getting past the dreaded episode 7
crossing multiple genres (entertainment, tech help, spiritual, etc.) in a single brand and keeping consistent
do you need special equipment if you are starting out as an amateur?
how do you “structure” your daily “work” day when there’s so much to be done to produce a podcast?

Digital Ministry covers a mix of things covering techniques, technology, and theology in order to enhance one’s capacity to do ministry, to witness to the Gospel in every day life on the Internet. The show airs on the second Thursday of the month (today was an exception) from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central Time. Visit the Digital Ministry web page for more information including how to download this podcast after the live broadcast and our full podcast schedule.

AS059 Ask Sister – following God’s call to parenthood or nunhood or acting, asking “why me?” and being worthy of God’s call, choosing apostolic life or contemplative life

The Nuns — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:03:28 +0000

AS059 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on February 4, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Hildegard Pleva. Topics include: becoming a parent, nun, or actress, am I worthy of God’s calling?, apostolic or contemplative life, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How did you decide between being an apostolic sister or a contemplative nun?
I’m 23 and feel like something is missing, the sense of fulfillment and happiness. I feel God is calling me, but I wonder, “Why me? Am I worthy enough of God’s call?”
I am attracted to both being a religious and being a parent. This tug-of-war makes it difficult to listen to God’s voice, and I wonder if you have any advice for me.
My dream is to be an actress – acting makes me happy. But when I’m at church I feel at peace and hear a call to be a nun. Help!

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

Celebrating a snowy World Day for Consecrated Life!

Sister Maxine — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:44:29 +0000

Here in the Chicago area, we’re getting snow, snow, and more snow! Plus the winds are whipping around, so that when I look out the window, it’s like looking at a snow-globe that’s just been shaken. I’m not real fond of snow, but I love to engage with nature. So this morning, which BTW is World Day for Consecrated Life, I put on a ton of warm clothes and went outside with Sister Julie.

World Day for Consecrated Life was established in 1997. One of its purposes is to celebrate the ways that God works in and through the lives of consecrated women and men. Today, with the snow and wind swirling around us, Sister Julie and I celebrate our lives as religious and rejoice in the ministry of A Nun’s Life that the Spirit has breathed into being.

If there are religious sisters, brothers, priests or other consecrated persons who have been an important part of your life, we’d love to hear about them! Please share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Join the sisters and A Nun’s Life community at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE for Praying with the Sisters live podcast and chat.

AS058 Ask Sister – pooh-poohing a vocation, a matter of conscience, original sin and sex, sudden conversion, female Doctors of the Church

The Nuns — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:10:53 +0000

AS058 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 28, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: pooh-poohing a vocation, a matter of conscience, original sin and sex, sudden conversion, female Doctors of the Church, and more!

Special Guest: Sister Sarah Foster, RSM

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How do you talk to people who do not understand your calling (e.g., to religious life) or who react in negative ways?
Conscience. What is it? Is it formed by nature or nurture?
Is original sin all about sex? Is sex really sinful?
Why are there so few female Doctors of the Church?
Is it possible to have a sudden conversion and have it “stick”?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS057 Ask Sister – legit baptisms, stuff and the vow of poverty, novitiate reception ceremonies, online faith – is it enough?

The Nuns — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:09:32 +0000

AS057 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 21, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: legit baptisms, stuff and the vow of poverty, novitiate reception ceremonies, looking for faith on the Internet, commitment to God, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is baptism in other Christian traditions recognized by the Roman Catholic church?
When a person enters the religious life, what becomes of the person’s stuff?
What was your novitiate reception ceremony like? How did you plan it?
What are you thoughts on Christian websites with lots of inspirational articles, podcasts, etc. Is this a trend for future generations? Should people also incorporate an outreach such as attending a church service?
How do I as a layperson consistently dedicate my life to God?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling, and an email address in case we need to contact you. We’ll play your message and respond on the next Ask Sister podcast — your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS056 Ask Sister – worldly Benedictine monastics, godly anger, dilemma for a Catholic-Protestant couple, not feeling called

Sister Julie — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:57:37 +0000

AS056 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 14, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Benedictine monastics outside the monastery, godly anger, church-going dilemma for a Catholic-Protestant couple, not feeling called, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

I feel I have a vocation but recently I’ve felt “not called” anymore. Should I be worried?
How can Benedictines be considered monastics when so many of them work in the world? … Sister Christine Ereiser, OSB, responds
What would cause God to be angry with us? (from a discussion about Meribah)
Is it okay to be angry with God?
What are some healthy ways for a couple to attend church when one is Catholic and one is Protestant?
Plus, an update from the “nun-ordering-pizza” debate!

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

Digital Ministry webcast with Father Robert Barron

Sister Julie — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:42:07 +0000

DM005 Digital Ministry with Father Robert Barron on the theology of ministering online, how to proclaim the Gospel in a digital age. Recorded live on January 13, 2011. Produced by aNunsLife.org ministry. Be inspired by technology, technique, and theology.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Guest: Father Robert Barron

Father Robert Barron is a sought-after speaker on the spiritual life-from universities to YouTube to national conferences and private retreats. The Catholic theologian and podcasting priest is one of the world’s great and most innovative teachers of Catholicism. His global media ministry called Word On Fire has a simple but revolutionary mission – to evangelize the culture.

Topic: The sisters talk with Father Barron about WWJD? What would Jesus do given today’s digital technology and media? Does Scripture give us any clues on why or how we might use digital media for the sake of the Gospel? We discuss these topics and more on this episode of Digital Ministry.

Show Notes

Fr. Barron’s ministry at WordOnFire.org and teaching at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago
the variety of media that Fr. Barron uses to minister online
the importance of reading and studying theology and the faith before ministering online
using other people’s language to communicate the Gospel
talking about the Gospel to people who are unchurched, or unfamiliar with religion
like Jesus, hanging out in the “courtyard of the Gentiles,” a place where unbelievers can engage with the Catholic faith
YouTube and the Internet as a virtual Areopagus (cf: Saint Paul preaching in the Areopagus, Acts 17:16-34)
how ministering online affects one’s own prayer life
the influence of Fulton Sheen
the “YouTube heresies”
Father Robert’s reviews of the movies Gran Torino and True Grit
responding to people who show anger in their comments on YouTube or other websites
thoughts on WWJD — what would Jesus do in today’s digital world
themes from scripture that can encourage us in our online ministry
the spiritual needs of people online and adapting to them
balancing multiple ministry responsibilities and interacting online
and thoughts on what sermon Fr. Barron would ask Jesus to preach!

For more information, including upcoming guests and our full podcast schedule, visit the program page of Digital Ministry.

Continue the conversation day or night at the A Nun’s Life Community Forum and look for the topic “Digital Ministry Podcast Listeners.”

AS055 Ask Sister – nun eating habits, ordering pizza, cultivating mindfulness, making and breaking vows, four-week psalter

The Nuns — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:44:08 +0000

AS055 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 7, 2011. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include:nun eating habits, ordering pizza, cultivating mindfulness in daily life, making and breaking religious vows, the four-week psalter, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What vows do a nun take? What would happen to a nun if she broke one of her vows?
How can we live mindfulness, especially when we are always multitasking?
What are samples of your typical meals? are you allowed coffee?
Do nuns order pizza?
Why the variety in styles of dress across religious congregations?
What’s up with the four-week psalter and how do I know what week we’re in?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS054 Ask Sister – New Years Eve 2010 Edition

The Nuns — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:51:49 +0000

AS054 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 31, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: angels, nuns exchanging gifts, finding meaning in life, letting go of expectations and control, centering prayer ideas and tips, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

During this special edition broadcast, we discussed 3 of our favorite segments of 2010:

the spouse of Christ and other images to view our relationship with God (episode AS039)
Chloe the Convent Cat responds to a question about Mickey Mouse (episode AS032)
angels and choirs thereof (episode AS053)

We also addressed some of the questions in the book Nuns Having Fun such as:

What do you wear to bed?
Do you get to choose where you live?
What do you carry in your pockets?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS053 Ask Sister – angels, exchanging gifts, finding meaning in life, letting go of expectations and control, centering prayer

Sister Julie — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:27:51 +0000

AS053 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 17, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: angels, nuns exchanging gifts, finding meaning in life, letting go of expectations and control, centering prayer ideas and tips, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What are some of the Catholic views on angels and their role in God’s service?
I feel like there’s a distant meaning in life, but I don’t know if it’s religious or not. Could you shed some light?
Do nuns exchange gifts for family and friends at Christmas?
How can I let go of expectations and control when I am on the precipice of change?
Could you talk more about centering prayer, what it is different ways to do centering prayer, and any tips?
… and much, much more!

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS052 Ask Sister – military sister, what’s a convent?, knotted cords, down and unmotivated, why be Catholic?

The Nuns — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:07:37 +0000

AS052 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 10, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Donna Hart, IHM. Topics include: military sisters, convents defined, Franciscan knotted cord, down and unmotivated, why be Catholic?, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can Catholic sisters be in the military or national guard?
What makes a particular abode a “convent”?
How does one find the knotted cord that Franciscans wear?
I’m feeling down and have no motivation unless I become a nun. What do I do?
Why be Catholic if there other ways to get to heaven?
Do you find your lives particularly stressful? When you are stressed, what do you do? How do you cope with the unknown?

Today we’ll be joined by special guest Sister Donna Hart, IHM. We’ll ask Sister Donna about her life as a Catholic sister, and in particular what it was like to experience life as a sister before the Second Vatican Council, during the Council and now 40+ years later.

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS051 Ask Sister – awesome cool stuff v. vow of poverty, Roman Missal, tattoos, converts, prayer, transfer nuns

Sister Julie — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:32:50 +0000

AS051 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on December 3, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: cool stuff v. vow of poverty, understanding changes to Roman Missal, tattoos, converting and becoming a nun, prayer, transfer nuns, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What makes a particular abode a convent?
Can you bring your awesome cool stuff to the convent when you enter? What about the vow of poverty?
Why are there changes to the Roman Missal?
How long do you have to wait after you’ve converted to Catholicism to enter a religious community?
How do each of you pray?
Can nuns have tattoos?
Can sisters transfer from one order to another?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS050 Ask Sister – Special Edition: Thanksgiving

The Nuns — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:20:58 +0000

AS050 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 26, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Special Thanksgiving Edition. Topics include: festive meals, turkey sound effects, recipes, prayers, our favorite Thanksgiving stories, gratitude, and more!

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

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Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the recipes and stories mentioned in this special edition Ask Sister podcast:

Pumpkin Cheesecake from Suze

9″ or 10″ spring-form pan

Crust:
1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 27 or so cookies crushed fine)
5-6 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cool water
1 cup heavy cream
2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 – 16 oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For crust combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of the spring-form pan. Refrigerate for 15 or so minutes to set the crust.

For filling, in a one cup glass measuring cup, combine the unflavored gelatin with the cool water, let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Place the measuring cup into a small saucepan with an inch of boiling water, cook over medium heat until gelatin is dissolved (about a minute or so, don’t overcook). Remove the cup from pan and let cool.

Beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl beat the softened cream cheese and the sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and spices to the cream cheese, beating just until combined (I use a wooden spoon for this step). With the wooden spoon, stir in the softened gelatin until combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream just until incorporated, mixture will look a bit streaky that is ok. Refrigerate at least 4-6 hours or overnight. Sometimes I make pie crust shapes (cut outs of numbers for birthdays, leaves in the fall, a turkey at Thanksgiving and a snowman for Christmas, etc) to decorate the top. If you do this, bake the crust pieces then put onto the cheesecake just before serving.

Sweet Potato Pie from Suze

Single layer pie crust, uncooked. Cover the edges with foil for the first 20 minutes of baking so edges don’t get too brown then remove foil for remainder of baking time

1 cup boiled sweet potatoes, smashed with a potato masher to smoothness or riced if you are a purist (like my mom was)
1 cup sugar (I use only 1/2 cup)
2 beaten eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon, I like lots of cinnamon)
1/2 cup brown sugar (the dark brown sugar gives a nice color to the finished pie)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup broken pecan pieces

Mix the smashed sweet potatoes, sugar and eggs together. Add milk, flour and spices and blend all together. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, melted butter and pecan pieces together and set aside. Pour sweet potato mixture into unbaked the pie shell. Bake at 325 about 20-25 minutes (TOTAL baking time is 45 minutes or so, until the custard is set). When you remove the foil from the crust edge, sprinkle the top of the pie with the brown sugar, butter and pecan mixture then continue baking.

Let cool completely before cutting into the pie as this recipe is based on a chess pie so the pie will be a bit puffy when first out of the oven but settles into a simply delicious consistency.

Colcannon from Julia

Here’s a recipe that I like, called Colcannon (don’t ask me how to pronounce it). It’s an old Celtic way to make mashed potatoes, traditionally made by the Irish on All Saints day to predict the future of the children. For the divination: after the dish is ready, stir in a thimble (spinster), a ring (marriage), a button (bachelor), coin (wealth), and a cross (priest or nun). I’ve never done that game, but if you do, I recommend you sterilize the game pieces, and warn everyone to eat carefully.

4 cups mashed potato’s
2 1/2 cups cabbage, cooked and chopped fine
1/2 cup butter (avoid corn oil margarine as they will not add the needed body and flavor)
1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
3/4 cup onion, chopped very fine and sauteed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Saute onions (traditionalist’s saute in lard or grease, but butter is acceptable). Boil the potato’s and mash them (don’t use artificial potato flakes). Boil (or steam) the chopped cabbage

In a large pan place all the ingredients, except the cabbage, and cook over low heat while blending them together.

Turn the heat to medium and add the cabbage. The mixture will take on a pale green cast. Heat and serve.
(Serves eight.)

AS049 Ask Sister – no desire for a vocation, saints and symbols, two Saint Theresas, exercise habits, putting the holy in holiday

The Nuns — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:43:03 +0000

AS049 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 19, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: no desire for a vocation, saints and symbols, Therese of Lisieux and Teresa of Avila, exercise habits, putting the holy in holiday, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can you be called by God to a vocation that you don’t really want? NOTE: The article mentioned in the conversation is 4 Steps for Discernment and Decision-Making
In art and on holy cards, why are saints pictured with symbols?
Two Saint Theresa’s? How are they different?
Can nuns go swimming with their habit on? Horseback riding?
How do you put the “holy” in “holiday”?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS048 Ask Sister – images of God, dreaming about Jesus, discerning priesthood and/or romance, Blessed Mary v. Mary Magdalen, serving God in blue jeans

The Nuns — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 07:46:40 +0000

AS048 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 12, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: images of God, dreaming about Jesus, priesthood and/or romance, Blessed Mary v. Mary Magdalen, becoming Catholic, serving God in blue jeans!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

This is a special Ask Sister IHM Edition which was broadcast from the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan, before a live studio audience of IHM Sisters. In addition hosts Sisters Maxine and Julie were joined by their IHM Sisters Theresa Koernke and Angela Hibbard, both trained in theology and in liturgy.

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is it okay to be more of a “Mary Magdalen” than a “Blessed Mary,” that is, to be not quite so perfect, to serve God and still wear our blue jeans?
What is your image of God? Can we have more than one image of God? Do our images of God ever change?
Can you discern a calling to become a priest and have a romantic relationship simultaneously?
What does it mean if you have dreams about Jesus? And what do nuns dream about?
I’m on the fence about becoming Catholic. What should I do? What questions would be helpful for me to ask to help me figure out what to do?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS047 Ask Sister – Trent and the Second Vatican Council, growing in understanding God, a devil for loving?, joining a religious community in another country

Sister Julie — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:16:35 +0000

AS047 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on November 5, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Trent and Second Vatican Council, growing in understanding God, a devil for loving, joining a religious community in another country and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

I’m a guy in love and want to go out with girl who wants to be a nun, does that mean like I’m the devil or something?
Is it possible for someone discerning to be a nun to join a religious community in another country? How would this work?
Could you describe the Council of Trent in a nutshell and how it affected the church?
What do you think was the greatest positive impact that the Second Vatican Council had on the church?
What do you know now about God that you wish you’d known in the beginning?
What are somethings to consider before making a big life decision?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS046 Ask Sister – mother superiors, nun rings, sin and voting, solitude v. loneliness, being called to be a sister, having a Mass said for someone, prayer

Sister Julie — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:08:12 +0000

AS046 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 29, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: mother superiors, nun rings, sin and voting, solitude v. loneliness, called to be a nun, prayer and having a Mass said for someone, and more.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Who determines who will be the leader (sometimes called the President or Mother Superior) of a religious congregation?
Did Saint Francis of Assisi wear a wedding ring?
Can religious leaders attempt to influence voters by suggesting that voting for or against someone is “sinful”?
From a spiritual point of view, what is the difference between solitude and loneliness?
How do I know if I’m called to be a nun?
Did religious life change in the past 30 years?
Does your prayer change as you progress in religious life?
Can a person from one country join a religious community from another country?
What does it mean when a person asks you to say a Mass or have a Mass said for someone who is living or has died?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS045 Ask Sister – gifts for nuns, thoughts and God, the “right” religious community

The Nuns — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:57:12 +0000

AS045 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 22, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: philosophy and theology, gifts for nuns, God active in our thoughts, choosing a religious community, responding to the call of God, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can all these thoughts I’m having really be an invitation from God?
Which religious community is for me?
Why did you want to become a nun? Why did you choose IHM as you community?
What is an appropriate gift to a nun celebrating her diamond jubilee?
Why do some Catholics not like the philosophers Kant and Descartes?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS044 Ask Sister – recycled nun rings, spiritual detachment, rosaries, growing in prayer, and more!

Sister Julie — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:59:01 +0000

AS044 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 15, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Joyce Durosko, IHM. Topics include: recycled nun rings, spiritual detachment, how prayer changes and stays the same, rosaries, nuns, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Can you say more about the tradition of newly professed sisters receiving a “recycled” ring from a sister who has since pass away?
Other thoughts on nun jewelry?
What does detachment mean in a spiritual sense? Does it mean being detached from people or from things?
How has your prayer life stayed the same and changed over time?
Did you wear a wedding dress when you became a sister?
Plus Sister Joyce offers insight into her life as an IHM Sister and on discernment

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS043 Ask Sister – inclusive language, Catholic stance on gambling and bingo, nun titles, a right to life

Sister Julie — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:00:02 +0000

AS043 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on October 1, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: inclusive language and using male pronouns exclusively for God, Catholic stance on gambling and bingo, nun titles, a right to life, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Where does the Church stand with gambling such as betting on matches, playing poker, etc.? What about bingo?
What is “inclusive language” all about? What’s wrong with using all-male language in prayer?
What are the different titles that Catholic sisters and nuns use to refer to themselves and to their sisters in leadership positions?
The nuns talk about what it means to have a right to life. Backdrop: young people, bullying, outing of others, controlling others, taking care of ourselves–and others–in the midst of our relationships in school, family, online communities, etc.

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS042 Ask Sister – getting rid of loans, athletic asceticism, sport and God, nun uniform, high school nun project

Sister Julie — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:15:27 +0000

AS042 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 17, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guest: Sister Connie Supan, IHM. Topics include: getting rid of loans, athletic asceticism, sport and God, nun uniforms, high school nun project, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is there help for paying off a loan even if one isn’t discerning with a specific community? (see also Ask Sister 041)
What is “athletic asceticism”? Is there a relationship between sport and pursing God?
What are the different levels of importance in the hierarchy of nuns?
Do you have traditional foods that you eat that non-nuns eat?
Do you always have to wear your “nun uniform”?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS041 Ask Sister – debt and entering a religious order, dealing with the Dark Night, understanding the “idea” of a sister, what’s up with Satan?

The Nuns — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:47:59 +0000

AS041 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 10, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: debt and entering a religious order, dealing with the Dark Night, understanding the idea of a sister, what’s up with Satan?, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What advice do you have for wanting to enter a religious order but having debt?
What can you do when God is distant and you have a “dark night of the soul” moment?
What happened to talk about Satan or the Devil in religious education, preaching, or other teachings of the church? It’s still one of our biggest temptations.
Do I have the “idea” of a sister right?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS040 Ask Sister – spiritual direction, being an only child, lost vocations, is God really calling me?

Sister Julie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:42:07 +0000

AS040 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on September 3, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: spiritual direction, being an only child, lost vocations, is God really calling me?, a good age to consider religious life, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Who can be a spiritual director? How do you find one?
How do I address a vocation director’s concern that I am an only child?
How do you know that God is really calling you? I feel like I have a void in my life.
What happens when we are called but say no? What happens if we feel we are being called again? Is there such thing as a lost vocation?
What’s a good age to start thinking about religious life?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS039 Ask Sister – vocations to religious life, pink bunnies, temporal punishment, and more!

The Nuns — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:26:09 +0000

AS039 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on August 27, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: vocations to religious life, images of God, respect for other religions, pink bunnies, temporal punishment and forgiveness, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!
Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is temporal punishment and does it mean I’ll still be punished even though I’ve gone to confession and been forgiven?
What is the best way for a Christian to address the controversial issue of plans for building a mosque near the World Trade Center memorial in New York City?
What are some ways or images that you use to view your vocation? (e.g., marriage with Jesus, covenant relationship with God, etc.)
Can God be imaged in different ways? What does this mean in terms of our own relationship with God and spiritual growth?
Why are bunnies pink? (a deeply philosophical issue!)

We welcome your insights and conversation on these topics and more by interacting with us via the chat room during the live broadcast.

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS038 Ask Sister – file cabinets in the image of God, vows human made or God made, religious brothers, nun terminology

Sister Julie — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:58:17 +0000

AS038 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on August 20, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: file cabinets in the image of God (do animals or rocks have souls?), vows human or God made, religious brothers, nun terms, obedience and more!

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

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Are the vows that Catholic sisters and nuns take made by God or by humans?
Do file cabinets have souls?
Is the vow of obedience always understood strictly?
What are some of the distinctions between the terms nun, sister, consecrated virgin, and lay sister?
Are brothers the male equivalents of sisters and nuns?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

Mark your calendars! Two new interview-style programs coming your way!

Sister Julie — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:29:19 +0000

With two new podcast series starting in September, Sister Maxine and Sister Julie are bringing you the most interesting people and topics around spirituality, ministry, discernment, social media, vocations, and more!

In a few short weeks, we are launching two new monthly podcast series. These live, interview-style programs will be broadcast live on our website. You are invited to join the conversation with us and our guests via our chat room during the live show. You can also submit questions ahead of time for our guests.

Here’s a glimpse of the two programs:

In Good Faith features guests who are nationally known for their ministry in spirituality, religious life, and discernment. The program will run every first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. CST.

Our first show will be on September 2, 2010, and feature Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM. Sister Sandra is a leading authority on Catholic women’s religious life and a frequent contributor to Catholic periodicals, as well as a renowned author. She is professor emerita of scripture spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley where she teaches courses such as biblical spirituality, Christian spirituality and religious life.

On October 7 we’ll be talking with Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson, a professor of history at Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where she also holds appointments in the departments of religion, political science, and women and gender studies. Peggy is the leading expert on the history of women’s religious life in the United States.

We’ll be adding more information to the In Good Faith program page and our podcast schedule soon!

Digital Ministry focuses on using Internet technologies and social media for ministry. The program is a mix of things covering technique, technology, and theology in order to enhance one’s capacity to do ministry, to witness to the Gospel in everyday life on the Internet. The program will run every second Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. CST.

Our first show will be on September 9, 2010, and feature Ms. Lisa Hendey, founder and editor of CatholicMom.com, author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul, freelance writer, and website designer. Lisa is one of the leading figures in Catholic social media today.

On October 14 we’ll be talking with Father Andy Alexander, SJ, and Ms. Maureen McCann Waldron, partners at Creighton University’s Collaborative Ministry Office and Online Ministries. Father Andy and Maureen have done extensive ministry in tending to people’s spiritual hunger in the digital world.

We’ll be adding more information to the Digital Ministry program page and our podcast schedule soon!

We are able to provide these programs free to listeners because of sponsor support. If you would like to sponsor In Good Faith or Digital Ministry, visit our Become a Sponsor page for more information.

* * *

Join A Nun’s Life Community for prayer today via our live podcast “Praying with the Sisters” and chat room. Just before 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) join us at http://aNunsLife.org/LIVE … more info on that page.

AS037 Ask Sister – lies and sins, women Doctors of the Church, having a religious life without being a nun, weekend with the IHM Sisters

Sister Julie — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:10:27 +0000

AS037 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on August 13, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: lies, sins, and truth; women Doctors of the Church; having a religious life without being a nun; hanging out with the IHM Sisters, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

If a nun or a sister goes along with what she knows to be a lie, what is her sin?
How does a person become a Doctor of the Church and why are there so few women recognized as Doctors of the Church?
If it’s not possible for me to become a nun, what kind of religious life can I have other than being part of my church choir and handbell chorus and attending Mass regularly?
Can you tell us about your weekend at the IHM Motherhouse for Jubilee and Final Profession?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS036 Ask Sister – SPECIAL EDITION – IHM Sisters talk about their vocation, prayer and ministry plus respond to your questions

Sister Julie — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:37:05 +0000

AS036 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 30, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Special IHM Sisters Edition. Topics include: vocation stories, prayer and relating with God, ministry, and responses to questions from listeners.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

This is a SPECIAL EDITION episode as we broadcasted live from the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, Michigan. We were joined on air by two of our sisters — Sister Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, Associate Professor of Theology at Boston College, and Sister Katherine Collard, IHM, Director of Liturgy & Adult Faith Formation at Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Roanoke, Virginia. Plus you’ll hear the live studio audience of IHM Sisters and Associates and some folks from A Nun’s Life community who were visiting.

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Could you each tell us a little about your ministry?
When did you first think you might want to be a nun?
What do you find helpful in your prayer life? What might you recommend to others?
Why does God feel so distant sometimes?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS035 Ask Sister – forgiveness and moving on, nuns as missionaries, religious names of sisters, habit pockets and more!

Sister Julie — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:48:19 +0000

AS035 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 23, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: forgiving someone who has hurt us and not getting stuck, nuns as missionaries, religious names of sisters, habit pockets, home altars, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How is it possible to forgive someone who’s hurt you, and to move on?
What is the historical reason sisters received a religious name? What is the practice today?
Do you have a home altar? What do you think about them? (see Sister Sarah’s blog post on this topic)
What’s the difference between a regular nun and a missionary nun?
Was it ever the custom that nuns were required to hide their hands in their habits all the time? What was the rationale?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS034 Ask Sister – Wikipedia entry on nuns, waiting to become a sister, is God angry with me?, having a college degree prior to entering, prayer, discernment advice

Sister Julie — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:37:23 +0000

AS034 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 16, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Wikipedia entry on nuns, waiting to become a sister, is God angry with me?, having a college degree before entering, prayer, discernment advice.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What do you think of the Wikipedia entry for Nun?
What can I do as I wait to begin the process to become a Catholic sister?
Do I have to have a college degree before I enter religious life? What about people who can’t afford to go to college?
Do you think God is mad at me because I should have become a nun?
Is it required to go to daily Mass when you are discerning or to go to confession more often?
What things are not recommended for a person who is discerning?
Is there any point in praying for specific things if all we need to say is “thy will be done”?

PLUS: An update from the novelist mentioned in last week’s Ask Sister podcast.

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS033 Ask Sister – choosing from the many religious orders, nuns and orphanages, vows essential to religious life?, a novelist’s nun character

Sister Julie — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:22:28 +0000

AS033 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 9, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: choosing from many religious orders, nuns and orphanages, vows essential to religious life?, a novelist’s nun character, age to enter, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

With so many religious orders to choose from, how do I begin to make sense of them?
Is it possible to become a nun and to own an orphanage?
Is it true that not all religious orders profess the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience? Aren’t these evangelical counsels required for religious life?
Is the nun in my soon-to-be published novel a plausible character?
What is too young or too old to become a sister?
Do I need a visa to enter a religious community in a country in which I do not have citizenship?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS032 Ask Sister – a young person thinking about religious life, parental caution, nuns in other Christian traditions, bringing a dowry, a vocation story

Sister Julie — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:37:24 +0000

AS032 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on July 2, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Guests: Immaculata IHM Sisters. Topics include: considering religious life, telling parents, other kinds of nuns, having a dowry, vocation story of Sister Julie.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

During this podcast Sister Maxine and Sister Julie were joined by cohosts Sister Rose Bernadette and Sister Danielle, both IHM Sisters from Immaculata, Pennsylvania. Our gratitude for the wonderful hospitality of all the sisters at Villa Maria House of Studies.

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What advice do you have for a 15-year-old feeling called to religious life? Also, my mom wants me to become a mother not a nun. What should I do?
Are there nuns in Christian traditions other than Catholicism? What are they like and how would I find one?
In “The Nun’s Story,” Audrey Hepburn’s character was required to bring a dowry when she entered the convent. Is that common today?
What is Sister Julie’s vocation story? How did she discern her calling to become an IHM sister?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS031 Ask Sister – Mary a mere saint? being a nun a waste of time? spiritual v. religious? am I called or not? a vocation story

Sister Julie — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:08:34 +0000

AS031 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 25, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: is Mary a mere saint? is being a nun a waste of time? spiritual v. religious? am I called or not? the vocation story of Sister Maxine, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Does the Catholic Church consider Mary a mere saint?
Have you ever felt that being a sister you wasted your time? Have you ever thought that you cheated yourself?
Is it okay to be spiritual but not religious?
How do you know if you are called and that it is not just an idea of yours?
What is Sister Maxine’s vocation story? How did she discern her calling to become an IHM sister?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS030 Ask Sister – cultivating patience, personal opinion v. official church stance, right- and left-brain discernment, entering novitiate

Sister Julie — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:00:01 +0000

AS030 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 18, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: cultivating patience, personal opinion v. official church stance, right- and left-brain discernment, entering novitiate, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How do I become a better “patience person”?
What does a believer do when personal opinion on a “hot topic” issue (like women priests, abortion, gay and lesbian issues, immigration) differs from the official church stance? Can a believer have a different view and still be Roman Catholic?
Can we turn our backs on people who are gay or lesbian?
Is discernment a right-brained or left-brained activity?
What might my first year of novitiate look like?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS029 Ask Sister – prioritizing religious communities to visit, a worried mom, steps in becoming a nun, semi-supportive parent

Sister Julie — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:25:52 +0000

AS029 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 11, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: prioritizing religious communities to visit, a worried mom, steps in becoming a nun, dealing with a semi-supportive parent, and more.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

When you were discerning how did you prioritize what orders to go visit?
Do you have any advice for dealing with a mom who doesn’t seem to realize how important my calling is?
What are the steps in becoming a nun? (see our article How to Become a Catholic Nun)
How do I relate with my daughter when my husband and I are worried about her enthusiasm about becoming a nun?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS028 Ask Sister – distant from God, loved ones who don’t get the nun thing, attracted but can’t see myself as a nun

Sister Julie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:11:39 +0000

AS028 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on June 4, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: feeling distant from God, relating to loved ones who don’t get the nun thing, being attracted to religious life but unable to see self as a nun.*

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

* NOTE: This podcast was recorded on the road and without our usual equipment.

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Do you ever feel distant from God?
I want to become a nun but people I love disagree with me. What do I do?
Can you take A Nun’s Life live shows on the road?
I have a boyfriend, a past, and health issues, yet I keep being drawn to become a nun even though I can’t see myself as one. What advice do you have?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS027 Ask Sister – fasting, the First Official nun meeting, virgin-ness, imaging oneself as a nun, vocational calling, and more

Sister Julie — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:40:54 +0000

AS027 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 28, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: fasting, the First Official nun meeting, virgin-ness, vocational calling, bride of Christ and other ways to image oneself as a Catholic sister.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What other ways can one image oneself as a Catholic nun other than “bride of Christ”? How is this connected to one’s image of God?
Does a person have to be a virgin in order to become a Catholic sister or nun?
What was your first official meeting like with a nun?
What is fasting and what place might it have for us today?
What do I do if I’m married but feel called to religious life?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS026 Ask Sister – adoration, spiritual direction, daily nun life, associates, holy days, genuflecting, and more!

Sister Julie — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:25:55 +0000

AS026 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 21, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: adoration, prayer, spiritual direction, daily nun life, associates, holy days, genuflecting, cleaning and cooking in the convent, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is adoration?
What is a holy day?
What is a day in the life of a nun like?
What’s the difference between bowing and genuflecting?
What is an associate and how does one become an associate of the IHM congregation?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS025 Ask Sister – hope in religious life, Catholic websites, humility, IHM sisters

Sister Julie — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:00:07 +0000

AS025 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 14, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. With IHM Sisters Joyce Durosko, Remi Pauwels, Terry Milne. Topics include: vocation stories, hope in religious life, navigating Catholic websites, living humility.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What is your vocation story? How did you become an IHM Sister?
For what reasons do you think a discerner should consider religious life with hope? How is religious life a life-giving option?
How do I make sense of Catholic websites that “defend the faith” but don’t sound all that Christian?
What is the best way to obtain humility?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS024 Ask Sister – what happens at a “come and see”, scapulars, pyschological testing, student debt, and more

Sister Julie — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:00:07 +0000

AS024 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on May 7, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: what happens at a Come and See, scapulars, student debt, sisters and retirement, psychological testing prior to entrance, facing darkness and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

For what reasons do you think a discerner should consider religious life with hope? How is religious life a life-giving option?
What exactly is a “Come and See”?
What is the church’s take on wearing a scapular?
Do I need a bachelor’s degree in order to become a Catholic sister or nun?
Can I become a nun if I have graduate school debt? (see Financial Help for Vocations to Religious Life or the Priesthood)
Why do sisters/nuns have to do psychological tests prior to entry and what does it involve?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

Look forward to seeing you tonight!

NEW Digital Ministry Podcast coming soon!

Sister Julie — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:12:16 +0000

A Nun’s Life Ministry will be launching a new podcast soon! The Digital Ministry Podcast will be on using Internet technologies and social media for ministry. We’ve been using these things for 4 years now and get many questions asking us “how’d you do that?” The new podcast will be a mix of things covering techniques, technology, and theology in order to enhance our capacity to do ministry, to witness to the Gospel in every day life on the Internet. (FYI: Podcast was initially called Social Ministry Podcast)

This podcast is for anyone who ministers online or who uses the Internet to connect with people: vocation directors, youth ministers, online community managers, religious communities and parishes, webmasters for religious organizations, churches and parishes, individuals, and more!

This is a place where no question is too foolish and everyone can share their wisdom and questions.

We’ll share our experience with blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, equipment, software, consultants and collaborators, books and resources, and interacting with people online. We’ll also interview folks across the social media landscape who can provide expertise, insight, and concrete help on a variety of related topics.

Here are some of the kinds of things we’ll talk about:

How to get people to comment more on your blog
Can one really do ministry “virtually”?
What can I do to spread the word about my website?
What are some good, solid Catholic organizations that I can go to for help or direct my visitors to?
What is podcasting and how could it benefit my ministry?
How do I start a blog?
What would Jesus do with today’s Internet technology?
Is it important for me to know what SEO is?
Which social networks should I belong to?
What do I do if I get negative comments?
What is the difference between Twitter and Facebook and blogging?
Can an iPhone or Blackberry really help me minister better?
How do I explain to my community/organization why this online stuff is important?
How do I manage all this online stuff AND still do my regular job?
How do I care for and nourish my online community?

We’d like to hear from you! If you’d like updates on this podcast by email, click the SIGN UP button below.** We just need your first name, email (never made public), and check the Digital Ministry Podcast box. If you wish, please let us know your other info, such as ministry position, organization, and website. If you are interested in being an underwriter of this podcast, please contact us for more information.
** If you’ve already signed up by commenting below or emailing me prior to June 14, 2010, then you’ve already been signed up!

AS023 Ask Sister – monastery live-ins, women deacons, modesty, poverty, nuns teaching, and more!

Sister Julie — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:12:09 +0000

AS023 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 30, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: monastery live-ins, women deacons, becoming a nun, teaching in universities, modesty in dress, sisterhood, poverty, discernment, and more!
Click PLAY below or right-click here to download the MP3.

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Is it possible to live for a little while at a convent or monastery?
How can I learn more about becoming a nun? I’m not the most religious person but am curious about becoming a nun.
Are there options for women to be deacons in the Catholic church or can they only remain celibate as a nun or sister?
How do I know what God is calling me to? How can I tell if I am called to be a nun?
Do sisters teach at the university level?
Do sisters connect with each other across different communities?
How do sisters and nuns live the vow of poverty?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS022 Ask Sister – romantic desires, spouse of Christ image, nun ranks, peace in the madness of life, telling family

Sister Julie — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:55:09 +0000

AS022 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 23, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: having romantic desires, spouse of Christ image, nun ranking system, formation, finding peace in the madness of life, telling parents, and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Now that I’m discerning religious life, how do I direct my desire for romance?
What does it mean to be a Spouse of Christ?
How does the ranking system work within a monastery? Are there different levels and, if so, how do sisters move up in rank?
How do I seek peace in the madness of life?
How do you help parents and friends become okay with the idea of entering religious life?
Does it really take 7 years to become a nun or sister?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

See you tonight!

AS021 Ask Sister – telling family and friends, age limits, traveling nuns

Sister Julie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:33:02 +0000

AS021 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 16, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: telling family and friends, age limit, traveling nuns, yoga for Catholics, the Beatitudes, hunger for community, praying for strangers and more!

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

When is the right time to let family and friends know I truly feel called to become a Catholic sister?
Are you ever too old to become a nun or sister?
How old do you have to be to become a nun? Do you have to finish college first before becoming a nun?
Can sisters and nuns travel?
Why are the beatitudes important?
Can a divorced woman become a nun?
What do you pray when you are asked to pray for someone you don’t know and don’t know why they need prayer?
What is the Catholic Church’s stance on yoga? Are practicing Catholics, including religious sisters, allowed to practice yoga?
I’m a people person and really want a strong spiritual community. Any practical hints on how to deal with this hunger?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS020 Ask Sister – vocational terror, regret, shaved heads, nun finances, animal ministry, the habit, and more!

Sister Julie — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:55:00 +0000

AS020 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on April 9, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: wearing the habit, nun finances, vocational terror, animal ministry, feeling regret after becoming a sister, shaved heads, bubble baths and more.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

Are there any Catholic sisters or nuns that work with animals?
What was the hardest part in the beginning when you entered the convent?
Do you ever regret your choice to became a nun?
Are nuns required to shave their heads?
Is it normal to feel both terrified and excited about a possible calling to become a sister?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

The universal call to holiness and women’s leadership in the Catholic Church

Sister Julie — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:34:24 +0000

Our very own Sister Maxine Kollasch, IHM, was interviewed on NPR program “Tell Me More” with host Michel Martin. A couple weeks ago, the program’s producer found Sister Maxine via A Nun’s Life Ministry and asked to interview her along with author Leora Tanenbaum, an observant Jew, and the Reverend Renita Weems, a minister ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The conversation was on women’s leadership in religion, though, as we soon discovered, it was steered specifically towards the “glass ceiling” and the ways in which women do not have access to the same roles or experiences that men do. Listen to the 15 minute segment by clicking the play button below (if the player doesn’t appear, here’s the direct link to NPR website).

This was an interesting topic, to be sure, and a timely one as March was Women’s History Month. It was fascinating to see the topic addressed across three different religious traditions. Sister Maxine did a great job, especially since she found out only moments before the show that she’d be asked about women’s ordination in the Catholic Church. Not an easy topic to address! But Sister Maxine did a great job and spoke well.

I think there’s an assumption among some that if ordination were open to women that Catholic sisters and nuns would of course take that “next” step. But that’s not the case at all. Ordination is not a “next” step or a “higher” calling, as if somehow an advanced progression along the path of holiness. However God calls a person is the way of holiness for them, no better or worse than any other calling. We have to unseat this assumption in our Catholic imagination because it does an injustice to God and to each one of us.

There’s also another assumption that the only way to fully lead within the Catholic Church is to be a priest. This is a tough assumption to address because on the one hand we know there are many ways to lead within the church. There are many leadership roles for women and men, lay and ordained. On the other hand, the structure of church leadership is built on ordination, specifically the ordination of men to the priesthood. For many women and men, this is a conundrum. And that’s an understatement.

Think about we as a church have thought about calling, especially with the Second Vatican Council’s affirmation of the universal call to holiness. What does your own call to holiness mean in terms of how you relate to everybody in the church? What questions does that raise for you? What surprises or insights?

AS019 Ask Sister – discerning God’s will, choosing a religious name, celibacy, family responsibilities, convent decor

Sister Julie — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:45:22 +0000

AS019 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 26, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: celibacy, discerning the will of God, choosing a religious name, convent decor, family responsibilities, and more.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

How can I know if wanting to become a nun is God’s will or my own will?
What is the historical reasons sisters received a religious name? What is the practice today?
How do I deal with family responsibilities if I become a sister?
Are nuns allowed to do fun things or to chose a profession?
What is the difference between chastity and celibacy? How does one prepare for a vow of celibacy?
What do convents look like on the inside?

Do you have a question for us? Call our toll-free Voicemail Hotline at 888-703-4732 and leave a voicemail for us with your question. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also send us an email or comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

AS018 Ask Sister – a discerner’s IHM experience, Nuns support health reform, misconceptions about religious life

Sister Julie — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:32:56 +0000

AS018 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on March 19, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: a discerner’s IHM experience, why Catholic sisters support health care reform, Bible translations, common misperceptions about nuns, and more.

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

Subscribe to A Nun’s Life Podcasts:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

What was Sue’s experience visiting the IHM Motherhouse? What was it like to pray and working with the sisters?
What Bible version do you use for your prayer podcasts?
What are some common misconceptions that you encounter about nuns and sisters?
Why are U.S. Catholic sisters supporting the Senate bill on health care?

CP004 Community Podcast – Mardi Gras

Sister Julie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:42:14 +0000

CP004 Mardi Gras Community Podcast recorded live on February 16, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. This day before the beginning of Lent is also known as Shrove Tuesday or Carnival. Listen to Mardi Gras stories, customs, prayers, and recipes.

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

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

Listen to other A Nun’s Life Community Podcasts.

During the Community Podcast we talked about what Mardi Gras actually is, listened to music selections relevant to the feast, took a peak at Bourbon Street, shared recipes, and even have a Mardi Gras quiz!

Join us on air. Send us an email ahead of time so we can schedule a call to you during the show.
Leave us a voice mail with your favorite Mardi Gras story, custom, prayer, or recipe by calling us at 888-703-4732 (toll free in the US and Canada).
Record your voice using your computer or iPhone and email the audio file to us.
Write out your story, custom, prayer, or recipe and email it to us and we’ll read it on the air and post it during the show.

Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you. And please invite your friends, fans, followers and any one else who would enjoy hanging out with the A Nun’s Life crowd!

AS014 Ask Sister – calling, immigration, liturgy of the hours

Sister Julie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:30:39 +0000

AS014 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on February 12, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include finding one’s calling, the liturgy of the hours, jury duty, age limits for becoming a Catholic Sister, immigration, and more.

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

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the questions we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

how do I know what my real calling in life is?
do congregations have problems taking young people because of fear of an age gap?
what do Catholics think about the issue of illegal immigration?
can you explain more about the Divine Office — The Liturgy of the Hours?
do nuns have to go to jury duty?
what’s going on with the Roman Missal?

If you have a question, please email us at or leave a message at our voicemail feedback line: 1-888-703-4732. Messages may be played on the air!

FP004 Feature Podcast on Consecrated Life with IHM Sisters

Sister Julie — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:42:46 +0000

FP004 Feature Podcast on Consecrated Life with IHM Sisters recorded live on February 7, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include World Day for Consecrated Life, vocations, discernment, Catholic sisters and nuns, prayer, and more.

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

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

Today we celebrated World Day for Consecrated Life by partnering with the IHM Vocations team to offer this hour-long podcast on vocations, discernment, and the lives of Catholic sisters today. We were delighted to be joined by IHM Sisters Carol Quigley, Michele Denton, Joyce Durosko, and Mary Bea Keeley.

AS010 Ask Sister – family, becoming a nun, and the v-word

Sister Julie — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:38:04 +0000

Listen to AS010 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 15, 2010. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include family expectations when a person tells them they want to be a Catholic sister; who to talk to when you think you are called to become a nun; and whether or not a person has to be a virgin in order to become a sister or nun.

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

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Saints, Food, and Prayer

Sister Julie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:26:50 +0000

This Friday, A Nun’s Life is hosting our third Community Podcast on Saints, Food, and Prayer. Our community podcasts are free-for-all opportunities for you all to come up with a topic and the content for a podcast which Sister Maxine and I host. The first two we had were Thanksgiving rituals, food, and prayers and Advent and Christmas rituals, food, and prayers. Various readers and listeners of A Nun’s Life community joined us live on the air or sent things in ahead of time.

Here’s how you can participate in the Saints, Food, and Prayer community podcast. We invite you to join us for the live show this Friday at 6:45 p.m. Central Time (your timezone). All you have to do is show up here at our website http://aNunsLife.org and when we go live, the audio will start playing on any page of our website. If you’d like to read or participate in the simultaneous chat, go directly to http://anunslife.org/live.

We’d love for you to add your voice to the on-air discussion by telling us about your favorite saint. Here’s how that works: you pick a saint (e.g., Teresa of Avila) , tell us who she or he is (She’s from Avila, Spain … she was a Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church … she wrote about prayer) and why the saint is important to you (e.g., she’s helped me in my life as a nun, she is a companion in prayer). Then you can offer an interesting tidbit about the person, a prayer or quote written by or about the saint, or (because we tend to chat about food after our evening podcasts as we are preparing for supper) a food item or recipe relevant to the saint or her/his native land (e.g., a recipe for Pan de Horno — Spanish bread — that you tried or would like to try)

A few folks have already tagged their saint (I know Suze claimed Teresa of Avila) … but alas my list has disappeared. So, for all, please let Sister Maxine and I know who you’d like to share about. We’d like to have you share on the air with us (about 5-7 minutes) so you can call us (will give number out at beginning of podcast) or you can send us a private email with your phone number and we’ll call you!

Sister Max and I haven’t decided who we are going to talk about yet so stay tuned!

Saints Painting by Fra Angelico (1430)

AS009 Ask Sister – decision, deportment, distance

Sister Julie — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:06:27 +0000

Ask Sister Podcast is a production of A Nun’s Life Ministry. Episode 009 was aired January 8, 2010. During the show we responded to questions about deciding to become a nun, being physically disabled, visiting friends and relatives as a nun, relocation, and religious department.

Sister Margaret Chapman, IHM, joined Sisters Julie and Maxine for the podcast. Sister Margaret is the president of Compassionate Companions, a ministry in which sisters and other advocates serve as guardians for adults whose physical or mental condition affects their ability to speak or act independently.

Is being a nun the hardest part decision you ever made in your entire life? What’s the different between a nun and a normal girl? What’s the benefit of being a nun?
Do you know any physically handicapped sisters or nuns? Do religious communities allow physically disabled women as sisters?
Does living as a sister prevent me from seeing my friends, relatives, or parents? Are catholic nuns or sisters required relocate to different parts of the country if the order asks them to?
what is religious deportment? how essential is it for religious to conform to it?

Click PLAY below to listen to Ask Sister 009 or right-click here to download the MP3.

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Is God calling me?

Sister Julie — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:07:39 +0000

The turn of the new year often fills us with ideas and inspirations to try something new, to set out on a new path for the new year. To those of you who have entertained (however briefly or maybe for a long time!) with the idea of becoming a sister or nun, I invite you to consider the following:

Do you long for something more, a something that just can’t seem to be filled by your current work, relationships, endeavors, etc. even though you experience these as good?

Are you interested in deepening your life of faith through prayer, ministry, and community with others who share similar values, vision, and mission?

Are you open to the Spirit and the often surprising ways the Spirit leads?

Are you attracted to the life of Jesus the Christ and to lives of saints and holy people who strove to follow Jesus and live the Gospel?

Do you wish to live and think and “be” in a way that places the common good ahead of other goods such as personal wants?

Are you able to let go of preconceived images of what religious life is or should be?

Can you accept the humanity of yourself and of sisters and nuns and at the same time trust that the Spirit is alive and well in and through our humanity?

Do you feel both attracted to and terrified of the though of religious life, wondering perhaps, why God would call you of all people?

Are you willing to use your gifts, talents, experience, energy, and passion for God’s purposes and for a common mission and life in God?

Are you up for the greatest adventure of your life?

This is your invitation, your opportunity to take a step toward responding to this call. You don’t have to have it all figured out, or rationalize it, or be without doubt or fear. That’s all part of the package. Yo are invited to take a leap of faith, trusting that though you do not know where it will lead, that God is right here with you and will lead you to good.

What do you do now? Start reading and doing any of the suggestions on our page How to Become a Nun. Say something to that sister you admire but were afraid to say anything to about your desire. If you’ve felt attracted to the mission and life of Sister Maxine, myself, or other sisters here at A Nun’s Life, then take a chance and contact us. Check out Catholics on Call. Call the vocation director of the community you’ve been thinking about. Attend a retreat or day of prayer where you can explore how your desires and attractions are part of God’s call to you.

There is only one thing left to say.

Begin.

* * *

Please join us at 6:00 p.m. CST (your time zone) for Praying with the Sisters podcast, a ministry of A Nun’s Life. Visit aNunsLife.org/LIVE.

AS008 Ask Sister Podcast

Sister Julie — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:13:40 +0000

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.

AS007 Ask Sister Podcast

Sister Julie — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:47:56 +0000

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

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

Join us today for the Ask Sister podcast, a place where you have 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.

You can offer your questions 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.

Questions already in the queue for today:

What are the big differences between nuns and sisters?
Can nuns wear a light fragrance?
How do I tell my parents that I want to be a nun?

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

So what’s on your mind?

Listen to other Ask Sister podcasts.

AS006 Ask Sister Podcast

Sister Julie — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:43:07 +0000

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

Subscribe to the A Nun’s Life Podcast:

You can offer your questions 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.

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

So what’s on your mind?

Listen to other Ask Sister podcasts.

CP001 Community Podcast – Thanksgiving

Sister Julie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:40:55 +0000

Welcome to our first ever Community Podcast, a podcast that features you! your favorite food, meal prayers, recipes, music, and food stories.

On this our inaugural podcast we celebrate Thanksgiving food and everything related to it. Our podcast format is a bit different from our other podcast because the idea as well as much of the content comes from you, our listeners and members of our community here at A Nun’s Life Ministry.

And you’ll be hearing voices other than Sister Maxine and myself. We’ve got a few folks scheduled and we’d be delight to hear from anyone who’d like to comment or ask a question about whatever we are discussing or who would like to offer their Thanksgiving-related story or recipe.

After the show, we’ll post recipes in the comment box below. If you’d like to share your favorite Thanksgiving recipe, please share it below.

First we’ll have our normal prayer at 6 p.m. Central Time (your time zone) followed by the Thanksgiving Food Podcast starts at 6:30 p.m.

The fun starts at http://anunslife.org/live

See you soon!