Last week I started a campaign to change the face of nun imagery on the Internet. Thank you to so many of you who are supportive of this endeavor. I received a dozen or so photo from readers who are helping to make this happen. Many, many thanks. My hope is that pictures will continue to be sent in so that on every Monday I can post new nun photos making every Monday a Nunday.
So, keep sending me nun photos! We want to show the beautiful diversity of Catholic nuns and sisters — so that means photos of real women religious (another term for nuns/sisters) … maybe wearing the habit or in lay clothes, in ministry or at home, playing or praying.
I’ll post the photos and make sure they are search engine optimized so that when people search for nun images they’ll get real nuns instead of caricatures or erotica. A reader Jen also noted that the more you link to these authentic nun photos, the more the photos will be ranked higher which has the effect of pushing the other unsavory nun images to the back.
Since today is Monday, I have a nun photo for you sent in from Dennis who was taught by my IHM Sisters. The photo is of Sister Nora Marie, IHM.
Dennis writes, “About a year ago, one of my classmates at St. Felicitas finally got Sr. Nora Marie to let him take a couple snaps of her. This was taken just before she moved back to the Motherhouse. At the time, she was in Florida and packing. As for Sr. Nora, she was the bravest of the brave and had us for both 7th and 8th grade at St. Felicitas. She had Sr. Dorothy as an ally when she took over the eighth grade class. *grin* We really adored her.”
Archived Comments
- September 15, 2008 at 12:01 pm
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I have no way to send a photo, and my computer prowess is rather on the limited side anyway. But I want to share a “Verbal Portrait” of the nun that meant the most to me.
He name was Sr. Victorine Kean, a Sister of Mercy for 61 years, and I met her on my first day of school. That day was filled with fear for me. Having no older siblings to pave the way, my mother accompanied me to the opening mass before the students made their way to the school. I became so agitated I was physically ill. Mom tried to reassure me that everything would be OK. It was the end of mass and the first graders were to line up with their teacher…and there she was. To this first grader, Sr. Victorine was tall, swathed in black except for the white starched whimple and a smile that was glowing and comforting. I left my fretful mother to accompany this nun to class, where all fears melted away and learning began. I returned home for lucnch with my anxious mother, and her fears were also assuaged.
Sr. Victorine passed away a few years back. I owe a great debt to her because, at a time that was pre-Sesame Street and pre Electric Company, Sr. Victorine taught me to read, and I will forever be thankful to God and her for so great a gift. I located her grave recently at the catholic cemetery in town and gave her a big “Thank You”. And somewhere deep within me…I know I saw her smile.
- September 17, 2008 at 1:08 pm
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Sr Nora Marie has one of those faces that radiates, absolutely radiates the joy that should mark us all – we who profess belief in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting, Amen
