Can a health condition impede a religious vocation?

Sister Rejane  
This Random Nun Clip is brought to you by A Nun's Life Ministry.

Sister Shannon  
Sarah says, "I'm 20 and seriously discerning religious life. However, I have a life-threatening peanut allergy that requires me to carry an EpiPen at all times. For example, I can be near peanuts, but if I eat even a trace amount it is dangerous. Would this allergy bar me from religious life completely? I'd like to join an order that lives in community and work in the apostolate. I realized that entering religious vows precludes special attention to an individual. Have you ever heard of a sister with an allergy like this? Sincerely grateful for your ministry, Sarah." Thank you, Sarah.

Sister Maxine  
It's a great question. And it she mentions in there a thing called an EpiPen. So for people who may not be familiar with that, that's something that if a person goes into a severe allergic reaction, it can counteract those effects.

Sister Shannon  
Right. It includes a medication called epinephrine, which deals with that severe reaction that comes in an allergy attack.

Sister Maxine  
And so we understand from that, that this for Sarah is a big deal. It's not like a food dislike. This could be life threatening for her.

Sister Shannon  
So you ask the question, a couple of questions that are really important here, I think, Sarah. First of all, would a religious community accept you with such a severe allergy? I would like to be able to say, of course. I don't know the traditions and backgrounds of every religious congregation. But my first reaction is yes, that should not be a problem. But I think your more interesting question is, do you set aside the individual for the sake of community and therefore sort of want to be able to blend who you are and what you can do and what your issues are into community life without drawing attention to yourself?

Sister Maxine  
Yeah, and it's what we might call the common the common life.  

Sister Shannon  
That's right.

Sister Maxine  
Sarah knows that her peanut allergy isn't going to just affect her, it's going to affect pretty much everyone who lives with her, because she can't really be exposed to that.

Sister Shannon  
So first and foremost, religious women who have consecrated their lives to God, care for and love others, and particularly their sisters in community. So I think naturally they would tend to whatever your needs might be, and try to assure that your needs are met. And protected.

Sister Maxine  
Yep. I'm going to back up just a little. When you come into community, if you're managing this responsibly, and it sounds like you are, that's not so much an issue. Again, there's differences between communities. But once you're in, you know, that's your community. And I think that's actually what you're talking about.

Sister Shannon  
It really is true, it's what I'm talking about. When you're entering into a religious community, it's important to present yourself as you are, and to educate the people that you're going to be living with. I think that's a really important aspect of it, so that people can assist in protecting you from a severe allergic reaction. But you have the responsibility ultimately, to make sure that you're caring for yourself and doing what you need to do, you've learned to do that. So that's important.

Sister Maxine  
And that, you know, that idea of being sure to share things like this with other people. I mean, these are people you're going to spend the rest of your life with, they're going to want to know,

Sister Shannon  
That's right.

Sister Maxine  
They're going to want to be helpful in whatever way they can.

Sister Shannon  
I'll share with you, Sarah, that I deal with type one diabetes, and I've been insulin dependent since I was very, very young, and that requires, the sisters that I live with, and the sisters in my community to recognize that as an issue for me and to be supportive. Whatever sisters I'm living with, they know very clearly what this means, what to do, who my doctor is, if I'm in trouble, or I need help. I don't try to hide it. But I don't try to bring it to everyone's attention. I think I live well with it. But at the same time, I want people around me to be educated to know how to deal with it. And it's worked out, I think, quite beautifully in my own congregation.

Sister Maxine  
So you talk about some education. That process was probably kind of a kind of an extended process.

Sister Shannon  
it was.

Sister Maxine  
How did people receive that?

Sister Shannon  
Yeah, in the beginning, of course, I'd go to a Christmas party and there wouldn't be a single thing on the table that I could eat, because it was all a lot of sugar. So time and time again, I would just quietly say, "Do you have anything that's sugar free? Did you bring some crackers and cheese since I can't have cookies?" You know, just reminders. 'Do you have any diet pop or something that I can drink?" And it took some a while, but they began to really become much more sensitive to that. And now, it's like when you're dealing with vegetarians: you try to remember to provide something in the meal that a vegetarian can eat that doesn't have meat. So I don't go to a party now where there isn't a sugar-free version of the dessert, diet soda if I needed some other option, because over time they've become accustomed to who I am, without completely focusing their attention on me. So that's a good thing, I think. And it helps them in a sensitivity beyond, to other people they encounter.

Sister Maxine  
Because you know, the common life doesn't mean that we all have to be a certain way and all of our health has to be absolutely perfect. I mean, I don't know if any human being could achieve that. But the common life is much broader, Sarah, than the notion of everybody has to fit a certain pattern of being.

Sister Shannon  
That's right. And I think we support one another. We have had sisters with other serious illnesses in our congregation. We've had sisters with multiple sclerosis. And we've learned what that means; we've done the MS Walks to support. That's what a community does: it gets behind their community members. I remember walking into a restaurant one day, and they had taken a number of our elder sisters out for lunch. So there were probably 10 of them gathered around the table. I didn't know they were going to be there. And I was having lunch with a friend. And we walked over to the table. And my friend Sandy was with me. And I said, "Let me introduce you to my family." And she said to me later, the fact that I had claimed them, all of these sisters in the restaurant, and I referred to them as my family, touched her. And I said, "But that's how I think about them. They are indeed my sisters. And so I am pleased to be included in their number." And hopefully, and not always perfectly, we treat one another, like sisters like family.

Sister Maxine  
And for Sarah, when you're considering a religious community, look for things that suggest that to you. If what you are looking for are those close relationships, to look for that in that community. Again, everybody has different cultures and practices and policies. So the things that are in your heart that you're desiring for your life and community, be sure and get some experiences with that community.

Sister Shannon  
In the future, if you do pursue religious life and you engage in ministry to others, your own sensitivity will make you much more sensitive to others who are dealing with allergies, chronic illnesses, things that are a part of everyday life. And it enables you to know yourself and your body better, which is also a value, I think, in religious life generally. But in ministry as we engage in it. It gives us a tenderness and a heart for those that have an illness or issue that they can't control unless with discipline. And that's a good thing and a gift, I think.

Sister Maxine  
You make a great point about that. Because in the question, Sarah's wondering, is this going to interfere in the apostolic, and in what you're saying there's the reality of No, it can enrich you in your ministry. It can make you more expansive as a person, more self-aware and aware of really, truly the needs of others.

Sister Shannon  
That's very true. I've experienced it so often. I've had diabetes for 48 years and it hasn't interfered in dramatic ways. But it is certainly something I wake up with every morning and go to bed with every night, which is the same for Sarah with her allergy -- always have to be alert and attentive. But that doesn't prevent you from being your full self and engaging with others and educating and being empathetic to others that deal with similar situations.

Sister Maxine  
 Do you feel that that that is one of the things that one of the values or qualities --

Sister Shannon  
I think it makes me who I am in so many ways. I probably wouldn't have thought that when I was 23 years old, and I discovered it, but it has made me a better and kinder person, I think, as a result.

Sister Rejane  
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This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.