Religious Life

I had a most delightful experience this weekend visiting the Monastery of Holy Wisdom, home of the Benedictine Women of Madison (Wisconsin). I was invited to their Celebration of Ecumenism in which the community celebrated their first year as an ecumenical community. This is the first Benedictine ecumenical community and so a very historic moment.

Within religious life there is a huge diversity of lifestyles and charisms. There is no single way to be a nun or sister or monk or brother. Such diversity is a good thing for the Church and world for it allows the different gifts of the Spirit to be manifest and used in response to the needs of the world. I am reminded of Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he talks about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Read on, and as you do, consider how different communities have different gifts.

First things first … Lay affiliates or associates are women and men who wish to formally associate themselves with a religious community, their mission and spirituality. Not all congregations have associates, and those that do vary in the formation process and the degree to which associates can be involved in the life of the congregation.

In my post TIME magazine article on nuns, veils, and blogs, Hans wrote a thoughtful comment about habits and his experience with the habit. He aptly notes that the modern view on habits is quite mixed.

I’ve received quite a few comments and emails (for which I am grateful) following the TIME article in which my blog and I were referenced. There’s a common theme that keeps creeping up and I thought I’d address it head on.