My choice of newspaper on the train is the Daily Mail because its easy to read and cheap so I can finish it on a short journey and throw it away afterwards, I don't necessarily agree with some of its ideology. So when I was on my way back to the Seminary after a two week holiday I bought the Mail on Sunday and as there were delays I read all the bumf that comes with it, including the women's mag 'You'. On page 25 of said mag was a column by Joanna Moorhead on 'Things you don't know about ... being a Nun'. She then lists 10 things the general public wouldn't know about the life of a Nun:
1. You don't have to be a virgin to become a Nun - unless you join a Benedictine congregation apparently.
2. Nuns are popular subjects for medical trials - particularly one American trial, the 'Nun Study', which is 'an examination of Alzheimer's disease and ageing in 700 nuns which began in 1986.'
3. Nuns are an endangered species - 'In 2005 there were only 13 new recruits to British convents.' Get Praying!
4. There are thousands of religious orders around the world, mostly founded hundreds of years ago - 'But new orders are still springing up.' Thank God!
5. Nuns are net-savvy - 'visit anunslife.org.' I have a had quick glimpse at this, it is run by Sr Julie, IHM and judging by the self-portrait of her in casual clothes and the post on how nuns deal with sexual urges its probably not something that will be seen in the left-hand bar of Orthfully Catholic.
6. Not all nuns are Catholics - 'There are Buddhist and Anglican nuns too.'
7. Some nuns live in mixed communities with monks.
8. Unlike priests, who are usually financially supported by their parishes, nuns have to earn their own living - such as making altar breads and, as one Franciscan community in New York, run a chocolate factory called 'NunBetter'.
9. Nuns have no career path, and prospects are often limited.
10. Nuns love their hobbies.
So there we go, anyone interested?
Next Sunday is Vocations Sunday, a very busy day for Seminarians who are often asked to go to parishes and speak to the people about priestly vocations. If a Seminarian comes to your parish make him feel welcome and let him know you are praying for him, those are the greatest words in a Seminarians ear, 'We think you're doing a marvellous job and we're all praying for you.'
Please pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life everyday.
God Bless,
The Seminarians
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3 comments:
Sort of related, did you see this, and this?
Alright chaps?!
I'm a young Catholic in the UK, with a special interest in bioethics and sexual ethics in particular.
I had a look at "a nun's life" as it was linked here. Whilst I am sure I differ from Sr Julie in terms of ecclesiology (I go to the Extraordinary Form etc), her post on sexuality is actually rather sound.
I couldn't find anything in that post I disagreed with, and I wondered if your own disagreement was somewhat reactionary against her?
And Eastern Orthodox nuns, Joanna Moorhead forgot those.
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