Maybe An Embarrasing Question

[InPersonaChriste]

Okay I know that nuns deal with 'the time of the month' but Missionaries of Charity rely on donations and they have potatoe sacks as underwear and most of the sisters came from poor countries so they already know how to deal with it. Without using commercial brands..
.
Yeah this is sort of an embarrassing question. But really I have ALWAYS worried about this.

[Yaatee]

[quote name='InPersonaChriste' timestamp='1306379071' post='2246056']
Okay I know that nuns deal with 'the time of the month' but Missionaries of Charity rely on donations and they have potatoe sacks as underwear and most of the sisters came from poor countries so they already know how to deal with it. Without using commercial brands..
.
Yeah this is sort of an embarrassing question. But really I have ALWAYS worried about this.
[/quote]

Without relying on specifics that other posters can address, it is my impression that the MS are penitential in a real third world way. They agree to do ANY work anyWHERE in the world. As y'all recall, they are in--about 200 countries?

Edited May 26, 2011 by Yaatee

[vee]

Oh cool are you considering joining?!?!?! There is a former MC who visits vocation station now and then maybe she will stop by and answer.

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='InPersonaChriste' timestamp='1306379071' post='2246056']
Okay I know that nuns deal with 'the time of the month' but Missionaries of Charity rely on donations and they have potatoe sacks as underwear and most of the sisters came from poor countries so they already know how to deal with it. Without using commercial brands..
.
Yeah this is sort of an embarrassing question. But really I have ALWAYS worried about this.
[/quote]

I have no idea about the order you mentioned, However I know in past times all women would use cloth, often towelling, folded and put/pinned in their underwear. When commercial pads came in they used to come with a belt and the pad had loops to attatch to the belt., in this case knickers would not have been essential - I think you can still get Dr Whites belts and looped towels if you look hard enough.

I have heard a few stories from the old days of Carmel from my older sisters. They didn't wear knickers most of the time but had a pair (note A pair ) for that week and would use home made pads which they would then put in a bucket of cold water ready for the lay sisters to wash. As women living in close contact tend to fall in sync with each other, they would only need one or two 'dirty washes' a month. From what I have read, this was the common practise for many orders pre-V2.

I hope this is vaguely useful and may be an idea of how the order you are asking about may work, but as I said, I have no idea specifically.

[Cherie]

[quote name='InPersonaChriste' timestamp='1306379071' post='2246056']
Okay I know that nuns deal with 'the time of the month' but Missionaries of Charity rely on donations and they have potatoe sacks as underwear and most of the sisters came from poor countries so they already know how to deal with it. Without using commercial brands..
.
Yeah this is sort of an embarrassing question. But really I have ALWAYS worried about this.
[/quote]

I have heard this is a part of the reason why American women have a very hard time persevering with the MCs - they really [i]do[/i] live in poverty, and like you mentioned, many MCs who come from poor countries already know how to deal with things like that, but for Americans (and others in more wealthy countries) it's a serious culture shock

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1306418949' post='2246182']
I have heard this is a part of the reason why American women have a very hard time persevering with the MCs - they really [i]do[/i] live in poverty, and like you mentioned, many MCs who come from poor countries already know how to deal with things like that, but for Americans (and others in more wealthy countries) it's a serious culture shock


[/quote]


I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did use rags because when I was discerning with them in Melbourne, they told me that they bathed using a bucket of water and when I asked why, since they had the use of a lovely large house with a beautiful bathroom, they said that since their sisters in poor countries had to use a bucket, they did too. So they are probably going to use whatever their sisters use for sanitary care in the poor countries.

I didn't understand it at the time (I was a very young girl and wasn't even a Catholic yet, so this was all a mystery to me!! Now I really admire them, but I know that I would find their life very hard. There was an excellent book about their life written by a former professed MC who eventually left them, but she wrote with a lot of affection and admiration for them. Their life sounds grueling, but I can see the beauty in it too - reminded me of St Francis and his low for Lady Poverty.

[organwerke]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1306422079' post='2246201']
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did use rags because when I was discerning with them in Melbourne, they told me that they bathed using a bucket of water and when I asked why, since they had the use of a lovely large house with a beautiful bathroom, they said that since their sisters in poor countries had to use a bucket, they did too. So they are probably going to use whatever their sisters use for sanitary care in the poor countries.

I didn't understand it at the time (I was a very young girl and wasn't even a Catholic yet, so this was all a mystery to me!! Now I really admire them, but I know that I would find their life very hard. There was an excellent book about their life written by a former professed MC who eventually left them, but she wrote with a lot of affection and admiration for them. Their life sounds grueling, but I can see the beauty in it too - reminded me of St Francis and his low for Lady Poverty.
[/quote]

is the book written by Colette Livermore?

[InPersonaChriste]

Thanks for the answers.. I have always been afraid of asking this question because it is rather embarrassing yet an essential part of being a woman.

[Cherie]

[quote name='InPersonaChriste' timestamp='1306430516' post='2246251']
Thanks for the answers.. I have always been afraid of asking this question because it is rather embarrassing yet an essential part of being a woman.
[/quote]

I completely understand! Once we had been accepted and were given the "clothing list," a dear friend of mine who entered the same day as me, and myself, were [i]both[/i] afraid to ask regarding an important woman's undergarment, because it wasn't explicitly written on the list ... finally my friend gave in and just asked, and Sister was like, "Oh dear, yes, yes, you're supposed to bring those -- we forgot to write it down on the list!" So I'm of the opinion, if you're familiar with a community and are seriously discerning, it never hurts to ask!

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1306431599' post='2246256']
I completely understand! Once we had been accepted and were given the "clothing list," a dear friend of mine who entered the same day as me, and myself, were [i]both[/i] afraid to ask regarding an important woman's undergarment, because it wasn't explicitly written on the list ... finally my friend gave in and just asked, and Sister was like, "Oh dear, yes, yes, you're supposed to bring those -- we forgot to write it down on the list!" So I'm of the opinion, if you're familiar with a community and are seriously discerning, it never hurts to ask!
[/quote]

Definately. I have found that even the oldest sisters are more than happy to answer such questions. Remember, these are questions they will have all asked - openly or otherwise.

When I visited the Poor Clares at Arundel I asked if I could use tampons, I was told yes and the NM I had asked told me she had caused chaos when she entered, bringing a years supply with her! I said I was relieved as I was dreading having to use the big thick pads my mother had used, to which she replied very seriously - 'Oh they weren't like that, they were far worse'!! So it shows sometimes asking these things is really useful - had she not done as she did, they may well have been using terry towelling to this day!

[mariepaix]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1306393023' post='2246136']
I have no idea about the order you mentioned, However I know in past times all women would use cloth, often towelling, folded and put/pinned in their underwear. [/quote]

I was with the MC's many years ago and at that time this is what they used. It was like wearing a diaper. The worse part was having to wash them and then worrying about them not drying in time. (you're only given so many) Many of them also do not wear knickers. Also the pins would tear the knickers and you'd have to mend them. But it seems like we were always mending clothing, especially the sari, during recreation. It was actually kind of fun and the sisters help each other.

[jkaands]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1306393023' post='2246136']
I have no idea about the order you mentioned, However I know in past times all women would use cloth, often towelling, folded and put/pinned in their underwear. When commercial pads came in they used to come with a belt and the pad had loops to attatch to the belt., in this case knickers would not have been essential - I think you can still get Dr Whites belts and looped towels if you look hard enough.

I have heard a few stories from the old days of Carmel from my older sisters. They didn't wear knickers most of the time but had a pair (note A pair ) for that week and would use home made pads which they would then put in a bucket of cold water ready for the lay sisters to wash. As women living in close contact tend to fall in sync with each other, they would only need one or two 'dirty washes' a month. From what I have read, this was the common practise for many orders pre-V2.

I hope this is vaguely useful and may be an idea of how the order you are asking about may work, but as I said, I have no idea specifically.
[/quote]

Interesting. So they didn't wash their[i] own[/i] menstrual rags, the lay sisters did it. By hand? I am glad that Vat II did away with the choir/lay distinctions.

[Freudentaumel]

[quote name='jkaands' timestamp='1306464708' post='2246484']
Interesting. So they didn't wash their[i] own[/i] menstrual rags, the lay sisters did it. By hand? I am glad that Vat II did away with the choir/lay distinctions.
[/quote]
Could you point me to the document that did away with that distinction? I have always thought that this was a "spirit of the council" thing, but I could be wrong.

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='jkaands' timestamp='1306464708' post='2246484']
Interesting. So they didn't wash their[i] own[/i] menstrual rags, the lay sisters did it. By hand? I am glad that Vat II did away with the choir/lay distinctions.
[/quote]

I have always felt that I was born too late. Although I am bright and do enjoy the Office, in my heart of hearts I believe I would have been able to live my true vocation more perfectly in the days when I could have been a lay sister.

[Yaatee]

[size="3"] [quote name='Freudentaumel' timestamp='1306477330' post='2246666']
Could you point me to the document that did away with that distinction? I have always thought that this was a "spirit of the council" thing, but I could be wrong.
[/quote]

I don't know what the document was, but I think that it was a pretty specific strong ruling or decision.

Years ago I read the biography of a Trappist monk and he described how difficult it was for the lay Trappist monks, who wore [i]a brown[/i] habit and had among themselves a strong sense of solidarity. This was in the days when men could enter as lay members with minimal education. One lay brother bitterly said that if he had to wear white/black now, he would like to be [i]buried[/i] in his old habit.


[/size]