Nun Shoes

[OnlySunshine]

We used to go to the store downtown. Years ago, we had what we called "Dominican shoes". They were made in the monastery and I've been told they were very bad for the sisters' feet.

The internet is very good for us because now we all order online at places like Zappos. We can try them on in "real life", not a cushy carpet in a shoe store. Free shipping is a blessing.

Crocs are a favorite among some sisters.

 

If you need another good website with free shipping and returns, Shoebuy is a good site, too!

[the171]

I strongly recommend Land's End for practical things like snow boots at reasonable prices. I live in the Midwest (in the flat state just below Wisconsin), and my Lands' End snow boots have lasted me for years.

Lands' End is located in Wisconsin and is mostly sold online, although there are some retail stores in certain states.

Possible problem: It is already February, and it has been an extremely cold winter for a large part of the U.S. In a normal year, January/February would be the perfect time to shop for snow boots because they will be on sale so you could get great bargains. I haven't looked on the Lands' End site recently, but it might be slim pickings in the snow boot department. Still, if I were you, I would check Lands' End NOW!!

If you don't need the snow boots immediately, and you can't find high quality snow boots right now on sale, perhaps there is some way your Community will let you wait wait until next September/October to buy them. Lands' End snow boots are high quality at a MUCH lower price than "name" places like North Face, Patagonia, etc. As has been said before, for snow you need boots that are not only insulated, but are completely waterproof. I also recommend L.L. Bean (also an online store) although their prices aren't as good as Land's End. Why pay even a little more for boots of similar quality?

What kind/brand of snow boots (and other shoes) do your future Sisters wear? They obviously know best what brands/styles of shoes are both comfortable and reasonable in price. Also, there are different kinds of snow boots, and the type you need depends on the weather where you will be living. If you haven't asked already, I'm sure your future Sisters/Vocation Director have suggestions for the best type of shoes/boots for where you will be living.

I apologize, but I sincerely don't understand the concern about "old lady shoes." Help me understand. As part of your vows, among other things, you're going to be giving up having children of your own, will have few, if any, possessions of your own, and will be promising obedience for the rest of your life. These are HUGE sacrifices, but will be worth it because you will be dedicating your life to serving and adoring God, and answering his Call. In the face of this, I truly don't understand why you're even thinking about what your shoes will look like.

I already bought the Patagonia boots. I'm a fan of that brad because of their focus on making clothing and shoes for a lifetime.

Sorry, I guess I'm prideful. I didn't know I said old lady shoes. It's really hard to explain what's going on in my heart (and my head) right now. The things that I thought would scare me don't. The things that I thought I would cry about leaving are the things that are easiest to leave. The things that I thought I would never worry about are the things that are constantly on my mind.

It's crazy over at my house, too. Insurance, checking accounts, and school are all you hear lately. Haha!

You would think that leaving my family and all of who I could be would be my biggest worries, but the only thing that has made me cry was the thought of leaving my car, books, and my kayak.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: the little things end up being the big things. Like a pair of shoes or even an old SUV.

Sorry again.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

I apologize, but I sincerely don't understand the concern about "old lady shoright, es." Help me understand. As part of your vows, among other things, you're going to be giving up having children of your own, will have few, if any, possessions of your own, and will be promising obedience for the rest of your life. These are HUGE sacrifices, but will be worth it because you will be dedicating your life to serving and adoring God, and answering his Call. In the face of this, I truly don't understand why you're even thinking about what your shoes will look like.

Of all of the people on Phatmass, I would have thought the ones in Vocation Station would be the most understanding of these concerns. You're right, she'll be giving up a husband and family of her own, she'll have much less time with her family and friends, she'll be giving up choosing her clothes every day, she'll give up the choice of where she lives, she'll be giving her entire life in an awesome way in service to God and her brothers and sisters in Christ. But you're also wrong. BECAUSE of these great sacrifices, wouldn't you think that it would make sense that she would want be particular about her shoes? Maybe these little things that she DOES have control over in some way really ARE important to her? And maybe that's okay?

Don't get me wrong, she'll be living a life of joy and love, she'll be happy, and she even is now. But that doesn't make the struggles disappear.

I ask you to look at it from her perspective. A girl who hasn't even graduated from highschool yet, saying "yes" to something so much bigger than her, leaving SO much. In my opinion, she should at least get to be nitpicky about her shoes. Edited February 7, 2014 by FutureCarmeliteClaire

[AnneLine]

I understand what Iggy meant -- and knowing her, she meant it with great love!   

At first glance it does seem odd that someone getting ready to enter would worry about clothes and shoes.  So it certainly was to my own family when I went in.  We had the advantage/frustration of being told EXACTLY what we were to bring in... and 40 years ago that included (and I am not kidding!) support stockings and garters.... a girdle.... a particular brand of old-lady shoes that we quickly termed 'platypus shoes' because THAT is what they looked like... similar to these:

 

 

 

Except that ^^^^ are more attractive.

 

It was a hard list to shop for... and there WAS no internet.  My mother and friends flatly refused to shop for the stuff with me.  It was a tough thing to find all the stuff!

 

But you know, I did it, and it wasn't so bad.  It felt really counter-cultural once I got my head around it.

 

I will second what Sr. MC said about the cat... not that I didn't miss my family, but I missed the cat at night.  A lot.

 

It's always the little things! I know more sisters who cry more buckets over leaving their cat than leaving their family!

 

For some reason SHOES are the few places where nuns often can express their "style" tastes. If a nun gets a new pair, even the most "nunny" looking everyone notices IMMEDIATELY! When I was in braces, casts and unable to walk I would find myself totally distracted by the Sisters' feet! It was so strange! And I've never been a shoe person, either!

 

Now the shoe thing is FUNNY to me because AFTER I left the convent, I figured I'd never have the problem with the super-ugly shoes again.  WRONG!  After I had some foot surgery my doctors put me back in 1st cousins to the ugly shoe pictured above!   And I was distracted by every person in shoes ON THE PLANET.  I could have told you what every Mass celebrant had on his feet, what everyone on the bus wore. I think it is because we are so self- conscious that we are walking around in.... truly ugly stuff.

 

It's OK the171, it will all be ok.    Really.   And someday you will laugh about this with someon else.  I promise you that!

[SilentJoy]

You would think that leaving my family and all of who I could be would be my biggest worries, but the only thing that has made me cry was the thought of leaving my car, books, and my kayak.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: the little things end up being the big things. Like a pair of shoes or even an old SUV.

 

 

:cry: I know - and I'm not even scheduled to enter yet. Hugs to you.

 

P.S. My "SUV" is an '89 Dodge truck. Or it might be the '85; I'm not sure which one I'm going to miss more.
 

Edited February 7, 2014 by SilentJoy

[maximillion]

I have to admit I walked away fairly easily from my family but broke my heart over my dog!!!! :blush:

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

Of all of the people on Phatmass, I would have thought the ones in Vocation Station would be the most understanding of these concerns. You're right, she'll be giving up a husband and family of her own, she'll have much less time with her family and friends, she'll be giving up choosing her clothes every day, she'll give up the choice of where she lives, she'll be giving her entire life in an amesome way in service to God and her brothers and sisters in Christ. But you're also wrong. BECAUSE of these great sacrifices, wouldn't you think that it would make sense that she would want be particular about her shoes? Maybe these little things that she DOES have control over in some way really ARE important to her? And maybe that's okay?

Don't get me wrong, she'll be living a life of joy and love, she'll be happy, and she even is now. But that doesn't make the struggles disappear.

I ask you to look at it from her perspective. A girl who hasn't even graduated from highschool yet, saying "yes" to something so much bigger than her, leaving SO much. In my opinion, she should at least get to be nitpicky about her shoes.

 

I sincerely apologize for the way my post came across. I was trying to ask an honest question. I was just looking for an explanation of something I didn't understand, but wanted to understand. Ultimately, I was not intending to make a judgement. It's true, I was having a really bad day, and feeling impatient and frustrated, and that frustration (that had nothing to do with shoes) came across in my post. However, my having a bad day is not excuse for making a post that could be read as being judgemental. My post could have been worded much better.

 

A couple of things. The first is that I have never had ANY interest in shoes. I would go barefoot all the time if I could. I am now almost entirely housebound, so I have an excuse to never wear shoes unless I have to go outside. While I know from experience the importance of certain things, shoes are not one of those things.

 

Second, I have never discerned religious life. Heck, I've never been past the front desk of a convent or monastery, even though I live directly across the street from a convent for retired Religious Sisters. Everything I know about religious life I've learned here in Vocation Station. I've been part of Phatmass for almost four years now, so over that time I have learned a lot about religious life. As a result, when women here on VS bring up issues related to discernment, I understand virtually all the time.

 

I have an incredible respect for those who are discerning and live religious life. Personally, I do not have the level of faith in God required for religious life.  More importantly, it was obvious to me from a young age that my vocation was clearly to married life. Although I am not Catholic, I was raised as a high-church Anglican, and there are a number of Anglican religious orders. So religious life could have been an option for me when I was of an age to discern. (My "religion title" should read Anglican or Anglo-Catholic, but that was not one of the options available.)

 

As for why I landed here on Vocation Station, as one of the "supporters" for women considering religious life, I understand some of the reasons why I am here, but not all. All I know is that God wants me here for His own reasons. I hope that once in awhile I am able to say something that helps just a little. I do pray for everyone on Vocation Station, and that may be one reason I am here. I am in the unusual position in today's society of having far too much free time, so I do have time to pray and to listen. I don't have a lot of faith in the power of my own pitiful prayers, but I know that I am just one of many people praying for the discerners here. So I comfort myself that my few tiny drops of prayer do add at least a little to the constant river of prayers for all the discerners here.

 

I got the answer to my question about shoes from several posts here, especially Sister Mary Catharine's post. We are SO blessed to have her here on VS, and it's obvious, to me, at least, why she has been Vocation Director for her Community for awhile now.

 

BTW--I also apologize that it took me a few days to make this post. Since we can't edit posts on Phatmass, I have been composing this post in my head for several days, trying to make sure that THIS post expressed my humblest apologies for making you feel that I was being judgemental and not supportive. I can't promise that in the future I will always understand everything about religious life. In my ignorance, I will almost certainly need other things explained to me. But, know that you and all the others who post on VS have my support.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

I sincerely apologize for the way my post came across. I was trying to ask an honest question. I was just looking for an explanation of something I didn't understand, but wanted to understand. Ultimately, I was not intending to make a judgement. It's true, I was having a really bad day, and feeling impatient and frustrated, and that frustration (that had nothing to do with shoes) came across in my post. However, my having a bad day is not excuse for making a post that could be read as being judgemental. My post could have been worded much better.

A couple of things. The first is that I have never had ANY interest in shoes. I would go barefoot all the time if I could. I am now almost entirely housebound, so I have an excuse to never wear shoes unless I have to go outside. While I know from experience the importance of certain things, shoes are not one of those things.

Second, I have never discerned religious life. Heck, I've never been past the front desk of a convent or monastery, even though I live directly across the street from a convent for retired Religious Sisters. Everything I know about religious life I've learned here in Vocation Station. I've been part of Phatmass for almost four years now, so over that time I have learned a lot about religious life. As a result, when women here on VS bring up issues related to discernment, I understand virtually all the time.

I have an incredible respect for those who are discerning and live religious life. Personally, I do not have the level of faith in God required for religious life. More importantly, it was obvious to me from a young age that my vocation was clearly to married life. Although I am not Catholic, I was raised as a high-church Anglican, and there are a number of Anglican religious orders. So religious life could have been an option for me when I was of an age to discern. (My "religion title" should read Anglican or Anglo-Catholic, but that was not one of the options available.)

As for why I landed here on Vocation Station, as one of the "supporters" for women considering religious life, I understand some of the reasons why I am here, but not all. All I know is that God wants me here for His own reasons. I hope that once in awhile I am able to say something that helps just a little. I do pray for everyone on Vocation Station, and that may be one reason I am here. I am in the unusual position in today's society of having far too much free time, so I do have time to pray and to listen. I don't have a lot of faith in the power of my own pitiful prayers, but I know that I am just one of many people praying for the discerners here. So I comfort myself that my few tiny drops of prayer do add at least a little to the constant river of prayers for all the discerners here.

I got the answer to my question about shoes from several posts here, especially Sister Mary Catharine's post. We are SO blessed to have her here on VS, and it's obvious, to me, at least, why she has been Vocation Director for her Community for awhile now.

BTW--I also apologize that it took me a few days to make this post. Since we can't edit posts on Phatmass, I have been composing this post in my head for several days, trying to make sure that THIS post expressed my humblest apologies for making you feel that I was being judgemental and not supportive. I can't promise that in the future I will always understand everything about religious life. In my ignorance, I will almost certainly need other things explained to me. But, know that you and all the others who post on VS have my support.

Thank you for the incredibly honest post. I apologize for my rather defensive tone (I get like that sometimes). Thank you for your prayers for everyone, and please know of my prayers for you. :)

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Oh, Iggy, I never thought you were being judgmental or critical! It's a wonderful question and one many of our families and friends ask as well as ourselves during our 1st days. I think I had more than one cry with my novice mistress and asking why I was so wrought up about some little thing and not the big things!

 

As I look back I still can't believe I was able to let go of my kitty! It was all grace! I now live in a house full of sisters allergic to cats! Well, Sabina sometimes acts one and is the next best thing! If only someone would accidentally leave a kitten! But I supposed we'd have to give it a way because of the allergies! :cry:

 

 

[domenica_therese]

I have had attachments to some of the strangest things lately, as entrance approaches. It's so ridiculous it's almost hilarious. I also take it as a proof -- though certainly not the most compelling -- that this is from God, or else why would the devil be going to such lengths to sway my mind; none of those things, however, could possibly compare with what I am awaiting. That's when you know your pro-con is properly aligned. The whole world and all of its allurement lies in one pan of the scale, and yet God tips it towards the other anyway.  :nun1:

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I also take it as a proof -- though certainly not the most compelling -- that this is from God, or else why would the devil be going to such lengths to sway my mind; 

 

I needed to hear this so very badly today. Thank you. You've no idea how helpful this is. 

Your day is August something...15? 

171's is the 24th?

Mine is Sept. 6.

 

Praying for each other gives me strength. 

[domenica_therese]

You know, something you said a long time ago -- you might not even remember saying it -- about how your having vocational clarity so early was not coincidental, but rather purposeful, has been enormously helpful for me. We're in similar situation, and I've needed that reminder here in my last year, with one foot in two worlds. I keep running into situations which make me think "This is why I'm here, and not there." I'm ready to go, but it's also comforting to know that I am not waiting, but am living something important now.

 

So, I'm happy to have passed on something helpful in return. :)

And yes, my entrance is on August 15th. (Almost at the 6 month date. Wow.) Community is so important; I will definitely be praying for y'all as well. 

Edited February 10, 2014 by domenica_therese

[ToJesusMyHeart]

You know, something you said a long time ago -- you might not even remember saying it -- about how your having vocational clarity so early was not coincidental, but rather purposeful, has been enormously helpful for me. We're in similar situation, and I've needed that reminder here in my last year, with one foot in two worlds. I keep running into situations which make me think "This is why I'm here, and not there." I'm ready to go, but it's also comforting to know that I am not waiting, but am living something important now.

 

So, I'm happy to have passed on something helpful in return. :)

And yes, my entrance is on August 15th. (Almost at the 6 month date. Wow.) Community is so important; I will definitely be praying for y'all as well. 

 

Ah, you've sparked my curiosity! I think I have an idea which quote you're referencing but I will likely search for it all day to quell my wonder. 

 

An aside: I'm planning to go visit Sr. PM and the others in March for their Jesu Caritas retreat! This will be the first time I've seen her since I got my acceptance and also probably my last time before I enter. There will be tears. She is such an amazing woman and has helped me so much in my discernment! For a long time it was: NYC or Nashville, this charism or that, white & blue or white & black?!?! :hehe2: 

 

Anyway she was always so supportive, encouraging, and non-pushy. I am so thankful that she was never trying to sway my discernment either way.  And I know her prayers helped me gain the clarity I needed to decide. She just deserves so many cookies. And hugs. 

 

Anyway, I feel strangely connected to the Nashies even though I won't become one. So I feel similarly connected to you even though we won't be in the same community. I suppose all new postulants are "sisters" despite entering different communities. We're all embarking on this journey of faith, hope, and trust at the same time, and I expect that our sacrifices in our respective convents will find their way back to each other as we move forward in formation.

 

I'm getting weirdly emotional right now.  :rolleyes:

 

Time for some tea. 

[ToJesusMyHeart]

171: Sorry for the thread hi-jack. You da best, bby. 

[Alberto Guimaraes]

Peace and Good!

I follow thinking that religious ones must, first of all, be barefoot allways possible. I do that.

Only the impossibility of it then wearing sandals.

Another kind of footwear only in extreme and very specific situations.

Here I send you some links to artisanal sandals:

 

http://www.monastica-art-et-artisanat.com/A-3679-sandales-moniale-naturel-taille-34.aspx#CT-254-Moniale-(femme)-naturel

 

http://www.sandaledupelerin.fr/images/stories/catalogue_sandale_pelerin_2010-2.pdf

 

http://artecouro.pt/index.php?id_cms=11&controller=cms&id_lang=1

 

http://www.alicouro.com/index.html

 

Jesus, Mary and Francis be with you, bless you and keep you!

Br. Alberto Guimaraes OFS

Braga - Portugal