Religious In Old Age

[Anastasia13]

What is it like when nuns, priests, and monks retire? Do they,still live with the community? Do healthy nuns ever stop serving as nuns before they die?

[krissylou]

I think for most religious they don't ever "retire" exactly but may be assigned to jobs that are progressively less physically strenuous.

 

My high school was originally staffed by Dominican sisters.  In my day the teachers and administrators were almost all laypeople.  There was one middle aged sister who taught English full-time, another older one who taught math part-time.  (At the time I thought she was ancient, but she was in her early 70s -- at an age when most people have retired but not waaaay past it.)  Then there were a handful of older sisters who didn't have regular classes but did tutoring.  I think this kind of gradual slow-down is common.

 

(Note: I think a lot of the rest of us would appreciate the ability to slow down gradually like this rather than have the stark options of going full-time or nothing.)

 

The most infirm are assigned to a "ministry of prayer."  But in many communities (most?  All?) everyone is assigned to something.

 

I think generally religious work as much as they can given their physical conditions, energy levels, etc.  They don't slow down just to stop and smell the roses.  There are lots of campaigns to support the Retirement Fund for the Religious, not because the nuns are kicking back and enjoying their golden years but because while they work until they drop, they do not always die right after they drop.

 

Some orders have sufficiently advanced infirmaries that they can care for their own sisters as long as necessary.  (Often this means hiring nurses when the sisters need more skilled care.)  For other communities, especially smaller ones, that just isn't a possibility and they often have arrangements with other communities to care for the sisters who need nursing home care.  For instance, I know the Summit Dominicans (cloistered contemplative nuns) have an arrangement with the Caldwell Dominicans (active teaching order) that infirm nuns from Summit are cared for in the Caldwell Dominicans' infirmary when the Summit nuns cannot provide as much care as they need.

[Feankie]

Yes, all the retired Sisters I know are very elderly and they indeed have retired to the Motherhouse to live out their days serving with a ministry of prayer. Those who can still get around fairly easily act as Chaplains to those Sisters who cannot leave their rooms bringing them the
Eucharist, praying the Hours with them, helping them dictate their personal history of the Archives of the Order, etc.

[TheresaThoma]

I was once told by a priest that a discerner should really look at how the older sisters of the community are treated. After all one day you might be one of them! So this really is a valid question.

If the Sisters have an active apostolate then obviously at some point the sisters may "retire" from that. Typically they take on a prayer ministry. Focusing on supporting the community in prayer.  Each community has different arrangements for when a Sister needs more specialized care.

[cmaD2006]

I was once told by a priest that a discerner should really look at how the older sisters of the community are treated. After all one day you might be one of them! So this really is a valid question.

 

This ... and the other question is how do they treat illness in general.  Not all communities are "compassionate" in this regard.

 

Do realize that illness can hit at any age ... in the community I was in last, a 30 year old sister was diagnosed with a serious cancer.  Honestly -- she didn't seek treatment because illness was pooh-poohed, so she ignored the symptoms until it was too much for her to ignore.

 

I do think part of it has to do with the average age of the Institute.  I think they probably had an age-average of 25 (maybe lower).  You probably have a different attitude when the average age is older (maybe between 40-50).

 

Unfortunately I do think some of these stances won't become evident until one enters.  But it doesn't hurt to ask (and the way they respond may give a clue as to what their attitudes are).

[1054]

I've often come across priests and monastics laughingly point to a cemetery when someone asks what their retirement will be.  :rip:

[marigold]

I've often come across priests and monastics laughingly point to a cemetery when someone asks what their retirement will be. :rip:

I've had that too.

[littlesister]

Because our mission is to the aged, we are able to keep our elderly Little Sisters in their own communities.  They are a great blessing to the rest of us, especially when they reach 70 and even 80 years of profession with their enthusiasm and love for their vocation intact!