Letter from a Pregnant Nun who was Raped

[Amppax]

I've seen this floating around Facebook for the last few days or so, but didn't read it until today. It's incredibly moving, and I really don't know what else to say. Here's the link- http://iamproudtobecatholic.com/2015/09/14/letter-from-a-pregnant-nun-who-was-raped/ 

Edited September 18, 2015 by Amppax

[vee]

wow

Its been ten years, I wonder whats become of her and her child?

[Amppax]

wow

Its been ten years, I wonder whats become of her and her child?

I was wondering the same thing. 

[Oremus Pro Invicem]

Deeply moving and powerful.    

[Seven77]

Dang...what a courageous woman...

[elizabeth09]

A woman that was brave at heart.

[clk]

I have been thinking about this all day, in part because it is so heartbreaking, but my question is why this young woman had to leave the convent.  After such a horrific experience, was there no way that the convent couldn't have sheltered this woman, helped her to keep her vows, and cared for the child?  Wouldn't Christ expect that much of his daughters?  Am I the only one bothered by this?

 

[Antonius]

I was curious when I could find nothing on the internet regarding the poet that was mentioned.  After some research, it turns out that this beautiful story is actually fiction.  Source: http://liberlocorumcommunium.blogspot.com/2014/09/story-with-letter-of-sister-lucy.html

According to the Italian journalist Antonio Troiano ("Suora bosniaca diventa madre? no, e' una bufala,"Corriere della Sera, 3 April 1994, p. 11), the letter from "Sister Lucj Vertrusc" was actually a literary exercise composed by Monsignor Alfredo Contran (15 August 1925-20 October 2007), who had been attempting to think his way through the unfolding situation in the former Yuogoslavia from the perspective of a nun imaginatively.  Having won honorable mention in a provincial literary contest, it circulated at first in private, and then, to Fr. Contran's surprise, began to appear as fact without attribution to him in Catholic periodicals, including, eventually, Segno Sette (Catholic Action), and on 2 April 1994,L'Indipendente of Milan (which supplied further "details" on the birth of the baby boy).

[tinytherese]

I have been thinking about this all day, in part because it is so heartbreaking, but my question is why this young woman had to leave the convent.  After such a horrific experience, was there no way that the convent couldn't have sheltered this woman, helped her to keep her vows, and cared for the child?  Wouldn't Christ expect that much of his daughters?  Am I the only one bothered by this?

 

Yea, or place the baby for adoption. But since the story is fictional...

[Ice_nine]

I have been thinking about this all day, in part because it is so heartbreaking, but my question is why this young woman had to leave the convent.  After such a horrific experience, was there no way that the convent couldn't have sheltered this woman, helped her to keep her vows, and cared for the child?  Wouldn't Christ expect that much of his daughters?  Am I the only one bothered by this?

 

I had the same feelings when I first read this a few years back. I actually felt more anguish than inspiration, and I'm kid of glad it's not real (although I'm sure similar things have happened and I wonder how convents would deal with it).

[Era Might]

I have been thinking about this all day, in part because it is so heartbreaking, but my question is why this young woman had to leave the convent.  After such a horrific experience, was there no way that the convent couldn't have sheltered this woman, helped her to keep her vows, and cared for the child?  Wouldn't Christ expect that much of his daughters?  Am I the only one bothered by this?

 

Looking at your question from a different angle, IF she chose to remain in the convent (when I read the letter I thought it felt natural that she would leave), wouldn't it be an equally noble decision if the child became the responsibility of the entire order, not just this one nun (I think of Dorothy Day, who had a daughter and raised her within the Catholic Worker movement, never marrying again...though that was not without difficulties for her or her daughter, which is why I think it would be natural for the nun to leave the convent and raise her child in a natural family environment).

[Amppax]

I was curious when I could find nothing on the internet regarding the poet that was mentioned.  After some research, it turns out that this beautiful story is actually fiction.  Source: http://liberlocorumcommunium.blogspot.com/2014/09/story-with-letter-of-sister-lucy.html

Hmmm. I suppose I should have done a little digging before posting. 

[veritasluxmea]

I have been thinking about this all day, in part because it is so heartbreaking, but my question is why this young woman had to leave the convent.  After such a horrific experience, was there no way that the convent couldn't have sheltered this woman, helped her to keep her vows, and cared for the child?  Wouldn't Christ expect that much of his daughters?  Am I the only one bothered by this?

 

I know it's a fiction letter, but I want to address the question hypothetically speaking- Yes, the convent/order could have sheltered the women and helped her during her pregnancy, and keep her vows afterwords for life. But after the baby is born, where would it live? A convent is not a place for a growing child to live with its mother. Children need a lot of time, energy, care, and money. Frankly, it's not feasible for a religious order to raise a child. It's a place for adults to live in poverty, prayer, on a schedule, doing apostolic work. I'm sure they would help out as much as possible, but it's just not a long-term solution. To keep living a religious life she would have to give the baby up for adoption to be raised. It sounds as through the woman wanted to keep her child and raise it herself, like a normal mother/child relationship. She absolutely has every right to do that, and she was able to find a way to do that- just living in the world. Who knows, maybe when the child is grown she'd go back to the order (under those circumstances they'd probably let her return). 

[Ice_nine]

don't a lot of religious orders take care of orphans in some capacity? Or at least they used to right?

[veritasluxmea]

don't a lot of religious orders take care of orphans in some capacity? Or at least they used to right?

Yes, it was more common back in the day. Nowadays a handful do- like the Missionaries or Charity. In that part of the world there might be a local order that does. Since it's fiction I don't know if that would be the apostolate of her order or not. 

Going from the letter, she sounds like she's putting her child first- she would prefer to raise her child in her home with her being the baby's mama, not in an orphanage: "I will be a mother. The child will be mine and no one else’s. I know that I could entrust him to other people, but he-though I neither asked for him nor expected him-he has a right to my love as his mother. A plant should never be torn from its roots. The grain of wheat fallen in the furrow has to grow there, where the mysterious, though iniquitous sower threw it." It sounds like she's giving the baby as "normal" a life as possible.