Becoming a Nun

[mawbear]

Is it allowed for a woman who has prior been married and has children to become a nun?  We only have two Catholic churches, that I have found, in our town.  Are there other religions that have similar vocations?  I'm typically a Baptist or Pentecostal...

Thank you.  Full time Christian ministry is where my heart is.  Shalom.

[Sister Leticia]

Hello - welcome!

As far as the Roman Catholic Church is concerned, people entering religious life or a seminary need to be free from obligations and dependents. So they can be widowed, or if their former spouse is still alive, have an annulment (or be divorced from a "non-Catholic" marriage, eg a registry office one), and their children need to be adults, able to fend for themselves financially and in all other ways. They also need to be free from other obligations, including debt.

That's the RC Church - I don't know about other denominations (though from a common sense POV, they probably have similar rules).

Here in the UK we have Anglican religious - if you're in the US you might have Episcopalian religious? - but I don't know about other denominations. There might be some Baptists, but probably only one or two communities. Religious life was one of the things the Protestant Reformation turned its back on. The Oxford Movement in 19th century Britain sought to recover some aspects of Catholicism and incorporate them into Anglican life and liturgy, hence the rise of various Anglican religious orders in this country.

 

[beatitude]

Welcome, mawbear.  To add to what Sister Leticia has said, I just wanted to note that being a nun and doing full-time Christian ministry are not the same thing - you could be a full-time religious education teacher or Christian youth worker, for example, without being a nun. To be a nun or a sister is a calling that goes much deeper than the type of ministry you hope to be involved in one day. It's a complete way of being and living your life, and this is not always well understood by people who aren't Catholic - recently I read an article about an increase in the number of Catholic nuns that had a comment from a Protestant reader saying, "I'm a female pastor and I got married. As a woman you can serve God and still have what other women have." That comment showed the depth of the misunderstanding - she was viewing a nun's life as like a career, and was thinking about how she could have her chosen career and still have a family. A Catholic would see it differently: a nun's vows are a crucial part of who she is and what she gives to God, not unnecessary extras that can be left on the side. It's about who you are, and the ministry is only one part of that.

If our way of seeing things makes sense to you, then it's possible you do have a vocation. I've known a few women who felt drawn to become nuns even before they were Catholics. I think it would help you to have some prayerful support and guidance as you consider what it is you are really searching for. You could visit one of the local Catholic churches and ask to speak to the priest, for example. Given your Pentecostal background, it may interest you to know that there are Catholic communities of nuns that are quite charismatic in the way they worship, so further down the line you could perhaps get in touch with them. But for now I would focus on prayer and seeking advice and direction from Christians you respect and trust as you discern God's will for you.

[Egeria]

In addition to the Anglican communities that Sr Letitcia mentioned, there are some Protestant communities that I think mainly developed in the twentieth century. The best know is Taizé in France, but they are men. Grandchamp in Switzerland was originally linked to Taizé (I think), but later developed its identity. It has good relationships with some Catholic and Orthodox groups. There are also some Lutheran Benedictines in Germany and Sweden, as well as some other Lutheran communities (e.g. Selbitz). It might also be worth mentioning Bose in Italy - they are officially ecumenical, but have mainly Catholic members although they do also have Protestants.

I don't know the situation in the USA. However, apart from the Episcopalians, you might want to investigate the Community of Jesus who claim to be ecumenical but I think are basically Protestant, albeit rather eclectic and "high church". Their publishing house, Paraclete Press, publishes some interesting stuff. I don't know anything more about them than that, but confess that I am not so sure about them although I can't exactly say why.

There may also be other Protestant communities in the USA (if that's where you're from). One way to find out would be to write to somewhere like Grandchamp and ask them. I know that they have had at least one Baptist sister (from Congo, if I remember correctly).

Oh, and one other thing, wasn't there a Protestant sister on here? I can't remember her name, but I think it started with a J... does anyone know?

10 hours ago, beatitude said:

Welcome, mawbear.  To add to what Sister Leticia has said, I just wanted to note that being a nun and doing full-time Christian ministry are not the same thing - you could be a full-time religious education teacher or Christian youth worker, for example, without being a nun. To be a nun or a sister is a calling that goes much deeper than the type of ministry you hope to be involved in one day. It's a complete way of being and living your life, and this is not always well understood by people who aren't Catholic - recently I read an article about an increase in the number of Catholic nuns that had a comment from a Protestant reader saying, "I'm a female pastor and I got married. As a woman you can serve God and still have what other women have." That comment showed the depth of the misunderstanding - she was viewing a nun's life as like a career, and was thinking about how she could have her chosen career and still have a family. A Catholic would see it differently: a nun's vows are a crucial part of who she is and what she gives to God, not unnecessary extras that can be left on the side. It's about who you are, and the ministry is only one part of that.

Beatitude, I totally agree with what you say about people's misconceptions about religious life. But I don't think this a difference between Catholics and everybody else as it is a difference between people who understand religious life / monasticism and those who don't. When I was a Catholic monastic I had Catholics say to me, "Oh, wouldn't it be nice if priests could get married, then you will also be allowed to get married." and, "Oh, when women are ordained then you'll also be ordained." If anything, I'm inclined to think that it's the Catholic conflation of celibacy and priesthood that confuses things here (both for Catholics and the wider culture), and makes people think that women's religious life is a sort of second best to priesthood - whereas it is actually an entirely different thing. I'm not wanting to debate that here, merely pointing out that, in my experience, Catholics also get confused about this.

[Antigonos]

Juchu.  But she hasn't posted for a very long time; don't know if she's left the phorum, or just lurks.  I seem to remember that her order was not in the US, but I could be mistaken.

[NadaTeTurbe]

There's a community of protestant sisters in Paris, France : http://www.diaconesses-reuilly.fr/

[juchu]

On 21/02/2017 at 2:29 PM, Antigonos said:

Juchu.  But she hasn't posted for a very long time; don't know if she's left the phorum, or just lurks.  I seem to remember that her order was not in the US, but I could be mistaken.

She just lurks from time to time Happily ever after in one of the named communities in Europe

Prayers and Greetings to all of you!

here's an overview from communities in germany

http://www.evangelische-kommunitaeten.de/suche/

here in france

https://www.eglise-protestante-unie.fr/partenaires/communautes-religieuses-pg11

and some in suisse :

El-Roi : www.el-roi.ch

Grandchamp: www.grandchamp.org

Diakonissenhaus Riehen: www.diakonissen-riehen.ch

Communität Steppenblüte: www.steppenbluete-grimmialp.ch

Christusträger Communität: www.christustraeger.de

Jesusbruderschaft Gnadenthal: www.jesus-bruderschaft.de

Communität Casteller Ring: www.schwanberg.de

Communität Christusbruderschaft Selbitz: www.christusbruderschaft.de

Communauté Don Camillo: www.montmirail-doncamillo.ch

 

[NadaTeTurbe]

There's a community named after Don Camillo. I love it. 

[Antigonos]

Juchu, good to hear from you again.  Hope things are well with you.

[LittleDiana]

6 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

There's a community named after Don Camillo. I love it. 

Great. Now I can't found one in his honor myself