DameAgnes Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Interesting perspective. https://aleteia.org/2017/10/13/my-little-sister-joined-a-convent-so-why-am-i-this-angry/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunsuch Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 OK--slightly off topic, but... WHY do people say that some one "joined a convent"? ENTERED a convent, maybe. Or joined an order or community or congregation. But you don't join a BUILDING.... [It's sort of like another pet peeve, when people, including published authors, refer to people in formation as "novitiates," rather than novices.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Nunsuch said: OK--slightly off topic, but... WHY do people say that some one "joined a convent"? ENTERED a convent, maybe. Or joined an order or community or congregation. But you don't join a BUILDING.... [It's sort of like another pet peeve, when people, including published authors, refer to people in formation as "novitiates," rather than novices.] I think it's the same thing as saying to join a gym or a university. The words can connote a physical place, but they also take on a meaning beyond. The convent, especially in the US going back to the earliest convents and monasteries, has had sort of imagined space quality to it. The convent is not just a building but an entire way of being. (But so much pet peeve for novitiates - but again, this seems to be a secular North American thing). Edited October 13, 2017 by truthfinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunsuch Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Well, I study this and have visited about 7 dozen communities in North America, and find it an odd usage. Oh, and as a college professor, I don't know of anyone who "joins" a university, nor is that a usage I've heard, even for faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Leticia Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 [Still off topic: not just the American, but the UK secular press might also refer to someone being a novitiate, maybe after they've been a postulate!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 A very interesting perspective. I am discerning with a cloistered community and I have encountered a bit of this same reaction. I have seen many of my friends and extended family members struggle to wrap their minds around the idea of a contemplative vocation. When I had been discerning with an active communities I think they could "justify" why I might be drawn to that but the contemplative vocation is a bit more challenging. It is nice to be able to "hear" the other side and what they may be going through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.christinaosf Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 I know - I have to almost chuckle when I hear someone use the word "novitiate" to refer to the unprocessed sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 A friend of mine entered a religious community a while back. Some of her family compared it to a cult, as some of the teachings were a bit extreme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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