What do you bring to the convent?!

[Lilllabettt]

I must say. I seriously enjoyed not having to do my own laundry or my own cooking. Seriously seriously glad I didnt have to wash everyone's hankies.  It was a perk although sometimes a sacrifice (we ate what was prepared, the end.) 

We also had the "threat" of inspections that never took place. It wasnt "my" cell, "my" desk, "my" closet. It was ours, and the lack of expectation of privacy was part of living poverty. 

[Nunsuch]

7 hours ago, Dymphna said:

Well, maybe things are different in Europe - in the community I know best, they definitely have communal laundry, complete with laundry sister and the sewn-on numbers. No further inspections though :-)

Are you in Europe? All but 2 convents I have stayed in are in the United States. Interesting. Things haven't been this way in the vast majority of US communities since Vatican II.

[Sister Leticia]

I'm in Europe: I live in the UK, but have stayed in some of our houses on the continent, as well as outside Europe. We are apostolic-contemplative, and generally live in small communities (average 5). None of our communities have a "laundry sister" - and why should we? We're all capable of sorting and sticking our clothes, towels, sheets etc in a washing machine and then drying and ironing them! 

The closest we would come to this is that usually one sister looks after "house" laundry, ie tea towels, bath mats, hand-towels, which are for communal use, as well as things like tablecloths. But this isn't an onerous task - rarely more than one or maybe two machine-loads per week. There might be a bit more when there are guests, but that's it (and if the guest is my friend/relative, then naturally, I would prepare her room and launder her bedlinen and towels afterwards). 

We also take turns at cooking - no "kitchen sisters". Depending on numbers, and on available time, a community might have one person who does the bulk of the shopping, or who takes extra turns at cooking - that sort of thing. 

And yes, we do this in addition to our ministries and other responsibilities.

The only exceptions would be the houses where our elderly and infirm sisters live, those running retreat centres, and a couple of houses on the continent which run a "pensione" or a hostel for students.  

And I'd say this is the norm for most other communities here - again, there might be variations/exceptions eg if they're running an institution, but generally, we UK sisters wash our own undies, cook for each other, keep the house clean - and decide individually whether to use paper or cotton hankies.

I have some friends who are in enclosed monasteries. I've never asked them in-depth questions about their laundry arrangements (and I'm not about to!) but judging from the occasional comment, I assume they do their own laundry, with someone in charge of house stuff (and the guest mistress looking after guests). I do know that although someone is responsible for most of the cooking, they take turns at helping or washing up, or maybe at preparing supper to give the cook a break.

I know we need to be discreet, but these discussions should really help discerners build up a picture of contemporary religious life. So maybe within the bounds of that discretion, it would help (here and in other threads) if posters indicate the size and type of community (eg whether they're describing an enclosed monastery, or one which still has lay sisters etc) and give an idea of whether this is current/recent/40 years ago, and at least the continent if they feel they can't say which country. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Sister Leticia
noticed a typo

[beatitude]

50 minutes ago, Sister Leticia said:

I'm in Europe: I live in the UK, but have stayed in some of our houses on the continent, as well as outside Europe. We are apostolic-contemplative, and generally live in small communities (average 5). None of our communities have a "laundry sister" - and why should we? We're all capable of sorting and sticking our clothes, towels, sheets etc in a washing machine and then drying and ironing them!  

I have two close friends who are Dominican friars, who have lived in large quite priories in different European countries, and one of them was joking about the suffering undergone by the brother responsible for the laundry whenever anything in tomato sauce appears at meals. So I think in larger communities they're more likely to have one person who is assigned to do laundry, which would make sense - it's much simpler and more straightforward for one person to do the washing for twenty, than to have all twenty friars trying to find their own slot to use the washing machine. In a little house it's simpler for people to do their own.

[Nunsuch]

My experience with various communities is much more in accord with Sister Leticia. Sisters do their own laundry, though general cleaning tasks are shared (and usually rotated). Only the infirm expect to have their laundry done for them, although elderly sisters able to do their own continue to do so. If someone gets tomato sauce on their clothing, it's their responsibility to get it out! 

[JHFamily]

In the U.S., most of the communities that are growing are habited and large, therefore, I think that affects the laundry/kitchen/chore situation.  I think, in general, habited communities are more likely to lean communal while non-habited are more likely to lean to the individual taking care of herself.  It's all anecdotal, of course, but in my visiting quite a few communities of both stripes, it has held true to the very last one.

[Lilllabettt]

3 minutes ago, JHFamily said:

In the U.S., most of the communities that are growing are habited and large, therefore, I think that affects the laundry/kitchen/chore situation.  I think, in general, habited communities are more likely to lean communal while non-habited are more likely to lean to the individual taking care of herself.  It's all anecdotal, of course, but in my visiting quite a few communities of both stripes, it has held true to the very last one.

Yes. I agree.

My community was contemplative although not "enclosed" per se, and not very large (25-30 sisters perhaps). It was also new-er, founded in the 1980s.

I think a lot of newer communities conceive of themselves as the anti- apartment movement. The apartment movement being that phenomena when many communities, post Council, abandoned communal styles of living, working, praying, dressing, etc. and took up: dwelling in individual apartments instead of "the convent", working in individualized ministries instead of the community apostolate, selecting and wearing individual outfits vs the uniform habit, praying in private instead of gathering together for the hours, and so on. 

Although it is absolutely true, that in a motherhouse with 100+ sisters in full habit plus novitiate,  having laundry sisters and kitchen sisters is just practical sense.   The missions (where there's a smaller number of professed) might be different - my community did not have missions. But even there - think about a large family. It's much easier and less wasteful to have duties assigned.  Vs. having five teenagers do tiny loads of laundry and buying food for their individual meals. 

 

 

[juchu]

18 hours ago, beatitude said:

So I think in larger communities they're more likely to have one person who is assigned to do laundry, which would make sense - it's much simpler and more straightforward for one person to do the washing for twenty, than to have all twenty friars trying to find their own slot to use the washing machine. In a little house it's simpler for people to do their own.

I agree with this. It think things like doing laundry and how to cook are often questions of organizing and not a central point of a communitys charisma !!

I am living with 35 other sisters (and a guest house + volunteers in civil clothes) and it would be impossible to have each one of us do their own laundry. Having also 30kg+ washing machines it would take each sisters half a year to arrive at 30kg of personal dirty clothes!!!  It's also more ecological to wash in those quantities. 

But of course, if i spill sauce on my habit, i go and try to get the staints out myself before giving it to the laundry. Also everybody pre-washes their underwear, if necessary and if they can, before they give it to the laundry... So you do not give up your responsibility, just because somebody else is doing the laundry! You do others things for those who work at the laundry (kitchen, cleaning, gardening .... ).

I have helped out at the laundry, also loading the machines with dirty underwear and it's really a job like everything else. You just check if the sisters presorted their stuff correctly when filling in the machines, but you do not look at everything in detail. We have simply cotton underwear (no lace, etc.) because we wash at high temperature. It's also a practical reason, not to have things like this. (or at least, not a lot, because it happens with the volunteers who share our life) But it is a simple fact for simplicity of the work and hygiene also.

[gloriana35]

 Sisters I knew, who entered in the 1950s (same community) were only allowed two pair of knickers (they had to give the superior the keys to their trunks after removing these), which they had to hand wash.

In my 'free' day (forty years ago), there were customs (always connected to 'poverty' or 'obedience') which I would imagine the young would find incredible or laughable. (If one were told to make a pot of coffee for a guest, and no open coffee can was on the shelf, one had to return to ask permission to open a can!) The convent did have a washing machine, but it was so overloaded that I imagine there was a guardian angel of convent washers, since I never recall the motor burning out. Nothing was very clean, since it was so stuffed,and items were very wet after the cycle, but the dryer could be used only in a storm - it could be very cold and drizzling, but clothes had to be hung outdoors to avoid violations of poverty.

I'm sure the young will find this incredible, but I'll tell you of one of my dreadful (unknowing) violations of poverty and obedience. Sisters normally could not use the washing machine (unless it was one's turn to do the communal laundry), but occasionally could receive special permission to do so. One of the Sisters was the sort who always was cold - even wearing the massive, serge habit, she wore old cardigans, old towels and blankets she'd cut up and pinned together to form another layer, and the like. She'd received permission to wash them.

This Sister had arthritis in her arms and shoulders. (It was a top loader, and one had to load the machine, then press a button at its back to start the mechanism.) I was ironing in the laundry room, and noticed that she could not manage to lift her arm sufficiently to press the button, so I did it for her. I was in trouble for 'using' a washing machine without permission.

[Sponsa-Christi]

5 hours ago, gloriana35 said:

I'm sure the young will find this incredible, but I'll tell you of one of my dreadful (unknowing) violations of poverty and obedience. Sisters normally could not use the washing machine (unless it was one's turn to do the communal laundry), but occasionally could receive special permission to do so. One of the Sisters was the sort who always was cold - even wearing the massive, serge habit, she wore old cardigans, old towels and blankets she'd cut up and pinned together to form another layer, and the like. She'd received permission to wash them.

This Sister had arthritis in her arms and shoulders. (It was a top loader, and one had to load the machine, then press a button at its back to start the mechanism.) I was ironing in the laundry room, and noticed that she could not manage to lift her arm sufficiently to press the button, so I did it for her. I was in trouble for 'using' a washing machine without permission.

Wow...

A good reminder that religious life (and Catholic life in general) also was not perfect before Vatican II!

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Sponsa-Christi said:

Wow...

A good reminder that religious life (and Catholic life in general) also was not perfect before Vatican II!

 

Spot on.  

 

 

[Nunsuch]

The community with which I am affiliated has over 300 members. About half live in the motherhouse (this includes the very elderly and infirm, as well as those still active). Not all the rest live in "apartments," though some do, particularly if they are in ministries where there are not many sisters. Others live in convents of 5-15 sisters, where everyone does their own laundry, where household tasks such as cooking and cleaning are shared, etc. In the motherhouse, sisters who are able are expected to do their own laundry, and to clean their own rooms, etc. Cooking is done by a staff (in the motherhouse, not comprised of sisters). I do think that it is a mistake to see the two alternatives as "apartment living" and "living in bigger communities," as many congregations have examples of both. By the way, a sister took first vows today, and another made final vows last week. Traditional communities are not the only ones receiving vocations. 

[Dymphna]

On 8/3/2019 at 2:26 AM, Nunsuch said:

Are you in Europe? All but 2 convents I have stayed in are in the United States. Interesting. Things haven't been this way in the vast majority of US communities since Vatican II.

Yes, I'm in Europe. The community I'm talking about is less than 100 years old and a pretty unique mixture of very old-fashioned (they do love to sing their prayes in Latin occasionally) and very up-to-date (they work in ordinary jobs as employees in their profession). No habits, and living together as a group of about 20. And ecologically conscious and pretty anti-consumerist - I think this explains why they have communal laundry: It's easier to take care of the fabrics and the environment when you can sort the washing (as the responsible sister does) according to optimal temperature and washing cycle.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Dymphna
typo

[Lilllabettt]

18 hours ago, Nunsuch said:

The community with which I am affiliated has over 300 members. About half live in the motherhouse (this includes the very elderly and infirm, as well as those still active). Not all the rest live in "apartments," though some do, particularly if they are in ministries where there are not many sisters. Others live in convents of 5-15 sisters, where everyone does their own laundry, where household tasks such as cooking and cleaning are shared, etc. In the motherhouse, sisters who are able are expected to do their own laundry, and to clean their own rooms, etc. Cooking is done by a staff (in the motherhouse, not comprised of sisters). I do think that it is a mistake to see the two alternatives as "apartment living" and "living in bigger communities," as many congregations have examples of both. By the way, a sister took first vows today, and another made final vows last week. Traditional communities are not the only ones receiving vocations. 

Has it always been that way - the sisters always hired people to cook their meals?  

If you only have two changes of clothes, how do you make enough laundry to do your own load?  Isnt that wasteful, to do a load with 1 set of clothing? 

[JHFamily]

1 hour ago, Lilllabettt said:

If you only have two changes of clothes, how do you make enough laundry to do your own load? 

Well, that's a pretty big assumption.  I think it would be safer to assume that those who choose not to wear habits probably have several changes of clothes.