cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 (edited) Hmm - this could be the title of an anti-Catholic tract. Never mind. In my town there is a Dominican convent and a Dominican priory, located at opposite ends of the same road. Both the sisters and the brothers are active in the student chaplaincy. On Sunday night my spiritual director invited me to go to the convent to play Scrabble and Chinese chequers with her and the sisters. "The novices from Blackfriars are coming as well," she remarked. As I've only been invited to the convent for Mass and lunch before, I was quite excited about religious board games. There my eyes were opened to the ways of the Dominican family. One of the novices was taking a very long time to move one of his chequers, so my SD snapped, "Hurry up, Sausage!" before grabbing one of his chequers and moving it for him. "Sausage" (in distressed tones): You can't take my turn for me! My SD (imperiously): Oh, yes, I can. Now Mustard, it's your go! 'Mustard', apparently, was the other novice. The other sisters didn't seem a bit surprised to hear the brothers being referred to as items of food straight off a barbecue. More worryingly, neither did the brothers. Never again will I think that Dominican houses are havens of study where people sit around translating the Dead Sea Scrolls in their leisure hours... ...in fact, I might join them. Edited November 22, 2006 by Cathoholic Anonymous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortnun Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I guess I'm a little confused... were you startled and appalled at such behavior? Or were you intruiged and taken by it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 It sounds as if you had an amusing evening . I hope that the sisters gave you supper!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckinamo Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 hahaha thta's so much fun!! i was talking to a priest the other nite (well - sort of) and i said "it's so cool when priests [or anyone in the religious life] is humanized." so often, we see them as like saints sitting around praying allllll daaaay! but it's not true! they do other things! thanks for sharing that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlterDominicus Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Haha, thats not all they do in convents, believe me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 [quote]I guess I'm a little confused... were you startled and appalled at such behavior? Or were you intruiged and taken by it?[/quote] I was very, very amused and I had a great evening. As stuckinamo says, it's good to see that those in religious life as people who enjoy playing board games and making up silly nicknames for each other as well as people who hear your confessions and lead your Bible study groups. Hmm, Perhaps I should use more smilies in future to get my mood across! (On the downside, I now can't stop thinking of those brothers as Sausage and Mustard!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortnun Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 [quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1126156' date='Nov 22 2006, 02:43 PM'] I was very, very amused and I had a great evening. As stuckinamo says, it's good to see that those in religious life as people who enjoy playing board games and making up silly nicknames for each other as well as people who hear your confessions and lead your Bible study groups. Hmm, Perhaps I should use more smilies in future to get my mood across! (On the downside, I now can't stop thinking of those brothers as Sausage and Mustard!) [/quote] I gotcha now. I go to school with Dominican brothers, and it's such a joy to see the love and affection they have for one another (to see that they're humans, not strange robots!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlterDominicus Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 lol! I've yearned some nice nicknames from nuns, Amanda of the Lovely Smile, Miss Enthuastic, Sports Expert. And I have a couple of my own, Jo, and the Handydandynunman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sister Jacqulyn Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 (edited) Trust me, Sisters, brothers, and priests are very much human! The one thing that attracted me to the order Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was their joy! They were religious sisters....who laughed! A LOT! I remember looking for religous congregations and visiting the sisters at a "Sister's Night" (a gathering when all the young sisters and discerners come together to "play and pray") and they were running around playing playing softball, volleyball, basketball, AND teasing each other! (Nuns tease??? What??? : ) I'm a big tease! It was a great experience and it set my heart at peace with itself. That's when I felt and knew that I was "home." Edited November 22, 2006 by Sister Jacqulyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Was this Sr. Valerie? Love and prayers, PP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 It was! Do you know her? I want to keep her for a pet. She's lovely. (Only don't tell her I said that...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Yes, although I haven't seen her in years. When I went on St. Thomas weekends at Stone she'd always be hanging around with us, usually giving fantastic talks on the Summa. This was all before they started the new House in Cambridge, of course. I also know(ish) Sr. Elizabeth, but she left during her novitiate. Um, who else...a lady called Anne entered, but I don't know if she persevered. And of course Sr. Tamsin (I forget where she puts the Mary) I met when I was studying, but I think she's living in London at the moment. The Stone community really are lovely; have you been to the Priory yet? Love and prayers, PP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 Yes; we sometimes go to Mass at the Priory. They have a cat there, Leo, who often gatecrashes the proceedings. Sr Valery now has a St Thomas Aquinas study and discussion group on Thursday nights. This term she has been talking about Aquinas and the sacraments. She didn't strike me as a scholar when I first saw her (very sweet elderly lady) but appearances can be deceiving... The Cambridge house is a hybrid house. It's got Dominicans from other congregations in it, including two international sisters. Sister Miriam (from Hungary) and Sister Gabriela (Slovakia) are of the same congregation, but I forget the name. Sister Pauline doesn't belong to Stone either. They used to have a fifth sister in that house, but she's gone away for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 Sorry, I meant St. Dominic's Priory in Stone. I don't remember there being a cat there, although who knows.... Sr. Pauline isn't Stone's Novice Mistress? It's all so long ago I hardly know anything anymore. I think I may have met Sr. Miriam once, at Stone, when Sr. Tamsin and I were sitting exams. We all sat in St. Dominic's room and played cards and sang songs until going to bed, and then the next day on the train Sr. Tamsin and I sang songs all the way to Birmingham, probably freaking out some fellow passengers. Ahhh, happy halcyon days When you see Sr. Valerie next, will you give her my love? I don't know if she'll remember me, athough mentioning a friend of Sr. Tamsin's from years back who wants to be a Benedictine may well spark some memories. Love and prayers, PP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina44 Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 [quote name='Sister Jacqulyn' post='1126279' date='Nov 22 2006, 06:23 PM'] Trust me, Sisters, brothers, and priests are very much human! The one thing that attracted me to the order Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was their joy! They were religious sisters....who laughed! A LOT! I remember looking for religous congregations and visiting the sisters at a "Sister's Night" (a gathering when all the young sisters and discerners come together to "play and pray") and they were running around playing playing softball, volleyball, basketball, AND teasing each other! (Nuns tease??? What??? : ) I'm a big tease! It was a great experience and it set my heart at peace with itself. That's when I felt and knew that I was "home." [/quote] I had the same reaction when I first visited the motherhouse. It was unbelievable to me how happy and joyous they were! And then when I went to Sisters Night.....it kind of "sealed the deal." I can't wait!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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