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CHOOSE SUCH A LIFE {

C^onients—
I Can Tell You All "If Thou Wilt Be Perfect

About Catholic Nuns . . . Come Follow Me"

Our Common Purpose

—To Strive For Holiness

I Have Never Regretted

Becoming a Nun

But Why Do They Wear All Right-What ''Goes On"
Such "Funny" Clothes? Behind Convent Walls?

Come, See What Life Show Me A Happier
Is Like In a Convent! Family— If You Can

And This Is Our Reward



Why the Knights of Cofumhus

Advertise Catholic Faith

The reason is simple. We Catho-

lics want our non-Catholic friends

and neighbors to know us as we

really are and not as we are some

times mistakenly represented.

We are confident that when

our religious Faith is better un-

derstood by those who do not

share it, mutual understanding

will promote the good-will which

is so necessary in a predominant-

ly Christian country whose gov-

ernment is designed to serve all

the people—no matter how much

their religious convictions may

diflFer.

American Catholics are con-

vinced that as the teachings of

Christ widely and firmly take

hold of the hearts and conduct

of our people, we shall remain

free in the sense that Christ

promised (John VIII, 31-38),

and in the manner planned by

the Founding Fathers of this

republic.

Despite the plainly stated will

of the Good Shepherd that there

be ”one fold and one shepherd,”

the differences in the understand-

ing of Christ’s teaching are

plainly evident. It has rightfully

been called "the scandal of a

divided Christianity.”

If there is anything which will

gather together the scattered

flock of Christ, it is the nation-

wide understanding of the

Savior, what He did and how He

intended mankind to benefit by

the Redemption.

To this end, we wish our

fellow-Americans to become ac-

quainted with the teachings of

Christ as the Catholic Church

has faithfully presented them,

since the day the apostles in-

vaded the nations of the world

in willing and courageous obedi-

ence to Christ’s command: "Go,

therefore, and make disciples of

all nations .
.

(Matt. XXVIII,

19).

SUPREME COUNCIL

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD. ST. LOUIS 8, MO.

© Knights of Columbus 1951



I CAN TELL YOU

all about Catholic Nuns

Have you ever wondered about

Catholic nuns? Judging from my

experience, at some time or other,

people who are unacquainted with

Catholic nuns wonder about them.

You may see us moving quietly

and efficiently in and out of hos-

pital rooms or you may pass us on

the street, as we go modestly on

errands of mercy, teaching and

social service. And you wonder . .

.

Perhaps you may be struck by

our peaceful and contented faces,

or our unusual garb. You may re-

call some of the revolting tales that

are sometimes whispered about us.

You wonder ... perhaps with a

sigh of pity.

I am a Catholic nun, and I
know that on buses and trains, on

the street and in stores, nuns are

a source of unbounded and often

poorly-disguised interest to many,

old and young alike.

"Look, mama! What are them?”

shouts Junior, pointing a stubby

finger at some nuns who, until

then, were quite unaware of the

interest they had awakened. They

smile good-naturedly as Junior’s

mother murmurs an embarrassed

apology even while she secretly

longs to hear the answer to her

son’s shrill question, "What are

them?”

Perhaps you, like Junior’s moth-

er, would also like to know some-

thing about a nun’s life. Well, to

begin with, it certainly is different.

Let’s start with externals. Even a

casual glance at nuns convinces

you that they are not concerned

about the "new look”. They flash

no costume jewelry; but their plain

gold or silver ring proclaims that

they are dedicated to Christ.

Utterly disregardful of modern

fashions, nuns wear clothes de-

signed to cover but not to flatter

them. This is not so strange,

though. Since nuns are definitely

not "in the market,” there is no

reason in the world why they

should seek to attract others. Yet

even you, perhaps, have remarked

to yourself how becoming and

dignified are the voluminous folds

of a nun’s skirt and the quaint de-

sign of her headdress.

1



But it is not their dress alone

which sets nuns apart and marks

them off as "different”. Regard-

less of what you don’t know about

nuns, there is one fact of which

you can be certain: that they are

not married. Perhaps to you a

chaste unmarried life — a celibate
life — seems a very great sacrifice.
Yes, it is a sacrifice — the nun
gives up the human for the sake

of the divine. Jf you could do that,

wouldn’t you feel privileged? That

is how nuns feel about their life.

You need only look into the eyes

of a nun to see there the joy that

she alone knows who has given

her love to God.

But don’t say that a chaste

single life is impossible for women,

or you will be condemning count-

less numbers who have given up

the thought of marriage for praise-

worthy motives, and they haven’t

become nuns.

Life of Service

Perhaps when you were hos-

pitalized, you saw a nun caring for

her patients, hour after hour. Did

she pay you a short visit and then

dash out to attend a card party?

On the contrary, you were her sole

care; your recovery, her only con-

cern. Has it occurred to you that

this devotion to her work was

possible only because the nun was

free from domestic cares?

This celibate life of self-denial

is one which a nun freely chooses.

You *are just wasting your time,
then, by feeling sorry for nuns, for

they are the most satisfied women

in the world. I recall, however, a

story which reflects all too clearly

the misconception entertained by

many on this point. Somewhere in

the deep South two nuns sat in a

railroad station. For a long time

two colored ladies eyed them;

finally, one could restrain her

curiosity no longer. "What’s dem?”

whispered one to her companion.

"Dey’s nuns,” came the stage whis-

per in reply. "What’s nuns?” per-

sisted the other. Came the answer:

"Nuns is ladies dat live in a house

all by deyselves and — dey ain’t no
men aroun’.” "We-el,” drawled the

other, "dey sure goes into deep

mournin’ about it.”

If nuns often arouse interest

and curiosity, they are just as often

the target for suspicion and ani-

mosity. Seeing nuns only on the

street or in public conveyances,

many persons not only wonder

about a life so obviously different

from their own, but they may also

2



continue to believe reports too

evidently the offspring of preju-

dice. Such stories are the stock-

in-trade of persons who lack either

the opportunity or the desire of

learning the truth about nuns.

On one occasion, for example,

when traveling, I was respectfully

approached by a non-Catholic

gentleman who sincerely wished to

learn the truth about nuns — he
had been brought up on the usual

fables. Is it true, he asked me, that

a tunnel connects the priest’s house

and the convent? I told him the

truth, that there is no tunnel or any

other connection between a con-

vent and the priest’s house. Neither

is it true, as he had been informed.

that when two nuns walk down

the street, one is a man in disguise.

We have no masqueraders in the
convent! Every nun you see is a

real nun.

False Rumors

The strange idea of nuns enter-

tained by many persons arises from

the fact that they do not know any

individual nun, have never gone to

the trouble of meeting one and

getting firsthand information about

her life. The only information some

have is misinformation, an un-

savory concoction of half-truths

well-seasoned with ignorance or

malice.

Most nuns, I am sure, have

heard some of the far-fetched

stories about us which enjoy rather

wide circulation. Every nun I know

would welcome the opportunity to

explain just what she is and why

she is living a life apart from the

world. In this booklet, I will tell

you the truth about a nun’s life

and, in the telling, I will most

probably answer most of your

questions.

OUR COMMON PURPOSE

-to strive for holiness

When all is said and done, the

147,000 nuns in the United States

are pretty much alike. There are,

it is true, many Orders of women

in the Catholic Church, all differ-

ing from one another in spirit,

garb and work. At different periods

of history, the needs of the Church

have been varied. All of these

needs in turn have been served

by holy men and women of faith

and vision, who have established

their organizations, we call them

"Orders”, to perform a definite

work. Despite the differences,

however, we nuns are fundament-

3



ally alike, in that our lives have

one common purpose — that of
striving for holiness through the

observance of Christian poverty,

chastity, and obedience.

Not only are different Orders

of women very much the same, the

members of an Order, although

highly individualized, are bound

together and, in a sense, made one

by their common striving to at-

tain their common goal — the per-
fect imitation of Christ. Yet among

the members of an Order, too, we

may note dissimilarities of back-

ground, temperament, disposition.

And it is through God’s help that

these very real differences are over-

shadowed and controlled by the

larger simple dominant purpose

which governs every activity of

every nun — the attainment of
holiness.

A member of an Order, I have
been associated closely for many

years with splendid religious

women in my own Order and in

other Orders also. Some of these

nuns are called contemplatives or

cloistered nuns. By separation from

the distraction of worldly concerns

and pursuits, by the worship of

God and prayer for others who are

forgetful of prayer for themselves,

cloistered nuns seek their goal of

self-sanctification. Other nuns —

and I am one of them — not only
strive for perfect imitation of

Christ through the observance of

His counsels but also work among

people for the salvation of others

through the practice of the spiritual

and corporal works of mercy. But

all nuns, let me repeat, share the

same motives, love for Christ; and

the same goal — union with Christ.
Already I have told you that I

am a nun who knows nuns well.
It is in the belief that you are in-

terested in learning more about our

life that I set about writing a

sketch which is, in part, auto-

biographical, but which is, I

believe, typical of all nuns.

How does it all start, you may
wonder, this business of becoming

a nun? While it is true that some

girls, when still quite young, are

strongly attracted to religious life,

nevertheless I have reason to think

that most girls become nuns in

much the same way as I did. At

the outset, I must admit that I was

not the Saint-from-the-cradle type.

In a perfectly ordinary childhood,

faults such as vanity, sallies of

temper and disobedience showed

themselves, but they were met,

thank God, by wise guidance and

the firm — and oh, how firm! —

hand of correction.

4



As a teen-ager, I attended Mass

as regularly as I could, but no one

ever spoke of me as an especially

pious girl. It was the urgent need

of help in the business of being

good, that brought me weekly to

Holy Communion. High school

years were a busy round of study

and fun; I always managed, though,

to squeeze in those little prayers

for God’s guidance, however busy

I was having a good time. I was

normal. Plenty of dates and one

or two more or less violent attacks

of puppy love marked my teens.

I liked a gay time but I had serious

thoughts, on occasion. These were

the years that brought the first

desires of becoming a nun.

An Inner Voice

At first, the idea of a nurse’s life

strongly appealed to me. That self-

sacrificing life would be something

worth while and I did so want to

do something fine for Christ. Then,

after Holy Communion, the other

thought started coming, "Why not
be a nun — both a nun and a
nurse?” Then the same idea began

to recur at the oddest times; it

would keep running through my
mind at a dance in perfect time

with my feet. Repeatedly I brushed
off the thought with something of

finality, "I’m just not good enough

to be a nun.”

Living for Christ

And so, for a long time, I hid
in my heart the desire of living my
life for Christ. This attraction was

due to a cause more than human.

What girl would want to leave a
happy home? Neither did I relish

particularly the prospect of a life

dressed in black and white! Gay

clothes delighted me. Yet I knew

that I wanted to make my life

count, I wanted to do something

to please Christ and to help others.

So I prayed for light to know if

I had a religious vocation. Since

becoming a nun, I have learned

that desires such as these grow up

slowly with many girls; with me,

they developed during less than a

year. God calls each in His own

time, and in His own way!

At last came the day when I

determined to talk over with my

family this attraction I felt for the

life of a nun. It had been hard

enough to make up my mind to

broach the subject; I was far from

ready for the incredulous smiles

and jokes that greeted my news.

I was far too young, the family

agreed. My seventeen years that
made me eligible for other re-

sponsibilities suddenly meant noth-

ing! It was fine if I had a vocation

but I must test it, I must be very

sure, they urged. Besides — and
this was very true — I was alto-

5



gether too noisy and gay; I’d have

to stop talking so much; in fact,

I didn’t have a disposition that was

made for the convent.

When my family saw that I was

in earnest, they were all very proud

of me. Hadn’t my mother prayed

for years that God would grant a

religious vocation to one of her

children? But all said that I’d bet-

ter wait till I was older, that I’d

be too lonesorne, and that I’d have

a hard time learning to be more

quiet. How well did my family
know me! One of my sisters, who

had a well-developed aversion for

all nuns, assured me that she’d have

nothing to do with me if I should

become a nun.

Thinking It Out

Rather confused by all this, I

turned to the priest who was my

confessor for advice and encour-

agement. After listening to my

brief statements, he only said,

"Pray, child, and try to learn more

about the life of a nun. I’ll re-

member you in my Mass,.’’ The
pamphlet rack in church supplied

me with a copy of a booklet en-

titled "Follow Him’’ by Godfrey

Poage, C.P. (Thomas More Book

Shop, 22 Monroe St., Chicago 13,

Illinois, 15c). Here I found clearly

stated the qualifications for be-

coming a nun. Age limit? Well,

I was at least past 15 and not yet

30, so I was all right on that score,

I figured. As for physical and

mental equipment, I knew that I

was healthy in mind and body;

neither was there any insanity in

my family. But my spiritual quali-
fications? Had I any? Of one thing

I was certain — I wanted to please
God, to save my own soul, and
to work for the salvation of others.

That was surely a right intention,

wasn’t it? The requirement listed

as most important — acceptance by
the Superior of a religious Order

— well, that would remain to be
seen.

I learned that no book, easily

available, describes all the religious

Orders of women in the United

States. It was necessary to apply

to the authorities of the religious

Orders of women which I found

listed in the back of the pamphlet

"Follow Him.’’ I wrote to some that

appealed to me. From the literature

sent in answer to my request, I

found out a lot about different

Orders. Some of my former teach-

ers, who are nuns, set me straight

on a few points, but at no time

did they even suggest that I join

their Order. Very definitely, I was

not "roped in.”

I must mention one nun who

taught me in high school. I didn’t

like her particularly as a woman,

but as a teacher, she was "tops”.

She had a course that was called

"Christian Origins”, dealing with

proofs of the divinity of Christ

and of the divine institution of the

Church. I’ll never forget the first

class and I hope that I won’t ever

forget the substance of the whole

course. "You girls,” she began, "are

probably Catholics because you

were born into Catholic families.

You have done what your parents

told you was the thing to do. That

is fine. No one would quarrel with

you for doing that. But now you

are coming to the age when you

6



are supposed to know the score.

You are supposed to act intelli-

gently and have good reasons for

living your own lives. Well, there

is a whole lot to learn in living

your own lives, but this course is

intended to give you the reasons

why you should live your lives

as Catholics.” Her course did me

more permanent good than any

other — and my English teacher
was outstanding.

For several months I prayed and

read and thought — and waited. As
the months went by and I still

wanted to be a nun, I decided to

try to enter. All of the pamphlets

I had read suggested the advisa-

bility of consulting a priest. This

One fall afternoon I presented

myself by appointment before the

priest to whom I went to confes-
sion regularly. I chose him because

I felt he knew me better than any
other did and I believed he would

be in a position to give me the
advice that I needed. As clearly

as possible I outlined my reasons
for wanting to be a nun. He nod-
ded approval when I told him that

I felt the life of a nun, modeled

on Christ’s life, must be very pleas-

ing to God. In reply to his ques-

tions, I told him that not only

after Holy Communion, but even

^hile on dates, I had been drawn

to religious life, in order to please

Christ and to save souls. His an-

swers showed me that I could count

on God’s help in the matter of

leaving home, foregoing marriage,

and, especially, giving up my own

sweet will.

Must Be Sure

Then he proceeded to answer my

objections, real or imagined. He

told me that I could not be sure

that I had a religious vocation until

I had tried the life and had been

accepted by a religious superior.

In reply to my objection that, al-

though a weekly communicant, I

could not, by any stretch of the

imagination, be called holy, he re-

minded me that I did not have to

be a saint in order to enter a

convent, that, at this stage, God was

satisfied with my desire to be

good. I should get out of my head

any idea that only those girls be-

come nuns who are a "spiritual

elite”. Our Lord offered not a spe-

cial but a general invitation to

otherwise ordinary people when He

said: "If anyone wishes to come

after me, let him deny himself and

take up his cross daily, and follow

me.” (Luke IX: 23). He agreed

that, on entering a convent. I’d

probably be lonesome at first, but

he pointed out that I’d be not less

so if I were to marry and leave

home. And as for the objection

that I liked gay clothes, parties,

boys, that was simply no objection

at all. The gayest often make the

7



best nuns. After all, who likes a

”drip”? Men and pretty clothes —

certainly both represented some-

thing of a sacrifice, but neither is

absolutely essential to one’s hap-

piness.

Proceeded Slowly

I was, he conceded, not very

old; in fact, I was still in my teens.

Still, if I was old enough to select

my own clothes, choose my own

friends, I must have at least a fair

share of common sense and good

judgment. And as far as sacrificing

marriage is concerned, for nuns it

is a giving up, not a getting left,

as many mistakenly believe. There

is no reason why Christ should

attract only old maids — actual or
potential!

It was quite comforting to hear

him explain that even the Saints

had periods of the religious

"dumps” during which they found

prayer extremely difficult, so that

I need not be in the least sur-

prised if I should find myself

growing weary at prayer.

When I proposed the weak-

kneed objection that perhaps I

should stay home and repay my

parents for their care of me, I was

told that if they are not in dire

need, the girl who leads a conse-

crated life as a nun does far more

for her family by her prayers and

sacrifices than she could ever do

by remaining at home. To whom

do the parents turn for consolation

when the boys go off to war? To

the daughter who is a nun. Who
listens to the mother’s worries and

shows her how to bear her trials

with resignation? The daughter

who became a nun. In short, the

girl who becomes a nun is the one

who keeps the family name. On

every count, the girl whom the

parents give up to God, is the

daughter they really keep closer

than others.

So, after weighing well all my

reasons for wanting to be a nun,

and honestly evaluating all my ob-

jections, the priest told me I gave

signs of a religious vocation.

Should I accept it? "Before making

any decision,” he counseled, "look

into several different Orders.” The

decision as to what Order I should

enter must be entirely mine. So

I secured vocation literature from

several communities to which I

felt specially attracted, and set

about studying the history, the

aims, and the work of these Orders.

8



BUT WHY DO THEY WEAR

such "funny” clothes?

As a classic example of unity

amid variety, I give you the crowds

of nuns that throng the campus

of the Catholic University of

America in Washington, D. C.

There they are, young and not so

young, slender and stout, but all

wearing what many non-Catholics

and even some Catholics term

"funny dresses.” Black, brown, grey

and white are Mother Church’s

favorite colors; as for styles, well,

they are literally "out of this

world”. And one of these Orders

I was planning to join! I smiled

to myself, I confess, as I studied

the pictures of the habits worn by

the Orders that most interested me.

Systematically I started reading

the vocation literature. As I read,

I learned the reasons for the many

different Orders. This one, for in-

stance, cared for the aged; the

pictures of the nuns performing

services for these elderly persons

tugged at my heart. Yet another
Order was engaged exclusively in

teaching; I tried to picture myself

in a classroom — and failed. Or
should I become a nursing nun

and care for the sick in a hospital?

Quite naturally I found myself

more drawn to some Orders than

to others. The habit (that is how

we refer to our dress) may have

influenced me, but I was far more

concerned with the work done by

Reading the history of different

Orders was indeed a revelation.

Some had a glorious record reach-

ing back many centuries; others,

on the contrary, being relatively

young, had only a short history

quickly read. Perhaps you have

wondered, as did I, just why there

are so many different Orders in

the Church. It is, I learned, be-

cause women of different disposi-

tions desire to work for God in

a religious Order. The large num-

ber of Orders not only permits a

larger number of women to find

a religious group which satisfies

their needs and dispositions, but, at

the same time, makes possible a

wider range of services performed

for the welfare of mankind.

The story of the development of

convent life for women made in-

teresting reading. It was in the

first ages of the Church, I dis-

covered, that Christian virgins first

professed a life distinguished from

9



ordinary life. With the intention

of imitating Christ, they observed

continence; many of them gave up

riches. An interesting fact, I found,

is that they lived, at first, not in

convents but in their own homes.

But clearly their life was far less

complex than ours. These virgins

did not have to rise at five in order

to be ready to serve hospital

patients their breakfast before the

doctors should come on the hall;

nor be ready at eight o’clock, after

several hours of prayer, to teach

several hundred students in a

crowded high school.

Third Century

Women began living a religious

life together in the third century

after Christ, when St. Augustine,

Bishop of Hippo in North Africa,

established convents for religious

women. I could readily understand

that such a life would necessitate

obedience to a superior. But the

persecutions in the third century

closed the monasteries and convents

and forced the nuns to retire to the

safety of the desert. It was during

this period, I learned, that St.

Pachomius built a convent where

religious women lived with his

sister.

The founding of religious Orders

as such brings into focus the great-

est names in early Christian times

— Benedict, Augustine, Basil. For
their own religious Orders of men,

each wrote a rule of monastic life,

which was later adapted for

women. These three rules form the

bases for most of the rules written

at a later date.

During the eighth and ninth

centuries, nuns lived together in

a community, their dwellings were

called convents, and they wore a

modest black dress. During the

years that followed, many different

communities for women were es-
tablished, all having a common

goal, self-sanctification, and some

special work of Christian charity

as well.

Different Orders

Nuns today, I learned, are of two

types. The contemplative or clois-

tered Orders live a secluded life of

prayer, with little or no contact

with the outside world; the active

Orders live a mixed life of prayer

and work for the neighbor. Again,

some Orders confine their activities

to one field exclusively; others

engage in several works. All Orders,

however, are distinguished by the

obligation to strive for holiness;

all wear a certain garb and follow

some form of permanent com-

munity life.

I had often seen scores of nuns

in the railroad station shortly after

10



the middle of August. Now I
learned that nuns generally get

their annual assignments around

that time, and leave, under orders

from their General Superior for

an assignment where they work

under the local superior.

The more I read about different

Orders, the more clearly I realized

that most of them are merely the

prolonged shadow of some great

saint or of some other outstanding

Christian man or woman. It is but

namral for the Order to reflect the

spirit of its founder. This spirit is

an intangible thing but always

recognizable. While it is true that

all Orders have in common certain

means of striving for holiness, yet

it is no less true that each order has

some particular means that it uses,

to which it subordinates all other

means. It is thus that an Order

develops its characteristic spirit.

Moreover, it seemed quite logi-

cal, as I read, for the members

of an Order engaged in carrying

on the work initiated by the

founder to wear a distinguishing

garb given to it by that founder.

After all, the wearing of a dis-

tinguishing uniform is not, I re-

flected, such an uncommon thing.

The Red Cross uniform needs no

introduction; all understand the

principles for which it stands. The

uniform of "Salvation Nell" is a

familiar sight on the streets,

especially at Christmas time. And

are not all the armed services of

the United States distinguished by

their uniforms? Yet persons who

have never seen these uniforms

would regard them, most probably,

with curious interest. To a like

cause may be ascribed the com-

ments voiced by many on the

subject of nuns’ dresses.

But why are these dresses so

foreign in appearance? That was

one of my questions, too, until I

read that the garb of many Orders

is the style of dress prevailing in

a given foreign country at the time

of the founding of the Order.

While it is true that many of

the more recently established

Orders wear dresses modeled after

those of the older Orders, still some

of the newer Orders wear dresses

quite modern in style. These neat

tailored jobs were adopted, I read,

in order to facilitate the work of

the respective Orders.

I had not only studied the work

done by several different groups but

I had given some consideration to

the habits worn. Now I made my

choice!

The next step was to apply for

admission. Just in case you’re

wondering, it is not too easy to

enter a convent; again, let me

repeat, no girl is ever coaxed in

11



against her will. In compliance

with the law of the Church, which

carefully supervises such things,

the Order made a thorough investi-

gation before accepting my appli-

cation. My pastor wrote a letter
recommending me to the Mother

Superior. After my family, no one

knew me better. The Superiors

satisfied themselves that I was

neither too young nor too old; in

other words, that I fell within the

required age bracket of sixteen to

thirty. A doctor’s certificate testi-
fied that I was free from physical

COME, SEE WHAT

is

At last I was a postulant! I had

asked the Order to admit me;

therefore it was wisely giving me

six months in which to prove that

I was in earnest and that I would

be an asset, not a liability.

The very threshold of religious

life, the postulancy, is a period of

adjustment, of trial, demanded be-

fore a girl starts her novitate. It

is a transition stage, designed to

give a girl a taste of religious life,

to see if she has the stability and

the health to live the life of a given

religious Order. A girl may believe
she has a vocation; the postulancy,

passed under the experienced guid-

ance of a directress, is the time to

find out for sure.

For six months, eleven other

postulants and I prayed and

worked, studied and played to-

gether. Our duties, certain jobs we

and mental illness. It was ascer-

tained, too, that my family was
free from insanity and was other-

wise acceptable. My parents were
not dependent on me for support;

neither did I have any debts for

which the Order could be held

liable. Finally, the Order made

sure that I was guilty of no crime

for which I could be punished or

which might embarrass the Order.

My application was accepted and
the date set for my entrance into

the Motherhouse of the Order of

my choice.

LIFE

like in a Convent!

were given to do and which we

called our "charges”, were dis-

patched with cheerfulness and

exactitude, for were we not sweep-

ing and dusting to please Jesus

and in union with Him? How
surprised our families would have

been could they have seen the

alacrity with which we tucked up

our ankle-length skirts and pinned

back our black capes and short

black veils, preparatory to washing

stacks of dishes! The motive had

made the difference in our attitude,

for the dishes were still dishes.

Our directress explained many

things to us; for example, just what

the older nuns were doing when

they sat so quietly in the chapel

before Mass. That time, she said,

is the most important in a nun’s

day, because in meditation a nun

learns to know and love Christ,

12



and if she loves Him, she strives

to please Him always and so be-

comes holy. It was also a concern

of our directress to see that we

enjoyed many hours of recreation,

which included strenuous" basket-

ball, volleyball, and softball games,

as well as singing and pleasant

conversation with charming nov-

ices, fifty of them.

O

Day by day, as our little band

of postulants came to understand

more about religious life, we

looked forward with growing

eagerness to that longed-for day

when we would receive our new

names and the habit of the Order.

The new name which I would

receive would be that of some

saint in the long history of the

Church, whom I would make my
special heavenly patron.

I smile at the recollection of

what one of my friends had meant

for consolation on the eve of my

entrance, "Oh, well, if you aren’t

happy, you can always leave.” And

here I was, daily offering my most

fervent prayers that I would be

allowed to stay! I had so little to

offer, it seemed to me. This mis-

giving I confided to my directress;
she smiled and said, "Just give your

all — your heart to love Christ,
your will to obey. That is all He
asks — but that is everything.”

Finally came the day when each

of us asked the authorities to admit

us to the novitate and we received

a favorable reply. Next came an

official interview with the Bishop’s

delegate; the Church wants only a

willing service from her nuns. All

of us having satisfied the examiner

that we were in the convent by our

own free choice and that this choice

had been arrived at after serious con-

sideration, we began an eight-day

retreat — eight days of silence and
prayer — in immediate preparation
for what we called our "Clothing

Day”. The spiritual exercises of

retreat served to deepen our ap-

preciation of the divine Call, and

inspired us with a generous de-

termination to give ourselves en-

tirely to God and to His work.

Joyful Days

The days passed quickly but not

quickly enough. We found endless
excuses to visit the room in which

our dresses were laid out in readi-

ness for the great day. There they

were, side by side, the bridal gown

and the somber black habit. True

daughters of Eve, we delightedly

smoothed the white satin folds of

our gowns, but confided to one

another our relief that we did not

have to wear them very long. After

six months, clothes had lost much

of their glamour; our black and

white looked just right.

At last the great day dawned!

We found ourselves dressed as
brides in shimmering white satin,

a symbol of our nuptials with

13



Christ. Preceded by the whole

community of nuns holding lighted

tapers and singing the traditional

hymn of the Church, O Gloriosa
Virginum, we walked up the aisle

in our lovely convent chapel, our

hearts fairly bursting with happi-

ness. In reply to the Bishop’s

question, each declared it was of

her own free will that she chose

religious life as practiced in this

Order. There was a solemn hush

as the large congregation of parents

and friends listened to questions

and answers. Then we received at

the altar a lighted candle, symbol

of Christ, the Light of the world,

after which we filed from the

chapel to be dressed in our newly-

blessed religious garb.

No Shaved Heads
Before our headdress and white

veil were adjusted, some of our

hair was clipped. In the past, when

girls all wore long hair, this bob-

bing at the commencement of

religious life was a sacrifice of

something dear, something which

was a considerable source of vanity.

In these days of short hair, how-

ever, the clipping is more or less

symbolical. Incidentally, contrary

to the belief of the ill-informed,

nuns do not shave their heads.

And now, wearing the white veil

of novices and the habit of the

Order, we re-entered the chapel to

assist at Holy Mass. Again and

again we whispered our consecra-

tion to Christ and begged God’s

helping grace to live our religious

life generously. Who but a nun
can understand the joy that floods

the soul of a novice as she com-

mences in so solemn a manner her

period of training called "the

novitiate’’.^

During the breakfast which fol-

lows, there is much to be said.

Remember, the eight days of sil-

ence with which we prepared for

this day is a long stretch and we

are normal girls who have, thank

God, a keen sense of humor. We
tell our new name to our friends

and try to remember the new

names of our companions. Perhaps

one of the senior nuns gives us a

little lecture about the saint whose

name we now bear before we hurry

away to spend a day with our rela-

tives. They are curious and examine

every part of our habit to see how

it is put together. Of course, they

are very proud of us and tell us

so between smiles and tears. There

are gifts for us, too, a new silver

watch, a copy of the "Imitation

of Christ” and of the New Testa-
ment, and the old stand-bys, candy

and stationery. Nothing is want-

ing to make this, our Clothing Day,

a treasured memory.

Training Begins

Now commences our novitiate.
We, my companions and I, spend

the next two years learning the

history and spirit of the Order,

the principles and practice of re-

ligious life. Studies, too, fill many

hours. We were trying our religious
life, and were being tried out. I

recall the day when I was told to

walk slowly up and down the

stairs several times because I had

raced down without a trace of

religious decorum. And there was

the time when I learned an im-

14



portant lesson — that of detach-

ment — when I was directed to

give another novice the fountain

pen I had just received as a gift.

Community Life

Periods of prayer, instructions on

the religious life, retreats, confer-

ences and spiritual reading were

all a definite part of our character

formation. To these were added

advice from the novice mistress

and from the confessor. Equally

important in our religious training

were the daily periods of recrea-

tion, which challenged our ability

to get along with others.

You may wonder what we did

all day, as novices. Well, let me

assure you that the day of a novice

is far from dull, and is certainly

not empty. Anyone who thinks of

nuns as idle women cooped up in

a convent, needs to think again.

I, as well as every nun, can still

recall a typical day, regardless of

the years that lie between. There

was the rising bell cheerfully

sounding the beginning of a new

day for the Lord — at five in the
morning. It is only God’s grace

that conquers the natural desire to

catch just a few more minutes of

sleep. After all, who really enjoys

getting up at five, or getting up

at all, for that matter? But out I

hop with my swift morning offer-

ing to God, and twenty minutes

later finds me washed and dressed

and in my place for morning pray-

ers. The half hour’s conversation

with God called meditation was

slowed up a bit once or twice by

involuntary nodding. At Mass, I

offer Christ to God as my Gift and

then receive Him back in Holy
Communion. Although I love

chanting the Psalms of the Office,

the official prayer of the Church,

I occasionally am distracted won-

dering whether breakfast will fea-

ture orange juice — or prunes.
Remember, I am still just a novice
— a beginner.

After breakfast, with a visit to

our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

as the perfect "Thank you”, I go

briskly about the business of bed-

making and dusting the floor. Then

off to my stint of dusting in the

chapel. This is my "charge”. How

happy I am to keep house for

Christ!

But novices must study. For

three hours, therefore, I attend

classes where I struggle with Latin

and English, history, and the like.

Examination of conscience, pray-

ers and dinner fill the next hour.

Then I again visit the chapel

where I join in chanting Vespers

and Compline, another section of

the Office, and short vocal prayers.

The hour of recreation which

follows gives me needed relaxation

and a chance to let off steam with

my companions.

During the next two hours of

15



study I prepare assignments. Little

did I dream, the year before in

high school, that my novitate days
would find me still struggling with
term papers. But all things have an

end and I really enjoy the follow-

ing half hour of choir practice.

Why, those novices are far better

than our glee club in high school!

A conference with the novice
mistress and the chanting of

Matins and Lauds, as the evening

Office is called, precede supper.

That important exercise over, I

again visit the chapel, this time to

prepare the vestments for morning

Mass, after which I spend a preci-

ous half hour in private prayer.

On the stroke of seven fifteen

the bell calls me to recreation. All
of us assemble at Our Lady’s shrine

for a hymn and a short prayer be-
fore engaging in an exciting ball

game, complete with a cheering

section and entirely too many

umps. Another bell and a sudden

hush silences even excited novices

delightedly chanting the score. Off

we troop to the chapel to kneel at

the feet of Christ and cast a back-

ward glance over the day, to check

spiritual losses and gains. Tired but

oh, so happy, I waste no time get-

ting ready for bed. Freed from the

slavery of creaming my face and
rolling up my hair, I tuck a tired
novice into bed at nine-thirty.

That’s a day in the convent.

”IF THOU WILT BE PERFECT

. . . come follow me”

When speaking to some persons
about religious life, I have found

that they have not too clear an

idea of what it is all about. Some-

times all they know is that "it

takes two years to make a nun.”

Even this scrap of information is

not entirely correct, for preceding

the two years’ novitate, there is

the postulancy or probation period

of six months. After the nun takes

temporary vows at the end of her

two years’ novitate, there is a three

year interval before she pronounc-

es final vows and consecrates her-

self forever as God’s own.

You may be interested to know

how this religious life develops.

One of the first lessons I learned

— and it had to be repeated many
times! — is to look at things from
Christ’s point of view. By this, I

mean recognizing in daily disap-

pointments and difficulties, in a

word, in the trials of life, just so

many opportunities of carrying the

cross of Christ, of proving real

love for Him.

I was taught to pray, not just

to say prayers, to raise heart and

mind to God in meditation, to pray

all day at my work by recollecting

from time to time the presence of

God, to pray by stamping every

thought, word and action with a

good intention and offering it to

Him.

Upon entering the convent, I had

16



a vague idea of what religious life

meant. To me, it was the imitation

of Christ, to which all Christians

are called. "You therefore are to

be perfect, even as your heavenly

Father is perfect.” (Matt. V:48).

I soon learned, however, that for

the nun, this imitation is not mere-

ly a general desire and effort to

be like Christ, but rather, a vital,

specific striving to be like Christ,

through the observance of the

promises made to God in the vows

of poverty, chastity and obedience.

If the essential condition for all

Christians is the avoidance of

mortal sin and the keeping of the

Commandments, in the case of the

religious, there is added the keep-

ing of the vows, together with the

rules and constitutions, the customs

and duties of her Order. The life

of self-denial led by religious was

begun by Christ Who perfectly
practiced poverty, chastity and

obedience, and recommended their

observance to us.

Once when I was visiting with

my family, a Protestant friend made
the remark, "Christ never told

women to be nuns and to live in
convents.” I had the presence of

mind to point out that from my

reading of the Gospels, I gathered

that He was not particularly con-
cerned with where people lived,

but rather how they lived. The New
Testament approves of a woman

renouncing marriage in order to

serve God exclusively (Matt.

XIX: 12; 1 Cor. VII), and even

leaving "home, brothers and sisters,

father and mother” to do so

(Matt. V:20). In fact, Christ

promises them a blessing for

doing so.

The religious state is a perma-

nent manner of life legally estab-

lished in and under the protection

of the Church. It is a discipline,

a constant struggle against self, in

accordance with the dictates of

reason, conscience, and faith. At

this stage of my life, I often won-

dered apropos of self-denial, if

rising in the morning at five ever

would become less difficult. I don’t

wonder any more; I know. It

doesn’t.

It was pointed out to me that

greed, lust and pride are three of

the greatest forces dragging human

beings from God, and that if I

wished to get close to God, I must

learn to detach myself from ma-

terial goods, affection for them and

the pleasures they bring, and self-

will.

Through daily instructions and

reading, I came to understand that

the vow of poverty is the voluntary

renunciation of the right to use

independently anything of ma-

terial value. We must get permis-
sion from our religious Superiors

to spend any amount of money,

even small amounts that may be

given to us personally. I didn’t

17



find this easy. But Christ’s ex-

ample was there to encourage me.

"For you know the grace of our

Lord Jesus Christ, that being rich,

he became poor for your sakes;

that through his poverty you might

be rich” (2 Cor. VIII:9).

I now understood why one of

my teachers used to say "our

books”, not "my books”; she con-

sidered nothing her own. And this

was the offering that I had chosen

to make, the offering which is valid

only if it is freely made. In the

course of my instructions, I learned

that any threat, pressure, dread or

violence would render the vows

null and void. And it is not alone

the observance of the vow of pov-

erty but the acquiring of the spirit

of poverty which is the aim of all

nuns; was it not to the poor in

spirit that Christ promised the

kingdom of Heaven?

I learned, consequently, to get

along with little, to want less. Only

in this way, I found, can a nun be

free to center her whole attention

on seeking spiritual riches. Is this

giving up of material things neces-

sary, you may ask? It is the con-

dition laid down by Christ for those

who wish to attain more than

ordinary holiness. "If thou wilt be

perfect, go, sell what thou hast,

and give to the poor, and come

follow me” (Matt. XIX: 21).

By chastity, the second vow that

nuns make, I would give up my

right to marriage. This renuncia-

tion of a natural right does not

mean, however, that I did not feel

the very normal desire of a woman

to mother a family . . . much less

that I felt any disdain for mar-

riage or family life. What it does

mean is this: that I was, by God’s

grace, generous enough to sacrifice

the joys of motherhood, for the

love of Christ and so free myself

from family concerns in order to

work for the spiritual and temporal

welfare of the neighbor. The vow

frees the nun from earthly love

so that she may more easily set

her whole heart on God”. . . and the

unmarried woman and the virgin

thinketh on the things of the Lord

that she may be holy both in body

and in spirit” (1 Cor. VII: 34).

Obedience, the third vow, is the

one that would make me a real

nun, I was told. By sacrificing the

most personal part of me, my free

will, I would be offering my whole

self, an offering the most pleasing

of all to God. I would vow to

obey, according to the rules and

constitution of my Order, the com-

mands of my superiors. For me,

since authority flows from the head

of the Church to the superiors of

the Order, the directions of my

superiors will represent the Will

of God. Well, that would certainly

18



be a consolation at all times, I

thought, to know beyond the

shadow of a doubt that I was doing

the Will of God. So when, as a

novice, I was sent one day to

scrub a floor that didn’t look the

least bit dirty, I scrubbed with a

vengeance. That was what God

wanted of me at the moment. Had

He not given me an example? "He

humbled himself becoming obedi-

ent unto death, even to the death

of the cross” (I Philip 11:8).

So, by degrees, all that makes

religious life one of joyous self-

denial was clearly explained to me.

But youth is courageous, is idealis-

tic, and I was not afraid of the

challenge presented by a life of

labor, prayer, self-denial, for I had

also tasted some of its joys. Daily

I studied the rules and constitution

and heard them explained. I was

shown how to overcome my faults,

to root out, one by one, the un-

lovely traits of character, the faults

that would prevent me from show-

ing forth in my life the likeness of

Christ. All of this, I was told,

would be a life-long task and that

I should not be discouraged at my

slow progress.

The example of my novitiate

companions was a tremendous help

to me. Of a naturally lively and

cheerful disposition, I saw with

relief that their cheerfulness and

gaiety were no hindrance, but

rather a positive help in their

earnest spiritual striving.

I came to see that true happi-

ness for a nun lies in giving all

to God with no holding back or

counting the cost. During these

years, God was lavishly generous

to me, making pleasant by His

presence such humdrum tasks as

peeling potatoes, dusting the stairs,

and washing the mops. There were

little hard things to bear, also.

Such was the trial of being mis-

understood by others, which I was

taught to bear with spiritual profit.

As you read, you may wonder

if all of my novice companions

made their vows with me. No, they

did not. During the two years of

novitate, I saw several girls leave.

Two of them were not able to take

correction and criticism without

showing moodiness and resent-

ment. Ability to stand up to this

and, what is more important, to

profit by it, is a "must” in religious

life, I soon discovered. One novice

became ill with no hope of re-

covery, and so could not be allowed

to take her vows. Religious life is

not for "weak sisters”; a girl must

have ordinary good health to be

able to carry on the work of the

Order. Then there was the elderly

novice who admired the life, but

had been her own boss so long

that she simply could not learn to

19



obey. To permit such a person to

take a vow of obedience would,

of course, be simply out of the

question. Finally, there were two

novices who were advised to leave,

since, in the judgment of the

superiors, they had no vocation to

the Order. Thus was the truth

brought home to me that the prime

purpose of the novitiate is to pro-

vide sincere candidates a period of

trial and testing. No Order wants

members who are not "sold” on re-

ligious life as practiced in that

particular Order. It is good to

know that the door swings both

ways; it is far easier to get out

than in.

Almost before I knew it, the two

years had sped by and it was again

time for an interview with the

Bishop’s delegate. I sounded well

the depths of my soul; yes, I was

sure that I wanted to stay, that I

wanted to pronounce my vows.

Again there was an eight day re-

treat during which I made a gen-

eral confession of all the sins of

my past life. I wanted to be spot-

less as I made a complete offering

of myself to Christ. Again the

chapel was filled with relatives and

friends, for it was what we called

"Profession Day”. I made my tem-

porary vows, binding for three

years, and my white veil of a be-

ginner in religious life was ex-

changed for the black veil I was

to wear till death. I say, till death,

for even on that day when I pro-

nounced the vows which were

temporary, I knew in my heart
that, with God’s help, I had made

them forever. Of the favors with

which God showered me on that

great day, I cannot tell; only those

who have given themselves en-

tirely to God know, as I know, the

joys that He gives on Vow Day.

And that joy deepened every day

of the three years that followed.

So, for the last time, I told the

Bishop’s delegate who examined us

before final vows, that I was per-

fectly satisfied, that I was sure I

wished to spend my life as a

member of the Order I had chosen.

Only on this condition does the

Church allow her children to make

perpetual vows. Herein does she

show her wisdom, I thought, in

leaving a nun perfectly free to re-

main or to leave at the expiration

of her temporary vows. So I made

my final vows in the presence of

my relatives and friends, and I

received the silver ring — which
would serve as a continual remind-

er to me and a symbol to others

that I had consecrated myself to

God and His work.

20



I HAVE NEVER REGRETTED

becoming a nun

After many happy years of re-

ligious life, I know that this life

is my vocation and career — that
I chose right. But that word

"vocation” needs a word of ex-

planation, maybe. To the ordinary

person, vocation means a call to

any state of life — marriage, single
life in the world, the religious life.

To me, a nun, and to all nuns, the

word means a divine call, an in-

spiration or a series of inspirations

by which God draws a person to

consecrate herself, through love, to

a life of close union with Him,

by the observance of the vows.

How did I know that God want-
ed me? That’s a question I have

often been asked. I well remember

how fond I was of gay parties, of

good times, in general. It was the

grace of vocation that robbed these

things of their attraction. While

still in grade school, I wanted to

do something extra for Christ; I

wanted to make up to Him for
those who offended Him. High

school years brought a deepening

of this desire.. Frequently during

prayer and reception of the Sacra-

ments, I felt drawn to religious

life, but just as frequently, at un-

usual times — at a dance or a movie.
A natural repugnance to all that
was associated with leaving home

made me shudder. Christ knocked

at the door of my heart; I peeked
out through a crack, then quickly

closed the door. The pleasures of

youth strongly attracted me; a

goodly share of vanity made me

wince at the mere thought of wear-

ing black and white forever. But

the knocking persisted. God’s all-

powerful grace it was that gave

me the courage to open my heart,

to welcome the invitation of Christ

to live for Him. I determined to

lean hard on Christ for the strength

that never fails and to try out my

vocation. So I entered my novitiate.

As time went on, I learned how

very little the world, for all its

promises, can really give. Just the

fact that nothing on earth is lasting

served, perhaps more than any-

thing else, to detach my heart from

the pleasures that had so delighted

me. The calm, even life in the con-

vent was satisfying and well calcu-

lated to show me the joy of living

close to God. At that time, I

treasured above all, as I still do,

the privilege of living under the

same roof with our Lord in the

Blessed Sacrament.

Did I miss my family and my

friends? Of course I did, because

I was very human. And didn’t our

Lord, also, miss His family and

friends when He started His public

life? But if there is one place bet-

ter calculated than any other to

chase away the "blues”, it is a re-

ligious novitiate. I was thrown into

close association with many girls,

hand-picked, if you will, all fired

with the desire to live and work

for Christ and souls. Full of eager-

ness and enthusiasm, we found

21



nothing too hard; we had not a

worry in the world, as our light-

hearted gaiety testified. We were
all, or nearly all, the proverbial

good novice who eats well, sleeps

well, and prays well.

Of this happy group, a very few

left. They either felt they were in

the wrong place, were too lone-

some, or became ill with no hope

of recovery. Another minority

group was advised to leave. The

reason was not hard to find. One

wept to excess, for instance, at

every visit from her family. No
Order will keep a subject who

does not serve the Lord gladly.

Another attached herself exclusive-

ly to a couple of her friends and

would have nothing to do with

the rest of the novices. If there is

one line of conduct more produc-

tive of trouble than this, I am sure

I cannot name it.

Just what do we nuns think of

a girl who enters and then leaves?

Very definitely we feel that she

has done the right thing in leaving.

Absolutely no stigma attaches to

a girl who leaves an Order for
which she mistakenly thought she

had a vocation. The only way to

find out is to enter; the purpose

of the novitiate is to afford a girl

an opportunity to find out if she

is really called by God to a religious
life, or if she just thinks she is.

It takes some time for a girl

to become adjusted to convent life.

I found it difficult to pray when

the bell indicated it was the time

to pray. This was especially true

in the morning, early! And others

did, too, if drooping heads mean

anything. But I was reminded that

the Lord regards only deliberate

faults, not those against which we

struggle. It was a comfort to be

told that I would get used to

thinking before breakfast.

"Do you all get along together?”

people sometimes ask nuns. We
do and this is the "how” of it.

We may not be and often are not
equally attracted, naturally speak-

ing, to all the nuns with whom
we live; yet, because Christ has

honored them with His call, we

learn, for His sake, to be cordial

to all. In any difficulties we may

experience, we turn for help to

Christ, Who never fails us. The
lesson we start learning in the

novitiate we continue to learn

throughout our lives; that nothing

and nobody can keep me from lov-

ing Christ and doing His will.

I stayed because I wanted to stay.

At any time during my novitiate

or at the expiration of my tem-

porary vows, I was free to leave.

Indeed, had the superiors felt I

had no vocation to their Order,

they would have been obliged to

22



advise me to leave. It is quite

possible you see, for a girl to enter

an Order under the impression

that she will be able to follow the

life, and then discover that she

cannot. In fairness both to herself

and to the Order, she should leave.

Certainly in my case there was no

coaxing nor compulsion on the part

of the superiors. My confessor as-
sured me I was in the right place;

he, more than any other, was in

a position to judge, for he not

only knew the rules of the Order,

but also my character and tem-

perament.

The very fact of the superiors

admitting me to reception of the
habit, and later, to temporary vows

and then final profession of vows,

definitely put the seal of the

Church on my vocation. This call
from superiors is actually the de-

ciding factor in determining a vo-

cation to religious life. I wish to

emphasize again that a nun who
takes her vows does so of her own
free will. The Daughters of Charity,

for instance, never take final vows

at all, but make vows for one year

only. At the expiration of the vows

each year, they are all perfectly free

to leave . . . but very few do.

There has never been a doubt

in my mind, however, that I am

not in the right place. I am sure

that I am, because only by God’s

grace could I even desire to live

a life which is self-denial and

discipline all the way. Again, it

was God’s grace that prompted my

superiors to give me the call to

vows.

But, you may ask, what of those

who leave after taking vows for

life? You may know someone

classed as an "ex-nun.” There need

be no opprobrium attached to the

term "ex-nun”. Even after she has

made vows for life, circumstances

can arise that make it necessary for

a nun to seek and to be granted

by the proper authorities a dispen-

sation from her vows, so that she

can return to civilian life. Ill-health

is the most common reason. Such

an "ex-nun” may be honorably

discharged.

But there are "ex-nuns” who

have been dishonorably discharged.

Usually they are nuns who left the

convent without bothering to be

dispensed from their vows. They

simply went A.W.O.L. and are un-

faithful to their vows. What about

them? That brings me back to the

definition of vocation — a series of
inspirations and divine helps en-

abling one personally to consecrate

her earthly life to God. A nun must
not fail to pray daily for persever-

ance, to be disposed to cooperate

with the daily helps that God

offers her to live well her religious

life. When a nun "deserts” after

her final vows, she is to be pitied

and, as far as possible, helped. The

number of unfaithful nuns is,

23



thank God, very small, by com-

parison with the legion of happy,

faithful nuns who serve God and

His Church so well.

Of my novitiate companions,

two left the Order after final vows.

Neither found in the world the

happiness for which she sacrificed

her religious vocation. All of us

who stayed did so, I repeat, of our

own free will. We loved and still

love the religious life of our Order.

Through close association with

Christ and with those who have

consecrated themselves to Him, we

have found a joy which we would

not exchange for all that the world

can offer. So don’t feel sorry for

nuns; you’re wasting your pity on

the happiest group of women in

the world.

ALL RIGHT- WHAT "GOES ON”

Behind Convent Walls?

As a curious grade-schooler, I

joined a group walking up and

down in front of the nuns’ con-

vent. We spoke about this or that
nun, but came back over and over

to the same old question, "What

does a convent look like on the

inside?’’ You, too, may be inter-

ested, so I’ll give you a personally

conducted tour.

A convent, you know, is a place
where we religious women live and

work under the direction of a

Superior. Sometimes a convent is

attached to the school, the hospital,

or the orphange where we work.

Work? Yes, that’s the term applied

to the task to which we are as-

signed annually by the Superior.

We are in the service and, like
soldiers, we take orders and like

them. Teaching and caring for the

sick, for orphans, and for the aged,

for the wayward, and for the poor,

are the major works carried on by

the many active Orders in the

Church.

Kitchens and laundries don’t

function by themselves. There is

clerical work, too, connected with

every institution staffed by nuns.

Wise Superiors place us in the

24



work for which they deem us best

suited. Just as you might expect,

God helps a nun in any work that

she carries on through obedience.

Nuns, too, are well-qualified for

the work entrusted. Occasionally,

however, in an emergency, it does

happen that a nun is assigned to

task for which she is not trained.

The work does not suffer, though,

for the nun, conscious of her in-

sufficient training, works doubly

hard to offset her deficiency.

But to get back to these build-

ings called convents! Those con-

nected with hospitals and orphan-

ages are often large. As a rule, a

motherhouse or a novitiate build-

ing is large. A motherhouse, by the
way, is the principal house of an

Order, where the Superiors reside

and, frequently, the aged and in-

firm nuns, also.

Other convents are small, as is

the case in small country towns

where three or four teaching nuns

live in an unpretentious building.

But, large or small, all nuns love

their convent home, of which

Christ is the Head.

The Nuns at Home

So much for the outside. And

the inside? The chapel is, of course,

the most important and best-loved

spot. Clean white altar linens, flow-

ers, and lights are the offerings of

hearts in love with Christ. Nuns

spend from three to four hours

daily in the chapel, for they know

it is only by companionship with

Christ that they can come to reflect

His image.

In every convent the chapel is

a magnet that irresistably draws

our hearts. From my early morning

visit to my last goodnight visit, I
come often, during the intervening

hours, to the feet of Christ. Daily

I assist at Mass and meditate in

the chapel. Community prayers

bring me back at regular hours.

Before and after meals, I have a

short visit with Christ. Before and

after school, before leaving the

convent for a shopping trip or a

visit to a dentist, I turn naturally

toward the chapel. My daily rosary,
way of the cross, and examination

of conscience all find me before

the Tabernacle. Finally, the day

closes with night prayers in the

chapel.

After the chapel, the focal point

of a convent is the recreation room.

As in every room, of course, there

is a crucifix. Pictures, statues, tables

and chairs are ordinary fixtures; a

piano, record-player, radio, books,

and magazines lend an air of in-

formality to a room where the nuns

daily gather, by rule, for periods

of relaxation.

The dining room, called the re-

fectory, is quite plain. A picture of

25



the Last Supper usually adorns a

wall, while tables, chairs, and a

serving table complete the furnish-

ings. Usually there is a service

room nearby for dishwashing activ-

ities, and a kitchen which differs

from any other kitchen only that it

boasts few gadgets and labor-

saving devices.

In most Orders, every nun has

her own sleeping room. Besides a

crucifix, religious picture or statue,

the room contains a bed, a chair,

a closet, a chifforobe, a desk and

lamp, sometimes a small bookcase,

and a lavatory. Certainly there is

nothing elaborate about the room

where a nun rests for seven or

eight hours.

Nothing Fancy

And that brings us to the parlor.

I recall hearing, a few years ago,

the apt simile, "As stiff as a con-

vent parlor”. By accident, rather

than by intent, the furniture is

sometimes a bit stiff and not too

comfortable. When we consider,

however, that the parlor is prob-

ably the least used room in a con-

vent, and that the furniture is often

a donation, we need not be sur-

prised if the appointments leave

much to be desired from the artistic

standpoint.

In addition to the rooms men-

tioned, all convents include a laun-

dry, a trunk room, a store room,

and adequate bathing facilities.

But, we are sometimes asked,

why are convents so often bleak

and drab? Whether they are so or

not depends, doesn’t it, on the

viewpoint? Often that is the way

persons mistakenly regard our

religious life, and so they tack the

epithets "bleak and drab” on our

convent homes. You have never

seen a convent chapel that was

bleak and drab, have you? Neither

have I, and I have been in hun-

dreds of chapels. Well, to nuns,

the chapel is the convent. The rest

of the building? Well, providing

it is clean, the appearance of the

rest of the building doesn’t mean

too much to any of us. How in-
consistent we should be if we

let architectural symmetry or period

furniture constitute our happiness.

But the furnishings are stuffy, you

may protest. Some do protest, you

know, even if you do not. Don’t

forget that ours is a life of self-

denial. House furnishings are usual-

ly donated and beggars can’t be

choosers.

Cleanliness Counts

Our main consideration is that

our convent be clean. Every nun is

responsible for the cleanliness of

a certain part of the convent.

Every nun? Yes, each has an as-

signed task; as the result of her

novitiate training, a nun is as ready

to don an apron and scrub a floor

as she is to teach a class. Each nun

takes pride in doing well her share

of the housekeeping in God’s house.

And when Christmas, Easter, Vow,

and Anniversary Days come around,

our joy expresses itself in attractive

decorations not only in the chapel

but throughout the rest of the

convent.

Our tour of the inside over, let’s

see about those high walls that

surround some convents. Frankly,

26



I’ve never lived behind a high wall

or even a low one, but I have seen

some walls. It may come as some-

thing of a shock to our well-mean-

ing critics to learn that the walls

are not for the purpose of keeping

the nuns in but for keeping in-

truders out. No one can deny that

nuns have a right in their convent

to the privacy of their home, and

may take any means they deem

necessary to insure this privacy.

Has it occurred to you that the

walls surrounding some convents

are merely a product of the archi-

tectural style in vogue when the

convents were erected? On every

side, you may see large estates sur-

rounded by walls quite as high —

(I venture this statement without

a yardstick in hand!)— as those

around any convent.

It seems strange to us that so

many make so much over "convent

walls.” Perhaps the rumors still

afloat about "convent walls” are a

hangover from the time when a

considerable number of books and

tracts claiming to be the life stories

of "ex-nuns” were rather widely

circulated. In many cases, the

women who wrote these stories, or

permitted them to be written, had

never been nuns. They had spent

some time in a Convent of the

Good Shepherd, but as wayward

girls, not as nuns. There are Con-

vents of the Good Shepherd in

many large cities and they are uni-

formly surrounded by high walls

as are other reformatories and

correctional institutions. They are

reformatories for delinquent girls

conducted by nuns, and the inmates

are usually committed to them by

civil authorities.

So much for the walls. Whether

or not nuns get enough to eat is

really their own business, but since

the question has been put to me,

I may as well answer it here. We
nuns are well-fed. The gaunt, hol-

low-cheeked, anemic individual just

doesn’t exist except in some morbid

imaginations. In the Order to which

I belong, and I believe my experi-

ence is typical of all nuns, Superiors

realize that we cannot live a strenu-

ous life of prayer and work unless

we are properly nourished. So at

our convent table, although the

food is not fancy, a balanced diet

is provided in abundance. Special

treats in the line of food are al-

ways in order on special feasts and

holidays.

Good Food

The question of food — and the
Superiors alone have the respons-

ibility of providing it and of

paying the bills — quite naturally
brings us to the matter of income.

Just what revenue has a nun? She

has no private income, let me

assure you. The vow of poverty

takes care of that. The monthly

salary of a teaching nun — (and I
am one) — runs between thirty-five
and sixty-five dollars, a sum far

below that which her professional

preparation warrants. This entire

salary goes to the Order, not to

the nun herself; but on its part,

the Order has the obligation of pro-

viding for all of its members,

whether they be active, aged, or

infirm.

27



Jt is this very donation of our

services which constitutes the en-

dowment of the Church. We nuns
give no thought whatever to the

matter of remuneration for our

services. We take care of the sick,
we teach, we do the other work

for souls for the love of God, not

for the sake of a salary.

Do nuns like their clothes? That

is a question that often occurred

to me as a girl. Maybe you, too,

are wondering if nuns, like God’s

own penguins, like to dress in black

and white. I believe I answer for

all nuns when I reply that we all

love our habits — as we call them
— and are perfectly happy wearing
them, no matter how strange they

may look to others. There are nat-

ural advantages, even, to wearing

a uniform. We save time by never
having to decide what to wear,

and we know that we are always

in style — God’s style.

Only a nun can know the deep

joy of wearing a garb which sets

her apart as a special friend of

Christ. On our Clothing Day, every
part of our dress was blessed at

the altar; consequently, our garb

is our holy habit. Our loving grati-

tude to God for being allowed to

wear His livery prompts us to

say a prayer as we don every article

of dress. Each part of our religious

garb is a symbol or a reminder of

some phase of our life. My veil, for
example, reminds me that I have

given my heart to Christ, that for
the sake of His love, I desire to

avoid the admiration of all others.

My love for my garb, then, and
the significance of every part of

it prompts me to keep it clean and

mended. Finally, my religious dress,

which some may term funny, was

worn by my foundress and many

holy members of my Order, and

so it is a constant reminder to me

to strive to grow in the spirit of

my Order, in the love of Christ

and of the neighbor.

SHOW ME A HAPPIER FAMILY

— ifyou can!
May I present my religious family?

I’m proud of them and I would

like you to see them through my

eyes. First let me assure you that

they are real women, every one of

them. You see, in changing their

garb, they did not alter their sex;

they are truly feminine. With

characteristic fastidiousness, nuns

keep not only their convents but

themselves spotless. They are, with-

out doubt, the cleanest people I

know. To mention but a few tasks,

washing, mending, and pressing

are routine jobs for every nun.

Nuns are orderly people, too.

Just try leaving things around and

you’d be told, ever so courteously

but quite plainly, to put your things

where they belong. The old saw, "A

place for everything and everything

in its place” finds literal fulfillment

in every convent.

Because nuns are real women,

28



as I said at the start, they are kind,

sympathetic, understanding. Let

physical distress, worry, or any

other trial afflict a nun and she

will know at once the tenderness

and Christ-like charity of het

Sisters. The kindness my Sisters

show you, they have first shown

me.

Just because all wear the same

garb, it should not be supposed for

an instant that all my Sisters think

alike. Quite the contrary. Each is

a distinct personality, and indivi-

dual, not a carbon copy of the next

nun. A discussion of a book, or of
a play, or even of a football game,

for instance, is always interesting

simply because there is free ex-

pression of ideas and, not infre-

quently, a sharp clash of opinion.

Each nun has her own manner-

isms, her own little faults of char-

acter, for the simple reason that

she is human. Take one little nun

in my family. No matter how
promptly she may move toward

the chapel when the bell rings for

prayers, she invariably comes in at

the last minute, just a little out of

breath as she kneels down in her

place. Then there is the one who

walks too fast and chirps her re-

sponses to the prayers just an in-

stant ahead of the others. And there

is the absent-minded nun who

leaves her spectacles at school and

apologetically, yet regularly, asks

you to return to the school with

her. But slow, fast, or absent-mind-

ed though they be, I love them all,

these Sisters of mine. Don’t they

charitably put up with my numer-

ous weaknesses and foibles?

Some of these nuns I know so

well are gifted women, each of

whom has been given the oppor-

tunity of cultivating her God-given

talents. This one is a shark at math;

that one handles science classes ex-

ceptionally well; a third is a splen-

did musician who can whip up a

program in nothing flat. Each is a

responsible person, not an auto-

maton; consequently, each is given

credit for being able to handle her

assigned task satisfactorily and is

allowed enough leeway to insure

her having interest in her work.

We all love real people. You will
love these Sisters of mine, for they

are sincere. They are just what

they appear to be; there is no

masquerading, no hypocrisy. For a

nun, who is so completely God’s

very own possession, the very idea

of a double life is unthinkable.

And my Sisters, and all -nuns

as well, are idealists, perfectionists.

Freely have they dedicated them-

selves to a life in which they con-

tinually strive for perfection, be-

cause of their strong love for

Christ. This striving is a steady

effort, not a thing of fits and starts.

The vows of religion and the rules

and constitutions of their Order

keep nuns in there pitching all the

time. With such a goal as perfec-

29



tion before them, the nuns I know

are in earnest about their life.

Their very obligations, freely con-

tracted, make them take their life

and their work seriously. Because

they are interested in the "here”

only in proportion to its useful-

ness in attaining the "hereafter”,

my Sisters logically cultivate not

a worldly but rather an "other

worldly” point of view.

Normal and Happy

That all sounds very serious, and

it is. Yet I would not have you

conclude that this concentration on

things spiritual has made sober-

sides of my Sisters. In our life, as

in everyone’s life, a certain amount

of relaxation is necessary to safe-

guard mental health. And so our

community recreation periods are

delightfully gay. Closeness to God

results in a joyousness of spirit

which find expression in relaxa-

tion unmarred by frivolity or

worldliness.

Of all the satisfied persons in

the world, I believe, honestly, that

my Sisters top the list. A happiness
born of inward satisfaction per-

meates their lives — expression,
speech, manner. You have doubtless

heard the old charge, that nuns are

women who have been disappoint-

ed in love. Nothing is farther from

the truth. My Sisters — and I in-
clude myself — were not left; they
did the leaving. They understood

what they were giving up, too, and

willingly made the sacrifice. Furth-

ermore, they do not, as so many

people think, close their minds to

the thought and the nobility of a

generous life in the world, of mar-

riage, home, family. The thought

of all this might be, indeed, very

appealing; but the nun well knows

that real love is principally a giv-

ing, not a getting. She chooses,

because of her love for Christ, to

give ail she is and has to God.

My Sisters live a life of self-
denial, but so does everyone else,

to some extent, at any rate. What

office worker can sleep as long as

she likes? What lay teacher can

report for her classes when she

chooses? And who can estimate the

amount of self-denial that enters

into the life of the mother of an

average family. Everyone else has

to deny herself. Why not the nun,

who, by her very profession, an-

nounces to the world that she as-

pires to resemble her crucified

Lover and so is prepared to take

up her cross daily? In their very

giving, my Sisters know the joy

of sacrifice. They realize — and this
is important — that they have freely

made a sacrifice of certain joys and

pleasures which many persons, for

one reason or another, are com-

pelled to forego.

And so it is correct to say that

one source of the deep content

which floods the hearts and souls

of my Sisters is the total absence

of emotional conflict. With charm-

ing poise and self-possession, they

go about their daily work. They

have all that they want from life;

they are content. They do not need

nor want any sympathy.

30



And This Is Our Reward!

Volumes have been written on the

advantages of a nun’s religious life

and there is still more to be said.

One of the most obvious is the

utter security which it brings. In

the midst of world upheavals and

stock market crashes, nuns enjoy

freedom from financial worry. If

a new wing has to be erected, or

a fire-gutted building has to be re-

placed, only the Superiors need be

concerned about the finances.

A second natural advantage of
our life, and a very real one, is

the perfect old-age security that it

insures. In illness and in old age,

we receive the best possible care;

indeed, the very knowing this is a

potent factor in preserving our

mental health. In illness, sorrow,

worry, disappointments, misunder-

standings and trials, which are in-

separable from every life, we nuns

can count on the powerful support

of sisterly kindness and under-

standing.

Steady work is another advantage

we nuns enjoy. A nun finds deep
satsifaction in knowing that, as

long as she is able, she will always

have a definite job assigned to her.

In every convent, there is plenty

of work to be done, of one kind

or another. Superiors try to assign

a Sister work for which she is not

only fitted but for which she has

a liking. Do we not do best the
things that we enjoy doing?

For all of us nuns, our commun-

ity is a source of very real help

and happiness. For each of us, this

group takes the place of the family

life we have denied ourselves. We
draw spiritual support and strength

from the good example all around

us. All in a community have the

same aim — the pursuit of holiness
— and this common purpose serves
as a sympathetic bond uniting all.

Around us are gathered models of

every virtue; from one, we learn

humility, from another, patience,

from a third, obedience.

Daily striving to become a cham-

pion for Christ brings great peace

of soul — not a small advantage of
our religious life. Daily examina-

tion of conscience and weekly con-

fession empty the soul that God

may fill it. By cultivating a right

sense of values, we nuns come to

find deep joy in spiritual things.

The more a nun gives herself to

God, the more does He give Him-

self to her, and this is pure joy.

Compare with this joy of union

with God, we deem as nothing the

pleasures we have freely re-

nounced. Day in and day out we

know that we are living our lives

as we have elected to live them, in

conformity with the Will of God.

For a nun there is little disillu-

sionment, as there so often is for

many in other states of life. We
nuns knew what kind of life would

be ours when we joined the Order.

By that, I do not mean that we

foresaw every individual trial that

would become to us; but I mean

that we knew ours would be a life

of self-denial, and we freely em-

braced that life. We also know that
as nuns we can help our neighbor

31



more than would have been possi-

ble had we remained outside the

convent.

There is among nuns a spirit of

generosity which rules out con-

stant "griping” when extra work,

for example, falls to their share.

Thus it is that the inward calm

that we nuns experience is out-

wardly manifested by a serene,

cheerful bearing. On the whole,

we nuns have a keen sense of

humor. We need it to take grace-
fully the teasing that is a definite

part of the give and take of com-

munity life. Those who think the

thoughts of Christ, speak His words

and do His works, show by their

calm exterior that they deem it an

honor to keep a home for Christ,

to be associated with Him in the

noblest work possible — that of
helping Him to save the souls for

which He died.

Certainly the prospect of a

happy death may be classed as an

advantage of religious life, and we

nuns hope for just that. Daily

meditation on the shortness of life

convinces us that death is not the

end, but rather the very important

beginning of our real life with God.

Urged on by this conviction, we

point all our spiritual efforts to

one end, that of dying well. Pass-

ing worldly events are robbed of

their importance by comparison

with everlasting spiritual considera-

tions. Many persons push the

thought of death into the back-

ground; we nuns encourage the

thought and daily pray for the

grace of dying well. Have we not

seen our fellow religious full of

peace and hope? And we have

every reason to expect the same

grace from God’s liberality if we

persevere in loving Him.

Concerning the reward awaiting

us, there is no doubt in our hearts.

We have Christ’s own words for it.
"And everyone who has left house,

or brothers, or sisters, or father, or

mother, or wife, or children, or

lands, for my name’s sake, shall

receive a hundredfold, and shall

possess life everlasting.” (Matt.

XIX: 29). By a special grace of God

we nuns have understood that

fundamental, all-important lesson

of our Catholic Faith, that man is

created by God to know, love, and

serve Him in this life, and be

happy with Him forever in the

next. Thanks to God’s help, we

early came to realize that God

alone could satisfy our hearts. We
cut ourselves off from human love

in order to free our hearts for love

divine. Our life on earth has been

a daily struggle, a reaching out

toward God. After oh, so short a

time, which we call life, God will

satisfy, as He alone can, the long-

ings of our hearts for perfect union

with Him. This is the payoff —

Heaven!

32



KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - RELIGIOUS INFORMATION BUREAU
4422 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis 8, Missouri

List of pamphlets available at the above address. One title may be requested at a time free

of charge. Several titles, complete sets, and quantities of individual pamphlets may be ordered

at 74 for each pamphlet, plus postage.

3. The Bible is a Catholic Book

5. Christ’s Seven Sacraments

6. The Holy Sacrifice — the Catholic
Mass

7. Why the Catholic Church says "Inves-
tigate” — Masons, Inquisition, Nuns

8. Speaking of Tolerance — Controver-
sial periods in history

9. These Men They Call "Knights”

10. Why Catholics Believe As They Do
— Existence of God, Immortality

11. A Short Story of the Popes
12. Let’s Stick to Moses — Ten Com-

mandments explained

13. But Can It Be Found in the Bible? —
Bible not sole rule of faith

14. What Happens After Death?

15. Yes ... I Condemned The Catholic
Church

16. What Do You Mean "Only One True
Church”?

17. But How Can Educated People Be
Catholics?

18. No . . . Belief in God is not Enough!

19. The Real Secret of Successful Mar-
riage

20. The Way to Everlasting Life . . . The
Catholic Church

21. Is the Catholic Church a Menace to

Democracy?

22. But Do You Really Understand the
Bible? — Rules for understanding

23. A Letter to Our Non-Catholic Neigh-
bors — Aspects of Catholic faith

24. Yes, the Mother of God Will Help
You!

25. What Makes a Woman Choose Such
a Life? — Life of a Catholic Nun

26. I’ll Tell You Why I Am a Catholic
27. Why So Many Decide to Become

Catholics — Convert stories
28. Let Us Judge Catholics by the Bible

— Prayer to Saints, unmarried priests
29. But Would Christ Call You A Chris-

tian?

30. But Do You Understand What God
Told Us? — Apostles’ Creed

31. Should Children Learn About God-
in School?

32. The Bible Is Not Our Sole Guide

33. This Was the Faith of Our Fathers

34. These Are Our Seven Deadly Enemies
— Seven capital sins explained

35. Let’s Test Catholic Loyalty — A Good
Catholic is a good citizen

36. Remember the Sabbath . . . Keep It
Holy — The "Sabbath Question”

37. I Am a Catholic Priest
38. But Why the Candles, Holy Water

and Beads ? — Sacramentals

39. The Reformation. Was It Reform or
Revolt?

40. Why I Had to Embrace the Catholic
Faith — Convert stories

41. Yes, Miracles Happened at Fatima

42. Does the Bible Contradict Itself? —
Peter the Rock, Faith and/or Works

43. I Was Warned About the Catholic
Church !— Religious Liberty

44. Why a Woman Needs the Catholic
Faith

!

45. The Early Years of the Catholic
Church — First three centuries

46. Yes ... A Priest Can Forgive Your
Sins — Sacrament of Penance

47. But Why Don’t You Pray to the
Saints? — Communion of Saints

48. God’s Story of Creation — Genesis
49. Is the Catholic Church Out of Place

Here? — Catholicism and Loyialty
50. This Is the Catholic Church — Creed,

Sacraments, Mass, Commandments

51. Revelation ... A Divine Message of
Hope — Revelations or Apocalypse

52. Does It Pay to be a Catholic? — How
to be a Catholic

53. Think About Death and Start to Live
— Catholic attitude toward death

54. What Do You Find Wrong With
the Catholic Church?

55. His Name Shall Be Called God With
Us — Divinity of Christ

56. The Infallible Church, Truth or Trick-

ery? — Church of the Scriptures
57. Tell Us About God . . . Who Is He?

Existence and nature of God

58. The Word Was Made Flesh-
Humanity of Christ

59. Let Us Pray—Prayer



Learn All About

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By Mail ... At No Cost!

You can easily investigate Catholic faith and worship

in the privacy of your home.

Just send us your name and address and advise that

you desire to learn about the Church by mail.

We will send you an interesting course of instruc-
tion which is short, yet complete.

The book explaining Catholic faith and worship is

written in an easy-to-understand form, and there are

six tests sheets to be checked. There is no writing to

do, and nobody will call on you unless you request it.

You merely mail your marked test sheets to us. We
correct them and return them to you. This enables

you to determine how well you understand the book

and on what points further explanation by mail may

help you.

There is no cost to you, no obligation.

Write today to:

Supreme Council

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD.

SL LOUIS 8, MO.

Imprimatur:

HhJOSEPH E. RITTER

Archbishop of St. Louis

St. Louis, March 6, 1951

Published in United States of America

10th Reprinting, February, 1961