CONVENT LIFE THE MEANING OF A RELIGIOUS VOCATION MARTIN J.SCOTXS.J, This book donated to the CATHOLIC EVIDENCE SECTION, of Barnes Hall Library by REVEREND PAUL J. CUDDY Cornell University Library BX4210 .S42 Convent life, the meaning of a religious olin 3 1924 029 414 897 BARNES HALL ITHACA. NEW YORK CONVENT LIFE lmpnm{ Poteet: JosBPHus H. Rockwell, S.J. Pasepositus Prov. Marylandix Neo-Eboraeensis il3i|)tl fl>&i3tat: AkTHURUS J. SCANLAN, S.T.D. Censor Libromm Jmtitimatun >I Ecclesiastically, Sisters are religious women with simple vows; Nims are religious women with solemn vows. 3 4 CONVENT LIFE now employed by people generally without any difference of meaning, although ecclesi- , asticaUy they are quite distinct. This beiug a treatise for general readers, the terms " Nun " and " Sister " will be employed in their popiilar sense. Convents are cloistered, and may be either enclosed, or xmenclosed. The enclosed convents are those whose members are absolutely closed off from the outside world. The enclosed Sisters never leave the con- vent. Sisters of the unenclosed convents go in and out as their duties require. Those who hve in convents are called Religious or a Rehgious Conamunity. As apphed to Nuns and Sisters, this term means that their hves are devoted exclu- sively to the service of religion. Religious are said to lead an active life or a contemplative life, according as their special manner of hving is devoted mostly to external works of mercy or to prayer. In former times, when Christian civiliza- tion was in formation and society was crude and vicious, the contemplative life dominated. Pious souls who wished to escape from the contagion of evil withdrew to the cloister, as a place of security and THECONVENT 5 prayer, and to do penance for the sins of the world. Later on, when woman's place in the world was made more secure, devout souls entered the convent as a place to sanctify themselves, in order to issue forth and do service to their feEow men for the love of Christ. This service consisted in what is called nowadays, social service. Whatever a woman can do to give a helping hand to one in need, that is the work of the Sister. It may be rescue work among the fallen or unfortunate, or helping the poor, or nm-sing in hospitals and poor homes, or cariug for orphans and the aged and the blind and the outcast. In times of war, the battlefield is their convent. Hence they are known as Angels of the Battlefield and Angels of Mercy. All this we shall dwell on later, in our chapters on the Red Cross Sisterhoods and the Social Service Sisterhoods. For the Red Cross, which is now the badge of mercy the world over, was the special insignia of the Re- ligious Orders of Mercy as far back as the twelfth century. Besides the Sisterhoods which devote themselves to contemplation and those that O CONVENTLIFE give themselves to works of mercy, there are the Orders ^ wherem the members exer- cise the duties of both the active and the contemplative life. In the Contemplative Orders one of the essential duties is the recitation of the Divine Office in choir- Besides that duty they have many others, which are described under the chapter on Sisterhoods of Contemplation and Atone- ment. Some Active Orders have choir duty also. These Sisterhoods, by thus combining some of the main features of the Contemplative Orders with the duties of the Active Orders, are what is called Rehgious of mixed life. In modem times most of the Religious Orders belong to this last class. In both the enclosed and unenclosed communities there are lay-Sisters, that is. Sisters who are not obliged to do choir duty. There are many rehgious souls who have not the education required to fulfil the duties of the choir Sisters, but who never- theless yearn for a life of service and sanc- tity apart from the hindrance of the world. For such the lay-Sisterhood is open. '■ The Canonical Code distinguishes between Institute, Order, Congregation etc. The word Order is used in this treatise in its popular meaning. THECONVENT 7 Before a convent is established, the per- mission of the bishop of the place is re- quired. Except those convents which are immediately mider Papal authority, all convents are subject to Episcopal juris- diction. The bishop or his delegate may inspect them any time, and all the Nuns may have recourse to him whenever they see fit. Everything in regard to convent life aims at giving the Sisters the latitude of the children of God. As we shall see in the body of this work, the fullest freedom is given the young woman who contem- plates being a Sister. None but those who have applied for admission as a Sister can realize how difficult it is to be received. This will be shown in detail further on. After admission they are called postu- lants, that is, they postulate or request to be admitted permanently. As postulants they live the life of the Sisters and see it in all its phases. During this time of postu- lancy, which lasts from six months to a year, they may leave any time without any formality. After being postulants, they are received as novices into the Community. This 8 CONVENTLIFE means that they enter more intimately into the Ufe of the Sisters, but are not yet received as such. The novitiate, as this period is called, lasts usually a year. Dur- ing this period the novice may leave any time without any formality whatsoever. After the novitiate, they are permitted to take the reKgious vows for a specified time. Only after three years are they allowed to bind themselves permanently to the obhgations of the ReKgious Life. In the chapters wherein we consider the various classes of convents, will be found the manner of life hved therein. For the present, I give a general outline of the day as spent in the majority of convents which lead the mixed life of contemplation and charity. You will observe that there is not an idle moment in the day. The time spent in prayer and meditation is the most valuable, for it is from prayer that the Sisters receive that wonderful zeal and spirit of sacrifice which enable them to work so heroically for others. THE CONVENT 9 ORDER OF TIME 5:001 Rise 5:30 Meditation 6:30 Recitation of Office 6:45 Mass 7:30 Breakfast 7:45-11: : 45 Occupations 11:45 Prayer 12:00 Dinner 12:30 Community Recreation 1:30 Recitation of Office 2-6:30 Occupations. In the course of the afternoon, one half hour of mental prayer and one half hour of spiritual reading. In the course of the day, the beads and visits to the Blessed Sacrament and on some days Benediction. 6:30 Supper 7-8 Community Recreation 8:00 Recitation of Office 9:00 Night Prayers 9:15 Retire. ^ In some Orders the hour of rising is 5.30 or 6, and less time is given to Meditation. 10 CONVENT LIFE From the above it is seen that, with all their time for prayer and spiritual duties, the Sisters give over eight hours a day to various occupations These include teach- ing, nursing, visiting the sick and poor, and other works of mercy. To give a further idea, in a general way, of the life of a Nun, I quote the following from the book of instructions of the Order of Mercy. These directions come under the head of General Principles. "The Sisters should have great love and esteem for their vocation, considering God has chosen them, and has given them ex- ceptional graces and means for advancing His glory and their own sanctification. We are ever to prefer the general to a particu- lar good, so as to yield up willingly our own satisfaction and personal interest when there is question of accommodating one another, of rendering a service to the Community, or to an individual Sister. " In our conduct we are to act with such moderation that by our manner, gait, words, looks and actions we may, on all occasions, show forth the virtues of true Religious and edify one another. Hence we are not to THE CONVENT 11 perfonn our duties with precipitation, over- anxiety, confusion or noise, but endeavor habitually to keep ourselves in the presence of God. "As each Sister is constantly to keep be- fore her mind the necessity of aiming at the perfection of the religious state, she may be convinced that in presenting her- self in prayer every morning and saying: 'Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?' that our Saviour will invariably answer: 'Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and foUow Me.' "The grace of vocation, indicating God's special love for her, requires faithful co- operation on her part. She aims at adding the practice of the Counsels to the perfect fulfilment of the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church. "If, according to an old maxim, 'Virtue is acquired by frequent acts,' we may be well assured that it is preserved by the same means; namely, by the continuous exercise of those acts which, with God's grace, cause them to become a habit. "The chief helps afforded the Sisters in the course of the year for the renewal of the spirit of fervor are: " I. A retreat of eight days for prayer 12 CONVENT LIFE and meditation, made dm-ing the summer vacation, when the Sisters, being called to the Mother House in the country, have the opportimity of recruiting their health and resting from the labors of the scholastic year, while renewing their spiritual strength. "2. Our monthly recollections or brief retreats at the end of the month. "3. The weekly ministry of the ordinary confessor, and of an extraordinary con- fessor four times a year. "4. The spiritual exhortations in the chapel. "5. The daily exercises and the frequent opportunity of spiritual reading during times of silence. "6. Daily Communion. "7. Frequent Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. "These and other innumerable blessings attached to the religious vocation are cal- culated to arouse in the Sisters a sense of gratitude, proved to be real by the fidehty with which they make use of them. They should have but one heart and one soul in Christ, their heavenly Spouse; and as their Divine Saviour has united them together in one rehgious body by the grace of their THECONVENT 13 vocation, so should they ever remain united in the spirit of charity, which is the 'Bond of Perfection.'" These instructions give only a very general outUne. As we take up, further on, the various classes of Orders and their works, we shall see more in detail the mar- vellous provision made for personal sanc- tity and for consequent service to others. For sanctity and service go together. For while it is true that much good is done by those who are not notably pious in the world, yet it is done at times only, or else along congenial hues, or to those in whom they are interested. But the Sisters do good of all kinds to all classes and always. They go where they are sent and take up the kind of work that is assigned them. They never question their own likes or dislikes, but only the need there is for their service. To do this, day in and day out, year after year unto old age or death, is not a natural incUnation or choice, but a super- natural vocation. And when we reflect that this has been going on, not only occa- sionally but continuously, for hundreds 14 CONVENT LIFE of years in the Catholic Church, we can readily see that it is a divine thing. There is no glamour about the work and life, such as in war times attracts many good women to give their services to public helpfulness.^ The career of a Sister is hidden. The eye of God alone beholds her services, her sacrifices, her weariness and her trials. The eye of God, and also the eyes of the poor unfortunates whose fives are made more fivable by her min- istrations. But God is their chief motive and their main witness. "What you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me." Jesus Christ is not only a reafity to them, but a constant companion. They love Him above the love of woman for man. Not only is He their Companion, He is their Friend; yea more, He is their Be- loved. Christ is their Spouse. That ex- plains the Sister's career of sacrifice. It is not hard to serve when one loves. ' All that is said in this chapter and the rest of the book about the Religious Life appUes with proper modifications to the Religious Orders of men, also. II THOSE WHO ENTER II THOSE WHO ENTER Oi FN A CERTAIN OCCASION A NON- Catholic was heard to remark: "Where in the world do all the Sisters come from?" Not only to those outside the Church does this question suggest itself, but also to Catholics themselves. You see the Sisters everywhere. They are caring for the old in homes for the aged, and watching over infants in found- ling asylums. You will find them nursing the sick in hospitals, and binding up the wounds of soldiers on the battlefield. In schools and academies they are engaged in the education of youth, and in distant lands they help the missionary to civilize the savage. Others devote their lives to the adora- tion of God in the Blessed Sacrament, to prayer, contemplation and charity. Some give their fives to penance and reparation for the sins of the world, which else might 17 18 CONVENT LIFE call God's wrath upon mankind. Then there are those angels of restoration who seek the sheep that have strayed to bring them back into the fold, as did the Good Shepherd Himself in His days among men. And where do they aU come from? From everywhere and from every class and condition of society. In the convent you will find those who were rich and those who were poor, the educated and the sim- ple, the aristocrat and the humble. That is what they were before entering; once in the convent, they are all Sisters, they form one family in Jesus Christ, they have all things in common, for which reason they are called a Community. . In most women there is an instinct for service to others. Witness the alacrity with which they join the Red Cross Society. See how others take to settlement work in the slmns. Humanity urges them to sacri- fice themselves for the welfare of others. What humanity inspires women to do occasionally, reUgion invites them to do as a career, for the love of Jesus Christ. Our Lord plainly declares that whatever we do imto others for His sake, we do unto Him, THOSE WHO ENTER 19 Now there are certain souls who are drawn to Christ by the great love He has shown them. He became a Uttle child for them, Hved, suffered and died for them. If there were no heaven or no heU, they would love Him and serve Him in return for His love. They would dehght to serve Him personally if He were on earth, as the holy women in the Gospel did, but that they cannot do. However, they realize, from His own words, that service done to others for His sake is taken by Him as done to Himself, so they bum with a desire to work for and with Christ. By helping others, they are doing something unto Christ Himself. By prayer, adoration and penance, they are working with Him in saving the souls of men. By teaching, they are instructing little ones in the ways of the Kingdom of God and enlarging that Kingdom which He estabUshed on earth. To work for and with Jesus Christ! That is the noblest motive for entering the convent, and it is the motive which actuates most of those who become Sisters. The personal love of Christ! Love for Christ stronger than human love; love of 20 CONVENT LIFE Christ so strong that it has made the young, the beautiful, the rich, prefer it to all the love and luxury of the world; love so strong that it causes those who love father and mother more than all else to sacrifice that love unto the love of Christ; love so holy that, while it claims the whole heart, it yet makes the love for father and mother greater than it was before. For the love of God does not destroy rightful love, but increases it and hallows it. The love of a woman for her husbsuid does not lessen her love for her mother, but rather intensifies it. And so the love of the maiden for Christ, to whom she consecrates her heart and her life, serves to intensify her love for her dear ones. But for Christ's sake, to give Him proof of her love, she withdraws from what she loves most on earth. These, therefore, are the noble souls who embrace the Rehgious Life; these are they who enter the convent. The call having come to them, they respond. Those who enter are the flower of maidenhood. Some people thinM that those who re- nounce the world and family ties are heart- less, but, on the contrary, it is because THOSE WHO ENTER 21 they have such great heart that they enter the convent. It is usually the most lov- ing daughter that obeys the call to the Religious Life. You would not say that a girl had no heart because she leaves father and mother to get married, and perhaps hves in a place far away from her parents. If the love for a man can make a girl suffer a separation like that, how much more should the love of Christ do it! If you have been associated at any time with Sisters, you have found that they were the soul of kindness and consid- eration. Unless their hearts were big and generous, they could not lavish such tender affection on those entrusted to their care. How many a broken heart has found comfort in the sympathy of a Sister! How many women who formerly were pupils of the Sisters return to them in after life to share with them their joys and sorrows, and receive from them strength and peace! So the girl who leaves all, even her own family, to enter the convent is not lacking in heart. But a call comes to her from heaven and she heeds it, even though it makes her heart bleed. 22 CONVENT LIFE And that is the divinity of the Religious Life in the Cathohc Church. It makes a girl do what is otherwise impossible. Un- less the call were divine, unless the life were divinely sanctioned, it could not find a response, century after century, from the noblest and best women of Christianity. For those who enter the convent are select souls. Whenever you hear of a girl going to be a Sister, you will also hear that she is the best, or one of the best, girls in the neighborhood. So often is this the case that some non-Catholics, and even poor samples of Catholics, will say: "What a pity that such a fine girl should waste her life in a convent." These people unknowingly are paying a high compliment to the convent, for the best girls usually know what they are do- ing. Unless the convent represented the highest and noblest manner of life, it would not attract the finest of our young women. Those who consider that a life is wasted on entering the convent know not of what they speak. Later on, we shall consider the daily life in the convent. Here, it will suffice to say that the busiest and most serviceable THOSE WHO ENTER 23 body of women in the world are the Reli- gious Communities. From early morning until night, they are occupied either in preparing them- selves for service to others or in perform- ing that service. By leaving the world and entering the convent, they are like unto the seed cast into the ground which springs forth a hundredfold. The Sister comes forth after her consecration to do a woman's work in the world. This she does with a devotion and constancy which literally multiply her efficiency many fold. Like a ship cleared for action, she has discarded everything that could hinder wholehearted service. Sacrifice becomes part of her life. The world becomes richer and nobler for her presence. The world in giving her up, or rather in parting with her, is like the merchant putting his money into business, not to lose it, but to receive it back abundantly. Invested money is not wasted. A religious vocation is not a loss to society. A Sister's is not a wasted life. Even those who withdraw entirely from association with the world, and give them- selves up to a life of penance and prayer in 24 CONVENT LIFE a cloistered order, serve mankind. For by giving up all that men most cling to, they show the importance of salvation. By their life of mortification, they preach a sermon on the necessity of restraint in the Christian hfe. By giving up the world and its allurements, they illustrate our Lord's teaching: "For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?" Thus they not only make secure their own salvation, but they also help others in their efforts to save their souls. Noble women, the most noble, are found in every walk of fife. There are saintly mothers, wives and daughters. The best Sister is generally the daughter of the best mother. The mother's vocation was to do God's work in the family. She did not receive the call as her daughter did. Her convent is the home. But the daughter received the call and responded. Those who enter the Rehgious Life, there- fore, reahze that they are called to it, and are so circumstanced that they can obey the call. The life presupposes first the qualifications, and then the divine inspira- tion. THOSE WHO ENTER 25 Those who enter are of the same clay as others. They have the same human nature with its passions and inclinations, its virtues and defects. But feeling called to a higher life, they aim at curbing pas- sion and cultivating virtue in a Ufe de- voted to service and sacrifice for Christ's sake. With Him as their model and leader, they endeavor to become more and more like Him on earth that they may be closer to Him for eternity. They have received from Him the invitation to draw near. Souls chosen from the multitude, they step out from the ranks of the great Chris- tian army, and take their place close to Christ, the King, to serve by His side. And how does this call come? Does God appear to the individual as He did to Saul on the way to Damascus? Or does His voice ring out as it did when it summoned the apostles to leave all and follow Him? God has various ways of calling His beloved unto Him and His service. To some, indeed. He has appeared as evi- dently as in the case of the apostles. Some of the great saints and founders of ReUgious Orders, men and women, destined to ex- 26 CONVENT LIFE ceptional service and suffering, have seen the Lord and heard His voice, but ordinarily it is not so: The call to the Religious Life, or to be a Sister, comes in various ways. In some cases it is distinct and overpowering. In others, it is gentle, like a whisperiog breeze, and must be carefully Ustened to in order to be discerned. Some hear the call from childhood, and only wait the day that will enable them to obey it. Others get the summons suddenly, almost against their anticipations, but it comes so clearly that they hardly have a doubt about it. Some are quietly and gently drawn, others overpoweringly, and stiQ others hesitatingly. With these last, the attrac- tion is there, but the repulsion also. They desire to make the sacrifice and yet trem- ble at the cost. The hfe appeals to their nobler nature, its sacrifices appall their weak humanity. Balanced thus between yes and no, the will eventually yields to grace, and often these vocations are the most meritorious and serviceable. All that has been said so far is rather genered. We shall now look more closely at the matter, and endeavor to go some- THOSE WHO ENTER 27 what into detail. Many, very many, souls are concerned about this subject, so we shall try to be as plain and definite as possible.^ It is not enough to like a career in order to adopt it. One must consider the quali- fications it calls for, as well as the attrac- tion"it has. If a girl experiences a strong attraction to the career of a Sister, the first thing to do is to consider if she has the needed quahties. These depend on the nature of the Sister- hood in question. Some Religious Orders, on account of the service they render, re- quire more and higher quahfications than others. A girl might feel drawn to a cer- tain Order which requires a high standard of education for its work. If she has not a cultivated mind nor the capabihty of advanced knowledge, it is clear that her vocation is not to that particular Sister- hood. The advantage of the religious vocation is that one who truly has it can find, from Eunong the great variety of Communities, the one for which she is adapted. If one has not the requisites, mental or physical, ' Tbese observations on vocation apply to men as well as women. 28 CONVENT LIFE for any of the Sisterhoods, it means that one has not a vocation, no matter what the attraction may be. If God calls, He also fits one for the call. But there is such a variety of Religious Communities, that few who feel the attrac- tion to convent life need be discouraged, if only they are humble and docile and will- ing to embrace the life to which they are best adapted. Some persons feel greatly attracted to a particular Order and to no other. But they have not got the qualifications for that Order. In that case they have no vocation. If only one Order appeals to them, but they are judged not to have the requirements for it, they have no vocation. Sometimes women are attracted to an Order by friendship for some of its members. That does not mean that the vocation rests on that friendship. But such a voca- tion should be thoroughly tested. Again, some are attracted to the convent in the same way that a boy is drawn to a regiment. There is a certain idealism in it. But there is not much romance on the battlefield or in the trenches, nor is there in the Sister's career, except in novels. THOSE WHO ENTER 29 Sentimental persons thus often mistake a feeling of exaltation for a vocation. Such persons should be altogether discouraged. If the vocation be real, the discouragement will do no harm. If, on the other hand, it be imaginary, it is better to find it out before the step is taken rather than to retrace the step. Emotional persons, as a rule, should not think of convent life. There is very little room for sentiment in the life of a Sister. It is hard, steady, monotonous work, but work made precious and subHme by the love of Christ, for whom it is done. I do not mean to say that sentiment plays no part in Rehgious Life. It does, and a very great part, but always domi- nated by strength of character and solid motives. The kind of sentiment that sho^lld be discouraged is that which is found in very temperamental persons. It is a form of nervousness. A nervous per- son should not consider a rehgious career — without consulting an experienced phy- sician. We see, therefore, that those who enter the convent are they who desire to lead a life of sacrifice and service for the love of 30 CONVENT LIFE Christ. Moreover, they have the quali- fications, mental and physical, for the life, and they feel called to it. There are many souls who are not satis- fied with doing only what is obUgatory. They desire to distinguish themselves by service in the cause they love. We see this in a nation's life. There are posts of danger and sacrifice which nobler souls eagerly seek. As among men, and for the welfare of a people, there are exceptioneJ souls who think not of their own advantage, but seek the common good, so in the Kingdom of Christ there are those who, for the welfare of souls and for the glory of the. Kingdom of God, sacrifice what is dearest to them on earth. They do not throw themselves away any more than the man who goes "over the top" throws himself away. Sacrifice is never lost. Every sacri- fice that is united to His Sacrifice, who gave all for love of us, bears fruit a hundred- fold. It is only in eternity that we shall see the value and meaning of a Sister's career. Here, it is patience, prayer, charity, benevo- lence, service and suffering. Hereafter, THOSE WHO ENTER 31 it is the participation of heaven's best joys as the beloved of Jesus Christ. It is the nuptials of the faithful bride to her Spouse, Christ. It is sharing the very life of God forever. Ill WHY THEY ENTER Ill WHY THEY ENTER I N THE PRECEDING CHAPTER, WE have considered who they are that enter convents. We saw that it is from among the noblest souls that the army of Sisters is recruited. In a general way, we also saw why they made the great sacrifice. We shall now consider more in detail what the motive is and on what it is based. The convent life is a career of special service in the rehgion of Jesus Christ. Those who embrace it leave all to follow Christ. Our Lord Himself is the founder of this Ufe of special service. The apostles, who left all to foUow Him, were the first ones to hear and respond to the call of Christ. Our divine Lord names two distinct classes of service in His Kingdom on earth. The first is contained in that statement of His: "If thou wilt enter into life ever- lasting, keep my commandments" (Matt. 35 36 CONVENTLIFE 19:17). That is the great army of Chris- tians who seek, by keeping God's law, to save their souls. The second is proclaimed by these words: "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all thou hast and come follow me (Matt. 19:21). The apostles received that invitation and left all to be the companions of Jesus. The rich young man in the Gospel received it, but did not heed it. From that day to this, the call has struck the ears of millions, and milUons have heeded it. Others have heard it, but the voice of the world was louder, and they paid no attention to it. Jesus has declared: "He who loses his life for my sake shall find it." These words mean just what they say. That is why the apos- tles said to Christ: "Behold we have left all things and have followed thee" (Matt. 19: 27.) Later they gave their lives for Him. Again, our Lord says: "Everyone that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my Name's sake shall receive an hundredfold and shall possess life ever- lasting" (Matt. 19: 29). It was perhaps because St. Matthew heard those words WHY THEY ENTER 37 that he acted as he did in the incident related by St. Luke. "After these things, Jesus went forth and saw a publican named Levi, sitting at the receipt of customs, and He said to him: Follow me, and leaving all things, he rose up and followed him" (Luke 5: 27). A vocation to the convent life, or, as it is commonly called, the ReUgious Life, im- pUes first of all a special calling. "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit" (John i5: 16). In the last chapter we dwelt on that call. Suffice it to say now that it is a more or less distinct attraction to a life of service and sacrifice for the love of Christ. That summons may be culti- vated into a ripened vocation, or it can be neglected or rejected. As a rule, those who are called are per- sons whose hves give evidence of hohness. From early years, nature and grace have been fitting them for their sublime career. For such, the entrance into the convent is almost a natural transition. Others have had Httle thought of convent life, and have led ordinary worldly hves, but 38 CONVENT LIFE some person or event has caused them to think seriously of spiritual things. In this attitude of mind, they hear the call which hitherto they had failed to discern. Sometimes it is to seek a refuge from the sinful atmosphere of the world that induces souls to enter the convent. But this very desire to avoid sin is evidence that such souls are devoted to God. In seeking a haven from sin, they desire to show our Lord their earnestness in His service. But unless a person who enters the con- vent is animated by personal love for Christ, and is prepared to do and suffer for Him, the ReUgious Life will be well nigh impossible. The principle and the foun- dation of the Religious Life is, therefore, a personal love for our Lord and the mani- festations of it by doing what He counsels, but does not command. God coromands all men to keep His law. To that there is no exception. He invites some to follow Hiscoimsels. Those who love Him greatly, and are quahfied by circumstances, may receive this iavitation. I say quahfied by circumstances, for there is the vocation to various other kinds of life as well as to the reUgious. God WHY THEY ENTER 39 wants good fathers and mothers in the world. Their love of Christ may be just as strong as that found inside the convent. But their vocation is along another path. St. Joachim and St. Ann were great saints, filled with the love of God, and in His designs the ones chosen to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin. Blanche, the mother of St. Louis of France, gave to the world a model ruler and king, and was herself a saint. St. Monica gave to the Church its great Bishop and theolo- gian, St. Augustine. This saintly mother of a saint is a type of high sanctity in the Christian home. The Church of God sanctifies every state and condition of life. It is not the kind of life that makes the saint, but the manner of Uving it. But, other things being equal, the Religious Life offers ways and means of sanctification, service and sacrifice which no other career in life presents. Men and women in every walk of life rise by their efforts to heroic sanctity, but what is occa- sional in other careers and attended with difficulties is the rule in the Religious Life and accompanied with every manner of help. 40 CONVENT LIFE The convent life may be called a school for saints. It is impossible to persevere as a faithful Sister without becoming a saint; not necessarily a proclaimed saint in the Hturgy of the Church, but a true saint, nevertheless, in the eyes of God and the Court of Heaven. And in due time, the faithful Sister will be proclaimed a saint also. For on that day when the whole world is rated, not by man, but by God Himself, she, in particular, will hear these words from Him : "I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you cared for me; naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee, thirsty and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and sheltered thee, or naked and covered thee; or when did we see thee sick or in prison and came to thee? And the king answer- ing shall say: Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Come, ye WHY THEY ENTER 41 blessed of my Father, and possess the kingdom prepared for you." Then will the faithful Sister rejoice that she spent her life in service for Christ. What matter the long hours of work, the ingratitude, the misunderstandings, the trials, the hardships, the separation from dear ones, the struggles and the tempta- tions, — for all these have passed, but their fruit remains unto life everlasting. In life, the faithful Sister does not think of reward. Her recompense is to serve for love. But not a prayer nor a sigh nor a pang has escaped her Beloved. The rou- tine work of teaching, of caring for orphans, or the sick or the aged, everything she has done in her crowded life has been recorded in letters of gold for all heaven to read. The hours she spent in prayer to praise God, to convert souls, to sanctify herself, give place to an eternity of blessedness so great that it is not given to mortal tongue to express it. But above all, as in life she chose Christ for her Spouse, so at the end He claims her as His bride. That is why so many of our best and noblest souls enter the convent. It is not, as some say, because of a love affair, al- 42 CONVENT LIFE though God may use even that as an occa- sion to urge His call and to give that peace which the world cannot give nor take away. It is not because they cannot marry, for most of those who enter the convent are the most sought after because of their loveliness and goodness. It is not because they are wicked and need reform; for although there is place even for these, those who enter the convent are mostly lilies of virtue. No, the reason they enter is because they get the invitation and heed it. And they heed it because they love the Son of God, who for their sake left His Father in heaven and was bom in a stable. Their reply to His love is to give Him a proof of theirs. They, in imitation of Him and for love of Him, leave home and father and mother and dear ones and all that human nature craves, and make a sacrifice of themselves and all they have, because they want to give the supreme proof of love. It is only a divine religion that can in- spire such devotion and such heroism. Done as it is, century after centmy, not by a few but by millions, not under emo- WHY THEY ENTER 43 tional excitement but calmly, deliberately, with no earthly inducements, but with every earthly obstacle, it is a sign from heaven that the life is divine, and that the Church which fosters it is the Church of God. IV HOW THEY ENTER IV HOW THEY ENTER a LAVING SEEN THAT THOSE WHO enter the convent do so generally out of personal love for Christ, we shall next con- sider the steps one takes to enter. We must bear in mind that love shows itself in sacrifice. Love that does not in- clude service and suffering is not real. The young woman, therefore, who en- tertains the idea of convent life is pre- pared to meet obstacles of all kinds. And as a rule she needs to be. Some, it is true, seem to gHde right into the Religious Life. Instead of obstacles, they meet with en- couragement and God-speed from all sides. Some parents realize that the highest honor God can confer upon them is to choose a child of theirs for His own special service. No matter what it costs to part with a dear one, they gladly consent to the sepa- ration, even though it rends their hearts. Parents who give a son to the service of 47 48 CONVENTLIFE their country in time of war feel the part- ing, but nevertheless do it with pa- triotic pride. So, in giving a child to the service of God, the true CathoUc father and mother rejoice, even though they suffer keenly by the separation. But others there are who do not find the path to the convent at all smooth. Some- times the difficulty arises from opposition in the family, sometimes from obstacles of environment and occasionally from the convent itself. As a rule, a true vocation overcomes all obstacles. Opposition serves to strengthen the determination to carry out the purpose. An ordinary obstacle is the misplaced love of parents for their child. If a girl sets her mind on a worldly career, parents usually facilitate her plans, if the career is honorable. If a good marriage offers itself, fathers and mothers willingly make every sacrifice for the welfare of their daughter. If the man fives at a distance and it is certain that after marriage their child wiU be far away from them and for a long time, they put no obstacles in the way. They say, and rightly, that their love for her must not be selfish, and that HOW THEY ENTER 49 consequently they should not stand in the way of her happiness. Why then should they stand in the way of her happiness if, instead of a man, she takes Christ for her Spouse? But they do, nevertheless; that is, some parents do, who consider that the convent life robs them of their child and robs her of her happiness and usefulness. But a woman's happiness is known to herself best, and if she finds it in the dedication of herself to God, why should it be inter- fered with? And certainly no Sister has a less useful career than a matron. If it is, therefore, the child's happiness they consult, and the usefulness of her life, they should facilitate her noble pur- pose. But they do not in some cases. Perhaps it is because they shrink from the idea that their daughter is to have a life of hardship and privation. But suppose it is because of the very hardship and privation that it is chosen! Anyone can give an ordinary proof of love, but they who are called to the Religious Life are not actuated by ordinary love of God, and no ordinary proof will satisfy them. They want to do big things for Christ, 50 CONVENT LIFE things that count. He did wonderful things to show His love for them, and they want to do grand things for Him. He gave His life for them. They cannot lay down their lives for Him, but they can die to the world and to themselves for His sake. They can oflfer Him a living sacrifice, which in His sight is the equivalent of death, and He takes it as a fulfilment of His own words: "Greater love than this no man hath, than that he should lay down his life." By the vows of the Rehgious Life the Sister strips herself of all attachment to the tlungs of earth just as effectually as could be done by death. Terrible, you say. Sublime, I say, — divine! We ad- mire heroism in men and women when displayed in a human cause, — why not admire it in a divine cause? Should not God inspire at least as much devotion as country? Rather, should we not expect more! And we find more and greater. An army of silent heroines give their life's blood in the cause of Christ generation after generation. With no applause of an admiring world to urge them on, with HOW THEY ENTER 51 no blare of trumpets to call them forward, with no record of their deeds in human annals to give them cheer, they neverthe- less do their work heroically, hidden as it were in the trenches, seen only by God, and feeling reward enough that they are doing their bit for Him. Napoleon once said when someone com- plimented him on the devotion of his soldiers: "You do not know what devo- tion means. Look at Jesus Christ. He alone receives devotion. Dead and buried though He was centuries ago, dying a male- factor's death, He nevertheless, at this distance of time, has more devoted followers than the greatest living monarch. I am served because I compel and reward and lead to victory. Jesus Christ is served out of pure love." If, then, a girl is drawn by this love of Christ, and prefers it to the love of man, is it kindness on the part of parents to thwart it.!* Rather, is it not ignorance or selfishness or a mistaken idea of the girl's happiness? The young woman who meets with this obstacle of parental opposition suffers keen anguish. In overcoming the opposition 52 CONVENT LIFE she must oppose those she loves. That Dfliakes the struggle very hard indeed. But it is often the first step. She realizes, however, that her Beloved is beholding her and that He knows what she is suffer- ing because of Him, and that gives her joy and courage. Eventually God's grace triumphs, and she enters the convent with a victory won even before she has joined the ranks. Environment sometimes occasions ob- stacles to a vocation. A girl may have a very strong desire and determination to become a Sister, but she is so situated that she cannot carry it out. While things are that way she has no choice. If God wants her, He will in His own way make it feas- ible for her to answer the call. A girl's first duty is to her parents. If they really need her, her place is with them. Sometimes an elder sister must care for yoimger children. Her duty is to be a mother to them. No matter what the convent attraction may be, her voca- tion at the time is to look after her brothers and sisters. How many noble girls struggle on in silence and devotion under such circum- HOW THEY ENTER 53 stances, and, at last, when the way is clear, take the step which was uppermost in their minds. It requires real heroism to persevere that way. Those who have been schooled thus frequently prove to be of incalculable help to others later on. Again, it may be ill health that proves to be an obstacle. The convent life re- quires strength of mind and body. Many an ardent soul has aspirations for a life of sacrifice, but not the physical require- ments. But the sacrifice asked by God is the one most acceptable. They who watch and wait also serve. God sees the heart, and if He finds that it belongs to Him, He may see fit to accept the sacrifice of desire only. Frequently, however, even the obstacle of ill health is overcome, and the valiant woman goes forth to join the standard of Christ. Of course, there are all kinds of obstacles to a reUgious vocation, but in the end they only serve to strengthen it. The call of pleasure, of independence and of luxury sounds loud in the ear of the prospective Sister. They who enter the convent are not of different flesh and blood from the rest. Their love of life, liberty and luxury 54 CONVENT LIFE is as strong and perhaps stronger than that of others, but their love of Christ is stronger still. The call of Christ rings out louder than that of the world, and the girl who obeys it knows that in doing so she is giving up everything her heart craves most, but she gives all gladly as a bridal token to her Beloved. Once the mind is made up that the convent is her place, what is the next step? Of course it is understood that she has all along prayed and consulted her confessor and hved a devotional life. Be- fore one thinks seriously of the convent, one should acquaint one's confessor and be guided by his directions. Self-guidance in this delicate and momentous matter is out of the question. But presupposing this guidance and approval, the one who desires to enter a convent should consider which Order of Sisters she should join. Usually this goes apace with vocation. When one thinks of a convent, one usually has in mind some special convent and a particular Order. Most often the seed of vocation is sown by the edifying and serviceable life of the Sisters whom one observes in one's own HOW THEY ENTER 55 experience. That is why a ReUgious Order in any particular place receives many vocations from that particular locality. However, it often happens that a girl brought up under a certain Sisterhood has received a vocation, not. to that Order, but to some other with which she has never been associated. The vocation is to a life of service and sacrifice for the love of Christ. The par- ticular kind of service and sacrifice will depend on the individual. In the Cathohc Church, the diversity of Orders offers a choice to almost every kind and quahty of person. In general, they are divided into two classes, the contemplative, de- voted mostly to prayer and reparation, and the mixed, given to a life both of prayer and activity. Most of the Orders today come under the second class. With several hours of prayer each day, they also bestow their time on the education of youth, the care of the sick in hospitals, and other such like works of mercy in behalf of the poor and helpless. The Sisters have orphan asylums, homes for the aged, foundhng asylums, hospitals, sanatoriums for the 56 CONVENT LIFE feeble-minded, convalescent homes, city homes for working girls, reformatories for mifortunate women and girls, etc., etc. There is no need of society that is not sup- pUed in one form or another by these devoted women. Most of om- parish schools are taught by them. They have many academies and boarding schools and not a few colleges for women. There is therefore a wide range of choice for the prospective Sister. If she wants to devote her life to nursing the sick, there are Orders devoted to that. Does she want to care for infants or children or the aged.1^ Sisterhoods are established for just that work. Has she talent and inclination for teaching.!* There are Orders devoted to that exclusively. Orders which reach out to rich and poor, high and low, the slums and the palace, are to be found everywhere. Or does she feel a call to adore her God by constant prayer and worship of the Blessed Sacrament, a life of praise and thanksgiving to Him for His mercies unto mankind and of reparation for the ingrati- tude of the worldP If so, there are the Contemplative Orders. HOW THEY ENTER 57 Moreover, in many Orders there are lay- Sisters whose duty it is to facihtate the work of the choir Sisters. It often hap- pens that very good, devout women desire to be Sisters, but fear that they have not got the necessary education, etc., for the Order to which they are attracted. Sup- pose the Order of their choice is devoted to education or the recitation of the Divine Office. Unless one has a good education one cannot qualify as a choir Sister for such an Order. But one can qualify for it as a lay-Sister. The lay-Sister is every bit as much a true Sister as a choir Sister. She takes the vows and assumes the duties of the con- vent rule in the same way as the other Sisters. The only difference is in the kind of duties that are performed. The lay- Sister attends to the ordinary duties of the convent which the other Sisters would have to be occupied with were it not for the lay-Sisters. In this way, the teaching Sisters and the choir Sisters have the opportimity of devoting themselves en- tirely to duties which they alone can per- form. The lay-Sisters thus participate in all 58 CONVENT LIFE the good work of the other Sisters just as truly as if they were doing it themselves, because if it were not for them, the choir Sisters could not do their work with the same satisfaction. Just as in an army there must be those who supply the soldiers who do the fighting, so in a Religious Order there must be some who assist those who do the teaching and other special work. A soldier who carries messages and sup- plies ammunition is as much a soldier as the one who uses the weapons of war. And the lay-Sister, without whose help the other Sisters would not be able to do their tasks advantageously, is as much a Sister as those who teach and recite the office and discharge other duties of a simi- lar nature. Indeed, a good lay-Sister has the oppor- tunity of gaining as much merit as the most distinguished and successful choir Sister. For God regards not the work, but the spirit in which it is done. The lay-Sister who by her toU reheves the other Sisters from household duties, and does so for the love of God, shares in all the work done by them just as truly as if HOW THEY ENTER 59 she did it herself. And God regards it in that way. On account, therefore, of the existence of this branch of the Sisterhood, there is no one who feels the call to be a Sister who needs to feel discouraged. Some of the greatest saints of Religious Orders have been lay-Sisters. When one has settled on the Order one wishes to join, one should not hesitate to speak to the Superior or a Sister of that Order in the nearest convent. Even if one has not settled definitely on the Order, it is advisable to have a talk with a Sister. You need not be afraid that they will want you for their own Order. Of course they desire the good and the extension of their own Community, but never at the expense of an unfit subject. No matter how hard you tried to enter a certain Order, and no matter how much it was in need of subjects, imless you had the marks of a rehgious vocation and were fully quahfied for their fife, they would not consider you. A good talk with a convent Superior will help you more than you can realize. Mostly the Superiors of convents are rocks 60 CONVENT LIFE of common sense, and besides have all the tenderness of a mother. After these preliminaries, one should pray and consult with one's confessor, and then act as directed by him. A priest always fosters a vocation, but never forces one. As a rule, he knows you better than you know yourself. If, therefore, you have his approval, and you feel in your heart that you wish to give the supreme proof of love to yoiu- Lord, go forward to the House of God and the Gate of Heaven. V BEFORE ENTERING A BEFORE ENTERING YOUNG WOMAN, CONVINCED in a general way that her vocation is to the convent life, usually talks the matter over with some Sister in whom she confides. The Sister wiU advise her to have a good heart-to-heart talk with her confessor. Of course, before she entertained the idea of convent Mfe at aU, she had the advice and general approval of her confessor. How- ever, before taking the all-important step, she usually goes over the matter seriously and in detail with her spiritual adviser. Some people fancy that priests make a business of sending girls to the convent. They beheve that as soon as asked about it they urge the inquirer to take the religious veil. Nothing could be further from the fact. A priest realizes that a vocation is a calling from God, and before he gives a deciding word, he makes sure that the girl is truly called to the life of a 63 64 CONVENT LIFE Sister. Anyone who has had experience will recall how slow and careful the priest was before giving his judgment. Many enthusiastic aspirants to the Re- ligious Life are amazed that the priest, or the Superior of a convent, fails to share their enthusiasm. A vocation is a two- sided affair. It is not enough to desire to be a Sister; one must be chosen for it by God Himself. "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." So a priest, who knows very well what are the characteris- tics of a true vocation, proceeds slowly and judiciously in his consideration of the particular case before him. First, he considers the character and temperament of the woman. He knows the demands of the convent life, and often, after a short interview, perceives the incompatibihty of the inquirer's per- sonality with the career of a Sister. If the character, however, should be suited to the life, he next proceeds to look into the motive of the aspirant. "Just why do you want to become a Sister?" he may begin with. He learns from herself the reason. Sometimes she is not able to formulate her motive. In a confused way BEFORE ENTERING 65 she feels an attraction to the career of a Sister, but cannot analyze her mind. He may proceed to help her by asking how long she has had the desire of being a Sister. As she goes on to narrate the occasion and the time of her vocation, he perceives very clearly what her motive is. Usually, it is a strong desire to belong entirely to God and to do something for Him. Some- times a girl is attracted by the aesthetic element of convent life. It appeals to her refined nature, — that quiet, decorous, holy and serviceable career. The priest is quick to point out that aQ is not gold that glit- ters, and that behind the genteel and hon- orable life of a Sister there is the severe self-discipline of sanctity. He shows her, moreover, that most of the Sister's career is a life hidden in Christ, that it abounds in privation and restrictions, and that it is characterized by routine. After pointing out the difficulties and sacrifices of the life, he wiU also show that for the true lover of Christ these are at- tractions. What a glory it is to be asso- ciated with God in His work for men's souls! What a favor to be chosen by Him for special service! What an honor 66 CONVENT LIFE to be able to offer to God Himself some- thing that is very acceptable to Him I He may show, by way of example, how honored men feel when they are asked by the ruler of their country to accept some post of trust. They are glad to encounter difficulties and to make sacrifices for the honor of serving their country in a post of distinction. The Religious Life is a career of distinction in the Kingdom of Christ. But above aU it is an opportunity of show- ing great love for Jesus Christ. For most aspirants to the convent life the love of Christ is the dominant factor. Unless the priest sees good indications of that personal love of God, he is slow to give his approval to a vocation. True, certain souls are drawn to the con- vent for the security it affords against temptation. That is often but an appar- ent motive, for the very reason Avhy they desire to avoid the occasion of sin is because they love God and fear to offend Him. It is a good motive, but not the best. The requirements of the Religious Life are such that love is the motive that makes all things easy and feasible. If you love, nothing is hard. BEFORE ENTERING 67 The priest is careful to point out that any merely natural motive wiU not sus- tain a vocation. The life of a Sister is supernatural, and it must have supernatural nourishment for its maintenance. Once a Sister falls back on hiunan motives, her career is broken and lost. The as- pirant should understand that thoroughly. If she goes to the convent to please some- body, or to have a hfe free from respon- sibiUty, or from any selfish or human motive, she will not last. It is better not to go at all theui to go except for real spiritual reasons. AH this the priest will say to the in- quirer if he perceives that her motives do not seem to be right. He does that not to discoiu'age, but to enlighten and assist her, and to make her see that she is committing herself to a very serious undertaking. It may happen that after the interview the priest may not be able to make up his mind about the vocation. Some things favor it, others discourage it. He may advise the girl to go regularly to confes- sion for some time, and then talk it over with him again later on. Or, if he fears 68 CONVENT LIFE that may discourage her, he may tell her to pray and to wait a while longer. The priest does not want to discourage a true vocation nor to encoiorage a false one. If he cannot decide either way after a suitable time, and the girl is very anxious to enter the convent, he may ad- vise her to do so. That is one of the reasons for the novitiate. Every convent has a novitiate, a place where those who wish to join the Order are prepared for the duties of the life, and also where they have their vocation tested. The Rehgious Order endeavors to pro- ceed just as carefully as the priest in the matter of vocation. No Order wants a subject who will not be suitable, and that for the subject's sake as well as the Order's. In the novitiate the aspirant gets a taste of the Religious Life, her qualifications are weighed, and her acceptance or rejection is decided upon. You see, therefore, that there is no haste nor superficiality about a refigious profes- sion. But, spite of all examination and inspection and sohcitude, it may happen that a subject may, after a time, find that the life is not the one she considered it to BEFORE ENTERING 69 be and that she is not suitable for it. In that case, with all kindness and considera- tion, she is informed that she has no voca- tion. She is advised to be very candid, and not to continue the life out of regard for what friends or relatives may think. If, after the period of the novitiate, she finds the life suitable, and the Order finds her desirable, she is admitted into the convent proper. It will thus be seen that it is harder to get into the convent than to get out of it. Outside the Church, misinformed persons sometimes believe that the convent is a trap to catch innocent victims. Let them try to be caught in the trap. That will be the best refuta- tion of their statements. We occasionally hear of escaped Sisters in big headlines or by a loud scandal- preacher. Those escaped Sisters, you will find, found it easier to leave the convent than they would find it to get back again. In fact, aU the king's horses and all the king's men could not put them behind convent walls. There are certain Sisterhoods whose pur- pose is to reclaim fallen girls. Like the Good Shepherd Himself, they seek after 70 GONVENTLIFE the foolish sheep that have strayed from virtue's path. These Christ-like women devote their lives to the most repulsive class of womanMnd. With such splendid results do they work for them that fre- quently the unfortunate girl who was com- mitted to their guardianship by the courts blesses God that she was sent to their establishment. Enemies of the Church sometimes point to these poor unfortunate inmates of an institution as examples of Sisters detained against their will. They are no more Sis- ters than the prisoners in a jail are the authorities in charge of it. It is an in- stance of how the Church and her holy institutions are not infrequently misun- derstood, even as was om- Lord Himself. Of all the sublime, disinterested Hves on earth, can anything higher be conceived than that of those refined, delicate, saintly women who consecrate their Hves to the outcasts of society? If prejudice and hatred occasionally brand those Sisters, they are not surprised or alarmed, for they recall how Jesus Himself was accused as a drinker and a disturber, and eventually as a malefactor. BEFORE ENTERING 71 Not everyone in the convent is a saint, but there are more sadnts within convent walls than in the same space anywhere else on earth. Although all may not be saints, it is not the fault of the convent nor the Order. The Religious Life is a state of per- fection. It supplies abundantly all that tends to holiness. But sanctity is a per- sonal matter. Neither monastery nor cowl makes the monk, but the life of imitation of Jesus Christ. That is always kept before the Sister. Jesus is her Model and her Leader. By meditating daily on His hfe, she grows more and more like the Model, and by de- grees acquires His spirit. We have aU seen it in the Sisters, — that wonderful benignity and charity which so well suit their mission. Like Christ, their service is to hmnanity, not to themselves. By prayer, they draw down grace from heaven into the desert of men's Uves, and cause to blossom there the flowers of virtue. By instruction in the class-room, they fit our youth not only for life's requirements, but also and es- pecially for life everlasting. In prisons and hovels they bring cheer and hope to 72 CONVENT LIFE those on whom the world disdains to look. In hospital wards they minister like angels to the bodies and souls of men. The abandoned child is picked up by them and nourished unto useful manhood. The aged, whose own disown them, find in them daughters more tender and devoted than nature gave them. And so, wherever there is work to be done, there you will find the Sisters. Often their only recompense is ingratitude. For that is a way which not infrequently people have of repaying service. But the Sis- ters are not looking for gratitude, but for service and sacrifice. And that is why the priest, whose advice is asked, is so careful to find out if the as- pirant to this sublime life has the right motive to engage in it. That is why the Religious Order is so painstaking in the acceptance of subjects. For the life calls for sublime self-renunciation. Disinterested- ness is demanded day iu and day out. Selfishness cannot thrive in convent soil. "If thou wilt be my disciple, deny thy- self, take up thy cross, and follow me." A hard message, you say. But not to one who loves. VI WITHIN VI WITHIN VjONVENT life is not a Ro- mance, the stage nun and the novel nun notwithstanding. Service and sacrifice, that is the standard. "If thou wUt be my disciple, deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow me." No romance there. Looked at from a distance, the Sister is very romantic. But there is not much romance in rising at dawn and working hard, unseen of others mostly, until night, and then the same thing over again the next day, the next week, the next year, and so on to the end. Very Uttle romance, that. But it is done for Jesus Christ. That transforms it, that reaUy makes it romance, for the soul that loves. Without personal love for Jesus Christ, the convent life would be prison. With the love of Jesus in the heart, it is paradise. The Nun has a small room, if she has a room at all. Sometimes she has only a 75 76 CONVENTLIFE bed, alcoved in a large dormitory, filled with other beds, alcoved like her own. But as most of the day is spent in common with the other Sisters, in what is called community life, the bed and the room do not matter, except, of course, that one's privacy is sacrificed. For some, that is a cross to bear, one of the many. Then they aU dress afike, eat alike, re- create alike. That is hard on most people, at least for a time. Individuality is sacri- ficed, — another cross. Some find that the hardest. Nothing is so congenial to us as our own likes and disHkes. But aU that is given up by this community fife. You are one of mauiy, not one apart as you were before entering. Then a bell rings you out of bed, calls you to prayer, summons you to meals, and orders you to work. You may not feel like getting up, praying, eating or working, but the bell rings, and you rise, pray, eat, work. Cross number three. You are no longer your own master. But you bear in mind that He who was Lord and Master became obedient for you. So you are glad to say to Christ, your Beloved: "This, my Jesus, I offer to Thee for love WITHIN 77 of Thee." And you feel happy that you can give Him something that costs you a lot. For anything worth while costs. Cheap gifts may be all right for ordinary persons, but not for your love, Christ. Then again there is your company. Perhaps you wiU hke yoiu- companions, perhaps you will not. There is no choice. Outside, if you did not like a person or a group, you could keep away. Not so in the convent. For better or for worse you take those around you. Cross num- ber four, and a big one. By entering a convent, you do not change your nature. Some persons are likeable, others are not. Some are likeable to some and not to others. In the convent, likeable or urJike- able, it is aU the same; there you are and there you have to make the most of it. But then you reflect that, after aU, the companions of Jesus were not so very like- able. Judas was not much to love. Some of the others were not the best of company to the refined Jesus. "But He bore all that for me, and I can do something similar for Him," the good Nun says. And that makes her happy. A bit of romance, if you Uke. 78 CONVENT LIFE So she takes her companions as they are, and they take her as she is. That is community life. A great saint said it was his greatest hardship. For the Re- hgious Orders of men are in the essentials the same as those of women. We all have our pet weaknesses. One Ukes this, another that. Perhaps it is in food or dress or amusement. In the con- vent, there are no such pets, — the same for all. Only illness makes an exception, when nothing that the convent has is denied the patient. But, ordinarily, one shares just what the others have. That makes quite a cross. The way of the cross has been called the royal road to heaven. You will find that royal, road in the convent. But do not get frightened. I am pointing out the crosses first in order that you may have no delusions about the Religious Life. There are compensations, — a peace which the world cannot give. But I have not finished with the cross yet. You may like certain work and consider you have a special aptitude for it. Your superiors may judge otherwise. Or it may be that they need you for some kind of WITHIN 79 duty which you can, indeed, perform, but which you naturally dislike. You may be assigned to that very duty. However, the words of Christ come to you: "If thou wilt be my disciple, deny thyself." Real- izing that self-denial is a sort of sacrificial knife, you bear the wound it inflicts cheer- fully, reflecting that Christ was woimded all over for you. But the hardest trial that may come to one in the convent is to be misunderstood. And that may happen. It is hard to be misunderstood by your companions, but bearable, if your Superior understands you. But suppose the Superior does not under- stand you! That indeed is rare, but it has happened. That is perhaps the greatest cross of all. God sometimes allows it, even to the best Religious. Suffering makes us dear to Him, and one of His greatest sufferings was that He was misunderstood. The Nun who experiences that anguish has a good share of the Cross of Christ, and a big place in the Heart of Christ. But are not Nims awfuUy nice persons, and most delightful and charitable and contented? Oh, yes. How, then, can any- thing not pleasant occur with such com- 80 CONVBNTLIFE panionship? It is human nature. Very nice people and very charitable people often have very different points of view. Differences of temperament, education and environment may cause one to be quite at variance with another. In your own home, how frequently do you find differ- ences and difficulties, between various members of the family. And yet they all love one another and are considered to be good and kindly. "But it should be different with Nuns," you say, "they are all so holy and con- siderate." Well, the convent is one big family, and among so many, living inti- mately together, there are bound to be incompatibihties. And now I am coming to the heart of the matter, and indeed to the basis of con- vent Ufe. If everything were ideal in the convent hfe, it would be paradise. The Nun would have her heaven here instead of hereafter. But the ReKgious Life is serv- ice and sacrifice. These two do not go well together with heavenly bliss. They lead to it. They are the ladder to the Kingdom of Heaven, but a ladder that must be climbed step by step, and often WITHIN 81 with weariness and pain. But heaven is at the top. That cheers. That sustains. Life is a warfare. Scripture insists on that. But so many fight, and bleed, and lose. The Beligious indeed must fight and bleed, but she wins. That is her great incentive, her great peace. Victory is sure. She is in no doubtful campaign. Christ is her Leader and her Lord. With Him and for Him she goes on to certain triumph. How glorious to bleed for Him! St. Theresa, in her exaltation, cried out: "Aut pati, aut mori," "0 Lord, if I cannot suffer for Thee, let me die." What terrors can sacrifice have for those who seek it? What pain is there in suffering for those who pray for it.^ Of course not all Sisters reach the heights climbed by Theresa, but they foUow in her path. They have the same Lord to love and to serve, and they realize that no field of service equals that on which they are engaged. You may say that such a picture of convent life is rather repeUing. Not to those who love. That is why convent life is impossible without the right motive. A mother who loves a sick child does not find the labor and watching a task. Another 82 CONVENT LIFE might, but not the mother. Love makes it all sweet. And so love of Christ mates the monotony and hardship and privation of the convent sweet to the Nun. She did not join the Community for reward here. She does not expect her heaven herci But nevertheless she enjoys peace and happiness such as the world cannot give. And now I come to consider the wonder- ful consolations and peacefulness and joys of convent life There is, first, the abiding assurance of doing something worth while in life, and for the right motive. How many people of the world toss about from this to that, merely existing, £ind aftor years of service, willing or imwilling, have nothing to show for the years. Often seeking self only in what they do and not even succeeding in that, they go on from year to year empty handed to the end. They suffer, yes, often more than is ima- gined, but their suffering is frequently lost in unworthy pursuits. The assurance a Nun has that all she does counts is no small source of comfort. For she is doing not her own will, seeking not her own self, but imder the will of her WITHIN 83 Superior she is doing what God wants, working for Him, her Lord and Love. More- over, all she does is of service to the world, genuine service. Whether educating youth, or nursing in hospitals, or visiting the poor, or comforting the sorrowful, she is doing good to others. She sees that her life is filled with helpful service unto others and for His sate for whom she does it all. That is a wonderful career. That is a life worth while. Then, there is that other assurance so fuU of peacefulness, that God cannot be outdone in generosity. She knows that her labor and sacrifice are working out a glorious eternity for her. If keeping the commandments merits eternal life, what must be in store for those who go further and observe the counsels of Christ I If the souls saved by the ministry of the Chiffch enter eternal hfe, what must be the nature of that eternity for those who aid Christ in that ministry I By prayer, charity and virtue the Nim prepares the soil in countless souls for the reception of God's grace. Many a sinner has been turned from the evil path by the ministra- tions of a devoted and edifying Nun. 84 CONVENT LIFE Then, there is the peace of Ufe which is found nowhere else, the peace of belonging to the household of Christ. For to the Nun, Jesus is very near. He is constantly at her side. To Him she speaks out her heart. To Him she offers her httle troubles and her big trials. And since He accepts them, she is comforted and happy. That is why the Nuns always look so cheerful and peaceful, — and so young. I remember a Sister who died at the age of seventy-two. All along I thought she was about fifty. Her heart was young, and really one is not much older than one's heart. But the grand, central, dominating factor in a Nun's life, the one that really makes her career sublime and her character Ught- some, is that she has the love of Jesus Christ. She knows that her Beloved is pleased with her. She is living under His approving smile. She has hearkened to His invitation and left all to follow Him, and she knows that while she is faithful, He is her Lord and Lover. She has given and is giving daily the proofs of her love, and she receives daily the assurance of His. And what will not a woman do for WITHIN 85 love! What an elevation is the humblest life where there is love! But what must be the exaltation when the love is divine, when the Beloved is the Son of God! Within the convent, Jesus is the real Superior, Friend, Lover. For Jesus the Nuns work and pray. They see Jesus in the class-room, in the hospital, in the homes of the poor, and in one another. Under the eyes of Napoleon, his soldiers were glad and proud to charge the enemy and to suffer wounds or death. Under the eyes of Jesus Christ, the maidens of hal- lowed life are glad to give service and to offer the sacrifice of aU that is dearest. That is the fife within the convent. It means hving for Jesus and with Jesus. Can any career be imagined more attrac- tive to a really spiritual nature.!' Is it to be wondered at that every year thou- sands and tens of thousands of our best young women leave the world to embrace the convent life? When we consider the good they do to mankind and the peace they enjoy in their hves, are they not fortunate even here before they enter into their reward? For there is a distinct joy for noble souls in knowing that they are 86 CONVENTLIFE doing something to reKeve the misery of the world. And what body of women has such a record of service as they? We admire the Red Cross for its work among our soldiers, and rightly so, but the Sisterhood has been the Red Cross and the White Cross of Christianity for centuries. Not only in time of war, but at aU times, they minister unto mankind in the way that does most good. And all the while they are thus engaged, they are protected marvellously by their religious garb and rules, helped by the wise counsel of Superiors, aided by the pious practices of the Order, and thus they are led day by day through the jomney of Ufe to the certain possession of their heavenly home, and to the ever- lasting nuptials with their Spouse, Jesus Christ. I give below some extracts taken from the book of directions of one of our Sister- hoods. It gives us a peep at the interior of a convent and speaks for itself. WITHIN 87 " ON THE PERFECTION OF THE ORDINABY ACTIONS OF THE SISTERS, AND OF THE INTENTION THEY SHOULD HAVE IN PERFORMING THEM 1. The perfection of the Religious Soul depends not so much on doing extraordi- nary actions, as on doing extraordinarily well the ordinary actions and exercises of every day. In this particularly consists the difference between the perfect and im- perfect in every rehgious community. Their daily duties and exercises are common, and the same for all — the manner of performing them distinguishes the one from the other. 2. The Sisters of this rehgious congre- gation shall therefore endeavor to acquit themselves of the ordinary duties and functions of their Institute with aU pos- sible care and attention, according to the advice of the Holy Ghost. "The good you ought to do, do it well;" viz., their daily prayers, their examen of conscience, their assisting at Mass, their office (certain prayers and psalms recited by aU Sisters every day), spiritual lectures, school duties, meals, recreations, and their respective employments. By performing aU and every 88 CONVENT LIFE one of these duties well, they shall perfect themselves, and their day shall be full of merit and good works. 3. But in order to perform these ordinary exercises well, with a view to their perfec- tion, they must, in doing them, have the purest intention of pleasing God, and God alone must be the principal motive of all their actions. It is this pure intention of pleasing God that characterizes the good work, and renders it valuable and meri- torious. Without this, the most l£d)orious functions of the Institute, the greatest austerities, the most heroic actions and sacrifices, are of httle vedue, and are di- vested of that merit which flows from a pure and upright intention; while, on the contrary, when they are accompanied by it, actions which are most trivial and indifferent in themselves, become virtuous, valuable and meritorious of eternal life. Nothing is lost — every work and action fructifies — the rehgious soul enriches her- self every moment, and lays up treasures of glory for an endless eternity. 4. The Sisters should consider this purity of intention in all their works, not merely as a simple practice of piety, but as an WITHIN 89 essential duty of religion. They shall, therefore, most studiously watch over them- selves, and guard against the insinuations of subtle self-love, lest they lose the merit of their labours and good works, by self- complacency or vain glory, or by having some other motive or end in view in their actions than to please the Almighty God. They are never to act from mere inclina- tion, whim, or caprice, much less from passion; but their every action shall be performed with regularity and exactness in all its circimistances, and, with the utmost fervour, be referred by them solely to the Divine honour and glory, in union with the most holy actions and infinite merits of Jesus Christ. They shall, therefore, not only make a general offering, in the morn- ing, to God of the works emd actions of the day, but also, at the commencement of every action in particular, purify their motive by offering it up to God, having always in mind and engraved on their hearts this important advice of the Apostle, — Whether you eat, or whether you drink, or whatever else you do, do all for the glory of God, and in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 90 CONVENTLIFE 5. The means by which the Sisters may preserve this purity of intention, and per- form well all their actions, both ordinary and extraordinary, are: — i. To perform £dl their actions in the presence of God, considering that God sees them, and that on the manner in which they perform these works He will pronounce sentence on them. 2. To do every work in particular as if it were the only work they had to do. By this they will avoid all hurry and precipi- tation in their actions. 3. To do the duties and works of every day as if that day were to be the last of their mortal Kfe, ever mindful of this advice of their Heavenly Spouse, Watch — be always pre- pared — you know not the day nor the hour in which you may be called upon. ON UNION AND CHARITY I. Love one another as I have loved you. — This was the special command of Jesus Christ to His Apostles; and, in the accompUshment of this divine precept of the love of God, consists, according to the Apostles, the plenitude of the law. This mutual love our Blessed Saviour desires WITHIN 91 may be so perfect as to resemble, in some maimer, the love and union which subsist between Himself and His Heavenly Father. This He inculcated, in the strongest terms, at the last conference of His mortal life with His beloved Disciples. This was His last dying injunction, which, as a most valuable legacy, He bequeathed to all His followers; and by this they were to prove themselves to be really His Disciples. 2. This mutual union and love should, therefore, eminently characterize religious souls. This should distinguish them above all others, as faithful spouses and servants of Jesus Christ. The Sisters of this pious Institute, foxmded and grounded on charity, should, therefore, mate that favorite virtue of their Divine Master their own most favorite virtue. This they should study to maintain and cherish so perfectly among themselves as to hve together as if they had but one heart and one soul in God. This love for one another should be such as to emulate the love and union of the blessed in heaven. 3. They shall, therefore, in conversa- tion, manners and conduct most cautiously avoid whatever may in the least disturb 92 CONVENTLIFE their union, or lessen in the smallest de- gree their mutual love and charity. 4. They shall be ready on all occasions to help and assist one another, bearing with patience and charity each other's defects, weaknesses and imperfections. They shall never enter into disputes or altercations; but, should they happen to differ in opinion on any subject, they shall propose their reasons with coolness, moderation and charity." These are some of the directions which guide the Sisters within the convent. By them they become a holy family. A Sis- terhood is truly another home of Naza- reth, wherein, as formerly, Jesus, Mary and Joseph are ever present. With such com- panionship, do we wonder at the peace within the convent! VII THE VOWS VII THE VOWS X3UT WHY DO THOSE WHO WISH to show their love for Christ by service and sacrifice enter the convent to do it? Why may they not prove their love just as well outside? They might, it is true, but in most cases they would not. The convent helps them to constancy, £uid supplies them with special aids to hve up to their high purpose. We know the frailty of hvunan nature. How often have we planned well and started well, only to end abruptly or to fail sadly of om- purpose! Stability is necessary for successful achievement. The Religious Life gives stabihty to our fickle will, confirms it in its determination, and powerfully aids it in carrying out its design. This it does mainly by the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. If we reflect on fife, we shall find that the three great sources of evil in the world are love of money, sexual love and love of one's 95 96 CONVENT LIFE own way. Nearly every fall may be traced to one of these causes. Love of money is not wrong in itself. Money is a good and necessary thing, but if it be loved to such an extent that to get it one wiU do wrong, then such a love is harmful and causes sin. And how many worship money as their God I It is the golden calf over again. Some wiU give their very souls for money. They stop at nothing to accumulate it. It is not only the vulgar thief that the love of money ruins, but also those who centre their lives and thoughts on money, and in doing so, neglect their duties to God and man. By the vow of poverty in religion, that liu-e of money loses all power over the soul. For the vow of poverty forbids the use of possessions independently of the Superior's wiU. The Religious makes this renunciation in imitation and love of Jesus Christ who, being possessed of edl things, stripped Himself, becoming poor for our sake. King of Heaven and Earth, Jesus was bom in a stable and was buried in a tomb not His own. The whole convent life is based on this idea of the imitation of Jesus Christ. THEVOWS 97 Poverty must be a blessed thing since Jesus chose it. Having riches £ind poverty set before Him, He chose to be poor. Hence the spouse of Christ desires to share His portion, and by her vow of poverty she binds herself to be poor with Christ poor. That vow cuts off all the disorders arising from love of money. Sexual love is a good thing in itself. When, as God ordains, it is consecrated by marriage, it becomes His instrumentality for perpetuating the human race. But, Kke money, it may be abused, and most frequently is, to the sad detriment of the individual and society. The world is filled with disorders and crimes as a result of the wrong indulgence of sexual love. By the vow of chastity, the Nim once for all renounces sex pleasures. In this also she is imitating her Model and Spouse, Christ, who was a virgin. Being His spiritual bride, she dehghts in having no lover but Him, and since He by His ex- ample put such a value on virginity, she embraces it for love of Him. The vows of religion are not arbitrary restraints devised by human agencies, but the outcome of the example and teaching 98 CONVENTLIFE of Jesus Christ. As during His days on earth there were those who served Him by keeping His cominands, and others who served Him by sharing His ministry and keeping His counsels, so today. By the reUgious vows, the Nun unites herself to God in a most special way and dedicates herself to His service as did the apostles. Obedience is the third and last vow taken by the Rehgious. How many people go wrong because they want to be a law to themselves! To do what they want, not what God wants! It was to counteract this tendency that our Lord taught us in the Our Father to say: "Thy will be done." The sinner says: "My will be done." By the vow of obedience, the Religious renounces her own will in order to do the will of God, as declared to her by her Superior. In so doing, she removes from herself at a stroke the subtle temptations occasioned by self-love. In this vow also she has the sanction of God's example and counsel. Jesus became obedient xmto death, even unto the death of the cross. Moreover, by calling the apostles to follow Him, He counselled obedience, since fol- lowing Him meant obeying Him. THEVOWS 99 That this special following of Christ was something entirely different and dis- tinct from the ordinary Christian hfe, our Lord shows by His reply to the rich young man in the Gospel. As this passage gives the principle and foundation of the Religious Life, I quote it entire: "When Jesus was gone forth into the way, a certain man nmning up and kneeling before him, asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive hfe everlasting? Jesus said, Thou knowest the conunandments : Do not commit adultery, do not kiU, do not steal, bear not false witness, do no fraud, honour thy father and mother. But he answering, said to him : Master, all these things I have observed from my youth. And Jesus looking on him, loved him, and said to him: One thing is wanting to thee, go, sell whatso- ever thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, foUow me. But he, being struck sad at that saying, went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mark id: 17-22). 100 CONVENT LIFE Why did Jesus love this young man? Because he was keeping the conunand- ments. By their observance, he was doing what was necessary to attain hfe everlast- ing. But because he was good, Jesus counselled something yet better: go sell what thou hast, and come follow Me. FoUow Me, be My disciple, do as the other apostles, and you shall have not only life everlasting, but treasure in heaven besides. What that treasure is Christ did not specify, but it must be something special and wonderful, since it is God's reward for seUing all and following Him. And to show that this invitation to follow Him was not addressed to this young man only, or to the apostles alone. He says: "Every- one that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or chil- dren or lands for my name's sate shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting" (Matt. 19:29). That vows are acceptable to God, we know from Scripture. The Psalmist says: "Vow ye and pay to the Lord your God" (Ps. 75:12); "Whatsoever is once con- secrated shall be holy of holies to the Lord" (Lev. 27:28); "I wiU pay my THE VOWS 101 VOWS in the sight of them that fear him" (Ps. 21:26); "The vows of the just are acceptable to the Lord" (Ps. i5: 8) ; "When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: be- cause the Lord thy God will require it" (Deut. 28: 21). In the Acts of the Apos- tles, it is stated that St. Paul had a vow. (Acts 18: 18). Unless the vow had a special signifi- cance, it would be superfluous to make one. But what Scripture enjoins and what the apostles carried out was highly meritori- ous. The vow puts a lasting seal on the gift to God, removable not at our will, but only at His. It gives God something in perpetuity. In a word, the Religious Life is a holo- caust, a complete sacrifice of all one is or has, a renunciation as entire as that of the martyr. Hence it is called an unbloody martyrdom, and in God's sight it wiU merit the reward of a martyr. And perhaps more, for a martyr makes his great renun- ciation once for all, and the sacrifice is over. But a good Religious makes her sacrifice day after day, for years it may be. And what is the attraction in that life 102 CONVENT LIFE for SO many of our best and most refined and most delicate young women? Oh, ask what is the attraction in anything subhme. What is the attraction in those heroic deeds which characterize the pa- triots of every nation? There is something in human nature besides profit euid loss, there are higher things than comfort and money. Look today at our young men who volunteer for the most dangerous posts of duty in the defense of country. Look at our young women who leave luxurious homes to go and serve the wounded euid dying in the Red Cross service. It is the call of service and sacrifice tO noble souls. The noble recognize it, and respond. And should not Christ, the Son of God, make an appeal to those who seek distinc- tion in His Kingdom? If He has gone before us and given the example of service and sacrifice, why should we be surprised if, at His call, thousands upon thousands leave aU and follow Him? If country may call for the sacrifice of one's time, friends, career, limbs and very life, why may not God? He has. The martyrs gave their lives. The virgins and con- THE VOWS 103 fessors gave their possessions, their Uberty and their labors. The reUgious soul of today gives herself and her service. And it is a glorious career. On a moniunent in New York you wUl find these words, carved under the statue of a soldier: "Duke ei decorum est pro patria mori" "It is a glorious thing to give your life for your country." If for country, why not for God, — and more so! And so the Religious understands it. The girl who enters the convent is not looking for a good time, nor for promo- tion, nor for distinction, nor for recom- pense, but for service and sacrifice. But Grod is generous, more than we. We can- not outdo Him. Even in this life, the Nun receives a hundredfold. A peace fills her soul which the world cannot give nor take away. An exaltation of soul en- thuses her as she reflects on the grandeur of the service she has entered. Moreover, she is surrounded by virtuous companions, who, like herself, have made the great renunciation. She is in the company of Jesus, as truly as were the holy women who, with His Blessed Mother, ministered unto Him during His mission on earth. 104 CONVENT LIFE These are the things that count with noble souls. These are worth while. And what a feeling of satisfaction comes into one's life when one reahzes that one is engaged in something worth while! Often and often I have heard people say: "Oh, my life is such a waste; what am I doing anyway 1" And they envy the Religious whose whole day and whole life is given to service that really serves mankind and, moreover, pleases God. There are many young women who are not destined to be wives and mothers. For these, what a career of usefulness and piety the convent affords! A good wife and mother has a noble mission, one of the grandest on earth. The highest sanctity may be attained by the faithful wife and mother. But many have no inclination for mar- riage. Many, if it were not for the convent, would merely drift in the journey of life. The convent for these, and also for those who willingly renounce the prospect of marriage, presents a career full of possi- biUties for the most aspiring natures. It must not be supposed, because the Church of God encourages the convent THE VOWS 105 life, that she depreciates married life. Not at all. Indeed, the greatest advocate of marriage and the family is the Catholic Church. The greatest upholder of mar- riage is the Cathohc Church. Among her saints are husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Her grandest ritual is the Nuptial Mass. No, indeed, it is not because she belittles marriage that she advocates the convent, but she realizes that there are many who would not marry under any consideration; she knows that there are many also who, to show their love for God, desire, if they receive the call, to renounce woman's most legitimate aspiration, that of wife and mother. If they receive the call, — that is im- portant. For a vocation to the ReUgious Life means a special call. That is the meaning of vocation. Christ distinctly tells us that those who are in His special service, who belong to His household, are chosen by Him. *' You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should remain" (John i5:i6). 106 CONVENT LIFE The convent life is not for everybody. It is a distinct calling, and those who are called know it. Marriage is a vocation for most people. It is God's ordination in the world for its perpetuation. But as in His days on earth He chose certain souls to stand apart and devote them- selves to Him, so now. The Psalmist proclaims the happuiess of these chosen souls: "Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and taken to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts" (Ps. 64:5). That is the best definition of the convent life, — Thy Courts. The convent is in- deed the House of God, not only because Jesus dwells therein in the Blessed Sacra- ment of the Altar, but because Jesus through the Superior is the head of the Community. It is Jesus they serve, it is He whom they obey; He is their Master. Inthewordsof Holy Scripture: "Blessed are thy men and thy servants who stand before thee" (3 Kings io:8); "Better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners" (Ps. 83: ii); "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, THE VOWS 107 Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever" (Ps. 83:5). Yes, blessed, — blessed here by service and sacrifice for the noblest Master and in the noblest cause, blessed hereafter by companionship with the Lord forever in closest union and tenderest love! I here subjoin the ceremony of the tak- ing of the vows. It is most impressive. With slight variations it is the one in general use. THE CEREMONY OF PROFESSION On the day of Profession, all the Sisters offer their Communions for the Novice. She communicates at the Mass which is cele- brated at the ceremony. The black veil and ring are left near the altar. The Bishop blesses the veil at the Epistle side of the Altar. V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let us pray God, Who, by the light of the Holy Ghost, hast instructed the hearts of the 108 CONVENT LIFE faithful, grant us, in the same spirit, a right understanding, and always to rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who made heaven and earth. V. Show us, Lord, Thy mercy. R. And grant us Thy salvation. V. Lord, God of Hosts, convert us. R. And show Thy face, and we shall be saved. V. Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto Thee. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray We humbly beseech Thee, Lord, that Thy bounteous blessing may descend on this garment, which is to be put on the head of Thy servant, and that this garment may be blessed, consecrated, unspotted and holy, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. Let us pray God, head of all the faithful and Saviour of the whole body, sanctify with Thy right hand this covering of the veil, which for THE VOWS 109 Thy love and Thy most blessed mother's, Thy servant is about to put on her head, and may she, by Thy protection, always with equal purity of body and mind pre- serve what is mystically signified thereby, that when with the prudent virgins, she may come to the everlasting recompense of the saints, she also being prepared may be worthy to enter, conducted by Thee, to the nuptials of endless felicity. Who livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever, Amen. The Bishop then sprinkles the veil with holy water and incenses it. The ring is then blessed at the Epistle side of the Altar. V. Oiu" help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who made heaven and earth. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray Creator and Preserver of mankind, giver of spiritual grace, author of eternal salva- tion, do Thou, Lord, vouchsEife to send from heaven Thy Holy Spirit the Paraclete, and Thy holy benediction upon this ring, that it may be a powerful defence against 110 CONVENT LIFE all the powers of lihe devil, and in Thy name I do bless and sanctify it, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. The Bishop sprinkles the ring with holy water, and having incensed it^ reads the fol- lowing Gospel: V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. V. The continuation of the holy Grospel according to St. Matthew (XVI, 24-28). R. Glory be to thee, Lord! At that time, Jesus said to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it, and he that shall lose his life for my sake shall find it, for what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give ia exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then will he render to every one according to his works. Bishop. My chUd, what do you de- mand? THE VOWS 111 Novice. My Lord, I most humbly beg to be received to the Holy Profession. Bishop. My child, do you consider yourself sufficiently instructed in what re- gards the vows of religion and the rules and constitutions of this Institute; and do you know the obUgations you contract by the Holy Profession? Novice. Yes, my Lord, with the grace of God. Bishop. May God grant you perse- verance in this yoiu" holy resolution, and may He deign, in His mercy, to consunamate what He has begun. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Then the solemn Mass of the Holy Ghost is said. The following prayers are offered for the Novice who is to be admitted to Profession. Collect Grant, Lord ! to this Thy servant. Whom Thou hast deigned to adorn with the honour of chastity, effectually to complete the work she hath imdertaken, and that she may present to Thee its full perfection, *oaay she deserve to bring what she hath 112 CONVENT LIFE begun to a conclusion, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee Uveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end, Amen. Secret Grant, we beseech Thee, Lord! in virtue of the sacrifice presented to Thee, that Thy servant here present may perse- vere in chastity to the end of her Hfe, that the gates being open at the Coming of the great King, she may be worthy to enter with joy into the heavenly kingdom, through Christ Our Lord, etc. Post Communion God, Who hast estabhshed Thy habi- tation in a chaste heart, look down upon this Thy servant, and may she receive, by Thy consolation, whatsoever she requireth in her daily trials, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc. The Mother Superior says aloud: V. Offer to God the sacrifice of praise. The Religious answers: R. And pay Thy vows to the Most High. The Novice rises and, advancing a step, says, in an audible voice: THE VOWS 113 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the sight of all His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord. Act of Profession In the name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and under the protection of His Immaculate Mother Mary, ever Virgin, I, called in reUgion Sister (N), do vow and promise to God, Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, and the service of the Poor, Sick and Ignorant, and to persevere imtil death in this Congregation, according to its approved rules and constitutions. Then the Bishop says: What God hath commenced in thee, mav He Himself perfect; and may the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve Thy soul unto everlasting life. Amen. After which she receives Holy Communion. The Bishop then says the following: Let us Pray God, to Whom every heart is open and every inclination manifest, and from Whom no secret is hidden! purify the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may deserve to 114 CONVENT LIFE love Thee perfectly and praise Thee worthily, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. Let us pray We beseech Thee, Lord! that our ac- tions may be protected by Thy inspira- tions, and carried on by Thy assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may always begin with Thee, and by Thee be happily ended, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray Eternal God and Almighty Father! Who knowest the weakness of human frailty, look down, we beseech Thee, on this Thy servant, and vouchsafe to strengthen her infirmity with the overflowing abimdance of Thy benediction, that, assisted by Thy grace, she may, by a holy, pious and reU- gious life, be able vigilantly to keep the vows which she hath made by the influence of Thy inspiration, and, by keeping them. THE VOWS 115 merit eternal life, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. Let us pray May the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, Who willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be converted and hve. Who calleth all to repentance in His unspeakable mercy and wonted tender- ness, inspire thee with true and constant contrition of heart £ind holy repentance, that thou mayest be able worthily to wear the habit of Religion and Holy Profession, and fulfil thy holy promises, and to per- severe in His holy service, and happily arrive with His elect at everlasting joys. Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world with- out end. Amen. The Sister says aloud: Thou hast held me by my right hand; and by Thy wiU Thou hast conducted me; and with Thy glory Thou hast received me. For what have I in heaven and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? For Thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever. 116 CONVENT LIFE For what have I in heaven and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? The Bishop says: Come, Spouse of Christ, receive the crown which the Lord hath prepared for thee forever. The newly Professed says, in an audihh voice: Uphold me according to Thy word, and I shall hve, and let me not be confounded in my expectation, Amen, She then kneels down, and the Bishop says: May the Lord be to thee a helper and protector, and peirdon all thy sins, Amen. The Bishop places the black veil on her head, saying: Receive the holy veil, the emblem of chastity and modesty, which mayest thou carry before the judgment seat of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal life, and mayest Hve for ever and ever. Amen. The Sister answers: He has placed His seal on my forehead. That I should admit no other lover but Him. The Bishop takes the blessed ring in his right hand, the hand of the newly Professed THE VOWS 117 in his left, and putting the ring on the third finger of the left hand, says: May Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who has now espoused thee, protect thee from all danger. Receive, then, the ring of faith, the seal of the Holy Ghost, that thou mayest be called the Spouse of Christ, and, if thou art faithful, be crowned with Him forever. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. The newly Professed rises and says, aloud: I am espoused to Him Whom the angels serve, and at Whose beauty the sun and moon stand in wonder. The Bishop blesses her, as follows: May God the Father, Who, in the be- ginning created all things, bless thee. R. Amen. May God the Son, Who, as our Saviour, came down from heaven, and did not re- fuse to sujEFer the death of the cross, bless thee. R. Amen. May God the Holy Ghost, Who, in the River Jordan, rested on Christ in the like- ness of a dove, bless thee. R. Amen, 118 CONVENT LIFE The newly Professed, standing, says in an audible voice: The empire of the world and all the grandeur of this earth I have despised for the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I have seen, Whom I have loved, in Whom I have beUeved, and towards Whom my heart inclineth. The newly Professed retires a few steps, and sings alernately with the choir: My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the King. Whom I have seen, Whom I have loved, in Whom I have beUeved, and towards Whom my heart inchneth. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Whom I have seen, Whom I have loved, in Whom I have beUeved, and towards Whom my heart inclineth. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Whom I have seen. Whom I have loved, in Whom I have believed, and towards Whom my heart inclineth. The Clergy and Religious stand, and the Te Deum is sung. The Bishop then says: THE VOWS 119 Let us pray God, Who justifiest the wicked, and wiliest not the death of sinners, we humbly beseech Thee bountifully to protect with Thy heaverdy assistance Thy servant, con- fiding in Thy mercy, and by Thy constant protection preserve her, that she may serve Thee continually, and not be separated from Thee by any temptation. merciful God! God of clemency! to Whom all good things are pleasing, without Whom nothing good is begun, nothing good is accomplished, lend Thy compassionate ears to our most humble prayers, and defend this. Thy servant, on whom, in Thy holy name, we have put the veil, from every worldly vanity, secular impediment and carnal desire; and mer- cifully grant that she may be able to per- severe devoutly in this holy purpose, and having received the forgiveness of her sins, be united with Thy elect, through Christ Our Lord, Amen. The Bishop sprinkles the newly Professed with holy water, the Mother Assistant directs her to rise, makes, with her, a genuflection to the Holy Sacrament, and conducts her to 120 CONVENT LIFE the Mother Superior, to whom she kneels; the Mother Superior raises and embraces her. Sh£ then proceeds to embrace the other Reli- gious, bowing to each as she does so, and receives her candle from the Mother Assistant. During this time is sung: (Psalm CXXXII) . Behold how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity. Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dweU together in unity. As the dew of Hermon, which descendeth upon Mount Sion. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. For there the Lord hath commanded blessing and life for ever more. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together ia imity. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. THE VOWS 121 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in luiity. All retire, processionally, as they entered. VIII THE GATE OF HEAVEN VIII the gate of heaven On a certain occasion i was congratulating some novices in a Religious Conununity on their cheerfulness. One of them replied: "And why should we not be cheerful, for are we not at the gate of heaven?" The gate of heaven truly. By a single step, they have, as it were, ac- comphshed life's journey and are at its terminal. True, they may have to wait for years for the gate to open, but they are securely over the dangerous road of life. The convent is the haven of life's ocean. There the pious soul is sheltered from the storms that toss and destroy the vessels on the deep. That security for virtue, that help to piety, that wise guidetnce which the convent gives, is for certain souls a fore- taste of heaven. It is that hundredfold promised by our Lord, and the prelude to the life everlasting which awaits them beyond the gates. Contentment is the most valuable thing 125 126 CONVENT LIFE in life. So precious is it that without it all things else count for nothing. And con- tentment is the portion of the bride of Christ. Not that she wiU not have her trials and struggles. They are part of her career of service and sacrifice. But they are so many roses of love which she deUghts to place on the altar of Jesus Christ. We do not mind pain and privation if they produce something. A girl will de- prive herself of pleasure and dress in order to help her brother get an education. The privation may cause suffering, but she considers it nothing, for she looks ahead to the day when her brother wiU be a lawyer, a physician or a priest. That pros- pect makes her very privation a pleasure. So the saints have rejoiced in suffering and yearned for it. For it makes for them an exceeding weight of glory. They con- sider that Mary the Mother of Christ and edl those who were dear to Him had their share of suffering. And as they want to be dear to Him, they welcome suffering in whatever way it comes. They do not expect to find in the convent an absence of the ills to which human nature is heir, THE GATE OF HEAVEN 127 but they do expect to put them to good use. And thus by the alchemy of God's love, they change the ordinary annoyances and suffering of life into pure gold for the Kingdom of Heaven. They look upon life as a preparation only for the real life beyond. They regard themselves as mar- ble in the hands of the divine sculptor, who uses hammer and chisel to fashion them into heavenly forms. Blows we must receive in this Ufe, willing or unwilling. The Nun accepts them willingly, knowing that in so doing she is helping her Maker in His work of perfecting her. For God did not make us for a mere earthly career. If we look into things, we shall find that everything in the world is made for something higher iand greater than itself. In the whole range of crea- tion, you can think of nothing that was made for itself. Man himself makes noth- ing for its own sake, but for some ulterior purpose. If you see a laborer in the street making mortar, it is not merely to make mortar that he does it. The mortar is not made for itself, but to hold together brick or 128 CONVENT LIFE stone. The worker in a brick-yard does not make the brick for itself. It is formed in order to be a part of a wall or some such thing. And when the mason builds a wall, it is not for the wall's sake that he does so. His object in making the wall is to have it support a roof. When the car- penter lays the beams on the weill to make the roof, it is not for the roof's sake, but to complete a house. And the house, why is it made? Not surely for itself. No one ever builds a house to let it stand idle. He builds it for occupation; it is made as a dweUing for man. And man himself, what is he made for? Not for himself, that is certain. God, in making him, had a piupose, just as a man has a purpose in making a house or a watch. And what is that purpose? On that ques- tion rests the whole philosophy of life. It makes a great difference to us whether we are made for time or eternity. If we are made for this hfe, then we must seek our happiness, whatever it may be, here. If we are made for this world, only the things we can use and enjoy here have value. But if we are made for eternity, if this THE GATE OF HEAVEN 129 world is only the path to another and ever- lasting world, it puts a different aspect on things. Life assumes another form. It takes on a new purpose. For the end or purpose for which a thing is made has a bearing on everything connected with it. Take the matter of dress, for instance. Suppose you are dressing for a wedding. With that end in view, you select certain clothes and arrange yoiirself differently from what you would if you were going to work. The end in view is a wedding suit, and that determines you in your entire dressing. But suppose you are dressing for a funeral .3 It is qpiite another matter. Wedding garments would be out of place. Light and cheerful colors would not har- monize with the occasion. So with the funeral in mind, you dress accordingly. In philosophy there is a saying that the end is the last thing done, but the first thing thought of. The plan goes before the action. The plan directs all during the accomphshment and to the very end. As the end directs an artist in his work, so does man's last end direct him in his hfe. At least it should. If not, his career will be a failure. 130 CONVENT LIFE Even with a definite end in view, how many fail to attain it. With no end in view, one gets nowhere, except by chance, a poor makeshift. So the end for which we are made is of prime importance to us dming life. It gives a meaning and valua- tion to things which they would not have otherwise. Matters which are difficult and dis- agreeable, if they help us on to reach the end we have in view, become desirable. If a man is digging for gold and it will be- long to him, he does not mind the hard- ships of the trail, nor the fatigue of labor, nor the heat of the day, nor the routine of his work. It is the gold he sees that changes hardship into happiness. He looks beyond and beholds the comfort and enjoy- ment and influence which the gold will bring him. That enthuses him even in his fatigue. It sustains him in his weari- ness. On the other hand, if a man is digging merely as a task, if there is no purpose or reward for his toil, if the gold is not to be his, if he is merely the servant of another, everything is hard and disagreeable, and finally unbearable. THE GATE OF HEAVEN 131 Now, we are in this world for an end, for a purpose. If that end is life everlasting, if this life is but the way to our destina- tion, oiu" life assumes an altogether different phase from what it would if this life were the purpose and end of everything. Life has a new meaning when it is viewed in its relation to eternity. The most pros- perous and fortunate life on earth becomes a failure if it fails to bring one to eternal life. On the other hand, the most miser- able existence conceivable is a pronounced success if it ushers us in to everlasting happiness. That the end of man is eternity, and not time, God Himself assures us. He tells us that this life is not all, that it is only the first stage of our career. But on this first part depends all the rest. Hence, if we know that our hves are conducting us securely and most advantageously to eternal life, we five cheerfully, spite of the difficulties, annoyances and sufferings of the journey. A victorious army does not feel the fatigue of marching. It realizes that every step leads to triumph and honor. But a beaten army feels it is goiag nowhere, and 132 CONVENT LIFE to nothing but new disaster and reproach. The march is painful, the steps are leaden. Now the ReUgious feels the assurance of victory. The crown is certain. She is under the standard of Christ, who leads all His followers to triumph. No one who follows Him can lose. Either they must drop out of the ranks, or they will win. Defeat is impossible with Him. That is true of all the followers of Christ, the great army of Christians, whose banner is the cross. But how much more true is it in regard to the Rehgious who form, as it were, the bodyguard of Christ. They are close at His side, as the apostles were in Galilee long ago. They carry out not only His commands, like the great army of the faithful, but also His shghtest wishes. They are closely associated with Him in carrying on the mission which He inaugu- rated while He was on earth. Christ the King, the great Captain, is fighting not for Himself, but for His fol- lowers. His nearest and dearest associates are those who are attached to Him by the vows of service and sacrifice. They may well feel assurance therefore. And with that assurance goes that cheerfulness, that THE GATE OF HEAVEN 133 cahn, that peacefulness, which we observe in the convent life. To those outside the faith, the life of a Nun is a mystery. Deprived of everything that others set value on, she is nevertheless more content than the richest among men. Oh, if they could only see what she sees, and hear what she hears! There would be no mystery about her life then. And what is it she sees? She looks beyond the gates and beholds her true home, heaven. She sees there all that is worth living for. She realizes that no matter what the cost, it is as nothing in comparison with what it procures. For in that life beyond is the full enjoyment of iatensest love, love so great that aU earthly love is but a faint shadow in comparison. There all her love for father and mother and dear ones will be gratified a hundred- fold. But above all, the veil which now hides her Beloved will be removed, and she shall look upon Him face to face. Before His loveliness, all other beauty vanishes, all other love is absorbed. And while she looks on Him, entranced by His beauty and captivated by His love, she realizes 134 CONVENT LIFE that, much as she loves Him, He loves hei more. On earth she yielded to His plead- ing: "Child, give Me thy heart." In heaven, she shall hear His reply from His own lips: "Behold My heart which loves you with an infinite love." That is heaven! For in God's love all bUss and all possessions and all love are transfused into one delirium of endless joy. In His love we love father and mother and all that the heart cleaves to on earth. In His love is the fulfilment of aU our long- ings and aspirations. In His love we have everything, for by it we become sharers of the divinity. That this firm assurance of the Nun rests on a solid basis and is not a mere fancy, we know from the best of aU sources. It is not from a philosopher no matter how learned, nor from a scientist no matter how rehable, nor from any other human but faUible authority, that we know man's destiny, but from God Himself. It is He who tells us and from His very lips we learn what our destiny is. No one knows what a thing is made for so well as the Maker. If you make some- thing, you know just why you made it. THE GATE OF HEAVEN 135 Others may conjecture what your purpose was, they may reason and draw conclu- sions, but you yourself know. An artist paints a picture. It may be to amuse himself, or to sell, or to give to a friend, or for any reason whatsoever. You may think he made it for this or that purpose, but if you wish to know for certain why he made it, no one can inform you so well as himself. God is the Maker of man. He knows just why He made us. Let us go to Him, therefore, and find out why He made us and what our real destiny is, for He has declared it. In the first place, God tells us that we are not made for time, but eternity. "Man shall go into the home of eternity" (Eccl. 12: 5). By God's own declaration, therefore, our home is not here, but hereafter. Jesus Christ teUs us that this home con- sists of everlasting hfe, and that we must obtain it by our own efforts as well as by His grace. "Labor for eternal hfe, which the Son of man will give' (John 6:27). We must labor for oiu- home, even though it be God's gift. What this labor consists in Christ informs us when He says: "The 136 CONVENT LIFE just shall go into life everlasting" (Matt. 25:46). Only those who are just, whose lives show regard for God's ordinances, shall enter that unending life beyond. It is not enough to hve in order to reach Life, but we must hve as God directs, we must be just in our deeJings with God and man. Furthermore, although God has created us for the noblest end conceivable, He tells us that there is such a thing as miss- ing it. He does all in His power short of compulsion to have us reach our end, but He will not compel us, because He made us free. "Man being free to transgress shall receive an eternity of glory or an eternity of misery " (Eccl. 3i : lo). There are, there- fore, two eternities, and it depends on each one of us which shall be Gin's; it is for us to choose. Christ emphasizes the need of effort in attaining our end when He says: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. 25: 12). It is because of service faithfully performed that we are to reach our destina- tion. That this service impUes struggle and the triumph over our evil inclinations appears from these words of God: "To THE GATE OF HEAVEN 137 him that shall overcome, I shall give to sit with me on my throne" (Apoc. 3: 21) . To reign with Christ, that is om* destiny, if as good soldiers we overcome the enemy; both the enemy without £md the enemy within. It is the cross here, but the crown hereafter. "You shall receive a never fad- ing crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:4)- But there is something more for us than glory and reward and life eternal, some- thing so much more that, imless we had it direct from Christ Himself, we could not credit it. Our destiny is so grand that we should not dare hope for it of ourselves, so sublime that of ourselves we could never conceive of it. Not only does God declare to us that our destiny is eternal and our joy everlasting and our inheritance His kingdom, but He moreover solemnly pro- claims that we are to be sharers of the divine native and members of the family divine. "They who shall be accounted worthy to obtain life with me can die no more, for they are as angels, and are the children of God" (Luke 20: 35). What a dignity is man's 1 What a des- tination for a creature of earth! What glory for us mortals! 138 CONVENT LIFE These are the assurances which the Nun has as she faithfully hves the con- vent Kfe. Is it any wonder that she is cheerful, even if at times she meets with ingratitude and suffers fatigue and ex- periences the many other trials which accompEiny a goodly life? Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer in order to enter into His glory, and does she expect better treatment than that of her Lord? Does not a spouse rejoice to share the lot of her beloved, and was not her Beloved afflicted in many ways? Filled with the love of God, therefore, the good Nun lives on peacefully and contentedly, her gaze fixed on her home beyond and on her Beloved, realizing that when her warfeire is over, she will be crowned the beloved child of God and the eternal spouse of Jesus Christ. IX A WORD TO THOSE WHO THINK OF ENTERING THE CONVENT IX a word to those who think of entering the convent Cjonvent life presents to women the sublimest way of following Christ. Not that Christ may not be closely followed in every state and condition of life, but convent life, by its very nature, conduces to the closest companionship with Him. Extraordinary souls may rise to the greatest heights of sanctity in any career or state of life, but in the convent, even the ordinary soul is so helped by the vows, rules and good example, that piety becomes easy and sanctity is reached by many. It is almost an assurance of eternal salvation to enter the convent. Living as the rules ordain gives virtually a guar- antee of salvation. The facilities, there- fore, for one's own everlasting welfare are very great. Unless one deliberately neglects the opportunities afforded by the life, salvation seems assured. 141 142 CONVENT LIFE But perhaps not one in a thousand thinks of that on entering the convent. What is uppermost in the mind generally is an intense personal love of Jesus Christ and a desire to do what is pleasing to Him at any cost. No one is obliged to enter the convent. God Himself does not oblige us to accept even His most urgent call. A vocation to the Religious Life is always an invitation. If thou wilt be perfect, etc. No matter how strong the vocation may be, it is always a voluntary matter which one may accept or decHne. There is £d)Solutely no compulsion in the matter from either God or man. A vocation in itself is not an obligation; its rejection is not a sin, but only an invitation declined. Of course, in certain cases, a rejection of a vocation may lead to sinfulness, but not on accoimt of the rejected vocation. A man in commercial life, by losing a good opportunity, may incur great damages, but the lost opportunity would not be the cause, but only the occasion of his losses. So a vocation that is rejected may be the occasion of one's meeting with spiritual detriment. But it is in itself no sin. For TO THOSE WHO THINK 143 a vocation is voluntary service. What is voluntary is not obligatory, and does not consequently oblige under pain of sin. I think I may illustrate this by events in civic life, which not only show the voluntary character of a vocation, but also its very great merit and distinction. At all times our government has the right to demand of its citizens the observ- ance of the laws. In war times, the government may demand very great serv- ice. It may require men to give their Hves, and women to sacrifice husband and son. And that by right. There is an obligation on the part of the people to obey their lawful rulers. The govern- ment absolutely obhges the people to serv- ice and sacrifice when there is need During war, our men are at the front, risking their health, their limbs and their lives. Those at home are giving their time and their money to supply those who are fighting and dying. At home, people give up comforts and amusements and often necessities in order to comply with their government's orders. And this they are obliged to do under penalty of the severest punishments. And rightly so. 144 CONVENT LIFE The government, therefore, obliges all the citizens to service and sacrifice in keeping the laws and enactments. But there is another service which the government does not make obligatory. You can oblige a man to do certain things which call for ordinary virtue, but what is heroic you cannot command. That must come from the magnanimous heart. It is the outcome of generosity and the result of good will. Good will cannot be commanded, it must be solicited. Therefore, in our military service, in the departments which call for heroism, for magnEuiimity, for good will, the government does not force ser- vice, but asks for volunteers. Take, for example, the aviation service. The government does not force men into that, but leaves it open to volimteers. It knows that the air service is not only very dangerous, but that it calls for ini- tiative. Initiative never can be com- manded. It must come from a devoted and wilhng heart. So for the air service, our country ap- peals, but does not command. It teUs the young man that the service is full of hardship and danger, that a great majority TO THOSE WHO THINK 145 of those who enter it meet with a tragic death. But it also points out the glory of it. It is essential to the army. Vic- tory is impossible without it. Your coun- try caUs on you because she beUeves that you love her enough to make the supreme sacrifice for her. Will you enter? And the generous young man, whose patriotism does not limit him to doing merely what he is obliged to, who seeks distinction in his country's cause, answers that he is willing and glad to enter. The man who thus repUes has glory and his country's gratitude. But if he declines, he simply drops back into the great mul- titude who give obligatory service. And in the ordinary service, he may prove a hero. Also he may turn out a discredit. It depends on himself. Now if our country may require service and sacrifice, God Almighty may do the same at least. And He does. By the commandments He obliges all men to serve Him. There is no choice where the commandments are concerned. It is a matter of obligation, xmder the severest penalties. "If thou wilt enter eternal life, keep my commandments." "This day I 146 CONVENT LIFE have placed before thee life or death, eternal happiness or eternal misery: choose." For the great army of mortals, that is God's legislation. But there is another service in His kingdom, a service that calls for heroism, a service full of sacrifice and hardship, a service that renounces the dearest pleas- iu"es of the heart, a martyrdom! To this service God does not obhge. He invites. He calls for volunteers. "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all thou hast and come, follow me." A vocation is an invitation from God Himself to aid Him in the continuation of the work He began on earth. It is a caU, not only to His service in general, but to His particular service. All mankind is summoned to His general service, in ob- servance of the commandments. Some are chosen from the immense army and called apart to labor at His side, with Him and for Him. Of these, some by prayer and penance draw down the grace of God imto the souls of men. Others, by teaching, carry His message into the hearts of men, while others, by deeds of mercy, make Him TO THOSE WHO THINK 147 known and loved in the world of men. A sublime service 1 And a hard service! But a sweet service, actuated as it is by the personal love of Christ. Are there not trials and disappoint- ments? There are. They are in the avia- tion also, and men expect them. Are there dangers and fatigues and aU kinds of priva- tions Eind misunderstandings.*^ There are. And in the aviation too. If men suffer and bleed for country, should they not take up the cross for Christ? And when He calls them to a service of distinction, should they not feel honored? Oh, it costs! Yes. And so does every- thing that is worth anything. The dis- tinguished men who are called by our Chief Executive to enter the nation's cabi- net, does it not cost them much to leave their private interests and devote their time and energy to the government? But they feel honored in doing it because they are distinguished in the country's service. And to be distinguished in the service of Almighty God! Our Lord teUs us that he who leaves all and follows Him shall receive a hundred- fold and life everlasting. That is the 148 CONVENT LIFE religious vocation, the call of Christ to leave all and follow Him, in order to make salvation secure and to help in the salvation of others. What a glory to be associated with Jesus Christ in His mission I And that is the career of the Nun. By prayer and penance and deeds of mercy, she is living in a measure the very Ufe He lived among men. By good example, she presents to the world a powerful incen- tive to imitate Him who said: "Learn of me, who am meek and humble of heart." By teachiag, she is bringing Him into the very Uves of His httle ones. And thus she goes through Kfe, living for a purpose. And what a high and noble purpose it is! It lifts the most simple life out of the ordinary, it gives a mission which any woman may feel proud of. And going through life, fulfilling that mis- sion, the Nun reahzes she is on the way to a wonderful destination. At the jour- ney's end she beholds with the eyes of faith her Lord awaiting her, awaiting her not only as her Lord, but as her Friend, yea, more, awaiting her as her Spouse. For it will be as loved and Beloved that they will meet. TO THOSE WHO THINK 149 With that end in view, the Nun does not mind the hardships and sacrifices on the way. Rather she expects and wel- comes them. They are so many proofs she can offer to her Lord that she truly loves Him. Recently I received the following letter from a young lady, who consulted me be- fore she entered the convent. It was written after she was there seven years. I may add that in following out her pur- pose to become a Sister, she had to over- come very great opposition, not only from her family, but also from a gentleman who was devotedly attached to her and wished to marry her. She was of a wealthy and distinguished family, and joined one of the social service Sisterhoods. Reverend and dear Father: You will no doubt be surprised at my changed address. Sister A. and myself were sent here three months ago. At first I did not think I could break away from the Mother-house, where everything was so peaceful and devotional. But I find that the dear Lord is the same everywhere, and that when we are doing His work, the place 150 CONVENT LIFE and conditions do not matter. This is a dreadful place, so much to be done, and such pitiable surroundings. But that is the com- fort of it, that we can bring light into this dismal place and sunshine into the lives of these poor people. And really, dear Father, our Lord never seemed so near as He does here. It seems that the more we sacrifice for His sake, the more He gives us of Himself. If anyone had told me some years ago that I should be away out here amidst so much poverty and unsightliness, I could not have believed it possible. But if I were free to do it all over again, I should gladly do so. I would not change my surroundings of squalor and misery for all the comforts of my own home, and you know what that was. For here I feel that I have a mission and an oppor- tunity of doing something for our Lord in the persons of His poor brethren. And, oh, they do need us so much! If you could only see how responsive they are to our efforts. Already we have transformed many homes and made them so inviting. Some of the men, who at first kept aloof from us, after they saw what we were doing for their children were ready to do anything for TO THOSE WHO THINK 151 US. In that way, we got many careless ones to practise their religion faithfully. Even in these short three months, I can see the wonderful efficacy of our Sisters' minis- trations. Do you, please, pray for us, dear Father, and for our work, that God may bless us and make us truly appreciate the favor He be- stows on us in letting us have a part in His work for the welfare of souls. T thank God daily for my vocation, and I pray often for you who helped me attain it. Your grateful child in Christ, Sister In conclusion, I wish to add a word of practical advice. One who is considering becoming a Nun should reaUze thoroughly that the life is a very hard one. She must know that the crown presupposes the cross, that victory means a battle. No matter how good and devoted the Sisters may be, they are all human, and wherever there is human nature there is misunder- standing, and with misunderstandings there goes a host of petty annoyances and hard- ships. If you expect to find your heaven here, even in a convent, you are mistaken. Heaven is at the end of the road, not on it. 152 CONVENT LIFE If you do not feel that for the love of God, you can patiently bear with the de- fects of others and even with injustice, do not volunteer for His special service. Re- main in the ranks, outside. Not that you will escape these difficulties outside, but you have not the greatness of soul required of one who is to follow close by the side of the Master. Some women think that once they get inside a convent, it is goodbye to the short- comings and troubles of life. To such, I say, keep out. Your life in a convent would be miserable. But if you go in expecting a hard way and a steep way and a narrow way, you may find that, after aU, it is not so steep, nor hard, nor narrow. For with Christ at your side and holding your hand, what can be narrow or hardl If, therefore, like the men in the air serv- ice, you w£uit to do something out of the ordinary £uid feel that you can do it cheer- fully, and if you recognize a strong call to the service, enfist. If you cannot do it cheerfuUy, drop it. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. If He is worth serving at all. He is worth serving cheerfully. Serving cheerfully does not mean that TO tHOSE WHO THINK 153 you must give nothing but agreeable ser- vice, but service of all kinds, as required. If you have that desire, and circumstances permit, you have the right spirit for a Nun's career. 1 And a Nun's career is Christ-like on earth, and makes one the Beloved of Christ for all eternity. ' All that has been said about vocations applies equally to the various brotherhoods, and to the Religious generally. X RED CROSS SISTERHOODS X red cross sisterhoods The red cross is very promi- nent nowadays. Thank God for that. For the Red Cross stands for service to the stricken. Many people think that the Red Cross is a late institution, that it is something discovered or developed in re- cent years. Some associate it with the modem trend of hiunanity-religion. They beUeve that it is a product of the nineteenth century culture; a culture due to breaking away from the old Church. The Red Cross is distinctly a Catholic institution. The Red Cross is the out- come of Catholic beUef and practice. The Order of the Red Cross was founded by a Catholic priest, blessed and confirmed by a pope, and did such wonderful work that centuries ago it was known and admired throughout Europe. Such an impression did it make that when recent organizations of relief desired a symbol for their work, they took the 157 158 CONVENT LIFE Red Cross, that Red Cross which Pope Sixtus V blessed on the habit of St. Camillus of Lelhs when he confirmed his Order in the year i586. A red cross on the breast and on the shoulder was the mark by which St. Camillus and his Order were distin- guished. They took that symbol to show that they were ready to give their services to the sick and plague-stricken, even if it cost their hves. But the first Red Cross was on Calvary, and it was made red by blood, the blood of the God-man. That was the beginning among mankind of that wonderful serv- ice of charity which characterizes Chris- tianity. Before Christ, it was all for self. Woe to the conquered! was the moan of the defeated. No prisoners of war were taken then, except as slaves. The defeated were slain, the wounded were left to die or were killed. Women and children also were slain, ex- cept the young and fair, who were reserved for a worse fate. But prisoners, as pris- oners, were unknown. If taken aUve, they were not held for exchange after hostilities were over, but were butchered or enslaved. Do we think of that now? From cer- RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 159 tain quarters, you hear it said that Chris- tianity has broken down. Do those who say so realize what a transformation has come over the world since? During the days of awful carnage, when nation was grappling with nation in bloody strife as never before, what a spectacle it was to see men glad to surrender to the enemy I And why? Because they knew that as prisoners they would be safe and cared for. That is not the outcome of civilization. Greece and Rome had a civiUzation beyond ours, but they did not have that regard for their fellow man. They did not know what service to the stricken meant. The xmfortunate, the poor, the diseased, the wounded, were as so many cattle. And what changed all that? What made a prisoner a brother? What made the plague- stricken a brother? What made the wounded a brother? The Red Cross, the Red Cross of Calvary. We are so accustomed to the benefits of the Red Cross that we do not realize what the world would be today without it. The first women that ever served humanity on the battlefield were Sisters of Charity. In pagan tradition, there were 160 CONVENT LIFE women on the field of battle, — amazons. Their purpose was to slay. The Sisters of Charity have for their mission to heal, to comfort, to save. Since their founda- tion, they have been on every battlefield of the world. Hence the name that his- tory has given them, "Angels of the Battlefield." The Sisters of Charity were the first in this noble work. They were not long the sole possessors of that honor. Today every Sisterhood in the Catholic Church is in the Red Cross service in the world war. Some are right on the battlefield, some in base hospitals, some in prison camps, some near the trenches and some in the homes of wounded soldiers. Even the cloistered Nuns are in the service. They have opened their doors to the sick and wounded sol- diers, and have served them with a kind- ness and carefulness which none but their own mothers could bestow on them. The governments of Europe recognize the splendid and heroic service of the Nuns. Many indeed have been decorated for bravery in the discharge of duty. In official communications, the commanding officers have frequently extolled the service RED CBOSS SISTERHOODS 161 of the Sisters. The unofficial commenda- tion they receive is known only to God Himself. Hardly a wounded soldier in any of the armies but has words of praise emd gratitude for these angels of mercy. That is going on today. It is an indi- cation of what has been going on always in the Cathohc Chm"ch. Whether it were Sisters or Monks, or Knights Hospitalers or Knights of the Cross, the same story is written in the annals of every century. Service to the stricken! That is the note that rings out in the Church's symphony of Charity throughout the ages. But the Red Cross is not only for the battlefield. It is for every form of hmnan misery. Wherever there is helplessness, there you will find the Red Cross Sisters. As I am writing these fines, the Spanish Influenza is raging here in Boston. It is a veritable plague. The hospitals are filled to capacity with victims. The nurses have broken down imder the strain. In the City Hospital there are, as I write, forty nurses down with the contagion. Some are dying. I was called out to a case last night at midnight. When I got to the house, the 162 CONVENT LIFE woman at the door informed me that there were two cases on the top floor. Then she gave me the further information that there was a third victim who had been taken to the hospital, and that they could not take the others because there was no room. Afterwards she added apolo- getically: "Father, I am sishamed to teU you that nobody has been near the sick people upstairs all day, I am the mother of four children, and if anything happened to me, what would become of them.** So I was afraid to go up, and there was no one else to do so." I hurried upstairs. Both the persons were in a dying condition. I administered the last rites and rendered what Kttle service I could. Immediately I phoned to headquarters for a nurse. None was to be had. I phoned to all the hospitals. AH were filled. Hastily making some tem- porary arrangements for the poor, neglected victims, I reported the case to the officials. They were helpless. Next day, a call weis issued by the au- thorities for women to volunteer £ts nurses. At the very first call, one hundred and twelve Sisters volunteered. In one con- RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 163 vent of the Sisters of St. Joseph, there were sixty Sisters all told. Sixty volunteered! War, plague, calamity, disaster, all forms of human distress, summon the Red Cross Sisterhoods, and they never fail to respond. The American Red Cross and the British Red Cross and the other Red Cross Socie- ties are doing wonderful deeds of helpful- ness in the world today. God bless them for it I But what they are doing occasion- ally, the Red Cross Sisterhoods are doing always. What the Red Cross Societies take up for a few months, or years, the Sisterhoods take up for ttieir entire hves. What the Red Cross Societies do under the glamour of publicity and often for re- muneration, the Sisterhoods do quietly, unnoticed, and absolutely gratis. What is for the Red Cross Societies a passing serv- ice is for the Sisterhoods their life's work. And this life's vocation means a great deal in the character of the service rendered. The Sisterhoods are absolutely devoted to their charge. They never think of themselves or the future. They look for no appreciation. One thing only is before them, human misery which they can re- 164 CONVENT LIFE lieve. And they relieve it as they would if Christ were there in person. It is for love of Him they do it. It is as if done unto Him, And that makes the difference, that gives them the indescribsible charm and efficiency which is such a mystery to those not of our faith. Non-Catholics marvel at the devotion and self-sacrifice of the Sisters, But if they saw the Sisters in daily medita- tion at the foot of the Cross, they would understand whence comes their inspira- tion and their strength. It is from the first Red Cross that they have learned the lesson of service and sacrifice. In order to confirm the statements made in regard to the devotion and efficiency of the Red Cross Sisterhoods, I subjoin the following: "Many books have been written on the work of women in this war (CivU Weu-, i865), but little has ever been published concerning the self-sacrificing labors of the Sisterhoods. The soldiers of the North and the South have on many occasions given expression to the esteem and affec- tion in which they hold the Sisters who RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 165 devoted their lives to the care of the sick and and wounded. The story of their patriotic and humane work will live as long as love for loyalty, regard for duty and admira- tion for self-sacrifice exist in the hearts of the Anaierican people." ^ The Sisterhoods that participated in Red Cross work in the Civil War were principally the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. As an indication of the esteem in which the Sisters were held by the government, the following incident will show. In July, 1862, an order came from Washington that no women nurses were to remain at Point Lookout. The Sisters made preparations to leave, but the chief physician said to them: "Remain here. Sisters, until I hear from Washington, for we cannot dispense with your services." The physician telegraphed to Washington, and received this reply: "The Sisters of Charity are not included in oiu: orders, but all other women are to leave the place! "* 1 "Angels of the Battlefield," p. 3. » Ibid., p. 66. 166 CONVENT LIFE A Still higher tribute cajne from the President himself. At one period of the war, there was difficulty and misunder- standing about supplies. Mr. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, refused to sup- ply more rations for the current month. The President was appealed to. He sent the following reply: "To all whom it may concern: — On application of the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, and the Military Hospital in Wash- ington, furnish such provisions as they desire to purchase and charge the same to the War Department. (Signed) Abraham Lincoln" ^ As regards their efficiency, it would be hard to find greater praise than that given by the foUowing tribute: "There was the Mound City Hospital, which was considered the best mifitary hospital in the United States. Here the Sisters of the Holy Cross were employed as nurses, one or more to each ward. Mother Angela was the Superior, a gifted ' " Annals of the Sisters of Mercy." RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 167 lady of rare cultivation and executive ability, with winning sweetness of manner. She was a member of the Ewing family and a cousin of General and Mrs. Sherman. The Sisters had nearly broken up their famous schools at South Bend to answer the demand for nurses. The world has known no nobler and heroic women than those found in the ranks of the Catholic Sisterhoods." (Mary A. Livermore, non- CathoUc.) 1 The Sisters did not confine their services to the hospitals, however well they per- formed them, but went right out onto the field of bactle, as appears from this testi- mony of Captain Crawford: "On aU God's earth, there are no nobler women than those who wear the garb of CathoUc Sisters. I had opportunities of observing their work, not only in the camp and hospital but on the death-swept field of battle. Where bullets hissed, I have seen the Sisters moving over the field, administering to the wants of the wounded. I am not a Catholic, but I stand ready at ' " A Woman's Story of the War." 168 CONVENT LIFE any time to defend these noble women even with my life, for I owe that life to them. (Signed) John Crawford" » All these testimonies refer to our own Civil War. What the Sisters did in that disastrous conflict they have done on every field of Europe where armies have con- tended. The citation which I now give is an official communication from Queen Vic- toria to Sister Mary Aloysius: "Pall Mall, London, S. W. Feb. i5, 1897 Madam: — The Queen having been pleased to be- stow upon you the decoration of the Royal Red Cross, I have to inform you that, in the case of such honours as this, it is the custom of Her Majesty to personally be- stow the decoration upon the recipient, and I have therefore to request that you will be so good as to inform me whether it would be convenient to you to attend > " Angels of the Battlefield," p. 22S. RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 169 at Windsor some time within the next few weeks. I am, Madam, Your obedient servant, (Signed) George M. Farquharson To Sister Mary Aloysius. A few months later, in August, 1897, on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen of Great Britain conferred the decora- tion of the Royal Red Cross upon Army Nursing Sisters Mary Helen, Mary Stan- islaus, Mary Anastasius and Mary de Chantal, in recognition of their services in tending the sick and wounded at the seat of war during the Crimean campaign of 1 854-56. Miss Nightingale wrote to the government a very laudatory letter on the services rendered by the Sisters during that campaign. It was the reaUzation of what the Sister- hoods were doing in hospitals and on battlefields that inspired the poet to pen these lines: Unshrinking where pestilence scatters his breath, Like an angel she moves 'mid the vapor of death. 170 CONVENT LIFE Where rings the hud musket and flashes the sword, Unf earing she walks, for she follows the Lord. How sweetly she bends o'er each plague- tainted face. With hoks that are lighted with holiest grace; How kindly she dresses each suffering limb, For she sees in the wounded the image of Him. Gera^ld Griffin I shall conclude this matter with a quotation from the National Catholic Weekly, America. The author is Barbara de Courson, who is especially qualified to speak on the subject. "Many articles, even books, have been written, since the War (1914), to celebrate the courage and self-sacrifice of the Red Cross Associations, whose members have devoted their fives to the assistance of our stricken soldiers. Among these brave wo- men, Nuns, belonging to different ReUgious Orders, have a place of honor, but in general their work in this respect is less widely known than that of women of the world, who left their homes to take up the life of hospital nurses. This comes from no de- RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 171 sire to minimize or ignore the work of the Religious, but, as our readers know, they shun, rather than court, attention, and have a marked aversion to self-advertising. "Nevertheless, it is only just that the work of the French Nims since the war began should be made known, however briefly, to American readers. The same readers have not forgotten that, some years before the war, the anti-clerical French government drove the nursing Sis- ters from the public hospitals, and, on this occasion, the medical men, who might per- haps have interfered successfully in their favor, failed to do so. Now, these same surgeons and doctors are eager to secxire the Nuns' services and openly recognize their value as sick nurses in times of danger and overwork. "At the outset of the war, certain Re- h'gous women, who nursed the wounded soldiers near the eastern frontier, were through circumstances forced into posi- tions of unexpected responsibility. Early in September, a little town was taken by the French, and, at a moment of in- tense stress and confusion. Sister Julie was, to all intents and purposes, the ' Mayoress' 172 CONVENT LIFE of Gerb^viller. She provided food for the troops and remedies for the wounded, while at the same time she encom-aged the civilians who came in contact with her invigorating personality. For her services Sister Julie was given the medal of the Legion of Honor by the President of the RepubUc, a mark of consideration that she neither expected nor desired. "At another little town, Clermont en Argonne, a Sister of Charity, Sister Gabri- elle, was at the head of the local hospital, when news of the soldiers' approach spread like wUdfire through the country. The civil authorities fled, and the military authorities, who were ordered to leave, offered to take away the Sisters, 'Can you also remove the old people whose home is at the hospital?' asked Sister Gabrielle. This was impossible, for motor cars were not in sufficient numbers. * Then I remain,' she said, and alone in the de- serted town she waited. Part of the town perished, but the hospital was saved through the presence of mind of this brave daughter of St. Vincent. Like Sister Julie, Sister GabrieUe was mentioned in dispatches and decorated by the French government. RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 173 "The Sisters of the hospitals of Arras remained at their post in the bombarded city when the inhabitants fled, and their attitude was praised by their Bishop, the late Mgr. Lobbedey. A young Augustinian Nmi was killed in the wards; as she fell, she was heard to say: *I offer my life for France.' The diary of a Sister of Charity of Airas is instructive; it is very simple reading. The writer tells of the havoc wrought in the doomed city during the month of October, igiA; how the Sisters led their daily life, catered for provisions, provided for their orphans, their sick and their poor, and between whiles said the rosary with a perfect faith in God's pro- tection. "Since igiA, similar scenes have taken place at Rheims, the martyred city, that has only lately been evacuated by its Archbishop, Cardinal Lugon. The mem- bers of several communities were, at their urgent request, allowed to remain after the greater part of the inhabitants had been removed by the military authorities; among these Nuns the last to leave Rheims were the Sisters of Charity and the Little Sisters of the Assumption, the nurses and serv- 174 CONVENT LIFE ants of the poor. As long as any poor and sick remained in the cellars, where the people dwelt night and day, the Sisters had work to do, and they did it with a cheerfulness that is a charming form of heroism. "All the French Nuns have not ex- perienced the tragic adventures that made Sister Julie and Sister GabrieUe famous, but throughout the length and breadth of France, they have worked unceasingly on behalf of oiu" wounded soldiers. The Nuns of Soissons, of Senlis, of Compiegne, of Bethune and Bapaume, have been men- tioned in dispatches and given the Croix de Guerre. The French Nuns of Bagdad were decorated by Sir Stanley Maude a week before his death, in recognition of their devotedness to the wounded British sol- diers. Others, whose work lay outside the army zone, have expended the same devotion on our soldiers, but the happy results of their influence wiU only be re- vealed hereafter; till then they are content to work day after day, quietly, humbly, silently, shunning rather than courtingpatten- tion, their eyes and hearts fixed on the Master to whom their hves are consecrated. RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 175 "It has been my privilege since the war began to be in constant touch with the Nuns who direct a hospital for wounded soldiers. A few ladies are allowed to help the Sisters in their work, but it is the Nuns who direct and govern, who dress the wounds and exercise a strong and softening influence over their guests. I have noticed, during nearly fom* years, that in general, whether he is rehgious or the reverse, the French soldier prefers to be nursed by Nuns; he has a curious sense oi possession where the Sisters are con- cerned. It is awkwardly expressed, but one gathers the meaning that underlies the words: 'The Nrnis think only of us,' said one man; and another: 'The Red Cross Ladies are very kind, but the Sisters belong to us.' "Another observation that results from my close contact with the French Nuns of 1 918 is the utter futihty of the accusa- tions brought against the nursing Sisters, when, some years agc>, the government drove them from the hospiteds. They were said to be old-fashioned in their methods, averse to science, careless in their ways, etc. Whether or not these charges were 176 CONVENT LIFE well founded Then, they cannot be made Now. The nursing Sisters are certificated Red Cross nurses, with the proper training, and they have passed the regular examina- tions, without which they cannot deal with serious cases, and they are fully competent. "It is not only in the hospitals that the Nuns of France serve their country at a moment when its energies are taxed to the utmost. They are the good angels of the refugees, whom the recent advemce has driven from their homes. The other day, at the Paris Gare du Nord, arrived i5o Uttle waifs, boys and girls, who came straight from St. Omer, then furiously shelled by the enemy's airships. Ihey were under the care of four sweet-faced Sisters of Charity, around whom they gathered when the train stopped. At the request of the director of the canteen, the children were marshalled into a big room and fed with bread and milk. It was good to see their reUance on the Sisters and the latter's gentle authority over their little flock; evidently under the shadow of the white cornette the children felt safe. This rehance also exists among the soldiers. "In September, igi^, the hospital of RED CBOSS STSTEHHOOD8 177 Senlis, crowded with wounded French, was shelled by the enemy. The Niins walked up and down the wards saying their rosary. 'Do not leave us, Sisters,' cried the helpless soldiers, 'if you are with us, we feel safe.' Their confidence was rewarded. The hos- pital walls were partly destroyed and the furniture shattered, but no soldier was killed. This feeling of reliance is made up of respect and affection. It speaks volumes for the attitude of the Religious women, who, for the last four years, have been the good angels of thousands of stricken fighting men. "When the war is over, we shall probably hear that the Nuns who remained in the provinces now held by the enemy, did the same, and we imagine that in many places the much-tried people ralfied roimd a white comette or a black veil with the instinct of frightened children clinging to a mother's hand. There is an element of mother- hood about every Nun that makes her the French soldier's confidant and friend, when, maimed and helpless, he lies on a hospital bed. Quite naturally, and often without any religious motive, he prefers Nuns to 'dames.' Their impersonal attitude gives 178 CONVENT LIFE him a feeling that the Nun is there only for him, that nothing matters to her but his condition, that she is not distracted by the thought of husband and children from her daily task. To this somewhat self- i^ feehng, is added an hereditary respect for Les Bonnes Sceurs, noticeable among peasant soldiers especially. Then it some- times happens that our men have been nursed in hospitals where the secular nurses were lacking in proper reserve and dignity, where they were giddy and frivolous, and, said one soldier, 'looking as if they had dressed up and played at being nurses.' Being generally men of the people, they do not always discriminate between lay women whose devotion to the maimed soldiers is simply heroic, and other women wearing the uniform but lacking the true spirit of the genuine nurse. "The Nun's habit and training inspire the wounded men with confidence, and, together with their motherliness, there is about Nuns in general an element of youth- fulness surviAong middle age, combined with much practical experience in dealing with the working classes. In the hospital that I know best, this is very remarkable. RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 179 "This hospital has been more or less filled with wounded soldiers since October 1914. It stands in a Paris suburb and was, before the war, the novitiate of a Congregation whose members are, in a literal sense, the servants of the poor. The Lit- tle Sisters of the Assumption were founded, some fifty years ago, for this object. Where the mother of a family is laid up, it is they who, after nursing the sick woman, wash and dress the children, sweep the room and cook the dinner. "The Congregation spread rapidly, for it filled up a social want and seemed, in some measure, to solve the much talked of socieJ question. By bringing order, com- fort and sometimes religion into the poor homes, the Sisters drive away the bitter- ness that breeds hatred and jealousy of those whom fortune has favored. They know their chents thoroughly, and are better informed of their rights and wrongs than many theorists who have studied the subject from books only. "The atmosphere of a hospital directed by Nuns is singularly peaceful; in this par- ticular one, the Sisters are the directing spirits and, being certificated sick nurses. 180 CONVENT LIFE it is they who deal with the grave cases. The Red Cross ladies who work with them are their friends and helpers, but the re- sponsibility, fatigue and heavy work rest on the Nims. It is curious to notice how the roughest soldiers soon become gentle and docile under their rule, or rather, how they fall in naturally with the spirit of the place. In a hospital where religious women form the majority of the nurses, there is a groundwork of disciplined habits that it is difficult to find elsewhere, and this in itself entails peace and order. Then, the Nuns' experience in dealing with their cHents in the crowded suburb has taught them to avoid undue pressure and indiscreet zeal in religious matters. My personal knowledge, acquired during four years, enables me to speak highly of the Sisters' tact in this respect, and the remark applies to Nuns in general. They know more than we do of the evil influences that have been at work for more than a quarter of a century among the French working people; how the godless schools, the law in favor of divorce, the evil pamph- lets and papers, added to the pressure exer- cised by a government under the control RED CROSS SISTERHOODS 181 of French Freemasonry, have contributed, slowly but surely, to destroy religious con- victions and habits. Hence their pru- dence and pity, their wise, careful avoid- ance of anything resembling pressure, their feeling that every conversion should be the result of enlightened convictions, not of mere sentiment. "Volumes might be written on the man- ner in which the Nuns of France have tended our fighting men for the last four years. Some have done so under fire, but if the part played by Sister Julie at Gerbeviller and by the Sisters of Arras, Bethune, Rheims, Amiens, and of many martyred towns, is more brilliant, because more dangerous, the obscure work done by thousands of others is none the less worthy of praise. Their skiU in niu-sing these terribly wounded men has done away with the prejudice that, because they were Nuns, they were old-fashioned in their methods and opposed to the progress of modem science, and besides caring for the soldiers' bodies, they have in other ways helped to build up a new France. "The hospital to which I refer has wit- 182 CONVENT LIFE nessed many wonderful cures that the surgeons and doctors attribute to the pa- tience, skill and careful nursing of the Sisters, but it has also been the scene of illumiaating conversions, brought about by their silent influence. The httle chapel framed in trees where, on certeun days, when the fate of France seemed trembling in the balance, prayers and cantiques rose like a strong cry to heaven, has been the scene of innumerable baptisms, marriages and confirmations; the officiating priest being a wounded soldier-priest or a mili- tarized bishop, and the happy neophyte a blue soldier, who from negUgence rather than prejudice hved outside the Church. It is thus that the nursing Sisters of France are serving their country; they are build- ing up the France of tomorrow by healing our soldiers' bodies and often their souls. No statistics can be drawn up of their services, £tnd only those who witness, day after day, their quiet self-devotion, realize what it implies and the far-reaching results that it has brought about among men to whom the war, in spite of its terrible suf- fering, will have been a blessing in disguise." XI SOCIAL SERVICE SISTERHOODS XI social service sisterhoods There are some good people who believe that the upUft and betterment of the lower classes is a modern virtue. They fancy that it is the outcome of a broader Christianity. The brotherhood of man is, in their eyes, a discovery of recent times. Of course, these people will be surprised to learn that the brotherhood of man began with Jesus Christ. Another shock to them will be to learn that social service began with the apostles, in consequence of the lessons they learned from the Master. Hardly had the Church of Christ begim its mission when a social service Order was established. The apos- tles, seeing the need of the poorer brethren, appointed certain devout women to min- ister unto them. These were called dea- conesses. They were the first body of women in the history of the world who engaged in what we call slum work. There are many persons who think that 185 186 CONVENT LIFE slumming is a very modem invention, the result of our improved humanity. They point to slum-workers as an argument for the superiority of the recent religion of humanity over that of the old Church. Well, when the Church was let alone, there were no slums. The monks looked to that. But in the beginning, before the old Church got fairly started, there were slums, and also slum-workers. The dea- connesses mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles were the first to take up work in the slums. ' I said when the old Chiu-ch was let alone there were no slmns. This is not a treatise on that matter, so I shall not go into details. I merely mention one fact: before the Reformation there were no poor- houses. Was there no poverty .►^ Oh, yes. "The poor you shall have always with you," said our Lord. But the Church regarded the poor as her very own. She reheved them without pack- ing them into poorhouses. She estabUshed Orders of men and women whose sole object was to care for the needy and the unfortunate. She had in mind that other saying of our Lord: "What you do to the SOCIAL SERVICE 187 least of my brethren, that you do unto me." You see He calls the poor His brethren. That is the way the Church has always considered them; not as outcasts, not as a sore of the civic body, but as helpless and injured members; not as a lower caste, but as of the same family, with God as the common Father. And so the Church devoted her attention to them as you would to a member of your family who was in need. Every monastery and church and convent was a rehef station. I could substantiate this by documentary evidence from non-Cathohc sources, but I must hasten on to the matter in hand, — the Social Service Sisterhoods. I pass over the early and middle ages and even modem times, except the later period, and take up what we have evidence of today. What do we mean nowadays by social service? The name is new, the idea is as old as the Church. It means volimtary work among the poor, the ig- norant, the sick, the helpless, the way- ward and the criminal. Its purpose is to appeal to the souls of men by relieving their bodily ills. 188 CONVENT LIFE Mere bodily betterment is a good thing, but that is only a part. The main thing about a man is his spirit. If that is right, the man will be right. He wiU know how to care for himself. And if illness or injiuT^ or misfortune pursue him, he will know how to bear it. And the way to make a man's soul right is Christ's way. "I am the Way; I am the Light of the world, he that foUoweth after me walketh not in darkness," saith the Lord. The object of true social serv- ice is to bring the light of Christ into the souls of men. Under that light, misery disappears. Under that light, caste dis- appears. Under that light, the meanest beggar realizes he is a child of God. Know- ing that he is heir to the Kingdom of God, his privations are not misery, his lowli- ness is not inferiority. He is brother to the loftiest of earth. For a time, it is true, there is a differ- ence in outward conditions, but the grave levels all that. And the grave also solves everything, for it is the gate to the King- dom. That gate opens to the man who lives right. To the man who follows Christ, it is the door to his Father's home. It is SOCIAL SERVICE 189 shut to the man who lives wrong, were he king, millionaire or philosopher. That is the light of Christ, which, if it enter the soul of man, ennobles the meanest, up- lifts him, transforms him and makes him truly a man. The Social Service Sisterhoods aim at that. While ministering unto the needs of the body, gently and helpfully, they make these ministrations serve the higher good of enlightening the mind and healing the soul. And this they do, not by cheap phrases and cant expressions, but by a life of sacrifice, which speaks better than the language of the lips. With the tenderness of a mother, they care for orphan children. There was no such thing as an orphanage in the world until the Church established this great charity. Before the modem orphanages were founded, it was the parish church or the monastery or the convent that cared for the fatherless. That was when all Europe was Catholic. After the Reforma- tion, when churches were despoiled and monasteries and convents were robbed or abolished, the poor began to multiply, and with the poor the orphans. 190 CONVENT LIFE You know the conditions of big cities in consequence of irreligion. Infants are abandoned, children neglected or discarded. The ChtLTch did not stop to ask what caused it or whose fault it was. Like the Good Samaritan, she set out to reUeve it. Wbat a beautiful picture that is of St. Vincent de Paul picking up abandoned children in the slums of Paris, and carry- ing them in his arms to some Catholic lady's house! Day after day he went his rounds, and day after day he found good homes for these httle lost ones. He in- terested Cathohc women in this and other works of mercy. They gave of their time and money to this wonderful charity. Finally, he established the Sisters of Charity, that angelic corps of women, whose services to mankind ever since have evoked the gratitude of millions and the praise of mankind. And now all over the world you will find foundling asylums for the care of abandoned infants, and orphanages for the fatherless, under the motherly care and supervision of the Sisters of Charity, God bless them I That was the foundation of the world-wide Order of the Sisters of Charity. SOCIAL SERVICE 191 Another Sisterhood in these later days, which has endeared itself to mankind, is the Order of Mercy. Its foundation reads like a romance. Catherine McAuley was a young Irish lady whose parents died when she was a child. She was adopted by wealthy Protes- tant relatives. Spite of every inducement, she remained true to her faith. One day when she was out visiting, she heard of an attractive but poor working girl whose virtue was in great danger on account of her surroundings. The girl was not fallen, but shppiag. Catherine got interested in her, and tried to find a good lodging place for her, where she would be out of danger after her day's work. But nobody wanted that kind of girl aroimd. The result was that eventually the girl's beauty was her downfall. This event made a great impression on Catherine. A few years later her guardians died, leaving to her their immense fortune, — the equivalent of half a million dollars nowadays. Her mind at once reverted to the unfortunate girl. She made up her mind to do something for girls similarly situated. 192 CONVENT LIFE She proceeded straightway to interest a few ladies in her project. Using her money generously, she fitted up an attractive home in the Metropolis. Here she welcomed working girls who had no homes of their own. Realizing that these girls came home fatigued, and that they needed not only rest but recreation, she did all in her power to make the establishment a home- like place. "Religion does not censure or exclude Unnumbered pleasures harmlessly pursued." Volunteers for this good work presented themselves, and soon it was in a flourish- ing condition. Catherine realized that if the good was to continue on, it must not be left to in- dividual effort. Many people get interested in a thing for a time, and then drop it. Miss McAuley noticed that after a time the real work was done by a few devoted souls, as is usually the case. Gradually it dawned on her to stabilize the work by forming an association of women who would devote their Uves ex- clusively to this and other works of mercy. She gave to the project not only her for- SOCIAL SERVICE 193 tune, but herself. By degrees the results of her eflforts were so gratifying that she was advised to seek the approbation of the Church on her mission. Holy Mother Church, good mother that she is, always encourages true charity. On the 24th of September, 1827, the feast of Our Blessed Lady of Mercy, the devoted band of women was formed into a ReUgious Community, with Mother Cath- erine as the Superior, and the world was enriched by a new foundation, the Order of Mercy. Here is the vow they take, in addition to the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience: "I do vow and promise to God the service of the Poor, Sick and Ignorant, and to perse- vere until death in this Institute of Our Lady of Mercy." For although Mother McAuley began her mission to endangered working girls, she did not let it rest there. Like the Sisters of Charity, their mission is to relieve misery wherever found. These two Orders of social service are now established the world over. Sisters of Charity and Sisters of Mercy are house- 194 CONVENT LIFE hold words wherever social iservice is known. These consecrated virgins visit the homes of the poor, the haunts of vice, hospitals, prisons and plague spots. There is no need of society which they do not fill. Colleges, academies, orphanages, hospitals, visitation of the afflicted 8ind unfortunate, are some of the social service activities they maintain. These are only two Orders. What they are doing, a hundred other Sisterhoods are engaged in. I made special mention of the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy because they are synonymous with social service. But the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Fran- ciscans, the Dominicans, the Benedictines, the Augustinians, and other Sisterhoods are devotiag their hves to social service as earnestly and efficiently as the Sisters of Charity or the Sisters of Mercy. A perusal of the rules of one of these Social Service Orders will enable us to see the motive that inspires them and the grandeur of their vocation : " Our purpose is to honour our Lord Jesus Christ, as the source and model of all SOCIAL SERVICE 195 charity, serving Him corporally and spiritu- ally in the person of the poor, whether the sick, or children, or prisoners, or others who, through shame, are deterred from making known their necessities. To cor- respond worthily to so holy a vocation and to imitate an exemplar so perfect, we ought to endeavor to live holily and to labor assiduously for our own perfection, joining the interior exercises of the spiritual life to the exterior employments of Chris- tian charity. "We are much more exposed exteriorly than enclosed Religious, having ordinarily for a convent but the houses of the sick, for a cell but a hired room, for a chapel but the parish church, for a cloister but the streets of the city and the wards of hospitals, for enclosure but obedience, for a grate but the fear of God, and for a veil but holy modesty. We are obliged by this consideration to lead, exteriorly and interiorly, a life as virtuous, as pure, as edifying, as Nuns in the convent. "Above all, we shall value the salva- tion of our souls more than all things on earth; we shall fly mortal sin more than death, and venial sin with all our strength; 196 CONVENT LIFE and in order to merit the reward promised by our Lord to the servants of the poor, we shall apply ourselves to acquire the Christian virtues of hiunility, simplicity and charity, as the appropriate spirit of our Institute. "Moreover, we are enjoined a horror of the maxims of this world, a love of the maxims of Jesus Christ: consequently, a love of mortification; a despising of our- selves and of the things of the earth; a preference of low and repugnant employ- ments, of the last place, and of what others refuse; detachment as regards places, employments and persons, a disposition to quit all at the voice of obedience; a patience that loves inconveniences, con- tradictions, mockeries and calunmies; great confidence in Providence, abandoning ourselves to it as an infant to its niu:se. "Servants of the poor, we shall honor the poverty of oiur Lord by living poorly ourselves. We shall have all things in common, after the example of the first Christians. We shall neither ask nor re- fuse anything for ourselves, leaving all oui wants to the solicitude of the office bearers of our Community. We shall live and shall SOCIAL SERVICE 197 dress in a uniform manner, and after the model of the Mother-house. Sick, we shall content ourselves in every respect with the ordinary fare and treatment of the poor; for servants ought not to be better treated than their masters. "Our principal employment being to serve the sick poor, we shall serve them as Jesus Christ Himself, with as much cordiality, respect and devotion, even the most troublesome and the most disagree- able. This service we shall prefer even to our spiritual exercises. We shall take care of the souls as well as of the bodies of the poor we serve. As to material aid and the distribution of alms, we shall act conformably with the instructions that will have been given us, or with the will of the donors. We shall not attend on the rich, unless in case of absolute necessity, and even then, according to our Institute, we shaU take care that the poor be served first." Is it any wonder that women animated by such motives should evoke the admira- tion even of those who are not of our faith? Listen to these words of the Solicitor 198 CONVENT LIFE General of Great Britain, Mr. Dowse, M.P., later a Baron of the Exchequer. He is speaking of the Mater Misericordia Hos- pital, Dublin, founded in 1861. " It is not only a work of charity, but of Christian charity, — Christian in the no- blest and truest signification of the term. The relief of the poor, the sick, and needy is particularly the glory of Christianity. Sophists may tell us that many of the maxims of Christ are to be found scattered up and down the pages of heathen authors; yet it is to Christ and His divine Spirit alone that all the blessings of Christian civilization are due; and Christianity alone call organize such a system of beneficence, one of the proofs of which we have here before us today. This resolution solicits the people of all denominations to assist in the good work so auspiciously begun. "As a Protestant, I feel pride and pleas- ure in taking part in this work, for in this place relief is administered to all, without consideration of sect or party. The only passport required in this hospital is that the person applying should need its shelter and assistance. The blessed Preacher of SOCIAL SERVICE 199 our religion says we should love our neigh- bor as oiu-selves. When asked who is our neighbor, He teaches us by that sublime parable of the Good Samaritan that our neighbor is not alone the man who worships at the same altar with us, who inhabits the same city, or who speaks the same language, but the man who needs assist- ance, no matter from whence he comes, or what his creed may be." This is praise indeed, coming as it does from a non-Catholic. Concerning this same hospital, I quote from the Report to the Government on the Hospitals of the United Kingdom, by J. S. Bristowe, M.D.: "This hospital promises, in our opinion, to be, when complete, one of the fiaest hospitals in Eiu-ope. It is built on the corridor plan; but the distribution of cor- ridors and wards and beds is such as to entirely neutralize any ill effects that could possibly flow from the adoption of this plan, while all the advantages that spa- cious, cheerful, well ventilated corridors afford are thoroughly secured. "The hospital is kept scrupulously clean, 200 CONVENT LIFE and its ventilation, and indeed all its internal arrangements, seem admirable. Pa- tients are admitted without any recom- mendation other than the fitness of the case for admission, and all classes of dis- ease are eligible, except infectious fevers." I have chosen these citations from among thousands because of the official character of the statements. In our own country, the greatest en- thusiasts over the work of the Social Serv- ice Sisterhoods are those outside the Church. Not that our own do not appre- ciate it. But we are so accustomed to it, and it seems so natural for us to expect everything best from the Sisters, that we are not astonished at it. Those not of our faith are surprised and puzzled at the heroic devotion of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the many other Sisterhoods hke them. But we Catholics know the source of their inspiration and their strength. Jesus Christ is their Brother ; rather, He is their Spouse. No maiden ever loved her lover as these Sisters love their Lover, Jesus Christ. And it is not a romantic or sentimental affair. It is SOCIAL SERVICE 201 based on substantial grounds and is as enduring as life. They have the realiza- tion of the personal presence of our Lord at their side. I once said to an old Nun, who was car- ing for a cancer patient: "Well, Sister, how do you keep at it all the while.^*" to which she replied: "I only wish I could do more." And that is it. They love. They love the Lord. Jesus Christ is not for them an abstraction. He is the reality of reali- ties. They say with St. Paul: "I live, no not I, but Jesus Christ in me." Jesus is a living personality for them. He is at their side. They talk to Him a hundred times a day. It is as natural for them to teU Him their troubles as it is for a child to confide in its mother. It is as easy for them to do a service for Him as it is for a beloved one to serve her lover. Most non-CathoUcs do not understand that. It is all mysterious to them. But the eyes of faith see aright. As the X-ray discloses things otherwise hidden, so does the faith-ray. In the light of faith, they realize that they are the brides of Christ. As such, they delight to do what pleases 202 CONVENT LIFE Him. What that is He has declared: "Amen, I say to you, as often as you do it to the least of my brethren, you do it unto me." The Social Service Sisterhoods do not limit themselves to the rehef of bodily ailments and conditions. In a separate chapter, entitled The Teaching Sister- hoods, will be seen what a wonderful work for uplift the Sisters are doing in parochial schools and in academies and coEeges. That is true social service work, but it is not so considered generally. Most people consider social service only what is directed to the betterment of the unfortunate and neglected. There are Sisterhoods devoted exclu- sively to the education of the very poor. As this is rated by all among the social service activities, I give herewith an ab- stract from the Rules of one of the Orders devoted entirely to this kiud of work. DIRECTIONS GIVEN TO A SISTERHOOD ENGAGED IN TEACHING ONLY POOR CHILDREN " I. The Sisters, besides the principal and general end of all Religious Orders, such SOCIAL SERVICE 203 as particularly attending to the perfecting of themselves in the way of the Lord, must also have in view what is peculiarly characteristic of this Institute, that is, a most serious appUcation to the instruction of poor children in the principles of Re- ligion and Christian piety. In undertak- ing this very arduous, but meritorious task, the Sisters, whom God is graciously pleased to call to this state of perfection, shall encourage themselves and animate their fervour and zeal, by the example of their Divine Master, who testified on all occasions a tender love for httle children, expressed the greatest pleasure on their approaching Him, and declareth that: Whosoever receiveth these little ones in His name, receiveth Himself. They shall also consider that in cultivating the tender minds of yoimg children, by impressing on them a horror for vice and the love for virtue, and by instructing them in the duties of reUgion, they are associated to the functions of those heavenly spirits, whom God has appointed guardian angels, to watch over and direct them in the ways of eternal salvation. 2. It is a duty incumbent on the Sisters 204 CONVENT LIFE to teach the children daily the Catechism, which they shall explain to them briefly and simply, adapting their language to the age and capacity of the children. 3. They shall teach the children to offer themselves up to God from the first use of reason, and, when they awake in the morning, to raise up their hearts to Him, adore His Sovereign Majesty, return thanks to Him for all His favours, and arm them- selves with the sign of the cross. They shall instruct them how to offer all their thoughts, words, and actions to God's glory, implore His grace to know and love Him, and to fulfil His commandments, how they are to examine their consciences every night, and to honour and respect their parents. 4. They shall teach them how to prepare for confession, and to confess their sins with aU sincerity and contrition. They shall be ever attentive to dispose them for the Sacrament of Confirmation and for their first Communion. 5. As the Poor are the main object and particular end of this pious Institute, it is hereby enacted as a statute, invioleibly to be observed, that the Sisters of this re- SOCIAL SERVICE 205 ligious Institute shall admit none into their schools but poor children; nor can they receive money or any other temporal emol- ument for instruction, contenting them- selves with the glorious retribution prom- ised to those who instruct many to justice." Can any possible system of uplift sur- pass that described above? Could any but a divine Church foster a body of women so disinterested, magnanimous and heroic as those rules call for! Another form of uplift which may be classed as social service is that of supplying women, busy with the occupations of life, the opportunity of retiring apart for prayer, meditation and spiritual strength. There is an Order called Our Lady of the Cenacle, whose object is shown by the foUowiag extract from their Book of Instructions: "Principal among our activities are Spiri- tual Retreats, so often extolled and recom- mended by the Sovereign Pontiffs, and which our Holy Father, Pope Pius X, vouch- safed in private audience to encourage as the best of all means for renewing the Christian spirit in modem society, so un- settled in its faith. 206 CONVENT LIFE "The houses of the Cenacle are con- stantly open to women and girls of every class of society who wish to devote them- selves for some days to reflecting on the truths of salvation, to quiet and prayer, whether they wish to take counsel of the Holy Ghost before determining upon their future state, or whether desirous of dis- posing themselves for receiving the Sacra- ments, or feehng conscious of the necessity of adopting a more Christian tone in their lives. "General retreats are given at fixed times; special, or even private, retreats take place during the course of the year, according to the convenience of individuals. "The apostolate of the Cenacle by no means restricts itself to these two main works of catechising and retreats. Pass- ing beyond the cloister, it lends a helping hand to every good work which has for its object the spread of the faith, of that faith which works through charity. 'The Cenacle is a hearth; whosoever draws nigh shares in its heat, and then imparts what he has truly received.' "All these apostolates, sanctioned by the authority of the Holy See and enriched SOCIAL SERVICE 207 with indulgences, are placed under the protection of Our Lady, who in the Cenacle, as formerly in Jerusalem, is ever the model, the support, the joy of souls." All social workers agree that the only way to effect permanent good is by in- struction. To reKeve a condition without at the same time pointing out the way to avoid it is almost loss of time. It is to effect permanent good that the Cenacle conducts these retreats. In a retreat, one sees one's soul as you may see your body. If the soul is right, the whole life is right. Right thinking, correct views, proper and powerful incentives make the soul right. A retreat supplies aU that. The Social Service Sisterhoods are doing their work quietly, efficiently. Their bene- fit to our country is incalculable. When we realize that the Sisters number among us almost a hundred thousand, we can see that they are truly the Army of the Lord. As a very recent example of the Social Service Sisterhoods, I may point to the Order founded in 1889 by Katherine Drexel, of Philadelphia. A member of one of the 208 CONVENT LIFE richest and most distinguished families of the United States, Miss Drexel, with the true Catholic instinct for uplift work, organized a body of women into a society to labor exclusively among the Indians and negroes of our country. To this work she consecrated her immense for- tune and her very life. There were over 25o,ooo Indians sadly neglected as a field for her mission. And besides these were some g,ooo,ooo negroes, most of whom needed a helping and guiding hand. That was a work which had no natural attraction, no human reward, no stimulus of notoriety. It called for a truly super- natural motive. It was a sacrifice which only a divine pmpose could actuate. Such an undertaking could not be the product of any human religion, for it meant the dedi- cation under vow of one's entire life to the exclusive service of the Indians and negroes. It was a manifestation of the Church's attitude dvu-ing aU the ages towards the neglected. Certain works of charity attract by their glamour. They become a fad. Society takes them up as a distraction. Some good people join in the work out of senti- SOCIAL SERVICE 209 ment or passing pity. There are other works of benevolence which appeal in times of war and calamity. They are always accompanied by wonderful incen- tives of a human kind. But to labor all one's life, hidden away from the eyes of others, leading a hard life of toil and privation, and among a class of people more or less ignored by others, that is a divine Ufe. That is social service that counts. And that is the kind of uplift work the Cathohc Sisterhoods engage in. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament have founded schools, academies and teachers' training schools among the negroes and Indians. They Kve among these peo- ple, visit them in their homes and reserva- tions, nm"se them, instruct them in manual and useful trades, and in coimtless ways take the place of a mother, a refined. Christian mother. That is real social service. That is uplift work of the right sort. That is the kind of service the Church has been ren- dering to mankind from the beginning. All Europe was overrun by barbarians after the fall of the Roman Empire. These 210 CONVENT LIFE barbarians eventually became the civil- ized nations of Europe. It was the Catho- lic Church that made them so. She is and always has been the greatest Social Service Order in the world. XII SISTERHOODS FOR RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD AND UNFORTUNATE XII SISTERHOODS FOR RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD AND UNFORTUNATE Sighs and tears my sorrow speak. Shame and grief are on my cheek, Mercy, mercy, Lord, I seek! Mary was by Thee forgiven. To the thief Thou openedst heaven; Hope to me, too. Thou hast given. Dies Irse Jesus christ was the first Rescue Worker of humanity. He rescued Magdalen from the streets. He snatched the Penitent Thief from the precipice. And what He rescued, He was not ashamed of. He made Magdalen the companion of His Mother. He made the Thief a saint in Paradise. He came for sinners. "As I hve, saith the Lord, I will not the death of the sinner, but that he be con- verted and hve." There are certain sinners today who 213 214 CONVENT LIFE are outcasts. Society claims that the social evil, as it calls it, is necessary. But the poor frail creatures who are necessary for the social evil it brands and discards. A woman has her youth and beauty but once. If she sacrifice it to the social evil, it is gone, and no future is before her but a darksome and loathsome existence. The wages of sin is death. That we know. Every sinner wiU testify to it. But God is a God of mercy. It is above all His works. A humble and contrite heart He will not reject. Society rejects the fallen woman. God does not. His Church does not. As he reclaimed Mag- dalen, so His Church today reclaims count- less Magdalens. He was the first Good Shepherd. He left the ninety and nine to go in search of the one that strayed. His Church does the seune. A few years ago the following occurrence came to my knowledge. A good girl from a good home held a position at seven dol- lars a week in a department store in one of our large cities. Her family was poor. Her seven dollars did not help much, as she had to pay car fare and buy her limch and dress neatly. But something was left RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 215 at the end of the week, and that was better than nothing. There were no pleasures in her life, nothing but a hard grind, day in and day out. She was pretty, she was brought up well, and was careful of the pitfalls that are in the way of young girls. One of the managers of the store, a married man, marked her out as his prey. He was very kind to her, advanced her, gave her nice goods at a nominal price, and in many ways ingratiated himself in her favor. She was only human. She liked a good time and dress, as girls do. Soon he took her to lunch. She told her mother. The mother put her on her guard. Gradually the guard broke down. He lived in the suburbs and stated he was not married. She went to the theatre with him. The mother took his word that his intentions were honorable, and did not object. Then came the inevitable. Soon the girl realized she was to become a mother. The man now scorned her. A new face caught his fancy. Her mother had trusted her, beheved in her virtue, and if she knew her daughter had gone bad it would have almost killed her. The daughter knew that. 216 CONVENT LIFE The girl soon suspected that everyone knew she was bad. She dreaded going to the store. She hated to go home. She would have been glad to die. In her distress she forgot about God. The wages of sin is death. She was now morally dead. Her soul was dead. She gave up her position because it was imendurable. She told her mother she had an out-of- town position and left home. Now, of course, it wiU occur to many that the right thing to have done was to make a confidant of her mother. There would be an explosion, but that would set- tle down, and the mother would become her best friend. But girls in her position do not do the right thing. They do the desperate. Had she spoken to a priest, he could have directed her for her good. But a girl in shame does not consult any- body. She nursed her disgrace and it grew. Finally, it overpowered her. She made for the river. She got afraid. Suicide terrified her. She was on the wrong way — why not see it through .1* She had heard women talk of certain matters, and decided to see a doctor. But she had no money. RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 217 She took to the streets, fell in with a bad set, and was now a fallen woman. But she hated the life. However, what could she do.»* Good people sitting com- fortably at home may suggest many solu- tions. But this girl was not hving com- forteibly at home. She was a victim of the social evil, an evil that men consider necessary. Cathohc Ireland never con- sidered it necessary. It was unknown there. But the Church of God was guiding that people. This girl, the child of Catholic Irish parents was now a toy of the social evil. A toy? A victim! For a few years she led that degraded life, until she fell so low that she did not know or care how low she was. She had given her youth and beauty. Now they were gone. They were no longer an asset. She was often without a room or food, she was in rags, — an outcast. Did the society that made her such give her a thought.** Perhaps. She was in the way, a nuisance. She was picked up by the police. Old in vice, she was still young, but haggard. Next day she stood before a kindly judge. It was her first arrest. "Your rehgion?" he asked. 218 CONVENT LIFE "Catholic." "Six months in the House of the Good Shepherd." It was all the same to her, Good Shepherd, jail, or anything else. She was given into the custody of a motherly woman. There were no cheap pitying phrases or anything like that from the woman, but only: "Come, dear," and a warm clasp of the hand. That clasp and that sweet word were like heaven. It was the first she got since she left her mother. The good woman was a volunteer worker of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. She was their hand reaching out into the brambles for the sheep that was bleeding and famished. Imbued with their kind spirit, she knew what to do and how to do it. The hand would soon place the torn sheep in the bosom of the Shepherd, who would fondly carry it back to the fold. They arrive at the convent gate. A lay- Sister opens the door. There is no surprise shown, nothing to make the bleeding sheep bleed more. The woman of the streets was now in a cloistered convent, a hal- lowed place. Light steps are heard, and a Nun all garbed in spotless white ap- proaches. A blue girdle encircles her weiist, RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 219 and a crucifix and a large silver heart hangs suspended on her breast. Pure as snow, she hesitates not to put out her arms to the miserable creature before her. And then with few but heartfelt words she calls her "My child," and tells her that she is very dear to God, and that God came for her especially, and that she must go back to Him, and that they are going to help her. More by her manner than by her words, the Nun reassures her and makes her feel that she is not entirely abeindoned. That is only the beginning. Gently, quietly, Christlike, the good Nuns first gain her confidence, learn her history, and then by their devoted interest in her, awaken early instincts and start her on the way to good womanhood. They show how the Good Shepherd came for just such as she was. They teU her of the prodigal welcomed back by the loving Father. And they end by creating in her a desire to stand right with God again. She asks for a priest, makes a good con- fession, receives God's assurance that the guilt of the past is wiped out, and desires 220 CONVENT LIFE now to do something for the Lord to show her gratitude. In this spirit she takes her detention and her work £is penance for her sins. Cheerfully and hopefully she hves on under the guidance and help of the Sisters, and soon she is a new creature. The past is past. She needed a start. She could not get it in the world. She got it from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Her six months are up. She is free to return to the city or go where she pleases. If she returns to the city again, she feels she will faU no more. She is strengthened in Christ. But she decides that her life has been misspent and that her remaining years should be spent only in well-doing. How may she best do that.I^ She decides to be a Magdalene. And what is that.I* Before I go on to teU you of this and other things in connection with the Sister- hood of the Good Shepherd, I wish to pause a moment and ask you to reflect a bit. That was a brand plucked from the burning. There was a noble soul in that defiled body. God says: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose the soul?" Her body was broken and her soul was worse. There was no RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 221 rescuing hand but that of the Good Shep- herd. Jesus Christ walks abroad today as truly as He did two thousand years ago. "I am with you all days to the end of the world," He declared. He is with us, not only in the Blessed Eucharist, not only in the forgiving Sacrament of Peneince, but also in the lives of those angels of mercy who seek the lost sheep, pick it up, hold it to their bosom, and carry it back to the fold. The Nuns of the Good Shepherd are women of noble, beautiful and delicate natures. Some of the most refined and wealthy women of the land have left cul- tured homes to dedicate their hves and energies to the work of reclaiming their faUen sisters. Jesus is their model. He, the pure and holy One, did not hesitate to consort with sinners in order to win them. He did not consider that their contact was defilement. He was called the Friend of sinners. Not that He wanted sinners but He wanted their reform. One day a woman taken in adultery was brought to our Lord. Her accusers looked for a speedy condemnation of her. But 222 CONVENT LIFE Jesus was the Good Shepherd. He came for the lost sheep. He had also declared that not he who is well needs the physician, but he who is ill. He was the great Physi- cian. The poor wretch now before Him was indeed a pitiable object. Pride and pity do not go together. The accusing Pharisees were proud. They had no pity for this unfortunate. But Christ was meek and humble. He was purity itself. Therefore He had pity on this fallen woman. He was God. He saw the hearts of those who pointed the finger of scorn at this outcast. Their hearts were black. The sin they were shocked at in this woman stained their own souls. Hypocrites! God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. He died for the sinner, the repentant sinner. This woman was repentant. As soon as she came in His presence, something gave her a horror of sin and of her sinful self. Christ saw her repentance and became her friend. Her defender, too. The accusers were not repentant of their sins. Jesus saw that. Turning to them, by a divine strategy, He said: "Let him who is with- out sin cast the first stone." Then, £is RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 223 they still clamored for her destruction, He quietly wrote in the sand the great sin of each, beginning with the eldest. One by one they slunk away. At last the woman stood alone. And Jesus said to her: "Woman, where are they that accuse thee.** Hath no man condemned thee? Who said: No man. Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more" (John 8: lo). And we may believe that she never sinned again. It is not indifference to sin that make the Good Shepherd Nuns the friends of sinners. It is because of their appreciation of what sin is, of what it cost the Son of God, and of what it means for all eternity to those who die in it, that the Good Shep- herd Nuns are active in the welfare of the outcast. A diamond is as valuable in a lump of clay as it is on the crown of a monarch. Christ calls the soul the pearl of great price. He valued it so much that He left heaven for it. The Good Shepherd Nuns leave home and kindred, and, after the example of Christ, seek out the sinner and try to save what was lost. 224 CONVENT LIFE If you are looking for the divine on earth, go to a convent of the Good Shep- herd and see those noble ladies wearing away ;their hves on what the world despises and rejects. By prayer and penance and sympathy and devoted work, they take what society would otherwise throw into jails or reformatories and transform them into good, serviceable, self-respecting women. Yea, more, they often help them to become saints. They open the door of a convent to them if they wish to enter. Many do. Not into the Good Shepherd Order do they receive them. Not that they fear association with them, but be- cause by the nature of the work done by the Good Shepherd Nuns, they must be like unto the Good Shepherd Himself, spotless. But they have provided within their own walls a specied Sisterhood for reformed women who wish to consecrate their hves to God for the remainder of their days. These penitent women may, if they wish, become real Sisters, true Religious, with sacred vows, in the Order of the Magdeilenes. What a transition from the brothel to the cloister 1 But not so great a transi- RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 225 tion as Jesus made in Magdalen's case, when He made her the companion of His own Mother. And when Jesus was breath- ing His last on the cross, there stood at its foot Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalen. Is not that Church in which there is such an Order as that of the Good Shep- herd the true Church of Christ? What other Church reaches out and cares for the lost sheep as does the Catholic Church? And that not here and there, or in this century or that, but everywhere and always. Not merely as individual effort, the result of impulse or occasional philanthropy, but as an arm of the service, a recognized in- strmnentahty of continuous activity and sacrifice. As a type of these organizations for res- cue work, I take the Good Shepherd Order, and give here some account of its nature and activities. The object of the Order is threefold: To preserve young girls from evil; to reform women of evil life; and to superin- tend an Order called the Magdalenes, wherein women who have reformed may do penance and perform good works for 226 CONVENT LIFE the rest of their lives. Some people think that the Magdalenes are a branch of the Good Shepherd Order. That is not so. There is no passing from the penitents to the Good Shepherd Order. They may become Magdalenes. And there is no pass- ing from the Magdalenes to the Good Shepherd Sisterhood. The Good Shepherd Order is cloistered and follows the rule of St. Augustine. Besides the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they take a fourth vow, to devote themselves to the rescue and uphft of unfortunate and fallen women. There is hardly anything so divine on earth as that. Some of the very highest society ladies have consecrated themselves to this blessed and heroic charity. In the Order are three grades: the Choir Sisters, who recite the Divine Office and attend to the instruction and administra- tion of the penitents; the Lay-Sisters, who attend to the household duties; and the Outside Sisters, who look after things out- side the convent. The habit for all, except the Outside Sisters, is white with a blue girdle. Hang- ing from the neck and displayed in front RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 227 is a large silver heart. On one side of it is engraved the figure of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and on the other the Blessed Mother. The Sisterhood is especially de- voted and dedicated to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Besides the silver heart, they also wear a crucifix displayed on the hahit. The object of the Order is the rescue of girls from the danger of immorality, and the reform of those who have gone astray. The convent also affords a shelter to any ttofortunate woman who applies for ad- mission. To carry on their work, they have three departments or classes, the first of which is the Preservates, — young girls abandoned by their parents or neglected by them. These are placed in a building apart. They are educated in the same manner as in the regular schools, but besides, are taught how to be good and useful women. Above all, they are thoroughly instructed in their religion and its practices. The next class is that of the Penitents. This consists of women of immoral lives who have come of their own accord to seek shelter ; and of the same kind of women 228 CONVENT LIFE committed by the courts. It emLraces, therefore, those who come volimtarily and those who are there under compulsion by sentence of the civil magistrates. Most judges know the wonderful good accom- plished by the Sisters, and whenever they have the opportunity, commit a culprit to the Good Shepherd Nuns rather than to imprisonment. These Penitents afford the most gratify- ing sight that the human eye can behold; also the most marvellous. Most of them, under the tender influence of the Sisters, yield to grace and become hlies of virtue. It is not an uncommon thing for every one of them to go to Holy Communion every Sunday. Some receive every day! As Penitents, they hear Mass every morning, listen to spiritual reading during the day, say the rosary, and profit by the edifying lives and conversation of the Sisters. If there be any uplift or reclamation on earth comparable to that, I should like to see it pointed out. I could give many instances of holiness among the Penitents, but I must hasten on to the third class, that of the Magdalenes. This is a real Sisterhood, a Religious Order. RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 229 They take vows and follow the rule of the Third Order of Mt. Carmel. Their life consists of prayer, penance and manual labor. Many of this class reach a high degree of sanctity. All those who are Magdalenes become so of their own accord. Those of the Penitents who wish to con- secrate their lives forever to God may apply for admission to the Magdalenes. But the application is not all. They must fur- thermore undergo a long period of proba- tion, and show that they have a vocation to the Religious Life. Before they take their vows, they must give evidence of very soUd virtue and of a firm and persevering disposition. Besides receiving members from the Penitents, the Magdalenes get many subjects from outside. Any fallen woman who repents of her evil life and wishes to dedicate herself to penance, prayer and virtue, may make appUcation for admittance. Some of the Magdalenes, who have risen to the loftiest heights of holiness, were at one time vile outcasts, spumed by men and women. To see these women living as ssdnts is indeed a sight for men and angels. There is nothing on this 230 CONVENT LIFE earth more divine. If there is joy in heaven over one siimer that does penance, who can say what rapture there must be at the sight of these numerous souls living as angels, souls that formerly were the slaves of sin! . This work for the rescue of the young, the reform of the fallen, and the sanctifi- cation of the reformed, is going on in all our large cities. It takes heroic virtue to consecrate one's hfe to that element of humanity. It is altogether and absolutely a divine vocation. Here and there you might find a soul that would be touched with pity for these un- fortunates, and labor for their reclamation. But to leave aU the pleasures and comforts of hfe and devote aU one's energies and efforts to these outcasts, and that as long as life lasts, that is more than hiunan. And when we see not one, but a multitude of deHcate and cultured women consecrate themselves unreservedly to that work, we must recognize in it the grace of God. In order that you may understand the motive and the sustaining power of the Good Shepherd Sisters, I shall put before you some extracts from their Constitution. RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 231 "The object of the Sisterhood of the Good Shepherd is to serve and honor God by the faithful observance of the holy Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, and by a perfect imitation of all the other virtues of our Lord and His Most Holy Mother. But the immediate and special end of the Daughters of Our Lady of Char- ity of the Good Shepherd, and one which distinguishes them from others, is to imi- tate, as far as they can, by the assistance of divine grace, the most ardent charity with which the most loving Heart of Jesus, the Son of Mary, and that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are inflamed towards souls created to the image and likeness of God, and redeemed by the Precious Blood of His Son; employing themselves with aU their hearts, by the example of a holy life, by the fervoxu- of their prayers, and by the efficacy of their instructions, in the con- version of the girls and women who have fallen into the disorder of a Ucentious Ufe, and who, being moved by God, desire to leave the state of sin, and to do penance under their direction, and learn more easily the means of serving His Divine Majesty, and saving their souls. For as in the 232 CONVENT LIFE Church of God there are Religious who attend hospitals, and are destined to take care of the body in sickness, so it is very necessary there should be Religious whose convents serve as hospitals in which they can receive souls which are sick, and labour for the recovery of their spiritual health. "Rut in order to devote themselves with more affection and coiu-age to the perform- ance of the duties of this holy Institute, it is necessary that those who embrace it should often reflect upon the following truths: NAMELY " I. It is the greatest service and the highest honour that they can offer to God, and the most pleasing to His Divine Majesty of all the works which they can perform, because there is nothing He has so much at heart as the salvation of souls. " II. It is a work that contains within itself, and by excellence, all the other good works, both spiritual and corporal, which can be practised, because the latter are only means to attain to the former, as to their ultimate object. RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 233 " III. A soul is of more value than a whole world. " IV." A single soul is more precious before God than all the bodies which are in the universe, and to make a soul pass from the death of sin to the life of grace is an action more agreeable to God than to raise to life aU the bodies that are in the grave. "V. According to St, Chrysostom, to labour for the salvation of soids in a true spirit of charity is better than to practise the greatest corporal austerities and mor- tifications. " VI. According to the same Saint, to employ one's time and Ufe in this blessed labour is more pleasing to the Divine Majesty than to suffer martyrdom; and this made St. Teresa say that she envied more the work of those who were engaged in this employment than she envied the martyrs. " VII. According to St. Denis, of all things the most divine is to co-operate with God in the salvation of souls, especially of those who are abandoned and without help, since our Lord has said that He came to call, not the just, but sinners. "VIII. It is for this object that our 234 CONVENT LIFE Institute has been founded and established in the Church; and the Sisters have not entered our Congregation to save them- selves alone, but to co-operate in the sal- vation of souls, in the manner which shall be prescribed to them by obedience. " IX. It is a very special grace for them and an extraordinary favour of heaven, of which they are utterly unworthy, to be associated in this work with our Lord Jesus Christ, with His Most Holy Mother, with His Apostles, and with so many great saints. They should embrace with affec- tion all the sufferings and difficulties which are to be met with in their vocation, for love of Him who suffered so many out- rages in this same cause, and by this means endeavour to become true daughters of Our Lady of Charity and of the Good Shepherd." The great preacher De Ravignan thus refers to the blessed mission of the Good Shepherd Nuns: "To bring One soul, — no matter how black and guilty, — to the loving, yearning Heart of Jesus, is worth all the best actions RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 235 of your whole life put together. Think of the Great Price paid for its redemp- tion! "To look after one's own salvation Ex- clusively is, no doubt, good: but so narrow are our poor, petty minds, that there is selfishness even here, and selfish- ness, above all other things, is opposed to everything we know of our meek, tender and forgiving Redeemer. His Whole Life Was Spent in Sacrifice and Solicitude, and all for the poor erring, wandering, wayward sinner. Think of the stories of the Prodigal, of Magdalen, and the Peni- tent Thief, and how clear this fact must then appear! His last prayer, while suf- fering the most terrific torture on the in- famous gibbet, was for pity and forgive- ness for His very murderers, so anxious was He to secure their souls! Love of souls and their salvation has ever been the unfailing sign of saints. "Never think it is too late to touch a soul. One more prayer, one more appeal, tender and strong, too: one more sacrifice offered in silence, may prove to be the trumpet that shall level the walls of Jericho. "I will never despair of the salvation of 236 CONVENT LIFE any soul. It may have forgotten God or fallen in the way, or even have wished to write the warrant of its own condemna- tion, but, God be praised 1 no soul can be happy in trying to escape from Him." Another great servant of God, one who was instnunental in the foundation of the Good Shepherd work, speaks as follows: "Judge not. Despair not of any soul, whatever may be its lapses. You know not its secrets, its struggles, its prayers. A right word may rouse its latent energies, and a simple incident may give force to the wing of right resolutions, when discipline, dangers, and the most solenm events have failed. "Let us remember that it would not be so meritorious to free All the poor souls detained in purgatory as to rescue One from the state of mortal sia, even if this soul should not remain in the state of grace." Recently I came across a Uttle poem. As the lines graphically portray the life and work of these true Rescue Workers, I conclude the subject with them: RECLAIMING THE WAYWARD 237 'Mid the silent hush of the cloister, Where vesper anthems swell, In deeds of love and kindness, A band of virgins dwell. In robes of creamy whiteness, As pure as the forms they enfold, Shedding a lustre around them More fair than the brightest gold. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd Here follow the Master's call. Cheering the weak and lowly. And breathing peace to all. Praying the weak and tempted To shun the path of sin, Their doors are ever open To let the wanderer in. In hearts all torn and bleeding They pour the balm of love, Whispering words of comfort As angels whisper above. Like a cluster of sweet-scented flowers They wear their young lives away. Laying them down for their Master In charity's mission eaxih day. 238 CONVENT LIFE Till wasted, wan and exhausted. They sink to rise no more; A whispered prayer, a sigh of love, Then death, and all is o'er. As the lily closes its petals When fades the light of day, Only to ope on the morrow. More pure, more fair than to-day, So ends their earthly mission. Sealed with their Master's kiss; Only to wake in heaven To everlasting bliss. They pass through death's dark portals Without a shadow of fear. Whilst from the lips of Jesus These blessed words they hear! " Well done. My Spouse, My Sister! The crown is prepared for thee, For what thou hast done for those little ones, That thou hast done unto Me. " XIII THE TEACHING SISTERHOODS XIII the teaching sisterhoods Sometimes you hear people say: "We understand why a person should become a Sister in an Order that cares for the sick or the aged or the orphan, but why do they need to become Sisters to teach?" Such persons consider that teach- ing is an ordinary profession, well filled by lay people, and not at all necessitating the sacrifice required by a Sisterhood. They rightly associate a Nun's career with sacrifice and heroism, and they do not see anything about teaching that calls for such exalted and extraordinary virtue. Teaching they consider to be one of the ordinary professions, and, as such, should be left to ordinary people of the world. Teaching may be an ordinary profession. It may also be a very extraordinary profes- sion. It depends on what you teach. If you teach just worldly things, no matter how well, teaching is an ordinary profes- sion. But if you teach along with worldly 241 242 CONVENT LIFE branches the things that make for eternal life, teaching is not an ordinary profes- sion. Teaching then becomes an aposto- late. It assumes the dignity of a mission. Jesus Christ was a teacher. He was The Teacher. Teaching was mainly His mission. In His day there were many teachers, some ordinary, some celebrated. They were merely teachers. But He w£is a teacher who taught the things of the soul, of the future life, of God. That made His teaching a mission. He was the first Christian Missioner. He was the first Christian apostle. The Sister who teaches after the manner He taught is an apostle. If she teaches in His way and the things He taught, she is a true missioner. The teaching Sisterhoods teach what Christ taught. The teaching Sisterhoods have the same purpose that Christ had. The teaching Sisterhoods exercise an apos- tolate similar to Christ's. Of aU agencies employed by the Church of God to carry on the work of Jesus Christ, none is more essential than teach- ing. AboHsh the rehgious school, and soon there would be httle need of our churches, — they would be empty. The children of TEACHING SISTERHOODS 243 today are the men of tomorrow, and if today they receive no religious instruc- tion, tomorrow they will attend no reli- gious service. And well do the enemies of religion realize that. In every attack on the Church, the hardest blow has been struck at the Christian school. Irreligion knows that if it has the child, it has the man. And so does the Chiu-ch. Hence the great effort of the Church to provide Christian schools for the young. It is no easy thing for a struggling pastor to maintain a school. But he knows that his church will suffer if he does not. The school often entails more care and effort on the pastor's part than the Church. But he knows its importance. At all cost and at every sacrifice he maintains the school. Experience has taught the necessity of this. Hence we see, even in a struggling parish, the parochial school. Parents, too, realize the need of the Catholic school, and they cheerfully make the sacrifices neces- sary for it. This sohcitude for the faith of the child is a Catholic instinct. All the schools of Europe grew up around the Church. For long centuries there were no schools except 244 CONVENT LIFE those attached to the monasteries and churches. It was the Church that kept education alive in those epochs when Goth and Vandal and Hun devastated Europe. Everything was laid waste. Towns and cities were wiped out. CiviUzation itself was often threatened. It was kept ahve in the Church schools. All education in Europe was Catholic for centuries. AH the great imiversities were Cathohc foun- dations. Oxford and Cambridge and Paris and Salamanca and Rome were Cathohc estabUshments. Then came the great upheaval which divided Europe into two camps. God raised up a great teaching Order to stem the tide of naturalism. The Chm-ch, with the wisdom of God, perceived that the maintenance of the supernatural rehgion of Jesus Christ depended on the education of youth. That became the battle Une. To it rushed volunteers from every walk of hfe. Devoted men and women conse- crated their Hves to the same task that Jesus Christ engaged in, when, as the Teacher in Israel, He instructed many unto eternal Hfe. Teaching, which was always a character- TEACHING SISTERHOODS 245 istic of the Church's life, now became a special mission. A mission it is as truly as that to foreign countries, to pagans and savages. For it aims primarily at the souls of men. Man is not merely mortal; he is also immortal. His education must fit him, not only for his mortal career, but above all for his immortal. And that is the mission of the Teaching Orders. While neglecting nothing that equips the young for the duties and oppor- tunities of this life, they moreover prepare them for their eternal destiny. They in- culcate what our Lord insisted on: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven." With- out omitting anything that the needs of life require, they provide the helps and means which lead to success in the life beyond. And that is the great thing. He has told us so who knows. Jesus Christ Him- self declared: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" He that said that knew the value of the soul and its salvation. If God be with us, what matters it if the entire world is against us ? And it is God Himself who sets a valuation on the soul which makes it more worth than all else besides. 246 CONVENT LIFE It is this priceless jewel of the soul to which the Teaching Orders consecrate their hves and efforts. Jesus consecrated His life to the welfare of man's soul and sacri- ficed His life for it. He ministered unto the bodies of men, it is true, but only to reach their souls. He often declared that. And in the same way, the Teaching Orders minister unto the minds and bodies of the young in order to reach their souls. In this they are co-workers with Christ in His apostolate. It is true they need not be Sisters in order to teach. Our cities are filled with teachers, and good teachers, who are not Sisters. But to teach as apostles of Christ they need to be Sisters. If they want to be His disciples and work in His spirit, they must belong to His ministry. I know very well that there are many good, pious women who are not Sisters, teaching in our schools. They are doing a splendid work for the souls and minds of their pupils. God bless them for it! But what they do here and there, as individuals, and with restrictions and limi- tations, the Sisters do always and every- where and with no restrictions. For their TEACHING SISTERHOODS 247 very profession is to educate in Christ's way. Moreover, their whole object and aim in life is to do good to others for the love of their Master. They take up teach- ing, not as an occupation nor an expedient, but as a life's work. They consecrate themselves to it. They minister in the class-room as the priest does at the altar. They are ambassadors of Christ, carrying His message and directions to those in their charge. Every branch of ordinary learning which is taught by others, they teach just as well, often better, and besides, the^ impart that other instruction which only they know how to convey. For they are living the truths which they teach. Character is the great teacher. Char- acter is life. One is what one Uves. And the Sisters live the life of the Spirit. They form themselves on their Model, Jesus Christ. Daily meditation on His life makes their hves more and more like His. That enables them to instruct in His spirit. It gives a meaning and unction to their words which otherwise they would not have. Association forms character. The Sis- ters, by their companionship with Jesus in prayer, meditation and holy Commu- 248 CONVENT LIFE nion, form their characters on His. In turn they impart that character to the little ones with whom they associate. That is the secret of the charm and efficiency of the Teaching Sisters. How often have I heard men say of a young lady that she must be a pupil of the Sisters, on account of an indescribable something which char- acterized her. Not every pupil of a convent school is all that she should be. Not every child of good parents is what she should be. But speaking generally, the convent bred girl, and the pupil, boy or girl, of our parochial schools, is vastly better than he or she would be under any other form of educa- tion. Effort and example may be lost on some. That is not the fault of the effort or the example, but of the one who profits not thereby. There was never a better teacher than Jesus. Yet Judas profited neither by His words nor example. But Jesus is never- theless the Way, the Truth and the Life. And so the Teaching Sisterhoods, following in His footsteps, convey by their lives and words a lesson which is for their pupils the Way, the Truth and the Life. TEACHING SISTERHOODS 249 What a glorious mission that is! To be associated with Jesus Christ in instruct- ing many unto everlasting life, "They that instruct others unto justice shall shine as stars for aU eternity." Who are more entitled to that glorious destiny than the Sisters who give their lives to this instruc- tion unto justice! Oh, yes, I know there are many draw- backs and shortcomings among the Sisters and their work. But the Sisters are trying, and trying hard, always. In this country, the work has been so extensive that it was hard to keep up with it. Immigration multiplied the need of Sisters. To meet it, they undertook strenuous tasks and often overburdened themselves. So did Christ. But graduadly the Teaching Sisterhoods are coming into their own standard. Not that they have not done their work ex- cellently, but here and there, owing to severe handicaps, they have not always accom- plished the great good they aimed at. Wherever, of late years, the Teaching Sisters have come in competition with other schools, the advantage has been decidedly with the Sisters. I know of one large city where it was 250 CONVENT LIFE the custom to publish the results of the exammations of the Regents State Board. The superiority of the parochial children became so marked that the City School Board stopped the pubhcation of the exami- nations. Recently in one parochial school in New York City, with an attendance of fourteen hundred pupils, and whose teachers are the Sisters of Charity, every member of the graduating class passed the Regents examination. When it is considered that this examination is by an outside Board, whose methods are unfamiliar to the pupils, it makes the record aU the more wonderful. Let me give here a few of the pubhshed results of that particular examination. The graduating class numbered 65 boys and girls, who were completing their eighth grade work. Without a single exception, they passed the rigorous requirements of the Regents. The subjects were penman- ship, reading, spelling, geography, history, arithmetic and Enghsh grammar. They not only passed, but 75% of them took honors in a majority of the subjects in which they were examined. To pass with honor requires a mark of 90% or higher in any test set by the New York State TEACHING SISTERHOODS 251 Board of Regents. So that three fourths of the class passed a majority of the exami- nations with a percentage of 90% or over, while the entire class passed most credit- ably in every subject. That is an answer to those who would belittle the instruction given by our Teach- ing Sisters. Although that was an ex- ceptionally fine record, it was very closely approached year after year. And what the Sisters of Charity were accomphshing there and elsewhere, the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Joseph, and various other Orders, were doing in other parishes of this or other cities. To confirm what I have recorded, I give herewith a report made by a New York School Inspector. It appeared some time ago on the editorial page of The Sun, New York. "To the Editor of The Sun. Sir: — For more than twenty years I have been famil- iar with the public schools. As a school inspector, I have paid particular attention to methods and results. But until re- cently, I had never set foot in a Cathohc 252 CONVENT LIFE parochial school. When I did enter, it was with a feeling that it would be impos- sible to find anything to commend educa- tionally, from a lay-man's point of view. "Nothing is further from the truth than the assertion that the parochial schools teach only religion. "Last summer, while 76% of the gradu- ates of the parochial schools who presented themselves for exEimination for entrance into the normal college were admitted (and many with 'honor'), only 25% of the graduates of the public schools were suc- cessful. This summer, the Catholic per- centage was higher. "In all the parochial schools I visited, I was invited to examine the classes in any subject contained in the curriculum. Very few were below the standard, while the large majority were superior to the public schools. "In the essentials, — penmanship, lan- guage (grammar), reading, arithmetic, his- tory Eind geography, — the parochial schools seem to me to excel. They excel in drawing. The reason for the superiority of the parochial schools in these respects is simple. At the end of a school term (one TEACHING SISTERHOODS 253 half year), no child is promoted to a higher grade unless the child has a mastery of the subjects taught in the grade in which he or she has been studying for that term. In the public schools, the aim is to get resTilts in the shape of statistics. Fit or imfit, the child is pushed into a higher grade. "As a rule, the parochial school pupils are better spellers and have a clearer idea of the meaning of the words than the average public school child. "The parochial school children are fairly well acquainted with the geography of the world, so necessary in these days when the newspapers give such ample space to the current history of nations. They are well grounded in the history of their own coimtry, with a good idea of the history of foreign countries, while their writing and arithmetic deserve the highest praise." That report, coming from an outsider, speaks for itself. So much for efficiency. Now as regards the purpose of the edu- cation given by the Teaching Orders and their success in attaining it, I quote the following from Bishop Burgess of the Epis- 254 CONVENT LIFE copal Church. Coming from' such a high Protestant authority, it will not be sus- pected of Catholic partiahty. "I have real regard for the Roman Catholic Church body, especially for the wonderful energy shown in it. In the sixteen years covered by the census, that body has shown an increase of six miUion members. That is an interesting state- ment. Do you reaUze that the parochial schools which are fostered by this Church are the biggest factors in this growth? "In New York City alone, the Roman CathoUc Church has parochial schools that have an aggregate of a hundred thousand pupils. There the children are taught the Christian truths as they have been received by the Roman Cathohc Church. We are forced to realize that the real education force is the teaching of these truths, and all education must include religious teach- ings. "Our Church would do well to establish such schools, and I hope that we may soon see the establishment of parochial schools. The children of the Roman Catholic schools learn loyalty to their reUgion and affec- TEACHING SISTERHOODS 255 tion for their teachers. The public schools are a drawback to religion, as they give no religious teaching." Is it any wonder that Catholics of the right sort love and cherish the Teaching Orders! When they win such praise from outside sources, it is indeed a confirmation that their mission is apostolic. And, thank God, most Catholics appreciate the great boon that the Sisters are to them. Listen to an intelligent mother, who gave us her reasons for sending her six children to the parocliial school. She was sneeringly asked by a worldly Catholic friend why she did not send her children to the public school. This was her reply! "i. Because I think the Catholic schools do better teaching than the state schools; 2. Because the Sisters teach nice manners to their pupils; 3. Because I am too busy to instruct my children in their rehgion, and the Sisters do it for me; 4. Because my boys learn to be docile and obedient; 5. Because I have no difficulty in getting them to hear Mass on Sundays; 256 CONVENT LIFE 6. Because the children get school work to do at home, and I have them all around me in the evening, instead of scattered about the streets; 7. Because the children are so happy at school, and are so much attached to their teachers; 8. Because I wish my boys, and girls to be good Catholics; 9. Because the Pope and the clergy tell me it is my duty; 10. Because I want my children to save their souls." A short time ago, Mr. Ralph Adams Cram, ia advocating state 6ud for religious schools, spoke as follows: "As a professor of a technical institu- tion, where I come in contact with upwards of two hundred young men in my own department ia the course of a year, I can say that the products of the private schools, and specificaEy of the Roman Catholic parochial schools and colleges, compare at least favorably with their fellows of a different educational experience. This is true of character, as well as I can judge it in TEACHING SISTERHOODS 257 three years of personal acquaintance. When it comes to a question of clear construc- tive thinking and clean-cut incisive ex- pression, the products of the parochial schools generally stand first." That is a very remarkable acknowledg- ment coming from a non-CathoUc professor in a great New England college. Bishop Greer, of the Protestant Episcopal Chiu-ch, speaks thus on the necessity of teaching in the schools the very things which the Sisters insist on so much: "We must have moral training, and that training must begin with the child. 'The child is father to the man,' and the Church that lives and works for the child will con- tribute most to the greatness of the fu- ture." The late President Roosevelt strikingly asserts the same thing in the words which I here quote from him: "There is no word in the English lan- guage more abused than the word 'educa- tion.' It is a fine thing to be clever, to be able, to be smart. But it is a better 258 CONVENT LIFE thing to have the quahties that find their expression in the Decalogue and the Golden Rule. We must have education in the broadest and deepest sense, — education of the soul as well as of the mind. The future of this country depends on the way in which the boy and girl are brought up." The Teaching Sisterhoods reach the soul. You see, therefore, what a glorious mission they are engaged in. What a career for those who are blessed with that sublime vocation! Although the foregoing data referred mainly to parochial schools, we must not infer that the Teaching Orders limit their efforts to these schools only. Our country is filled with academies, seminaries and colleges conducted by the Teaching Orders. The Religious of the Sacred Heart, the UrsuKnes, the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of Mercy, not to mention others, have splendidly equipped colleges, fully recognized by the State Board of Regents. These educational estabhshments afford every facility and accommodation that the TEACHING SISTERHOODS 259 most exacting may require. In the neigh- borhood of New York City alone there are four colleges conducted by the Teaching Sisterhoods. Manhattanville, in the very heart of the city, presents as fine a group of buildings and as excellent a course of studies as any college in the country. The Religious of the Sacred Heart have sent forth from these hallowed walls some of the most distinguished ladies in America's social life. The Ursulines at New Rochelle, the Sisters of Charity at Mt. St. Vincent on the Hudson, and the Sisters of Charity at Madison, have coEegiate estabhshments second to none in the land. Trinity Col- lege, Washington, should not go unmen- tioned, as it is the only Cathohc college for women in the national Capital. The Sisters of Notre Dame have made Trinity College a monument to higher Catholic learning. The establishment and main- tenance of all these educational activities signify sacrifice and service of a high degree. In order that you may understand the spirit that animates the Teaching Orders, I append the following from the Book of 260 CONVENT LIFE Directions put into the hands of the Sisters of some Orders for their guidance and in- spiration. These or similar directions are the guiding principles of the reUgious teacher of every Order. The following is taken from the Con- stitution of the UrsuUnes, the first Re- Ugious Order of women that was established exclusively for teaching: "The Religious of St. Ursula, who have for their special end the instruction and education of young ladies, should, in view of that end, lead so holy a life as to serve as an example to the children confided to them. For how can they animate these children to the practice of virtues which they themselves have not acquired, or how shall they reprove faults to which they themselves are subject.** Ursuhnes should, then, be so exemplary, that seeing them and hearing their conversation should be sufiicient to encourage their pupils in the practice of virtue and works of piety. "Above all things they shall be faithful in guarding the precious treasure confided to them by our Lord in these young souls. They shall take great care to preserve in TEACHING SISTERHOODS 261 them their first innocence by all the means they judge fitting. They shall esteem them all equally, not looking upon themselves as their mistresses only, but as their true mothers; and they shall consider it a special grace from God to be allowed to act as their angel guardians. They shall carefully impress upon their souls a great reverence for God, a great fear of displeas- ing and disobeying Him, and a horror of vice; they shall be taught to fly falsehood, underhand conversations and idleness, and to love truth. "They are bound to employ themselves in the instruction of young girls, above all in order to form them to piety and vir- tue, teaching them Christian doctrine, to examine thek consciences, to confess their sins, to communicate, to hear holy Mass, to pray, to recite the Rosary, to read pious books, to fly vice and the occasions of vice, to practise virtue and the works of mercy, to manage a house well, and to acquit themselves of the duties of Christians. Besides, they shall instruct them in aU those things fitting to well-brought-up girls. "They shall be as zealous and devoted when teaching children of the poor and 262 CONVENT LIFE lower classes as those who belong to the upper classes." The concluding extract is from the Direc- tory of the Sisters of Mercy, and shows the spirit that animates these and other Sister- hoods in their devoted work in the schools. "The care of the young is one of the most important duties of the Sisters of Mercy. This calls for all the energy of their zeal, since upon the education of woman largely depends the futiu^e of society. "In order to accomplish good results, it behooves the directress in each educa- tional estabUshment to make herself per- fectly conversant with the responsibiUties in the matter of class duties which devolve on each Sister under her charge. She is to see that they make every effort to be- come efficient in their respective branches of study, and that the prescribed discipline be observed. "The prayers, Cathechism and religious instruction hold the most important place. These must be so managed as to keep up the pupils' interest, according to the vary- ing circumstances. "They shall carefully prepare before- TEACHING SISTERHOODS 263 hand the lessons they have to give, striving continually to render themselves better instruments for promoting the glory of God as instructors of others by word and example. " ' They that instruct many unto justice shall shine as stars for all eternity.' This promise of the Holy Ghost assures us that those who fervently pursue the great work commenced by the Son of God, and who zealously labor in spreading that fire which He came on earth to enkindle, preserving from perdition the souls He died to save, shall inherit an everlasting renown. "Such is our sublime vocation; but we must never forget that we cannot accom- plish it worthily, efficaciously and with' safety to ourselves or full profit to our neighbor, unless we give faithful, coura- geous, and persevering application to the practice of solid virtue, and to the exer- cises of the interior life. "The manner in which the Sisters con- duct themselves in the schools is of the utmost importance. To do the work of God, they should make every effort to acquire the habit of forethought, self- possession, firmness, together with a calm 264 CONVENT LIFE and kindly e3cterior. Whilst always in- sisting on prompt obedience, they should never lose sight of prudence and charity, which know how to combine gentleness with determination. "Let the Sisters devote their mind to make constant progress in the art of teach- ing, and conscientiously prepare themselves for their daily work. "The manner of the teacher should tend to make the children feel that she has a cordial interest in each of them; yet she likewise owes it to her position as superior in the class to maintain that air of reserve which, being free from familiarity or sen- timentality, is calculated to inspire respect. "The development of the sense of grati- tude in children towards their parents is of great value in education. Hence the Sisters should impress on the pupils in our boarding schools the necessity of returning an acknowledgment, with thanks, when their parents send them some gift or some article of clothing, etc. Children are in- clined to take things provided by their good parents as a matter of course, and have but Uttle consideration for the efforts made for their comfort and happiness by TEACHING SISTERHOODS 265 those who love them. To merit being considered 'well-bred,' a young lady will be attentive to the httle social courtesies taught in school, and always bear in mind that 'charity begins at home.' "In forming an estimate of the children's progress, it is to be remembered that de- velopment of character, the good will and amiable dispositions manifested in the daily exercises duruig the scholastic year, are of more weight as a standard of excellence than proficiency ia memory exercises, al- though these are to be by no means neglected or undervalued." After reading the above, it is not hard to understand the good results attained under the Teaching Sisterhoods. The mere association with women animated by such lofty motives is an education in itself. In these days of riot in education and morals, it is safe to say that there is no branch of the Sisterhoods that is more urgently needed than the Teaching Orders. Indeed, it is realized by the Sisters them- selves, as well as by the ecclesiastical authorities. Nearly every Sisterhood in the United States is now engaged in teaching. 266 CONVENT LIFE In different epochs, the Church of God has employed various means for carrying on her work. Her life is a reproduction of her Founder's. As Jesus Christ in His mission employed prayer, atonement, works of mercy and teaching, so does His Spouse, the Church. All these things are neces- sary in her work, which is His work. Today we see throughout the world that the Church of God is Kving over again the life of Christ. As He withdrew from men £ind spent days and nights alone in prayer and penance for the world, so does the Church, by her Orders of con- templation and atonement, fulfil this same office. As He went up and down through- out Galilee and Judea ministering unto the needs of mankind, so does she in all lands of the world reUeve human misery by her Red Cross and Social Service Orders. And as He was the Good Shep- herd who sought the sheep that strayed, and brought into the fold Magdalen and the adulteress, and even the thief, so does His Church by the Rescue Orders reach out and give a helping hand to the wayward and unfortunate. But the greatest part of our Lord's TEACHING SISTERHOODS 267 ministry was spent in teaching. So today the great work of the Church is teaching. Prayer and atonement, works of mercy, reclamation, and other things, are vital to her existence, but teaching is para- mount. That is why all the Orders in the Church, besides their special mission, also teach. Even the cloistered Orders engage in this holy work by instructing those who come within the range of their influence. But besides this incidental teaching done by aU the Orders, there are distinctive Teaching Orders in the Church, whose special purpose is to carry on Christ's work by teaching. The Church needs all her Orders. And God invites devout souls to any and all of them. But, in these days when teaching is more necessary than ever before, it is gratifying to see the great army of Rehgious who devote their lives to the class-room. It is a hard but fruit- ful ministry. And the divinity of the Chmrch shows itself in this, that when she needs women of self-sacrifice for such dis- interested and unspectacular work, they flock to her in thousands. In America today we may say that teaching is the distinctive feature of con- 268 CONVENT LIFE vent life. It is the most urgent necessity of the age. That is why so many women of true CathoKo instinct give their lives to the Teaching Orders.^ And what a consolation it is for them that they are engaged in the very work that took up most of our Lord's time during His min- istry on earth. Because the work is routine, for that very reason is it dear to the heart of Christ and so meritorious. "Learn of Me, who am meek and humble of heart." Those who consecrate their Uves to teaching are giving our Lord a good proof that they are complying with His appeal. Teaching as Religious do it may be unspectacular in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of heaven it is so glorious that God Himself declares that "they who instruct others unto justice shall shine like stars for all eternity." * What has been said of the teaching Sisterhoods applies also to the Brotherhoods. There is no nobler career open to a young man than that of teaching. When that profession is taken up as a Religious it makes one a true missioner of Jesus Christ. XIV SISTERHOODS OF PRAYER AND ATONEMENT XIV SISTERHOODS OF PRAYER AND ATONEMENT XVELIGION IS NOT A THING WITH a separate existence. It does not live by itself, apart. It does not stand alone. It is woven into the very texture of Ufe. Otherwise it is but a name. The man of any religious creed is moulded by that creed, if it is real. Rehgion, I mean the true Religion, helps us to live the way God wants us to hve. And He wants us to live in such a way that we may share His blessedness hereafter. That is the mean- ing of Rehgion, — a path to God. The Church is the means established by Our Divine Lord to continue the work He began during His mortal career. An important part of that work was prayer and atonement. Resides preaching and teaching and heahng and consohng. He suffered and He prayed. So likewise His Church, although so busily engaged in ministering to the people 271 272 CONVENT LIFE for their welfare and sanctification, is not unmindful of prayer and atonement. Rather because she is so deeply and truly engaged in the welfare of her people does she give herself to prayer and atonement. This is seen in her liturgy, in her feeists and fasts, her seasons of prayer and of penance. But as besides the prayer and suffering, which accompanied the ministry of Jesus, He often withdrew apart and spent long seasons in prayer and atone- ment, so does the Church, his representa- tive on earth, devote herself by means of her cloistered orders to these sacred prac- tices. Our Lord tells us, "Without Me you can do nothing!" He meant that for His Church as well as for individuals. He signij&ed by these words that for the things which coimt for eternal life His grace was necessary. It is by prayer that we get this grace of God. The indi- vidual must pray for God's help and so must the Church. As the individual has a life of struggle, so has the Church. True, God promises His Church that it will never fail, but it is because the Church will always pray. PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 273 Prayer establishes a commumcation be- tween earth and heaven. It is an inter- course between the Creator and the crea- ture. God, it is true, is everywhere. He is, by His power, present in all creation, in plant, in animal, in the expanse of ocean and in the boundless space of the firma- ment. But he is intellectually and spiritu- ally present to a soul in prayer. Prayer makes an interchange between God and vaan. By prayer the desires of the soul ascend to God, and in response to it the grace of God descends into the soul of man. Thus God, having given the initial grace which inspires man to pray, gives in return His abundant grace. And this help from on high is necessary for the Church as well as for the individual. For this reason, in the liturgy of the Mass, there is a special prayer for the Church. Realizing therefore the necessity of prayer for her very life, the Church, besides her ordinary Hturgical prayers, calls on cdl her children to pray for her. But she does more. Knowing that alms-deeds, penance and suffering add efficacy to prayer, she blesses those holy souls who in imitation 274 CONVENT LIFE of her Master, withdraw apart from the world to consecrate themselves to a life of penance and prayer. These become her heavy artillery in her battle with the world. She looks to them for special protection and help when she is hard pressed. She knows that her Conomander-in-Chief is looking doYSTi from heaven and that next to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments, it is by penance and prayer that He deigns to send His best help. She knows that He wants her to win by His appointed weapons and that He has des- ignated penance and prayer particularly. Therefore she has established Rehgious orders of prayer and atonement, she has put her seal and blessing on a life conse- crated to sacrifice for the welfare of souls and for reparation to God for the sins and ingratitude of mankind. Like her Founder, Jesus Christ, the Church holds prayer and penance paramount. Christ's whole life was fiUed with prayer. His mission, which was the same as that of the Church today, called forth His prayers. He, then, is our authority and example for looking to prayer for help and support. "Jesus went up into a mountain to pray." (Matt. PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 275 i4: 23.) "He passed the whole night in the prayer of God." (Luke 3:28.) And He tells us why : "Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coining down from the Father of Lights." (John i: 17.) Prayer is not merely for those who pray and for their own benefit. Our Lord dis- tinctly teUs us that we should also pray for others. What a wonderful mystery, that God Himself should bid us pray for the success of His own work! It shows that in certain respects He makes His mission depend on prayer. That is the premium He puts on it. No matter what valuation we give it, we could not value it so highly as that. Here are His own words: "Jesus saith to His disciples: The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Pray ye, there- fore, the Lord of the harvest that he send forth laborers into His vineyard." (Matt. 9:37)- That is why St. Dominic, before he set out on his mission, begged prayers for God's blessing on it. That is why before he estabhshed the great Order of the Dominican Preachers, he first founded the Dominican Order of Nuns. And the reason 276 CONVENT LIFE was this: he wished prayer to go before his preachers and to accompany their preaching and to follow after their preach- ing. He therefore founded the Dominican Order of Nuns as a cloistered Order of saintly women, whose prayers and penances were to call down from heaven God's blessing on the activities of his Preaching Order. For he recalled what Scripture says on the efficacy of prayer and penance: "Know ye that the Lord will hear your prayer if you continue with perseverance in fastings and prayers in the sight of the Lord." (Judith 4: n.) The apostles themselves, although the very ambassadors of God, doing His own work, realized that for the life of the spirit, the supernatural Ufe, which is the Church's mission, prayer was the indispensable req- uisite. "As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Ghost said to them: Separate Me Saul and Barnabas for the work whereunto I have taken them. Then they, fasting and praying and im- posing their hands upon them, sent them away." (Acts, i3: 2.) God does not need our prayers. He does PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 277 not need our penances. But these are indications of our dependence on Him and of our earnestness. They are an evidence that we are doing our part or trying to, and that is what He wants. By penance and prayer, we add our blood to His, we sacrifice our time, our bodily ease, in His cause. By that He knows we love Him. We give Him the best proof; the proof He Himself gave on Calvary that He loved us. And so the Church makes much of prayer and penance. In her service there are Religious Orders devoted almost ex- clusively to intercourse with God. They pray to God, they suffer for God, they live for God. Innumerable blessings they call down upon this earth. They ward off God's anger for the sins of the people. As Abraham by his prayer saved his people, so do they. They aid the priests of God and the missioners and the rulers of the Church. As St. Paul begged the prayers of the faithful on his labors, so the Church looks to sanctuaries of prayer and hoUness in her needs. Some people fancy that the cloistered life is a selfish one. It is the very opposite. 278 CONVENT LIFE A selfish soul could not live there an hour. True, those in these hallowed places seek their own salvation, but by helping others to attain theirs. Sacrifice and selfishness cannot go together. The cloistered life is a life of sacrifice. Our Lord's life was a life of sacrifice. He, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, con- fined Himself in the narrow limits of Judea, and His life was one of service and prayer. That is the life of the cloistered Nun, and for love of Him. For in the cloister it is service as well as sacrifice. The whole day is not spent with hands clasped in prayer. True, prayer forms a special duty of the day. But a life united with God is a prayer all day and all night. Work is prayer when done in the spirit of prayer. Rest is prayer when taken as obedience directs. A soldier is in a campaign, not only when in the trenches, but also when rest- ing between times. He is waging war, not only when engaged in a bayonet charge, but also when he is making ready his weapons. The Commissariat or Supply Department is nart of the army as well as the artillery. PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 279 The cloistered Nuns devote their whole Uves to prayer and penance and charity. That was Christ's life. Some people fancy that the cloistered hfe is inactive. There could be no greater misconception. I dare say you will find no greater activity any- where in the world than in the cloister. To illustrate this, let me take you to a monastery strictly enclosed, and where, besides, they have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I have in mind the Dominican Convent at Hunt's Point, New York. The Corpus Christi Monas- tery is the official title of this convent. Corpus Christi means the Body of Christ. In this case the title is significant, for the Blessed Sacrament is perpetually exposed and adored there. At stated times, all the Nuns kneel before the altar in prayer, but at no time is there an absence of wor- shippers. All day and all night, any hour you chance to pay a visit to the chapel, you will find some of the Nuns in adora- tion. From the rising of the sun to its going down, £uid from sunset to sunrise, their Sacramental Jesus is not without attendants. The rest of the world may be too busy 280 CONVENT LIFE with the things that come and go to find time for their Lord and Redeemer, but there, before the altar, consecrated virgins keep Him company. There, kneeling in adoration, they worship the Ruler of the World, and there they pour out their hearts iu prayer for mankind. The holy Nuns by turns take their place before the Tabernacle. While some are doing household work, or engaged in serv- ice for the poor who come to their door for help, others are in adoration. But they assemble at frequent intervals to worship all together their Sacramental Lord. They begin their service of prayer and adoration at the midnight hour. Every night at twelve o'clock, when the world is in sleep or sin, the beU summons them from their repose, which they began at nine o'clock of the evening before. They assemble in the chapel, where they recite the Divine Office. After Matins and Lauds, they spend some time in meditation. Several being designated to pass the watches of the night in adoration, the rest retire to their cells to repose on their hard beds until 5.4o A.M. when they are again siun- PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 281 moned to the chapel to resume the recita- tion of the Office and to meditate. After an hour or so, Mass is begun, at which all assist and receive Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ, their holy Commu- nion. At eight o'clock they breakfast. This meal consists of a cup of black coffee and two ounces of bread on fasting days, three ounces on other days. As their Lent begins on the 24th of September and con- tinues until Easter, the two ounces rather than the three make the scant meal. After breakfast, the Nuns engage in various services (what these occupations are I shall enumerate further on), until 10: 3o, when they again repair to the chapel for Office and prayer. Dinner is at eleven o'clock. It consists of vegetable soup, fish or eggs, one vegetable, and fruit sometimes. Dinner over, they spend one hour in social intercourse, followed by another hour which is at their disposal for reading, study, devotion or relaxation. At 2 P.M. they assemble in the chapel for the Office and prayer, and then take up their occupations until 4 : 3o. This hour finds them reciting Vespers in the chapel, after which they assist at Benediction of 282 CONVENT LIFE the Blessed Sacrament and then recite the Rosary. Supper follows at 6 : 3o, and after that, the Office of Comphne and night prayers. At nine they retire to rest until midnight, when they are again summoned to begin another day of service and sacri- fice, another day of benediction to mankind and of glory to God. That is the outline of their day. And their occupations.!* It is amazing to see all the work they do. There is not an idle hand nor an idle moment in the monastery. Some are engaged preparing food for poor people who come hungry to their door. Dedly forty or fifty deserving poor or unfortunate sit down at the table they provide. Besides, they make up bas- ket dinners to send out to families who are needy, but too sensitive to come to the gate for food. In all things they consider char- ity. With tact and delicacy they dis- pense their suppUes as if unto Christ Him- self, whom they recognize in His brethren, no matter how lowly they may be. While some are thus engaged in providing food for the poor, others are making gar- ments for them. Besides this work for the poor of the neighborhood, they make PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 283 altar vestments for poor churches and missions. Hundreds of churches are thus supplied which would otherwise be with- out the proper equipment for divine serv- ice. Moreover, they make various arti- cles of devotion for the pious faithful. They also do exquisite work in iUuminat- iug and sacred painting for churches. Their life is thus a perpetual service. By their prayers and penances they draw God's blessing down on the work of the Church. They help make reparation to God for the neglect and indifference of so many in the world. They ward off from mankind the wrath of God for its iniquity. Like lightning rods, they draw away from the world the punishments which would otherwise strike it for its sinfulness. Sanctuaries of prayer and charity, they help the souls and bodies of mankind. These cloisters are as it were oases which the eye of God beholds in this human desert of sinfulness. What a divine life for those who are called to it! In the turmoU of daily life in the world, there are souls that like to withdraw from the crowd and be alone. Such persons, if they be religiously inclined, find the 284 CONVENT LIFE cloister a Garden of Paradise, The Church of God, because it is divine and universal, meets the requirements of every state and condition of mankind. In the cloister, those whose nature it is to lead prayerful hves find a haven of rest. It moreover afifords them an opportunity of doing service in the way they are best fitted to serve. For some can serve best by prayer and atonement. By such a life they are carrying on the work begun by Christ on Calvary. They are thus associated with Him in His mission. If we value His atonement, we must value that of those who help bring it into the hves of others. And that is what they do. Prayer and atonement did not lose their efficacy with Christ. Rather they only began with Him, to continue eJways. Throughout our land there are many consecrated places like that at Hunt's Point. Besides the monasteries of the Dominican Order, there are also those of the Carmehtes and Franciscans, who fol- low very much the same manner of Hfe described above. I have made mention of the Corpus Christi Monastery, not that it is distinctive among the monasteries PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 285 of contemplation and atonement, but to give a specific example of the life in these sanctuaries. At Baltimore is the Mother-house of the Carmehtes, the spiritual daughters of the great St. Theresa. There, as well as in the monasteries of the Order to be found in many of oxu: large cities, you wiU find the life of prayer and penance which char- acterized the cloisters established by this holy Foundress centuries ago. The good they do will be known only when the record of things that count in God's sight is held up to the gaze of the world. The Franciscan Poor Clares and the Passionists and other Orders have monas- teries similar to the Dominican and the Car- mehte monasteries. I should like to enum- erate in detail these hallowed places, but I do not wish to delay. In another part of this volume, they wiU be found in a classified list. In all these cloisters, souls are leading lives of heroism, service and sanctity. It was in such an abode that the seraphic Theresa received that heavenly spark which has inflamed the hearts of thousands of her spiritual children in every generation since her day. Her life is sufficient answer to 286 CONVENT LIFE those who fancy that a Nun's career is a wasted one. For although she was of a cloistered Order of the strictest character, never did woman accomplish more good in the world than this sainted contemplative. Sublimest of mystics though she was, she nevertheless showed extraordinary prac- tical ability and strong common sense. As a foundress of numerous monasteries, as a capable executive, and as a writer whose words are inspirational, she evidenced to the world the truth of Our Saviour's saying: "Seek ye jBrst the Kingdom of Heaven and all other things shall be added unto you." Her hfe and her words are a rich legacy to her daughters in rehgion and to the reUgious world. In an age when material values and unrestrained force seem to dominate man- kind, we need the lesson and example of St. Theresa. Her spirit of unworldliness and prayer and penance is found up and down oitr land in the cloistered monasteries of the various Orders. We should cherish these houses of prayer, where the sublimest of womanhood are dedicated to the true uplift of the world. For while the world is busy with everything except God, these PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 287 consecrated virgins make Him their main object of service and adoration. Daily they have Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Kneeling devoutly be- fore their Sacramental King, they endeavor to do Him homage for the coldness and indifference of His subjects throughout the world. As the incense rises before the altar, it is accompanied by that other in- cense from pure hearts, the words of praise, thanksgiving and worship which ascend as a sweet odor from earth to heaven. The Tantum Ergo of St. Thomas suppUes them with an expression of their love etnd veneration. Devoutly they chant these consecrated words: Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail! Lot o'er ancient forms departing. Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying. Where the feeble senses fail. To the Everlasting Father, And the Son who reigns on high, With the Holy Ghost proceeding Forth from each eternally, Be salvation, honor, blessing, Might and endless majesty. Amen 288 CONVENT LIFE Not satisfied with praise and worship, they furthermore add supplication to their adoration: Jesus Shepherd, Bread indeed, Thou take pity on our need; Thou Thy flock in safety feed. Thou protect us, Thou us lead To the land of heavenly grace. Thou who feedest us below. Source of all we have or know. Grant that at Thy feast of hoe. Sitting with the saints above. We may see Thee face to face. Amen. Alleluia Perhaps, instead of those words of Lauda Sion, they pour forth their sentiments in that other immortal hymn of the Angelic Aquinas, the Salutaris: Saving Victim! opening wide The gate of heaven to man below! Our foes press on from every side; Thine aid supply. Thy strength bestow. To Thy great Name be endless praise. Immortal Godhead! One in Three! Oh, grant us endless length of days In our true land with Thee! PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 289 From this worship of their Sacramental King, they go forth gladly to do service for Him. As soldiers of the cross, by prayer, work and penance, they aid Him in His campaign for the salvation of souls. And because they are serving a loving Master and love much themselves, they rejoice in their privations and sufferings. Love makes all things easy. Love of God makes the hardest things welcome. St. Theresa was wont to exclaim: "0 Lord, let me suffer for Thee, or let me die!" That is the spirit of those generous souls who give their lives to contemplation and atonement. A return of love for love, love that wiU be satisfied with no half measures. That explains the life of the cloistered Nun. It is her reply to Christ, who gays: "Child, give Me thy heart; behold Mine which has loved thee so much. I proved My love by sacrifice; do thou prove thine. I suffered to save others; thy sufferings will imite with Mine for their saving. In this way, thy prayers and mortifications be- come part of the atonement for the trans- gressions of mankind. Thou dost thus share in My work on earth. Thou shall; also share in My glory in heaven." 290 CONVENT LIFE That is the message the cloistered Nun receives from her Spouse, Christ. That explains the contentment of her life. Peo- ple, especially non-Cathohcs, wonder how anyone can put up with such a life. Love is the answer, love stronger than earthly love. For the love of a man, what has not a woman accomplished and suffered I And gladly. But the love of Christ is greater in those who become His brides. The bride of Christ does not desire better treatment than her Spouse. And so she rejoices in sharing His cross. I once asked a Nun how she could bear the hard life of the cloister with its monotony and penances. She answered me that it was be- cause it was hard she chose it. She wanted to do something for the Lord that would show her love. "Anybody can do easy and agreeable things," she continued, "but only those who love can do hard things. Besides, a peace fills my soul that all the pleasures of the world could not give me." And that is true. Lovers delight to exchange gifts. Christ's gift to His dear ones is contentment. Surely nowhere else in the world does it so abound as in the heart of a true ReUgious. PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 291 A non-CathoKc remarked to me on a certain occasion that it was cruel to immm^e women in a cloister, behind a grating, and to give them no occupation but adoration and penance. I informed him that, first of aU, they were not immured. They dehberately chose the life after having had years within the cloister to accept or reject it. It answered the call of their hearts as nothing else in the world did. Sacrifice is dear to magnanimous spirits. Sacrifice which serves the welfare of man and the honor of God has a marvellous attraction for religious natures. Nuns, as a rule, represent the finest human texture. No wonder, then, that they are attracted by sublime self-sacrifice in the cause of Christ. Our best women, in war times, delight to take up exacting work in hospitals and camps for the service of the soldiers. God's chosen souls dehght to aid Him for the souls of men as well as for their bodies. If women can devote themselves cheerfully to work for men, why may they not do so for God! And they do. While visiting at a cloistered monastery, I asked the Mother Superior if the iron 292 CONVENT LIFE grating was not a rather repelling thing to behold. She answered: "Not at all; on the contrary, it was the very thing which decided my vocation." "And how was that?" I said. "Because," she replied, "I wanted to feel that nothing could interfere with my Lord and me." "But is that not a rather selfish view?" I said. "How can anything done for the Lord be selfish," she rejoined, "since He wants our love and service only to benefit man- kind? We, in loving and serving Him, are helping Him in His mission among men." It ifi the realization that they are engaged in the noblest service on earth that mates the Sisters so content. They are content, make no mistake about that. Not that they do not have their trials and vexations, but they know that these are a part of the cross, and they carry it cheerfully in the footsteps of their Lord and Leader. It is precisely this that forms the merit of the Rehgious Life. If it were a path of roses, there would be no astonishment that many walked in it. But it is a path PRAYER AND ATONEMENT 293 of thorns, and steep and stony, and that is the divinity of it, that such a path at- tracts numerous souls. It may be a steep and stony path, but it leads direct to the heart of God. If you are on the way to your lover, you do not mind the road. If, on the way, you are helping others, you walk, rejoicing. The cloister is the path that brings the Nun to her beloved Spouse, Jesus Christ. On her way, she is a helping hand to many a travel-stained and wearied wayfarer. Do you realize now why the cloistered Nun is so content? Besides, her Lover is ever at her side! XV SISTERHOODS AND BROTHERHOODS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE NATURE OF THEIR WORK XV SISTERHOODS AND BROTHERHOODS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE NATURE OF THEIR WORK^ Agnes, Sisters of St. Conduct Hospitals, Orphan Asylums, Homes for Aged, Indian Schools, House for Emigrants. Teach. Ann, Sisters of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Apostolate, Sisters Auxiliaries of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Assumption, Little Sisters of the Nurse the Sick Poor in their Own Homes. Assumption of the B.V.M., Sisters of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Baptistine Sisters Conduct Day Nurseries, Orphan Asy- lums. Teach. 'This infonnation taken from The Official Catholic DiBBCTOBY. Published and Copyrighted by P. J. Kenedy & Sons. 297 298 convent life Basil the Great, Sisters of the Order OF St. Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Benedict, Sisters of St. Conduct Orphan Asylums, Missions. Care for the Sick. Teach. Benedictine Sisters, French Conduct Manual Training Schools for Girls. Contemplate. Benedictine Sisters, Olivetan Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Perpetual Adoration {main object). Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Bernardine Sisters of Esquermes Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Blessed Sacrament, Sisters of the Conduct Schools for Indian and Colored People, Academies, Orphan Asylums. Visit the Sick and Prisoners. Bon Secours, Sisters of the Nurse the Poor and the Rich, Reparation. Capuchin, Sisters Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart OF Jesus Sisterhoods 299 Educate the Poor in Home Keeping. Conduct Homes for Aged, Missions. Carmelites, Discalced Perpetual Adoration. Casimir, Sisters of St. Educate Children of Lithuanian Birth and Descent. Social Service. Reparation. Cenacle, Ladies of the Conduct Retreats. Perpetual Adoration. Teach Christian Doctrine. Charity, Sisters of {Gray Nuns) Conduct Hospitals, Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Poor, Homes for the Aged. Teach. Charity, Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Charity, Sisters of Nazareth Conduct Orphan Asylums, Hospitals, Infirmaries, Homes. Teach. Charity, Sisters of, of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Reparation. Charity, Sisters of, of Providence Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Teach. \ Charity, Sisters of, of St. Augustine Conduct Hospitals, Orphan Asylums. Teach. Reparation. 300 convent life Charity, Sisters of, of St. Louis Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Charity, Sisters of, of St. Vincent de Paul Conduct Orphan Asylums, Foundling Asylums, Insane Asylums, Hospitals, Industrial Schools, Homes for the Aged. Care for Needy and Homeless Mothers. Teach. Charity, Sisters of, Pallotine Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Chretienne, Sisters of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Christian Charity, Sisters of Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Cyril and Methodius, Sisters of Sts. Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Daughters of the Cross Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Daughters of the Cross and Passion {Passionist Nuns) ContempkUe. Daughters of Jesus Care for the Sick. Educate the Orphans. Teach. Daughters of Wisdom Conduct Hospitab, Home for Cripples and Defectives. Teach. sisterhoods 301 Divine Compassion, Sisters of the Conduct Mental and Industrial Training Schools for Young Girls. Dominic, Sisters of St. Conduct Orphan Asylums, Hospitals, Homes for Ladies. Teach. Dominic, Sisters of St., of the Con- gregation OF St. Rose of Lima Nurse Incurable Cancer. Dominic, Sisters of the Third order of St. Conduct Homes for Orphans and Desti- tute Children. Teach. Dominican Nuns of the Congregation of St. Catherine de Ricci Conduct Spiritual Retreats, Homes for Ladies and Young Business Women, Private Boarding Schools. Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary Contemplate. Dominican Nuns of the Second Order (Cloistered) Perpetual Adoration. Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor Nurse the Sick Poor in their Homes. Dorothy, Sisters of St. V Social Service. Reparation. Teach. 302 convent life Faithful Companions of Jesus Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Felician Sisters, 0. S. F. Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Francis, Hospital Sisters of St. Conduct Hospitals. Francis, School Sisters of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Francis, Sisters of St. Conduct Orphan Asylums, Foundling Asylums, Homes for Aged, Day Nur- series, Indian Schook, Hospitals, Homes for Working Girls. Teach. Francis, Sisters of St., of Mary Im- maculate Conduct Orphan Asylums, Industrial Schools for Indian Girls. Teach. Francis, Sisters of St,, of the Congre- gation of Our Lady of Lourdes Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Francis, Sisters of St., of the Immacu- late Conception Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Francis, Sisters of St., of the Sacred Heart Conduct Hospitals, Homes for Aged, Orphan Asylums. Francis, Sisters of the Poor of St. SISTERHOODS 303 Conduct Hospitals. Francis, Sisters of the Third Ord. of St. Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for Aged and Destitute Children. Teach Indian and Colored Children. Francis, Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Francis of Assisi, Sisters of the Third Order of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Francis Seraph, Poor Sisters of St., of the Perpetual Adoration Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for Aged, Hospitals. Teach. Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Conduct General Mission Work. Franciscan School Sisters (Polish.) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Franciscan Sisters Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for Ladies, Hospitals. Teach. Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore City Visit the Poor, Sick, Almshouses and Jails. Conduct Industrial Schools. Teach. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Conduct Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Teach. 304 convent life Franciscan Sisters of Mary, Little Conduct Hospitals, Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged. Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adora- tion Conduct Orphan Asylums, Indian Board- ing Schools, Hospitals. Teach. Franciscan Sisters of St. Kunegunda {Polish) Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged and Crippled, Hospitals. Teach. Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Nurse. Reparation. Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Teach. Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement Conduct Charitable Works. Teach. Good Shepherd, Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Reform Wayward Girls. Magdalenes Penance. Good Shepherd Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of Refuge Reform Wayward Girls. sisterhoods 305 Gray Nuns of the Cross Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Teach. Helpers of the Holy Souls Conduct Charitable Works, Religious In- struction. Visit the Sick Poor. Holy Child Jesus, Society of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Holy Cross, Sisters of the Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Holy Cross and the Seven Dolors, Sisters of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Holy Family, Congregation of the {Colored) Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged. Teach. Holy Family, Little Sisters of the Care for the Sick and Poor. Teach. Holy Family, Sisters of the Care for the Sick Poor, Conduct Nur- series. Teach. Holy Family, Sisters of the, of Nazareth Conduct Orphan Asylums, Working Girls' Homes, Hospitals. Teach. Holy Ghost, Daughters of the Conduct Work among Negroes. Teach. 306 CONVENT LIFi Holy Ghost, Servants of the Conduct Missions. Teach. Holy Ghost, Servants of the. Mission- ary Sisters Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Holy Ghost, the Sisters Servants of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sac- rament (exclusively). Holy Heart of Mary, Sisters Servants OF THE Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Holy Humility of Mary, Sisters of the Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Sisters OF THE Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Holy Rosary, Congregation of Our Lady of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Humility of Mary, Sisters of the Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Immaculate Conception, Sisters of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Congre- gation OF THE Sisters Servants of the Conduct Orphan and Foundling Asy~ lums. Industrial Schools, Homes. Teach. sisterhoods 307 Immaculate Heart of Mary, Daugh- ters OF THE Conduct Asylums, Lay Apostolate. Teach. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sisters of THE Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sisters Servants of the (Good Shepherd) Conduct Industrial and Reformatory Schools. Incarnate Word, Sisters of Charity of THE Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Teach. Incarnate Word, Sisters of the, and of THE Blessed Sacrament Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Infant Jesus, Sisters of the Nurse the Sick Poor in their Homes. Institute of Christian Doctrine Conduct Day Nurseries. Teach Cate- chism. Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ladies of Loretto) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Jacut, St., Sisters of the Sacred Heart OF 308 CONVENT LIFE Conduct Domestic Department in Semi' naries. Jesus-Mary, Religious of Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Joseph, Hospital Sisters of St. Conduct Hospitals. Joseph, Polish Sisters of St. Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Joseph, Sisters of St. Conduct Orphan Asylums, Deaf Mute Institutes, Homes for Working Girls, Day Nurseries, Hospitals, Settlement Work. Teach. Joseph, Sisters of St., of Carondelet Conduct Orphan Asylums, Day Nur- series, Homes for Friendless, Deaf Mutes, Indians, Hospitals. Teach. Joseph, Sisters of St., of Peace Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for Blind, Homes for Working Girls, Hos- pitals. Teach. Little Company of Mary Care for Sick in their own Homes Little Sisters of the Poor Conduct Homes for the Aged and Desti- tute. LoRETTo, Sisters of, at the Foot of the Cross SISTERHOODS 309 Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Mantellate Sisters, 0. S. M. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Marianites of the Holy Cross Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for Boys. Teach. Marie Reparatrice Perpetual Adoration. Conduct Retreats. Mary, Sisters of St. Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Mercy, Sisters of Conduct Orphan Asylums, Hospitals, Training Schools for Boys, Industrial Schools for Girls, Boarding and Indus- trial Schools for Indians, Homes for Young Ladies, Business Girls, Conva- lescents and the Aged, Vacation Homes for Children. Visit the Sick in their Homes, Hospitals and Jails. Reform the Wayward. Teach. Mercy, Sisters of, of the Holy Cross Conduct Hospitals. Reparation. Misericorde, Sisters of Conduct Maternity Wards: (Public) Gen- eral Hospital, {Private) Care for Hoine- less Mothers. Magdalenes Penance. 310 convent life Missionaries of St. Mary and Ladies Catechists Teach Catechism to Indians and the Poor. Mt. Carmel, Sisters of the Congrega- tion of Our Lady of Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Nostra Domina, School Sisters de Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Notre Dame, School Sisters of Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Notre Dame, School Sisters of (Namur) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Notre Dame, Sisters of Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Notre Dame, Sisters of the Congre- gation OF Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Notre Dame de Bon Secours Care for the Sick in their Own Homes. Our Lady of Lourdes, Order of Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Our Lady of Sion, Sisters of Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Perpetual Adoration, Congregation of Perpetual Adoration Pious Society of Missions Conduct Hospitals. Teach. Poor Clares SISTERHOODS 311 Prayer, Atonement. Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Hospitals. Care for the Sick in their Homes. Teach. Precious Blood, Sisters Adorers of the Contemplate. Precious Blood, Sisters of the Most Conduct Orphan Asylums. Teach. Precious Blood of Jesus, Sisters of the Conduct Homes for the Aged. Teach. Presentation, Sisters of St. Mary of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Presentation of Mary, Sisters of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Presentation of the B. V. M., Sisters of the Conduct Orphan Asylums, Foundling Asylums. Teach. Providence, Oblate Sisters of Educate Colored Children. Providence, Sisters of Conduct Orphan Asylums, Homes for the Aged, Homes for Working Girls, Hos- pitals. Teach. Providence, Sisters of Divine Conduct Foundling Asylums, Homes for Boys, Hospitals. Teach. 312 CONVENT LIFE Resurrection, Sisters of the (Polish) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Sacramentine Nuns Coijdiict Boarding School, Retreats. Perpetual Adoration. Sacred Heart, Mission Helpers of the Conduct General Mission Work. Sacred Heart, Mission Workers of the Conduct General Mission Work. Sacred Heart, Missionray Sisters of the Conduct Orphan Asylums, Hospitals. Teach. Sacred Heart, Religious of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Sacred Heart, Sisters of the {Apostolic Z^latrices) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Servants of THE (Mexican) Conduct Orphan Asylums. Sacred Heart of Mary, Religious of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Sacred Hearts, Religious of the Holy Union of the Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Sacred Hearts, Sisters of the, and of the Perpetual Adoration Social Service. Reparation. Teach. sisterhoods 313 Salesian Sisters of the Holy Eucharist Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Saviour, Sisters of the Divine Care for the Sick in their Homes. Servants of Mary Care for Sick and Poor. Teach. Sorrowful Mother, Sisters of the Conduct Orphan Asylums, Hospitals. Teach. Theresa of Jesus, Society of St. {There- sian Sisters) Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Ursula, Society of the Sisters of St. OF THE Blessed Virgin Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Ursuline Nuns Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Ursuline Sisters Social Service. Reparation. Teach. Visitation Nuns Contemplate. Teadi. ZiTA, Sisters of the Conduct Homes for Friendless Women. BROTHERHOODS Almost everything in this volume per- tains to the Religious Orders of men as well as to those of women. All the general principles of vocation apply equally to Nuns and Brothers, and Religious gener- ally. In nearly every chapter Brother- hood could be substituted for Sisterhood. The Sisterhoods were given prominence because, as a rule, the pubMc identifies the convent with women rather than with men, although there are convents of men, just as there are monasteries of women. The list of Brotherhoods given will be a help to young men desirous of consecrating their fives to the service of refigion. Many youths who by circumstances are not quafi- fied for the priesthood wish nevertheless to dedicate themselves in a special way to the service of God. Most of the Brotherhoods here fisted en- gage in teaching boys or in caring for them. Others aid the clergy in Church work and in the domestic duties of the Convent or Monastery. 314 BROTHERHOODS 315 BROTHERHOODS Alexian Brothers Benedictine Brothers Blessed Sacrament, Congregation of the Capucian Brothers Carmelite, Order of Discalced Carmelites, Order of Calced Cistercians or Trappists, The Re- formed Charity, Order of Charity, Congregation of the Brothers of Christian Schools, Brothers of the Christian Brothers of Ireland Christian Instruction, Brothers of (Lemennais Brothers) Canons of the Holy Cross Dominican Brothers Francis de Sales, St. (Salesians) Francis, Third Order Regular of St. (T. 0. R.) Francis Seraphicus, The Brothers of THE Poor of St. Franciscan Brothers (0. F. M.) Franciscan Brothers (0. M. C.) Franciscan Brothers (O. S. F.) Gabriel, Brothers of St. 316 convent life Holy Cross, Brothers of the Holy Ghost, Congregation of the Heart of Mary, Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Holy Infancy and Youth of Jesus, Brothers of Jesuit Brothers Marist Brothers Mary of Paris, Society of (Brothers OF Mary) Oblates of Mary Immaculate Our Lady of Louhdes, Brothers of Passion, Congregation of the Precious Blood, Congregation of the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) Redemptorist Brothers Sacred Heart, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Brothers of the Saviour, Society of the Divine Servite Brothers Theatine Brothers Viator, The Clerics of St. ViNCENTiAN Brothers Word, Society of the Divine Xaverian Brothers.