Letter 43. The religious life.
16th September 2005
Dear friends,
My week with the Franciscans in Somerset is ended, and it is time to give you some more ideas about the religious life. I am still not sure of all expressions, and I have lot of questions to work on. First of all: Am I called to the religious life? If yes, then: What sort of community, which denomination, an enclosed or apostolic community, in which country, with what sort of work, habit, offices, observance of silence…?
I have got some questions and comments on my last letter, and I will try to answer some of it here, to clarify what the religious life can be like. I don’t know the right translation of ‘religious life’ in Norwegian, as the Norwegian expressions are more related to enclosed communities, as far as I understand them. Enclosed or contemplative communities have the entire focus on prayer. The members, who are called nuns, don’t leave the convent except for emergency situations. The other kind of community is apostolic, or active. They also organise the day around prayer and according to the offices, but other work is also important. The members, who are called Sisters, often work outside the convent. I mostly use the word Sister when referring to what I might become, as I think that is more probable than nun, though I know ‘nun’ is often used as a common expression by people outside communities. Anyway, I know God doesn’t always work according to probability.
I have read some books again. I could stay in a convent library reading books for months, I think, there is so much to read. One of the books was called “Communities” and gave an introduction to twelve quite different communities. I didn’t know that there were so many kinds, especially those for families and young people, where they normally stay for a few years, were new to me. Then there are all the grades, via apostolic Sisters, to contemplative nuns. There is also what is called the third order. Within the Franciscan family the first order covers the apostolic Sisters and Brothers, the second order the contemplative nuns, the Poor Clare’s, and the third order consists of members who live their ordinary lives, as married couples or singles, following a rule emphasising prayer to be an essential part of their lives, and they meet regularly. The third order is meant for those who are called to live ordinary lives, but with a closer connection to the religious life. I actually think the third order would be hard for me. Some say that I am disciplined, but I find it much easier when I have a community to be disciplined with.
I should say something about the process of becoming a member of a community. I won’t dwell much with the more “family type communities”, which often have no vows and are organised in many different way, but give some idea about convents. Those who think it is easy to be lured into a community needs to rethink. It is a long process. I am in a way in the first step, visiting and exploring. Many communities would like you to visit them a few times before you ask to come as a postulant. The postulant lives the life of the community, but wears her own clothes, and does not take any vows. This period could last about half a year. The next step is the novitiate. Before becoming a novice, you need to apply and be accepted by the community. A clothing service, where you receive the habit, marks the start of this period of introduction, which lasts from two to five years. The novice makes simple promises of loyalty. The novice can then apply to be accepted for first vows to be professed as a nun or Sister. After a few years of these temporary vows she can give life vows, which will give her the full membership of the community. So the process is long, and the discernment is done carefully, both by the candidate and the community.
I have mentioned the vows. There are some differences between the communities, but the most common is vows of poverty, chastity / celibacy and obedience. Poverty means no individual property and a simple lifestyle. The Poor Clare’s might be some of the strictest, with their all-year-barefoot-habit. Some have small amounts of pocket money to buy their own stamps or bus tickets on a day off. Any salary from employment outside goes into the shared budget. Celibacy means no husband. Chastity is not an exclusive term for celibates, but is an ideal of purity also for married couples, so celibate chastity is an expression used to make it more accurate. Obedience is first to God. In a community this means to obey the superior and the community.
I wrote that the new novice receives the habit of the community in a clothing service. Not all communities have habits though. They wear ordinary clothes. The Franciscans have a habit, but they don’t wear it all the time. They wear it in the chapel, in the refectory and in any official event. They do not wear veil any more as it was considered too dangerous driving a car or walking in the traffic without side sight. The Sisters in Derby wore their habit all the time. They could choose to wear the veil or not. I got a comment from a Jerusalem friend about the similarity between the veil and the Muslim hijab. I don’t know enough about the veil to say if I find it right to wear or not. I am not quite sure about the habit itself either. Or, I think I prefer the habit as a way of simple living, and I think it is an important witness, but I know there are other ways to witness than through clothes. The veil is more “romantic” in a way, not that necessary. I need to reflect more on that.
There are many more aspects of the religious life I thought of writing about, but this starts to be long. So the “lecture” will probably continue next week. I haven’t told much about the daily life yet. After having been a ‘working guest’ with the Community of St Francis, I know something about a busy life consisting of silence, manual work, meals, prayers, visitors, discussions and rest. “We hope you won’t dream too much about apples, kitchen cleaning or Henry,” they said when I left this morning. I spent some hours picking, cutting and peeling apples, cleaning the kitchen according to the anti-bacteria-rules, and accompanying Henry hoovering. Henry is the vacuum cleaner, they are happy to have a male doing all this cleaning…
The train is soon in Oxford. I will have another convent week before I leave for Bangladesh. I expect it to be quite a different experience, from mainly retreat ministry in rural Somerset, to mainly ministry for the poor in urban Oxford. I have had the chance to read exciting and encouraging e-mails from some of you. I am sorry I have not given priority to give individual replies yet. Hopefully I can give time for that my first week in Bangladesh. Now I want to focus on the religious life.
Greetings from Hanne.
Dear friends,
My week with the Franciscans in Somerset is ended, and it is time to give you some more ideas about the religious life. I am still not sure of all expressions, and I have lot of questions to work on. First of all: Am I called to the religious life? If yes, then: What sort of community, which denomination, an enclosed or apostolic community, in which country, with what sort of work, habit, offices, observance of silence…?
I have got some questions and comments on my last letter, and I will try to answer some of it here, to clarify what the religious life can be like. I don’t know the right translation of ‘religious life’ in Norwegian, as the Norwegian expressions are more related to enclosed communities, as far as I understand them. Enclosed or contemplative communities have the entire focus on prayer. The members, who are called nuns, don’t leave the convent except for emergency situations. The other kind of community is apostolic, or active. They also organise the day around prayer and according to the offices, but other work is also important. The members, who are called Sisters, often work outside the convent. I mostly use the word Sister when referring to what I might become, as I think that is more probable than nun, though I know ‘nun’ is often used as a common expression by people outside communities. Anyway, I know God doesn’t always work according to probability.
I have read some books again. I could stay in a convent library reading books for months, I think, there is so much to read. One of the books was called “Communities” and gave an introduction to twelve quite different communities. I didn’t know that there were so many kinds, especially those for families and young people, where they normally stay for a few years, were new to me. Then there are all the grades, via apostolic Sisters, to contemplative nuns. There is also what is called the third order. Within the Franciscan family the first order covers the apostolic Sisters and Brothers, the second order the contemplative nuns, the Poor Clare’s, and the third order consists of members who live their ordinary lives, as married couples or singles, following a rule emphasising prayer to be an essential part of their lives, and they meet regularly. The third order is meant for those who are called to live ordinary lives, but with a closer connection to the religious life. I actually think the third order would be hard for me. Some say that I am disciplined, but I find it much easier when I have a community to be disciplined with.
I should say something about the process of becoming a member of a community. I won’t dwell much with the more “family type communities”, which often have no vows and are organised in many different way, but give some idea about convents. Those who think it is easy to be lured into a community needs to rethink. It is a long process. I am in a way in the first step, visiting and exploring. Many communities would like you to visit them a few times before you ask to come as a postulant. The postulant lives the life of the community, but wears her own clothes, and does not take any vows. This period could last about half a year. The next step is the novitiate. Before becoming a novice, you need to apply and be accepted by the community. A clothing service, where you receive the habit, marks the start of this period of introduction, which lasts from two to five years. The novice makes simple promises of loyalty. The novice can then apply to be accepted for first vows to be professed as a nun or Sister. After a few years of these temporary vows she can give life vows, which will give her the full membership of the community. So the process is long, and the discernment is done carefully, both by the candidate and the community.
I have mentioned the vows. There are some differences between the communities, but the most common is vows of poverty, chastity / celibacy and obedience. Poverty means no individual property and a simple lifestyle. The Poor Clare’s might be some of the strictest, with their all-year-barefoot-habit. Some have small amounts of pocket money to buy their own stamps or bus tickets on a day off. Any salary from employment outside goes into the shared budget. Celibacy means no husband. Chastity is not an exclusive term for celibates, but is an ideal of purity also for married couples, so celibate chastity is an expression used to make it more accurate. Obedience is first to God. In a community this means to obey the superior and the community.
I wrote that the new novice receives the habit of the community in a clothing service. Not all communities have habits though. They wear ordinary clothes. The Franciscans have a habit, but they don’t wear it all the time. They wear it in the chapel, in the refectory and in any official event. They do not wear veil any more as it was considered too dangerous driving a car or walking in the traffic without side sight. The Sisters in Derby wore their habit all the time. They could choose to wear the veil or not. I got a comment from a Jerusalem friend about the similarity between the veil and the Muslim hijab. I don’t know enough about the veil to say if I find it right to wear or not. I am not quite sure about the habit itself either. Or, I think I prefer the habit as a way of simple living, and I think it is an important witness, but I know there are other ways to witness than through clothes. The veil is more “romantic” in a way, not that necessary. I need to reflect more on that.
There are many more aspects of the religious life I thought of writing about, but this starts to be long. So the “lecture” will probably continue next week. I haven’t told much about the daily life yet. After having been a ‘working guest’ with the Community of St Francis, I know something about a busy life consisting of silence, manual work, meals, prayers, visitors, discussions and rest. “We hope you won’t dream too much about apples, kitchen cleaning or Henry,” they said when I left this morning. I spent some hours picking, cutting and peeling apples, cleaning the kitchen according to the anti-bacteria-rules, and accompanying Henry hoovering. Henry is the vacuum cleaner, they are happy to have a male doing all this cleaning…
The train is soon in Oxford. I will have another convent week before I leave for Bangladesh. I expect it to be quite a different experience, from mainly retreat ministry in rural Somerset, to mainly ministry for the poor in urban Oxford. I have had the chance to read exciting and encouraging e-mails from some of you. I am sorry I have not given priority to give individual replies yet. Hopefully I can give time for that my first week in Bangladesh. Now I want to focus on the religious life.
Greetings from Hanne.
posted by Hanne at 5:09 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home