No slouch need apply

Photo Retrieved from the Catholic world Report

Religious life is not simply a matter of sitting around in the chapel and reciting prayers.  There is much work to be done, and sisters often pursue higher education to achieve the necessary qualifications for their ministries.  To think that women religious do not have demanding schedules would be mistaken.

Here are some examples of high achievers in the community where I am staying:

Sr. Edna took a Master's of Theology to work in Religious education in parishes and to become a spiritual director (kind of like a faith counselor).  She runs a spirituality center that has hundreds of retreatants and other visitors during the year.

Sr. Maggie wanted to work in missions in Mexico, so she spent time living there and studying the Spanish language.  Now she is completely fluent.  She opened a school for destitute children and now has 80 kids under her charge on a daily basis, along with a handful of volunteers.

Sr. Marietta plays five musical instruments and while well into her seventies maintains a full schedule of playing the organ for community masses and prayers and teaching a number of students of music.

Sr. Shirley was a science teacher for many years and runs programs for children about the natural environment and science at the Franciscan Earth Literacy center.  She designs the programs herself and teaches them throughout the year, including day camps in the summertime.

Sr. Marcia is proficient at the organ, piano, and choir direction and is employed by five  rural  parishes in their music ministries.

Get the picture?  So roll up your sleeves and get to work.

The importance of hugs

Don't confuse celibacy and chastity with a lack of physical affection.  Courtship as it is supposed to be as well as friendship and relations between family members is full of physical displays of affection.  So thus is a religious community, being sisters after all.  Hugs are numerous as are warm two handed handshakes and squeezing someone's hand as a token of affection.  Just as in a happy family in North America, so too among these sisters.

The kiss of peace during the Catholic match is, in most parishes, a few minutes of hand-shaking and peace wishing among people who may or may not be acquainted.  But in the sister's chapel, everyone knows everyone else and the kiss of peace takes forever, and I mean several minutes, during which time the sisters greet anyone in their vicinity, and cross the chapel to greet sisters who have been away on travel.  With, of course, a warm hug and a few words of well wishing and peace sharing.

This didn't use to be the case among religious.  One sister told me that back in the habit wearing days, or pre-Vatican II days, such things were discouraged as perhaps too ebullient given that sisters were supposed to be models of decorum and reserve. 

But something tells me that warm displays of affection were somehow lost along the historical line, and that St. Francis himself would approve of them.  After all, the first outward sign of his inner conversion was in fact the time that he not only gave coins to a leper, but got down from his horse to embrace and kiss him.

Hugs are official among male clergy in the church as well, and are routinely administered during ordinations, the kiss of peace, and to the newly elected pope during the last moments of a conclave.

A big hug for you, dear reader, today.

Solitude in the woods

If you do decide to visit the Franciscan sisters in Tiffin, Ohio, you have the option of lodging in a rustic and peaceful cabin in the woods. 

St. Francis used to retire to a hermitage in a remote woods to get away from the demands of leading a community, to pray and reflect.

Nothing but the sounds of crickets and the crackling fire.  Ok, and maybe a raccoon or fox rummaging around outside.  Sister Mouse may join you in the cabin...but her nearest relation met an untimely demise with a trap.  Oh dear.  St. Francis would probably have given her some cheese. 

Tiffin, Ohio

I come from a major metropolitan area.  People rush, they always think you are in the way, they don't work to build community much because they want to retire someplace else.  Bosses can be harsh and it is not uncommon to have an experience with a person who is being just plain rude.  Of course there are kind people, but they are sprinkled in like roses among weeds.

Out here in Tiffin, it is different.  People are decent almost as a rule.  The teller at the bank waived a fee for me the other day.  That doesn't happen where I come from.  A stranger I met in a café offered to introduce me to a woman he knew who had access to a horse stable, after I passingly mentioned I like to ride horses.  A faculty member in charge of my attendance at classes, and whom I have never personally met, sent me a get-well email after I came down with a stomach bug.  People from Ohio just typify that saying: "Midwest nice."  Now I know what it means.

Seneca County had its annual heritage festival and parade this weekend.  There were baton girls, and tractors--lots and lots of tractors.  The actual Budweiser Clydesdale horse team was present and it was a magnificent sight.  The sisters marched in the parade with a float to raise awareness about peacemaking in a conflict ridden world, and another one to highlight their work to help the victims of human trafficking.

Enjoy the photos.  Come visit us.

The Vows: Chastity

Chastity is the second vow made by religious.  Actually, all people are called to live in a chaste manner, and the issue is explained in detail by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Follow this link: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm Chastity 

It is an idea that involves self-control, self-mastery, and right relations with others.  Just look at what sexual scandals have done to some prominent politicians, and you get the idea.  Yes, even married people must be chaste, and treat their partners with reverence and respect, not commit adultery, and so forth.   Consider what sins against chastity do to women, especially.  Women are made into chattel, into objects of lust and pleasure, and are not valued as whole persons.  Pornography is an example of the evil that results when chastity is thrown out the window.  Men who frequent brothels around the world sin against chastity, and the result is human trafficking and de facto slavery for many women.  On that note, many women's religious communities are working to free people who have been the victims of trafficking, and to stymie this horrendous practice.

Some young people have taken vows of virginity until marriage, and wear a chastity ring to show their commitment.  It is a positive rejection of media images of women who are perpetually tarted up like Vegas showgirls...little more than sex toys.  Chastity elevates the status of women, in particular, and preserves the dignity of men.

 For members of religious communities, chastity means that they will not marry, will of course refrain from all sexual union, and this leaves them free to be a brother or sister to everyone.  They are not bound in an exclusive relationship but can relate freely to their community with their time and resources, and reach out to the larger community.  Sins against chastity are, because of the vows, particulary egregious among the religious.  Observe how even non-Catholics are appalled at the sexual abuses of some priests.  Somehow, people expect more from a priest, who is supposed to lead us to goodness.  As it should be.

It is also a sort of asceticism, one that requires we channel our energies for the works of love to which our faith compels us.  Chastity calls us to a higher kind of love, a broader love.  Granted, the value of chastity is sometimes taken to extremes.  For example, a woman in Pakistan or some other Muslim countries can be the victim of an honor killing if she is unchaste, or worse yet the victim of a rape.  Chastity in some countries consigns women to walk about covered head to toe in burqas and abayas.  In Europe women had to wear chastity belts.  As in all things, the vows and virtues must be gentle burdens and viewed with an understanding eye.  We all stray from the right path, and it is with patience and gentle encouragement that we get back on it.

The vows, #1: Poverty

The vow of poverty is not exactly what you think.  When most people think of poverty, they think of the destitution and disease and squalor of third world slums.  That kind of poverty is not good, it is a sign of the presence of evil in the world.

There is such a thing as good or healthy poverty.  What religious mean by poverty is living simply, having what you need and not to acquire excess possessions or wealth.   This is what Hilaire Belloc meant by sufficiency.  It means, in a somewhat Buddhist attitude, of non-attachment to material things and social position.  St. Francis eschewed property because, as he said, if they had property they would have to get weapons to protect it, and that would be a source of conflict with others.  Remember the state of Italy when he lived:  small kingdoms across Italy were constantly fighting with each other over territory, resources, and power.  Francis chose to live off that particular grid.

Sisters do take vacations, although they are not staying at five-star resorts.  Some communities maintain modest vacation homes so they can go for rest and refreshment, just like most people do.  They content themselves with shopping at budget stores and thrift stores.  They do not need to be slaves to fashion and feel that they are somehow less than socially acceptable if they lack designer goods.  They have opted out of the consumerism of secular society, so they can devote their time and resources to their ministries in the interest of helping others.  They are putting the word and work of God first, and their comfort second.  They do receive a small stipend from their communities for clothes and toiletries, etc.

That is the essence of the vow of poverty. 

The vows

Today Sister Lisa took her final solemn vows.  The vows in religious life are three: poverty, chastity, and obedience.  I will deal with each of these in turn at a later time. It was a great celebration and many people were present, sisters, Lisa's natal family, friends and coworkers.  Lisa looked serene and happy.  The Tiffin Franciscans have a great sense of family and are a very joyous group.

Sr. Lisa is on the right, and the Community Minister, Sister Sara is on the left.

Some older sisters maintain the habit.  This sister is actually from a different community that lives nearby.

This is at the beginning of the Mass.  They are not bowing to the priest, but to the altar which is a sacred space because the consecration of the bread and wine takes place on it.

Trying to upload a video for you, so you can hear the music that nearly blew the roof off the chapel.  Oops, sorry the upload is not working.  Will have to stick to pictures.

Please feel free to post questions or comments.  It's been pretty quiet out there.....

 

The call to service

For me, living the gospel, and living the Christian faith, is a call to action.  Action in the sense of service, to help others lead a life of greater dignity.  This can take an infinite number of forms.  It is not so much what you do, but how you do it that constitutes service through work.

 

I am attaching a profile of the Franciscan spirituality type, which pretty well describes me personally (and many others.)  It is somewhat different from a Dominican type, for example. 

 

Enjoy.

 

 

Your Spirituality Type: PATH OF SERVICE (Franciscan prayer)

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About 38 percent of the population is this spiritual type--but far fewer of this type come to church regularly.

Like Saint Francis of Assisi, those who follow the path must be free, unconfined, and able to do whatever their inner spirit moves them to do. They don't like to be tied down by rules. One thinks of Saint Peter impetuously jumping into the water to join Jesus as a typical action of this type.

Franciscan spirituality leads to acts of loving service which can be a most effective form of prayer. The gospel stories about Jesus have a special appeal, particularly the Incarnation of God in the life of Jesus, which is the center around which Franciscan life and spirituality revolve. Franciscan prayer is flexible and free-flowing making full use of the five senses and it is spirit-filled prayer.

Those on this path can make a meditation on the beauty of a waterfall, flower, meadow, mountain, or ocean—all of God's creation. There is more stress in payer on the events of Jesus' life than on this teaching Like Saint Therese of Lisieux, prayer is done with total concentration—as if this is the most important thing to be doing at this moment Therese did all tasks knowing that each was a part of the total harmony of the universe.

Single versus communal

The single life is a concoction of the late 20th century.  As Eberhard Arnold points out in his book, "Why we Live in Community," it is the nature of all created life to live in community, not alone.  Animals move in packs, herds, flocks, schools, and humans naturally form families.  The desire for family is strong.  Look at the current debate about same-sex marriage, which I will not delve into except to say that even among those living a very non-traditional lifestyle, the desire for permanent committed bonds to others is present.

Renowned author and Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister remarked in a recent retreat in Erie, Pennsylvania, that John Wayne's movie characters epitomized what has become an American value: that of rugged individualism.  His films glamorized going solo, living single, a solitary figure riding across the plains of life. Secular feminism does the same thing, essentially telling women to ignore  the emotional and spiritual need for others for the sake of self-seeking career success.  Certainly, careers can be satisfying.  But is this freedom and happiness?  Or the drudgery of loneliness, a solitude unbroken by the ability to share and celebrate the passages of life with others?  I am thinking of Meryl Streep's character in the film,  "The Devil Wears Prada," whose obsession with her personal success alienates her husband and drives away intimacy.  Is that what I wish to become?  Where is the sweet spot of work for the mind and sharing for the heart?

For me, I realized that being the maiden Aunt was losing its charm.  On a recent beach vacation I was supposed to go with one other friend.  The friend, who is currently in the dog house, bailed on me at the last minute.  I could not get out of the hotel reservation and off I went.  I envied the families I saw playing and relaxing on the beach, the women enclosed in the embrace of husband and children.  That for me has become the emotional reality of single life.

I am reasonably independent on a day to day basis, but for the long haul I much prefer the security of knowing that others will be there for me if I fall, in illness, in joy, and in my old age.  I have no children to visit me in the nursing home, and I have no spouse with whom to share a lazy Saturday morning.  

So, I thought, why suffer?  Hundreds of thousands of single childless women find joy in each other in holy community.  I will profile some of them for you in days to come.  I wish you could see their joy in the littlest and biggest moments of life.  They shower affection on the oldest members of their communities and some have known each other for years and years, sharing a deep history and a trove of memories.

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Photos from the convent campus

The Tiffin sisters own about 400 acres.  In addition to the garden there is a crop farm that raises soybeans and corn. This is one part of the farm.  Chickens in the foreground, and the house is constructed of bales of hay.  Power is provided by a solar panel.  The hay provides cooling in the summer and insulation in the winter.  The walls are plaster inside.  It is cozy and attractive.

Photos inside the main convent hallway, the chapel, and the sacristy, which is where Father puts on his garments and prepares for Holy Mass.

Nun Better

The sisters are all in a three-day meeting, and my classes (which I am teaching) at the University haven't begun yet, so this morning I was rattling around the house and the town by myself. 

I discovered a treadmill in the basement, which will be nice when we are snowed in and can't get out for a walk or over to the YMCA.  And another fridge, which was pretty well stocked with beer and a couple of bottles of wine.  Then I noticed a veritable bar on some shelving.  Someone here has a thing for Crème de Menthe and someone else enjoys her whiskey.  Not bad.  I am wondering if they will let me have a little cigar to go with that...

I had lunch, which is at noon and which is called dinner because it is the main meal--in the community dining room.  I sat with one very humble yet sharp sister who is the former "Community Minister," which they used to call the Mother superior.  Franciscans are pretty much opposed to hierarchy, and have gone back to this very Franciscan moniker. 

I told her how excited I was about the large garden, and commented that I had always wanted to cultivate grapes for wine production.  I explained that it would be nice for the community to have its own label.  Sister Jackie didn't miss a beat, just gave me a sideways glance and said, "We'll call it "Nun Better."

Honestly being an oenologist (go look it up, that is your vocabulary word for the day) would beat working in an office any day of the week.  I can't stand offices, and maybe that is why I have kind of run away from home. Too many offices in DC.

On another note, Pope Francis's nephew in Buenos Aires was in a car accident with his wife and two small children.  All were killed on the spot except for the nephew, who is badly injured.  Please remember all of them, including Francis, in your prayers tonight. ###

Rushing the convent

Rushing the Convent

A vocation discernment blog

By Kirsten Obadal

August 17, 2014

In the old days, the era that lasted a thousand years until the Vatican II council in 1968, a young woman just showed up at a convent, knocked on the door, and after some very cursory questions was admitted.  She had to be 18, and not to be an only child so there would be a sibling out there to take care of her parents in their golden years.  It was all pretty simple.

As a nun or vowed religious sister a woman would be able to undertake medicine, teaching, domestic work, or to further her education.  For a very long time, if she remained a laywoman, her options included working in the field, the home, and bearing and raising children.

As time went on, especially in the 20^th century, women’s options began to broaden.   Religious life continued to liberate women from the obligations of the role of child bearing to a variety of work if a woman was so inclined.  But it still wasn’t really until the late 20^th century that women could viable choose to remain single and pursue a career, and not until more recently that a woman could choose to both raise children, be married, and work.  So religious life began to seem redundant.  Vocations fell off dramatically after Vatican II, and many sisters left the convent.  but it is my contention that this had little to do with changes in the Church and more to do with societal and cultural changes in Western society.  The concept of remaining single was theretofore unknown and unaccepted; a woman might work a bit before marriage, but after that her obligations were considered to be in the home.

So what might be the attraction of religious life now, in the early 21^st century?  For most women seeking vows nowadays, the pull of community is strongest, as is the blessing of a shared and common prayer life, and finally the freedom to pursue worthwhile soul-filling ministries that might pay too little to sustain a person as a career choice.  Don’t be confused by the fact that some nuns are highly paid in their jobs—nurses, university professors, psychologists, etc.    They are clearly not in it for the money.   They are in it for love.

In religious life a woman can pursue almost any career of her choosing, and have the blessing of family even if she chooses  not to marry.

In my case, all of the above.  Although not marrying was not so much a choice as a fate.  After a certain age the pickings are pretty slim and what has once been perceived as the freedom of single life has become a drudgery of solitude and anxiety about loneliness in old age. To be perfectly clear, I do have some gentlemen friends who would make good husbands, and with a little indication of interest would do so; but there is something inside me that says, “I am  not passionately in love with this particular guy, but I am passionately in love with Jesus.”  This is true for me with the exception of one clueless guy, but I am trying to keep my personal options open while he may or may not ever get a clue. 

Meanwhile, I do know that I love, respect, and admire the sisters I have met in visits to various convents.  As I recently told a friend, “these women are just better than I am.”  They are more sincere, closer to God in holiness, and more deeply committed in their work than I am.  They truly care for others more.  It is to this that I aspire, whether  or not I join the convent. 

August 18,  2014

It is the process of becoming a nun that is possibly more complicated than getting into college.  It begins with a short weekend visit, usually called a discernment retreat, and then phone calls, emails, and perhaps a second visit, and more skyping, calling, and emailing.  There are psychological tests you have to take to see if you can handle community living.  Finally, the community just has to have a feeling that you fit in.  Essentially, it is like rushing a sorority.

I should make it clear that there are many different kinds of communities nowadays.  Some are cloistered, like the Poor Clares.  They wear a full length habit and do not leave the convent.  Their main work is prayer, broken up by chores, vegetable gardening, or studying.  These are called contemplative communities. 

On the other extreme there are apostolic communities, which do not wear a habit but rather a pendant or ring to show their affiliation.  The sisters in these communities may have jobs in catholic or even secular organizations, but usually maintain a ministry that in some way helps people to live lives of greater  dignity.  Thus, education, health care, and various types of social service are common apostolic ministries.

I am currently staying with the Franciscan sisters in Tiffin, Ohio.  Their prayer is inspirational, and during the songs they break out into spontaneous, unscripted harmonies. 

August 19, 2014 Wednesday

This community cultivates a garden that is several acres in size.  I went out with Sr. Barb for a tour.  We fed overgrown cucumbers to the chickens and ducks.  The garden is divided into three sections: some for the sister’s dining hall, some for the food pantries for the poor, and the rest are rented plots which are planted and harvested by shareholders who live in town.  There are snow peas, green beans, and tons of zucchini.  Barb has a touch with the asparagus.  There is also butternut squash, sunflowers, and peppers, to name a few.  A blight is killing the tomato plants, but there are still a few ripening.

This evening there was a social.  Among the games was Bible jeopardy.  My team got creamed.  We weren’t fast enough with the clappers to signal we had the answer.