By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission
Readers of Saturday’s Vancouver Sun may have been surprised to see a photo of a nun dominating the newspaper’s front page.
The August 11 issue of the city’s broadsheet newspaper had a big feature story on the small group of Dominican nuns who are waiting for the 23,000 square foot Queen of Peace monastery to be finished construction near Squamish B.C..
The story points to the new monastery and other ancedotal evidence–such as the fact that two other orders of nuns have recently planted roots in B.C.– as evidence of a new appeal for contemplative Roman Catholic spirituality.
As you may know, Dominican nuns, as the story attests, place great value on quiet and meditation. “We don’t Tweet,” the Sun quotes a nun as saying.
In an age that increasingly seems non-religious, why the increased interest? Well, the reporter guesses, older women may be finding that the nun’s sort of faith is a good fit for them as they start to think about winding down their secular careers.
Sister Claire, the order’s prioress featured in the page one photo, has an optimistic theory:
“Before, people came to religion through their parents, through tradition. It was a custom, it was a given, presumed. And a whole geberation of people let go of that because it wasn’t their personal faith….And now they’re coming back, but it’s a new wave coming back. It’s a personal quest.”
Why yes, when I was thinking of a headline, I was reminded of Soeur Sourire. Who was a Dominican nun too.
Not to be sacrilegious,but what middle aged woman wouldn’t want to live in a beautiful building on the west coast surrounded by forest,water and mountains? No spouse, kids or grandkids to bug you. Pray some, play a little volleyball, make some soap and crafts. Sounds like a post menopausal womans’ dream! I’m in.
That’s fine, Grandma wife, but please, just speak for yourself and don’t engage in those kinds of generalizations.
Some folks are finding the contemplative from a New Agey perspective, while others are looking back at the history of the Church and finding stuff that got tossed by both Protestants and modern Catholics; the Protestants sneer at the contemplative because it’s Catholic and modern Catholics sneer because it’s old fashioned.
However, both are finding their way back to it. My wife has been involved with Catholic contemplative groups (Lectio Divina) that she learned of at Presbyterian seminary; while we were courting, she was part of a ecumenical Presbyterian-Catholic group that would meet regularly.
Dear Sonje, Last I looked there was still freedom of speech in this country and the right to express an opinion. The question was rhetorical and meant to be slightly humorous, sorry you didn’t get that. If the shoe doesn’t fit you are free to not wear it.