At 5:00 a.m. the silence of the early hours of the morning is broken when the bell sounds for rising. The nuns rise promptly, wash in a simple basin in their cells and make their way to their five o'clock duty.
Each night, these nuns allow themselves no more than three hours of sleep. Their calling is an extreme one: to stay inside the walls of their convent and spend their days and nights in prayer and silent contemplation.
What do nuns do in the morning? The morning is spent in prayer, intercession, and solitude. We also have time for exercise, spiritual reading or Bible study. The rest of the day follows our regular schedule, but we eat lunch and dinner on our own in silence.
The nuns pray the Divine Office together in choir five times a day, spend an hour and a half daily in mental prayer, do spiritual reading for at least a half hour a day, observe silence except during Recreation which is after dinner and supper; and engage in a variety of work: maintenance of the monastery, gardening, ...
Membership and vows
Temporary vows last one to three years, typically, and will be professed for not less than three years and not more than six. Finally, she will petition to make her "perpetual profession", taking permanent, solemn vows.
For their enitre lives, their time will be divided between constant prayer and the work of the convent. Most do not read novels, see movies, or play sports. They do not hug one another and keep all physical contact to a minimum. Most of them rarely, if ever, see their families.
The salaries of Nuns in the US range from $24,370 to $69,940 , with a median salary of $41,890 . The middle 60% of Nuns makes $41,890, with the top 80% making $69,940.
According to a recent study, less than 1% of nuns in America are under 40 and the average sister is 80 years old.
Some nuns, especially those that live in colder climates, may wear regular clothing under their habits. Others may only wear a t-shirt and shorts. In hotter countries, nuns may even just wear underwear.
You must take a vow of obedience, which means you commit to following the faith and your religious leaders. You may be required to take a vow of silence. You must wear modest clothing when not wearing your nun's habit. Catholic nuns, as decreed by Pope Francis, are not allowed to use smartphones or social media.
They don't speak, except during short work periods, recreation time in the evening and during mass, when they sing and pray aloud. Their hymns sound sweet as twenty-odd women – ages ranging from 33 to upwards of 80 – sing in harmony, and their prayer is deep and heartfelt.
In some orders, such as the Trappists, the monks or nuns do not have cells but sleep in a large room called a dormitory. In eremitic orders like the Carthusians, the room called cell usually has the size and look of a small house with a separate garden.
Retired nuns continue to serve through the ministry of prayer. A willingness to remain active reflects the years of busy lives they lived. Most will serve until they no longer can. Sisters are constantly praying for those in need, often taking turns on the hour during times of crisis.
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Latin: Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Catholic religious order of cloistered monastics that branched off from ...
If nuns do "fall in love," what do they do? Yes, as a human and as a woman it is natural for a religious to fall in love with someone, or someone to fall in love with her.
Contemplative Women's Monasteries
We are an enclosed, contemplative community of nuns in Goonellabah, New South Wales, Australia, whose lives are dedicated to prayer for the needs of the Church and the whole world.
Each faith and order sets its own requirements for those who want to become nuns. A woman who wants to become a Catholic nun, for example, must be at least 18 years old, be single, have no dependent children, and have no debts to be considered.
The nuns generally greet people by waving or placing their palms together in prayer position. Sometimes they don't get a chance explain why they don't shake hands with men.
The nuns in remote nunneries still use cloth pieces,” Anim Namgyel Lhamo, an Assistant Programme Officer with Bhutan Nuns Foundation, said. However, menstrual hygiene may start with sanitary pads, but doesn't end with it. Access to proper toilets, equipped with soap and water, is equally important.
Stipends that nuns receive from dioceses or outside employers are sent to their motherhouses or convents. The money is then parceled out to sisters who work and those who cannot work.
Sisters work in hospitals, prisons, schools and shelters. They might work as lawyers, political activists, artists and scientists. Many of these women manage to work a full day while also completing several hours of prayer with their communities in the morning and the evening.
The male equivalent of a nun would be a monk. Like nuns, monks are dedicated to the religious life without holding any power within the church.
Usually a Sister chooses her patron and title because that Saint or mystery in the lives of Jesus and Mary has particular significance for her. We all take the name of Mary first, in honor of our Blessed Lady. We may also choose a second name and a title, or just a title alone.