Old habits die hard for the new order of nuns: [1 Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 09 Mar 2001: 6.
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Abstract
The Josephite nuns inside the conference being held at Mary MacKillop's old home in North Sydney are struggling with the freedoms they have gained.
The older sisters still remember the days when medieval outfits were compulsory and they had to seek permission to use the telephone. But since the Vatican unleashed freedoms in the 1960s, many of the orders have been in serious decline.
Congregational leader of the Sisters of St Joseph, Giovanni Farquer, who has been with the order for more than 40 years, said in the past there had been more cultural acceptance of women becoming nuns and when she took her vows it was with a group of 60 others.
THERE was an International Women's Day poster outside and a pile of stickers reading "Women can do anything".
But the Josephite nuns inside the conference being held at Mary MacKillop's old home in North Sydney are struggling with the freedoms they have gained.
The older sisters still remember the days when medieval outfits were compulsory and they had to seek permission to use the telephone. But since the Vatican unleashed freedoms in the 1960s, many of the orders have been in serious decline.
Far from opening up the religious life to a broader range of people, the new-found freedoms led many to seek another life. The orders retaining the greatest numbers are those that have stuck closest to the traditions, including wearing habits.
While the reasons are unclear, it may simply be that institutions where the nuns look traditional are more visible and therefore attract more people, said America's leading authority on church law, the Dominican sister Elizabeth McDonough.
Throughout this week, Sister Elizabeth has led the Australian congregation in a re-examination of its role in the modern world. Yesterday she lectured on thecall to the religious life, urging her audience to "use it or lose it".
She said many of the problems of religious and communal life were the same as they had always been. "We may look different, but we are still dealing with thesame human realities, but at a deeper level," she said.
Congregational leader of the Sisters of St Joseph, Giovanni Farquer, who has been with the order for more than 40 years, said in the past there had been more cultural acceptance of women becoming nuns and when she took her vows it was with a group of 60 others.
When Jill McLoughlin, 43, joined six years ago, she joined alone.
While she occasionally misses being able to hop on a plane and go for a holiday, she has gained inner freedom.
"There are some very strong women in our order, and very modern women in many ways," she said.
While there were 2000 nuns in the order in the 1960s, today there are only a few more than 1200 worldwide and the population is ageing.
She pointed to a program run by sisters called Seasons For Growth, which helps children who have lost one or both parents through divorce and separation, as an example of the modern focus of the order.
Illustration
Caption: Sisterhood: Picture: Alan Pryke;
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