Becoming a Catholic nun is a process that many people, especially non-Catholics , do not understand. I learned first hand how this process takes place and exactly what is required to take vows as a religious sister within the Catholic Church.
First, and most important, the aspirant , that is the woman who wants to be a nun, must feel within in her heart a calling from God to pursue the life of a religious. She must be of sound mind and must enter the convent of her own free will. She must have the proper intention of wishing to serve God and her resolve must be seriously tested before it is proved true.
Next, she should consider what sort of religious order she would like to enter. There are convents and monasteries all over the world and each has their own specific work or calling. Some are contemplative and follow a strict prayer schedule, spending their whole lives hidden away praying for the world. Other sisters are active and do good works like running hospitals, schools, orphanages, and retreat houses. Some sisters are missionaries and work all over the world, while others serve just within their little community. She also must take into account the age requirements for the order. Some only accept girls from the ages of eighteen to thirty-five, while others allow woman to enter much later in life.
After deciding which orders interest her most, she must contact the sisters and arrange for a time to visit with them and discern further if she is called to their order. Every community of nuns and sisters has a different policy and procedure for aspirants. Some allow woman to come individually and visit for a week, living with the sisters, while other hold annual retreat times where large groups of girls may come and visit at once. During her visit she will be able to speak with the sister in charge of vocations and ask any questions she may have about the community.
Once the aspirant has felt certain she is called to a particular order, she will need to apply and be accepted by the community. Discerning a vocation is no longer just up to her, but to the entire community that she wishes to enter. They must decide if she is ready to take on the life they live, and if she will fit into their religious family. Once they accept her, she will be given an entrance date.
The sisters will provide the woman with a list of things she needs to bring to the convent. When a woman is called to the religious life she is required to give up all her worldly possession and live a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Poverty means that she is not allowed to have any possession of her own but must share everything with the other sisters in the community. She must become detached in her heart from everything so that her heart can become attached to God alone. Chastity does not only mean that she will never have sex, but it also means that she will always strive to have a pure heart,mind, and body and offer her virginity to Christ as a special gift for the world. Her virginity is then transformed and she becomes the spiritual mother to all souls. Obedience simply means that she must give up her will and be obedient to the superiors that God gives to her. She must obey in all but sin, in order that God may create within her a humble and simple heart for himself.
Many think that once a girl enters the convent she is automatically a nun for life. This is far from true! Every order has a novitiate where the young sisters, called novices, are taught the rules of the order and how to be a sister. They are purified and learn to strip themselves of the world and put on the spirit of Christ. They get used to living the life of a nun and prepare to take their vows. She is free to leave at anytime should she or her superiors decide she is not called to the order.
After the time of novitiate, which is often around three years but can be shorter or much longer, she takes her first vows. She makes her vows to live in poverty, chastity, and obedience during a very solemn ceremony. Her vows bind her for a year or more according to custom, and our renewed every year according to the rules of the order. At the end of this time, which can be anywhere from 3 to 5 years, the sister then decides to dedicate herself for life and makes her final vows. These vows espouse her to God forever, and should she ever leave the convent, will make it impossible for her to marry within the Catholic Church because she already is wed to Christ.
The life of a nun is difficult and sacrificial, but it is also peaceful and full of joy. For those woman who are called to it, it is a gift beyond any other because sisters begin to do on earth what we all hope to do someday in heaven, eternally serve and worship God forever!
