I love God, and I'm considering devoting my life to him....but will I have to cut off my family if I decide to commit my life to him?!
2007-10-08 14:29:36 · 27 answers · asked by woah 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
There are two different 'types' of religious communities- cloistered and extant.
Cloistered communities allow letters, but limit personal contact with those outside the community.
Extant communities go into the world and live very normal lives- just with more prayer.
See if your Diocese has a 'nun run.' It's kind of like rush week for sororities. You visit different communities and see what their charisms are. You can then picj the ones you would like to know more about and try a longer visit to see if you fit in.
Also- vows come in stages- and the permanent ones are years after the first vows...so that gives you sufficient time to reflect on the commitment you are making.....if only couples would take such a careful time before committing to marriage- there would be less divorce!!!
2007-10-08 16:41:24 · answer #1 · answered by Mommy_to_seven 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Those who say you can still have a lot of family contact or go home for holidays and live normal lives are not correct nor informed because things have changed and that is not the way things are today-at least for the vast majority of orders even Extant. For Cloistered you will no longer have any contact-at least physical-you would only see your family from behind a screen. Even Extant orders severely limit family contact. You are expected to spend Holidays with the order. e.g. My friend is in an extant teaching order, the Dominican Sisters of the Eucharist out of Michigan and she hasn't seen her family in year, isn't allowed email, phone,no mail during lent or advent, snail mail can be opened or censored .She will receive 5 days to visit family a year and that is it. You are taught to detach from your birth family. The convent becomes her new family and her mom is replaced by a Mother Superior. This is more the rule than the exception. Very few orders allow more like two weeks. Most orders will not post this information on their websites. i had to go on look and sees to find out. They like to reel you in slowly. IMHO Things have changed from when sisters worked in their own neighborhood and you would see family and these orders have got more restrictive to try stem the loss of sisters and it is all about control.
2015-04-11 19:32:37 · answer #2 · answered by Mary 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on which Order you join when you become a nun. Some Orders have their members out serving God by serving the people in society around them. They have very much contact with people and their families in society.
Other Orders tend to go the route of seclusion, cutting themselves off from society except for the occassional trip to the store or a visit to the relatives. They devout themselves to God in their seclusion. Cutting themselves off from society allows them to fully devout themselves to all-day prayer. meditation, and contemplation.
Such nuns are not completely cut off from family but contact is limited.
2007-10-09 05:14:21 · answer #3 · answered by Daver 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nuns do not loose contact with their families once they take their vows. Wouldn't that be a bad thing for God to require.
2007-10-08 14:35:44 · answer #4 · answered by cat walk 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, no more than they stop contact with anyone else. Cloistered nuns and monks or those far away do not have as much face to face contact, but every Catholic religious I have know want a dedicated letter writer and cherished visits too.
2007-10-08 14:33:27 · answer #5 · answered by SC 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
no two of my aunts are nuns and they are free to travel and visit who ever they want, they just live on site with other nuns and do the church thing and they host visitors, my aunts are in the dominican republic and they have traveled to spain, france, germany, latin america, canada, and many places in the USA. you wont be cut off from your family, dont worry. its a very rewarding if you are really set on becoming a nun, get as much info on this as you can, visit nuns and talk with them about their expierences and what are the most common regrets if any.
2007-10-08 14:35:16 · answer #6 · answered by heartsik66 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Um no. My great Aunt is a nun and I have a LOT of pictures with her around on the holidays and she calls her family all the time.
2007-10-08 15:12:12 · answer #7 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think there are a wide variety of practices among various orders. My cousin is a Fransican nun and she sees her family all the time.
2007-10-08 14:33:09 · answer #8 · answered by pufferoo 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You definately CAN be in contact with your family-- I'm not Catholic (as yet) but I'm going to be a nun also... Deo Gratis!!
2007-10-08 17:52:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some do, but that is rare. Franciscans and Benedictines have no such requirement. Neither do the Dominicans, (O.P.)
I think some Carmelites keep that as a part of their Rule...but - I don't think there are many true Carmelite Orders around any more.
2007-10-08 14:34:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋