Leaping Into Spring! Happy Leap Day! Some of our younger Sisters were out on a walk recently and were delighted to discover these little signs of an early spring. (It seems the groundhog “got it right” this year!!) Perhaps nowhere in the world are crocuses so thoroughly appreciated as here at St. Joseph’s Monastery … the first yellow and purple blooms are always heralded with great excitement. Of themselves, these little flowers may seem insignificant — but to the eyes of faith, they are a sign of the love of our Heavenly Father, Who “clothes even the grass of the field” in splendor! M ..read more

Some months ago, a young woman named Madeline contacted us to ask if we’d be willing to do an interview for her new podcast, Consecrated. She shared about her love for the religious life and her eagerness to make this beautiful vocation better known and appreciated in the Church. We were happy to oblige — all the more so once we realized that Madeline is the daughter of one of Sr. Mary Andrea’s friends! It’s a small Catholic world, indeed. Click below to check out Madeline’s interview with our Sr. Miriam Esther, exploring the Passionist contemplative vocation. And once you’re done, don’t forg ..read more

  We’re back with …   Myth #10 — Monastic Penance is Too Harsh “I heard they sleep on the floor and use rocks for pillows!” “You’ll ruin your health with all that fasting!” “Can such a penitential life really be good for you?” Among the most colorful “nun myths” are those that have to do with our lives of penance and self-denial. Popular imagination throughout the ages has painted a grim picture of the deprivations in store for any young woman unfortunate enough to find herself in a monastery. Nuns must be either stoically tough or hopelessly broken-down to deal with this kind of t ..read more

  Alone with Christ alone … Over the next few weeks, our Sisters will be taking turns making their annual 8-day personal retreats. Please keep “Marthas” and “Marys” alike in your prayers during this time of grace, and know that we will be praying for you as well!   ..read more

    Myth #9 — Nuns Don’t Have a Husband or Children “But don’t you want to get married and have a family?” “I hope you’re okay with being an old maid forever …” “But how could I become a nun? I long to be a wife and mother!” Many a young woman who is feeling the call to religious life has struggled with the thought of giving up marriage and children. Very often she feels torn between a deep desire to belong to God and an equally deep desire to be a wife and mother. Can the two possibly be reconciled? In his Theology of the Body, Pope St. John Paul II asserts that the human person i ..read more

    Myth #8 — Cloistered Nuns Don’t Get To See Their Families “You mean you don’t ever get to go home and visit your family? That seems a little harsh!” “Don’t you think it’s a bit heartless to turn your back on your parents like this?” “I don’t know how you do it … I couldn’t stand not being able to be with my loved ones for the holidays.” With the Christmas season coming around, worry about this “Nun Myth” may be on the mind of many parents and family members of cloistered religious. While most people are making plans to travel home for the holidays, the families of nuns know that ..read more

    Myth #7 — You Have to Be Able to Sing to Enter the Monastery “Sisters, you sounded like angels at Mass today. Do you need a music degree to enter here??” “I don’t think I could be a nun… I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!” “Is there a vocal audition as part of the application process?” Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequent nun-myths that we encounter! As a monastic community, we seek to cultivate beauty and reverence through choral liturgy, and we have been gifted with a rich heritage of liturgical music. We strive to sing “with one voice” as an audible sign of the ..read more

    Myth #6 — But You’re Too Pretty to be a Nun!! “Why would a pretty girl like you want to be a nun?” “Oh, don’t waste your beauty in a cloister!” “What a shame … you’ll never have a husband to appreciate that beautiful face of yours.” This particular nun myth comes up more often than you would think! Many a young woman who is discerning religious life has had to contend with it (as have many young men discerning the priesthood, I might add!). Perhaps the most pithy refutation comes from one of our Sisters shortly before she entered the monastery in the early 1960s. In response ..read more

    Myth #5 — The Contemplative Life is Selfish While most people would not phrase it so bluntly, this assumption lies at the root of many critiques of contemplative life. After all, isn’t it like being on a “perpetual retreat,” detached from the cares of the world, dreamily unconcerned about anything but one’s own growth in holiness? “The nuns may frequently, or even habitually, be called in prayer to share in the abandonment of Jesus. While ever seeking the face of the Father, they tranquilly entrust themselves to the action of the Spirit, content to suffer aridity, or even the ..read more

    Myth #4 — Cloistered life is a waste of God-given gifts and talents “Are you sure you want to enter a monastery? You have so much to offer the Church and the world!” “How could someone as beautiful and intelligent as yourself want to lock yourself away for life?” “What a waste!” Any young woman discerning the contemplative life has likely heard these or similar comments, which touch on one of the most fundamental difficulties people — even good people! — often have with the cloistered calling. In every age there have been those who criticize the strictly contemplative vocation ..read more