A Blog About Being a Catholic Nun in Today’s World

Question from a reader …

Dear Sister, I notice that religious nuns wear a ring just like a wedding band or wedding ring married couples wear. The wedding ring of my brother and my sis-in-law has an engraving of their names underneath the ring. What about religious nuns do they engrave something on the ring like Our Lord Jesus name or ICHTUS or JMJ or AMDG? (acronyms etc.)

What about the design of the ring … do they have one or they’re just plain? Thanks for answering. Adia

Good questions! First, the tradition of Christians wearing rings is an interesting one. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on rings notes that Christians, like their non-Christian counterparts, wore rings as a sign of their station, occasionally having them engraved with a religious symbol or bedecked with a jewel. The ring in some cases was used as a seal but it also was a symbol of “conjugal fidelity”. And so a bishop might receive a ring as an “episcopal ornament conferred in the rite of consecration … as emblematic of [his] betrothal … to his Church.” Other ecclesiastics might also receive the privilege of wearing a gold ring. In terms of nuns, the article notes that “nuns and consecrated virgins wore “plain rings … in memory of their betrothal to their heavenly Spouse”.

So this symbol of fidelity, of lifelong commitment unto death is a significant one for wearing the ring. The tradition of wearing rings in religious life continues. Each religious community of Catholic nuns and sisters, as well as monks and brothers, has its own customs around the ring — if they wear one, what material it is made from, whether it has an engraving, etc. The ring is normally given when the sister professes vows — for some communities (like mine) the ring is given at first profession; for others it is given at final profession of vows.

In my IHM Congregation, we wear a gold band that is engraved. On the outside of the ring, there is an engraving of two hearts that are pierced by a single sword. The two hearts represent the Immaculate Heart of Mary (our namesake) and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the inside is the Latin text, Ego te sponsabo, which means “I will wed thee”. What is particularly cool about my congregation (probably others too) is that we “recycle” our rings. I did not receive a new ring when I professed my vows; rather I received the worn ring of one of my IHM sisters that is “dwelling now in light”. I love this tradition because it binds me to the whole IHM “communion of saints”. I don’t know the name of the sister who wore this ring, but I can feel her warm presence and encouragement.

For sisters and nuns reading, what is your ring like and what does it symbolize for  you and for your congregation? Also, for anyone, tell us about the important ring that you wear.

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Yesterday I spent the day in Monroe, Michigan, at my IHM Motherhouse. I am a member of committee that is responsible for engaging the IHM community in a process of prayer and reflection on religious life and our IHM charism. It is one of the most engaging experiences I’ve had the privilege to be involved in.

While at the meeting yesterday, we talked about many things — how the process was going, what our next steps are, etc. The meeting continued throughout the morning. Then, while we were in the midst of discussion on some topic or another, the Motherhouse bell rang. It was noon, and the bell signaled the praying of the Angelus. Our discussion stilled and gave way to silence. Then we began to pray together the Angelus.

I can’t tell you how meaningful that was. It symbolized so much to me … our apostolic work combined with contemplation; our identity as Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters; our shared life of prayer, community, and mission; our own “yes” to the work of the Holy Spirit alive in us, in our IHM community, and in our world.

At noon today I invite you to pray the Angelus with me and with my IHM Sisters. Here are the words to the Angelus.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace …

Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace …

And the Word was made Flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, full of grace …

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Greetings! Today I invite you to visit the Young Women and Catholicism blog where I offer an occasional reflection or two. The subject of my most recent post there is Waiting for Advent. Please stop by and offer your reflection on how you are preparing for Advent.

Blessings!

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Nunday is here! And we’ve got some cool stuff today. The Oblate Sisters of Providence are featured in the December 2008 issue of Ebony magazine! RUN, don’t walk, to your nearest convenience store and pick up a copy! The story and photos are fabulous.

The article is called “Walking with God” and was written by Kevin Chappell with photos by André F. Chung. The article starts with the single sentence paragraph: “At first, Virginie Fish ignored Him.” The story goes on to tell a bit about Sister Virginie’s vocation story, mentioning that she has now been a sister for 62+ years of which Virginie says, “It is a life of excitement, adventure, dedication.”

The article goes through some of the history of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and where they are ministering today. My friend Sister Marcia Hall, OSP, is also featured in the article. Sister Marcia is a former sociology professor who joined the Oblate Sisters 10 years ago. Says Sister Marcia, “I feel very strongly that I was called to be here, called to do the work that I am doing now.” Sister Marcia is now the vocation director for the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

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Yoshihiro Nakata is a 16-year-old “schoolgirl” who was just drafted by a professional baseball team in Japan. News sources say that Yoshida has a wicked side-armed knuckler that is unlike anything anyone has seen.

Yoshihiro will be the first woman ever to play alongside the men in Japanese professional baseball.

Full story from AFP - Schoolgirl knuckleballer headed to Japan pro league

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I just saw the movie The Secret Life of Bees. I had read the book by Sue Monk Kidd a while back when it first came out. I loved the book and so I was nervous about seeing the movie because something is always different. But I figured Queen Latifah, whom I adore, was in the movie so it would at least be enjoyable to see her. Still I had some second thoughts, especially after my friends bailed on me. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a movie by myself. Seemed a little weird, but I went with it. In fact this was probably providential because the movie itself went from being a mere movie to something of a meditation for me, something which had I been surrounded by friends or people (there were only 5 or 6 other people there) might not have happened.

The movie, in a nutshell, is as follows:

Set in South Carolina in 1964, it’s the tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna. (source: IMDb.com)

What I love about this movie as well as the book, is the imagery of Mary the Mother of God that pervades and grounds this story. Granted, Kidd did fictionalize a lot of the stuff around Mary lore, but it’s still compelling.

The imagery begins with a line from Lily at the beginning of the movie. (A lily flower, by the way, is a symbol for Mary.) Lily is fascinated by the arrival of bees and even imagines that they are swarming in her room as she lies awake in bed at night. Lily notes, “[The bees] showed up like the angel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary. I know it’s forward to compare my small life to hers, but I have good reason to believe she wouldn’t mind.”

This reference to the Annunciation when Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God is crucial to understanding the whole movie (from my humble perspective). The wiser-beyond-her-years Lily has an inkling that her life will forever change in the near future, a change that will bring her new life.

Mary imagery appears again in the form of a label for Black Madonna Honey. It this label that leads Lily from the tyranny of her father T. Ray to the home of May, June, and August Boatwright in Tiburon, South Carolina. It’s as if Mary herself is helping to lead Lily and guide her to new life. FYI while the Black Madonna that the Boatwright Sisters talk about is fiction, there really is a Black Madonna, and in fact, multiple ones.

Mary imagery appears yet again when Lily and Rosaleen first arrive at the Boatwright house. In the parlor is a striking statue of the Boatwright’s Black Madonna. I personally missed the original language of the book that referred to the statue as Our Lady of Chains of which August says that the reference to chains is “not because she wore them, but because she broke them.” Lots can be said about this statue. What was most meaningful to me was the focal point of the statue: Mary’s heart. It is Mary’s heart that the Boatwright sisters, and the prayer group “the Daughters of Mary”, touch for healing, for comfort, for encouragement, for connection to the Sacred. In our Catholic tradition we refer to Mary’s heart as the Immaculate Heart of Mary (something which I want to write more about soon).

One of the most profound images of Mary comes in two of the Boatwright sisters: August (Queen Latifah) and May (Sophie Okonedo). Although we don’t hear much about August’s past, her motherly presence is unmistakable. She is a living image of Mary the Mother of God. Her sister May is also an image of Mary but more so as Our Lady of Sorrows. It is May who represents the Mary who “holds all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19). She takes in each and every bit of suffering that she sees and feels around her, and holds it in her heart. May’s character is probably my most favorite of the whole movie. She embodies the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the heart pierced by a sword because of the suffering of her child and the suffering of the world.

These are just a few of the powerful images that remain with me from the movie. As I mentioned above, the movie became a kind of prayer for me, leading me to think a lot about Mary (the real one, not the fictionalized one) and about myself as an Immaculate Heart of Mary sister. I will be pondering these things for a while.

Tell me your thoughts about the movie, book, or these reflections …

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