Lent is here and all I want to do is shout the A-word! If you are recoiling in horror at this, then let me clarify. During the Church season of Lent, Catholics refrain from using the word alleluia until Easter. The word means “Praise be to God!” and is not only an expression of joy but s...

Surely, I thought, this must be a joke as I read a news headline saying that the word “nun” has been dropped from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. But it’s no joke. Lisa Saunders, a mom in Ireland, discovered that the new edition of the dictionary had dropped a bunch of words. Upon cl...

Welcome to A Nun’s Life, and welcome to our online discussion with Sister Mary McDevitt, a Catholic Sister in my IHM Congregation and a spiritual director. Sister Mary will be joining Sister Maxine Kollasch and myself in order to listen to and respond to your questions about discernment and ho...

In Decision-Making Using a Process of Discernment of Spirits, Sister Mary McDevitt, IHM, led us through understanding discernment, consolations, and desolations. When discerning and having to make a significant decision, it’s important to be aware your own inner spirit which is where God dwell...

The Vatican has just announced an Apostolic Visitation “in order to look into the quality of the life� of women religious in the United States. The announcement was made public in a news conference at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on January ...

The Vatican has just published a message from Pope Benedict XVI in anticipation of the 43rd World Day of Communications. New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship (January 24, 2009) is the theme for this year. Writes the Pope, The new digital techno...

Question from Lou … what is the reasoning behind a nun or sister choosing a religious name? where does the significance come from? how is a religious name determined? thanks, lou In the Catholic tradition as well as in many other religious traditions and cultural traditions, the taking on of a...

There’s been a lot of media around the topic of declining numbers of Catholic sisters and nuns. Beyond the veil: Debate continues on why number of nuns is declining, a recent article from Catholic News Service, highlights a couple of arguments about why the decline in number. “Italian Cl...

It has been an exciting week in the world of nuns. Because this was National Vocation Awareness Week, many newspapers and blogs ran stories about Catholic sisters and nuns, brothers and monks and friars, and deacons and priests. Here’s a bit of what I found about sisters and nuns. Seeing the R...

Every person is called by God, and that means you too! Sometimes this call is best expressed through a life of marriage and parenthood, and other times through consecrated life such as being a Catholic sister or a monk or a deacon. God also calls us in other ways, such as to this or that relationshi...