Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

PublicSeverance t1_ir9jzl6 wrote

Reply to comment by MisterMarcus in TIL: Regina Hall (Brenda from the "Scary Movie" franchise) wanted and tried to become a Catholic Nun in 2010, but was rejected by the order. by euromonic

Age 45 for Sisters of Mercy.

The age limit is because after age 40 it is extraordinarily unlikely for most to complete the training and be a productive nun.

It takes about 10 years of training to become a Catholic nun.

Older candidates would be gently pushed into other ways to be involved.

36

massivebasketball t1_ira0p9c wrote

What kind of training does it take to be a nun? And what is considered a productive nun, like what do they do

15

Ponceludonmalavoix t1_ira3qm0 wrote

You need some real wrist dicipline to effectively slap someone with a ruler. Just like tennis, you can't just pick it up at 40 and become a world-class athlete.

21

Gestopgo t1_ircc74g wrote

Back in my day I could slap a school aged kid over them there mountains....if only Mother Superior would have put me in the game!

6

niamhweking t1_irb8yrx wrote

Same for the priesthood, it's 6 years minimum. Alot of it now is to give the person and the order time to really be sure it is the right decision. They don't want to rush anyone or ket anyone make rash decisions.

Depending on the order the nun is they can be in a teaching order, a missionary order etc, so there is training. Enclosed orders might be different but nuns that are out in the community, doing hospice care, working with those in need, certainly require training

9

marmorset t1_ira1oqb wrote

Maybe for that particular order, but for Catholic nuns in general it's about five years. My daughter goes to Catholic school and two of the nuns are in their early twenties.

13

bit_pusher t1_irabfd9 wrote

This is highly dependent on the order. For Benedictines I believe it is 5-9 years (postulancy, novitiate, and first monastic profession).

7

marmorset t1_irac9va wrote

I knew a guy who used to be a monk. He had to take a vow of silence but every five years he could speak to the bishop. After the first five years he said, "The bed is hard." Five years later he said, "The food is cold."

On his fifteenth anniversary he said, "I quit."

The bishop said, "That's not surprising, you'd done nothing but complain since you got here."

27