Nun 101: Nuns vs. Sisters

+LDM

When I first started discerning religious life, I had SO many questions. There were so many things that I had never heard about, never considered, and tons of things I didn't understand. So, I'm hoping maybe someone will read this and be helped. If nothing else, I can remember the beautiful things I've learned.

First Lesson: Nuns vs. Sisters

These are nuns.

These are sisters.

As you can see, it's not easy for most people to tell the difference by simply by looking at a picture. If you can tell the difference, you deserve a gold star. You may all now be thinking about all of habited women you know--are they nuns or sisters?

Let look at it...
1. Nuns are women consecrated to the Lord that serve in a spiritual apostolate.  They take solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. For example, the nuns above are from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood. They offer their prayers, works and sacrifices for the sanctification of priests. They spend the majority of their day in prayer, and stay within the convent.

2. Sisters are women consecrated to the Lord that serve in a physical apostolate. They take simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. For example, the sisters above are from the Sisters of Life. They work with expectant mothers in crisis, pray at places like Planned Parenthood, and work in the Office of Life in the Archdiocese of New York. They spend a great deal of the day in prayer, but also leave the convent to do their work.

Both vocations are wonderful (one isn't better than the other!). All women religious, whether nuns or sisters, are called "Sister" when speaking to them. They are both Brides of Christ, and belong to the Lord, it is just a difference of how they serve Him. As a sister once put it to me, "as a Bride of Christ, you are consecrated to Him, and through that every act becomes an act of love to God--whether it is sweeping the floor, or in Eucharistic Adoration. It is all for Jesus."

A lot of people use nun/sister interchangeably, and that is okay. Even traddys need not worry about this one. There is a difference, and it can be helpful for those discerning to know. But everyday people will most likely use the term "nun" for both.

Get out there and be traddy!

PS...fun fact. The "Nuns on the bus" campaign should have been called "Sisters on the bus". There weren't any nuns on the bus. Some may question if there were any sisters, but that is a question for another day.