Former Nuns — And The People Close To Them — Are Revealing The Unexpected Things That Go On In Convents, And It's Eye-Opening
Despite attending Catholic school for nine years and going to church regularly as a kid, I never had very much interaction with nuns. They always seemed hidden away somewhere, so they became this huuuge mystery to me. I just assumed they were like how they're portrayed in the media: solemn, quiet, devoted to god, etc.
So when u/spriteburn over on the AskReddit subreddit asked the "ex-nuns of Reddit" to share what goes on behind the scenes, I ran to the comment section. Former nuns — and several people who've spent a lot of time with sisters — had some very interesting responses. Here are some of the best ones:
1."I was a religious sister for several years; I took my first vows, which lasted about a year before I decided to leave to take care of my ailing mother. I had every intention of returning but I never did. Not every woman who becomes a religious sister is a virgin. We had one woman who was a single mother who joined us after her son turned 24. A few women had sexual relationships before they started discerning religious life. Our sisters came from all walks of life and all had a rich past before they entered the convent."
2."Nuns used to come into the gun range where I worked. Mother Superior had a .357 and used to teach the other nuns how to use it. The owner always comped them the range time (charged for ammo though), and a couple of times they even rented AR15s."
3."I used to work in a convent for retired nuns. Nuns drink, and the Irish Catholic ones I worked for drank A LOT. From June 21st until Labor Day there was a keg at all times in the cafeteria. During Easter and Christmas, there would be CASES of Johnnie Walker Red and surprisingly, Malibu. Nuns can party harder and longer than you would ever believe. These women were between 65 and 100 drinking straight scotch and beer while playing the piano late into the night."
4."Some sisters didn't get along and had to be separated in group tasks."
5."I used to fantasize about convent life, but then I went on a few retreats and realized that I couldn't deal with the 'institutional' aspect of the life. After a few days of lining up for meals with a tray, I realized that I'd be lining up three times a day to eat cafeteria food that I didn't choose... forever. That was it for me. It wasn't just the meals, but the realization that so much of my everyday life would be decided for me like it would be in any other institution — school, jail, a hospital. I appreciate all those places, but I don't want to live there!"
6."Nuns love men. While working with them, getting my ass pinched by a 75-year-old nun became a regular thing. And when the young priest came on Wednesdays to have mass and host theological discussion circles, it was like John Lennon walked into the room."
7."We prayed very, very early in the morning. Lots of sisters would fall asleep during prayer, and you could hear a million tummies grumble because you couldn't eat before."
8."There are lots of convents that don't allow any communication. My sister is a Carmelite nun, and I can't even call her. I only get to see or talk to her when I travel through the town where she lives. Her mail is censored by the mother, and the only communication she gets with the outside world is through some Catholic article that gets released once a month."
9."My aunt was a nun during the '60s and eventually quit. They worked her like a dog fourteen hours a day. To this day, she has knee problems from scrubbing stone floors on her hands and knees. She went in a devout Catholic and came out an atheist."
10."They are a lot bawdier in their humor than you would think. I think they enjoy the shock people have when they use a sexual innuendo."
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11."We had a bunch of cats at the big convent to keep the mouse population down. There were also farm animals and a big old sheep-herding dog. The sisters would always dote on the animals as much as they could, and there was a lot of jealousy if a cat suddenly switched allegiance from one sister to another. At the time, I just thought sisters were kind and loving to all living creatures, but now I see that it was a way to act out a maternal instinct. It was common to catch certain sisters cradling the cats like babies. I thought it was cute at the time, but now I think it is creepy."
12."I had a lot of interactions with nuns/sisters growing up, including living next door to a house full of them for a few years. They were much cooler than I ever thought. They drank alcohol regularly, listened to music, had card nights, and a few of them smoked cigarettes. They were always lovely to me and my sisters and were surprisingly normal in conversation. Some of them were hilarious to talk to. Of course, they were dedicated to their faith and awake super early doing everything over at the church all day. But come night time, they were surprisingly like everyone else."
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13."The sisters in one of the convents where I stayed cussed like crazy. They didn't use the big cuss words, and they didn't take the Lord's name in vain, so they had to get creative: damn, mother of all things unholy, crap, piss, etc. It was humanizing to see that they also get frustrated by slow internet and the coffee pot not being filled. In my experience, sisters and nuns are pretty much the same as most women. They just have a very specific devotion."
14."I used to travel for volunteer work in high school and frequently stayed at convents in different places. At the convents where I stayed, all the sisters and nuns were Queen Bee gossips. They knew the who, the what, and the why of everything and everyone in town. Plus, they got downright nasty gossiping about each other, which always made me a little uncomfortable."
15."The sisters and I had a lot of work to do all the time, so it was like having a 9-5. Then you would go home and play games and watch TV, maybe drink a glass of wine or two on the weekends. Lots of prayer before regular activities like washing the car or buying new shoes, which always annoyed me."
16."I worked with nuns for a decade. My boss was a nun, my coworkers were nuns, my friends were nuns, the whole bit. I think what others found most surprising was how normal everyone was. People thought because they devoted their lives to their religion, they didn't do anything else. Like any workplace, there were different cliques. The cliques would argue and talk smack, but everyone was very proper when they were around outsiders."
17.And finally, "I worked at a grocery store in a town with a large convent. The nuns went to my store every week and I got to know some of them well. They have movie and game nights, make crafts for injured veterans or refugee children, and study A LOT. They seem to get lonely too, because people don't regard nuns as someone you can 'hang out' with. They don't see them as real people, which they are. Overall, they are good, normal women all shoved up together with a lot of time on their hands."
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Have you had any interesting interactions with nuns? Let me know in the comments below.
