Posted on 09/16/2009 8:07:56 AM PDT by CT-Freeper
BETHLEHEM (CT) — In an era of dramatically diminished vocations to the sisterhood, a 65-year-old woman took her final vows as a nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis , the third such consecration in as many years at the abbey, home to 27 cloistered nuns.
Sister Emmanuelle Hutchinson, a 65-year-old Harvard graduate who started her career questioning what makes man human, ended her quest Tuesday, taking her final vows after living at the abbey since 1996.
Consecrating women in three consecutive years is rare at the abbey — and increasingly unusual in American Catholic life. In 1965, there were 180,000 Catholic sisters in the United States. Now, there are 60,000, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
In a solemn, two-and-a-half-hour ceremony on Tuesday, conducted largely in Latin and suffused with Gregorian chant, Hutchinson, who has a 36-year-old son, made her perpetual profession of vows.
It began with the pealing of bells outside of the abbey's Church of Jesu Fili Mariae, as Hutchinson knelt between two saplings, flanked by the abbey community. Mansell and a series of clergy, all in white robes, walked reverentially toward her. The bells ceased and the low, dulcet chanting of the nuns broke the silence of the still, pine forest adjacent the church. As she was consecrated, replacing her white veil with a black veil and cowl, her son, Daniel, placed a festive crown of berries and eucalyptus around her head.
Jimmy Carter suspects racism is what is driving this.
Beautiful.
God bless her! Sure does beat sitting around the house all day and watching daytime soap operas in retirement!
While I think this is a nice story and applaud her decision I can’t help but wonder what kind of Order she has signed on to.
I wish I didn’t feel this way.
FYI
my sister was just talking about becoming a nun. her husband died 6 years ago, (vietnam vet, agent orange victim) and her four children are almost grown.
she thought it would be a terrific way to spend her remaining years.
It’s a lot easier to give up sex at 65.
I dont mean to make light of her choice and I am happy for her. I wish her the best with her belated vocation. We could use a lot of older widowers who want to become Priests.
The vow of celibacy is a tough one to keep for younger people, but as we grow older we can still work for the Church. My cousin is thinking of becoming a Brother.
Lifes experiences make us better qualified to see the laity as they really are instead of through the Rose colored glasses of what they should be.
I think I might do that if my husband died and kids were up and out. Great way to ‘do’ retirement. (Do they allow violas in convents? I would have to play Beethoven, too, I think).
To make it about giving up sex is to minimize it, imho. It is so much more. I would want to continue to teach and just focus on the Lord.
More than likely she gave it up when her marriage ended and since she moved into the Abbey in 1996 at the age of 52 she obviously doesn't have any difficulty dealing with the discipline.
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