Starting At the Beginning- Or- Nuns 101

First off- the difference between a sister and a nun can seem a little confusing to the average person. Let  me put it like this: All religious, regardless of the community they belong to, are called 'sisters', but all sisters are not nuns. Nuns are, traditionally speaking, those individuals who wear habits and live in closed communities called 'cloisters'. This is of course historically speaking because at the present time not all nuns are behind convent walls 24/7. In fact, in today's world the term sister and nun are used interchangeably- although technically that's not correct. Some people like to think of it this way: sisters are active, and nuns are contemplative. Sisters can live outside the community, nuns live always in community. Modern day sisters rarely wear habits, nuns always wear some form of habit. A sister blends in with the crowd at the mall, a nun you could spot easily. However, if one is ever in doubt, don't worry- just called them 'sister' because they all answer to the that :o) For the purpose of simplicity,  we will use the terms sister and nun interchangeably- that seems to be the common solution to the problem. Today there are too many exceptions to be able to draw a clear line between the 2 terms.

There is one very important distinction when choosing a religious community however, and that is the 'rule' or rather, the way of life of that particular community. Most people have at least some idea of what they are looking for- either strictly contemplative, or one of a more active lifestyle. Since there are a great many different communities in the United States it is impossible to list the 'rule' for every order here, but when we spotlight a particular community we will make known it's 'rule'- at least in general. Some orders provide more information than others up front, so in some cases we will tell you how to find out more or list direct contact info.

Also, if you have a good idea of the kind of community you would like to join, but are having trouble locating one, just leave a comment on one of the posts and we will let you know what is available in your particular area. If we don't know what part of the country you are from we can list various locations but you should give us at least a state so that we can narrow it down.