Apologetics for the Masses #491 - A Modernist Opinion of Nuns in Habits

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Topic

My comments on an article written by a Modernist about nuns in habits.

Introduction

This is the 4th, and last, in this series on Modernists. This week I will be commenting on an article written by one Margaret Susan Thompson, who is a professor of history at Syracuse University. Her main area of research focuses on the history and contemporary concerns of American sisters, according to the information about her that appears at the bottom of the article we're about to discuss. The title of the article is: Of nuns, habits, chainsaws, and why the combination is less than 'nuntastic'. The article was written in September of 2017 for the "Global Sisters Report," which is "A project of the National Catholic Reporter".

I would never have known about this article except that Margaret Susan Thompson mentioned it recently in a Facebook thread that I was part of. I discussed that particular thread in the last newsletter - A Modernist Response to the Eucharistic Congress. It seems that Margaret Susan Thompson is, well, less than thrilled with nuns in habits. And, judging by her comments in the last newsletter, she's also less than thrilled with consecrated virgins, as were other commenters in that Facebook thread.

Anyway, I'm just going to post her article here with my comments interspersed. The article is centered around a nun - Sr. Margaret Ann - who is, or at least was, the principal of Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School near Miami. It seems Sr. Margaret Ann, dressed in full habit, was taking a chainsaw to fallen trees to clear them from roadways around the high school in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. A passing police officer saw her, took some pictures, posted them on social media, and the story went viral from there. If you want to read the article, uninterrupted by my comments, you can do so here: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/blog/gsr-today/trends/nuns-habits-chainsaws-and-why-combination-less-nuntastic-49416

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws, and why the combination is less than 'nuntastic'

When the effects of Hurricane Irma dominated the news cycle in early September, one of the feel-good stories that circulated across virtually every media platform was a picture of Sister Margaret Ann in full traditional habit, wielding a chainsaw so she could clear away debris. As CNN put it, such an image "can renew faith in even the most downtrodden."

My Comments
Awesome! To have CNN say something positive about anything to do with the faith, and about a woman who has dedicated her life to Christ, is a pretty good thing, I would think. But, what do I know, right?

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws...
Within hours, the story was picked up in outlets across the country, trended on Twitter, made it onto "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," and even was featured in Stephen Colbert's opening monologue at the Sept. 17 Emmy Awards.

As someone who studies nuns and calls literally hundreds of sisters my friends, you would think I might applaud such a phenomenon. And, to be sure, Sister Margaret Ann, a member of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles and principal at Miami's Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School, seems to be a likable woman who handled the unexpected (and, no doubt, unsought) publicity with humor and aplomb.

My Comments
You would indeed think she would applaud such a phenomenon.

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws...
So why do I find this whole business more annoying than amusing? Why did I not welcome the multiple repostings by friends to my Facebook page? Why was I accused of being humorless? Or if I could not laugh, why could I not simply ignore the whole thing?

My Comments
All excellent questions!

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws...
For too long, habited nuns have been used in media — including but not limited to the news — as quaint, and frequently infantilized, curiosities. Otherwise unremarkable women become objects of fascination and fantasy simply because of the clothing they wear. Most of the time, they remain unnamed, and even the particular community they belong to goes unidentified.

At the same time, the far more numerous sisters, at least in the West, who have worn secular clothing for about half a century now go unnoticed and largely unappreciated. For instance, the many vowed women who did what they always do in reaching out to the poor and needy after both Hurricanes Harvey and Irma remained mostly unacknowledged because they are visually unremarkable.

My Comments
This is the kind of thing that makes me just shake my head in disbelief. "...the far more numerous sisters, at least in the West, who have worn secular clothing for about half a century now go unnoticed..." The reason Sr. Margaret Ann was noticed by a passing police officer - whose social media post, with pictures, started all the hullabaloo about her - was because she was in a habit! If it had been a woman dressed in regular street clothing, he undoubtedly would have kept driving on by. He would not have known she was a nun if she was dressed in secular clothes. The habit caught his attention. Of course the "far more numerous sisters" who wear secular clothing go "unnoticed", because how can you tell them apart from secular women if they're wearing secular clothing?! Hello?! How are you supposed to tell a non-habit wearing nun is a nun just by looking at her?

She says the sisters who don't wear habits "remained mostly unacknowledged because they are visually unremarkable." Of course they're unacknowledged as religious sisters because no one knows they're religious sisters just by looking at them! What are you supposed to do, go up to every woman with gray hair and frumpy clothes and ask, "Excuse me, are you a nun?" so that you can acknowledge them?

Furthermore, I would question her assertion that the sisters without habits are "far more numerous" than the sisters who wear habits, even here in the West. The religious orders who do not wear habits, at least the ones I'm familiar with, are dying out...rapidly. Lots of gray hair. The religious orders I know of who wear habits, with maybe one exception, are growing or, at the least, maintaining their numbers.

I would also question this whole thing about nuns in habits being used in the media as "quant, and often infantilized, curiousities". Really? Are we talking about the media that views Christians, in general, as "quaint, and often infantilized, curiousities"? At least, those Christians who don't believe in abortion, homosexual marriage, contraception, transgenderism, etc.

But, basically, she's upset because these religious sisters who wear habits are visually remarkable while the ones who don't are "visually unremarkable". That's like complaining about personal injury lawyers whose billboards you see everywhere getting all the attention, while the personal injury lawyers who don't advertise don't get any attention. I wonder why? When you wear a habit, you're a walking billboard for the religious life. When you don't wear a habit, you're not. It's just that simple. How many times have I heard from religious who no longer wear the habit that they don't want to be set apart from "normal" people, that they don't want to stand out in a crowd, that they just want to blend in. Yet, here Margaret Susan Thompson is, complaining because those sisters don't stand out, because they do just blend in. They don't get the attention she thinks they deserve. In other words, taking off their habits accomplished what they wanted to accomplish, and now they're complaining about the results.

Well, sorry, but you can't have it both ways. There is a reason that nuns wear a habit. To set themselves apart from the world physically as well as spiritually. And to be visual reminders to the world that there are indeed alternative lifestyles - ones that seek a higher plain as opposed to the ones that seek the debasement of the flesh.

One other thing here that causes me to shake my head. Towards the beginning of the article, Margaret Susan Thompson said this about Sr. Margaret Ann, "... seems to be a likable woman who handled the unexpected (and, no doubt, unsought) publicity with humor and aplomb." In other words, after reading stories in the media about Sr. Margaret Ann, Margaret Susan Thompson came away with a favorable opinion of her. But, according to the way Margaret Susan Thompson says the media treats nuns in habits, that isn't possible, is it? I mean, she didn't complain about CNN presenting Sr. Margaret Ann as an "infantilized curiousity," or anything of that nature. In essence, Margaret Susan Thompson contradicted herself on one of the main points of her article.

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws...
Consider, for instance, a story about the (unhabited) Adrian Dominican Sisters who, like Sister Margaret Ann, live in southeast Florida and spent days after Irma visiting homes and shelters. Their story did not get worldwide, or even statewide, circulation.

Media outlets that should know better, including The New York Times, Huffington Post, Salon and the websites of major television networks, regularly use stock photos and cartoonlike drawings of women in habits even to accompany stories of sisters who have not worn such outfits in decades. The anachronism is not only frustrating, but it perpetuates the implicit sense that "real" or "authentic" sisters wear traditional garb while those who do not are somehow less worthy of recognition or appreciation.

My Comments
I'm thinking this woman has never heard the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Of course media outlets, even the far left ones, use photos of nuns in habits even when telling stories of nuns who don't wear habits. Why? Because a picture is worth a thousand words. If you use a picture of a woman wearing secular clothing, no one knows it's a nun just from the picture. The habit engages the sense of sight. The habit tells a visual story. The habit needs no explanation. Plus, many outside of the Catholic world have no clue that there are nuns who don't wear habits. You can rail all you want to about the ignorance of the masses in that regard, but too bad, that's just the way it is. There is no way you will ever get a picture of a gray haired woman wearing frumpy clothes to ever become visually synonymous with a nun, in the manner that a woman in a habit is visually synonymous with a nun. Just ain't gonna happen.

Maybe, if these "unhabited" religious really want the attention you think they deserve, then maybe...just maybe...I'm just thinking out loud here...maybe they should look at adopting some form of habit? I don't know, just a thought. But, if they really don't want the attention you think they deserve, then not wearing a habit gets them right where they want to be, so what's your beef?

Of nuns, habits, chainsaws...
Many of the sisters I know, who are from various communities and not all from the United States, share my frustration. As one put it in an online forum: "Most [sisters responding to the hurricanes] are probably dressed in very practical, ordinary clothes, so they don't look 'cool' or picturesque or stand out in any way. They're just getting on with the job, and probably working incredibly hard, too, away from the limelight, whilst the internet goes mad over 'a nun — wow!!' cutting a few branches."

And she was far from alone in what she said.

As another online commenter put it: "There is a trend of romanticizing nuns in habits as these ethereal innocent feminine wisps."

And a third remarked, "The picture is (cheerfully) patronizing. Please note that no-one is criticizing the nun for helping — only for putting herself at risk in wearing clothes inappropriate for the task. The main issue here is the public stereotyping of women religious."

One person on Facebook asked why I could not simply join in the "innocent amusement."

The answer is simple and, I think, important. Vowed women in the church deserve more than our fascination, our giggles, and our objectification. They deserve, instead, our appreciation — and, more importantly, our respect.

My Comments
So, "Many of the sisters" that Margaret Susan Thompson knows are frustrated because they, not wearing habits, do not get to share in the limelight that sisters who do wear habits, sometime enjoy. Not only are they frustrated by that, they appear to be a bit jealous of the sisters in habits getting all, or at least most, of the attention, and also a little snarky about it. Apparently they want to be treated as "quaint, and often infantilized, curiousities," too. It strikes me a bit odd, though, that women who have devoted their lives to Christ should be so upset about not being bathed in the limelight. Don't they take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience? Wouldn't humility be a major factor in the proper living out of those vows?

By the way, this is yet another contradiction. Margaret Susan Thompson rails about how the media, in her opinion, negatively presents nuns in habits, yet she is upset that nuns not in habit are not getting the same attention that nuns in habits are. Does she want the nuns not wearing habits to be negatively stereotyped, too? I'm so confused.

Here's the thing. What is actually at the crux of the hostility and, dare I say, bitterness towards the attention the nuns in habit get, is that not only is the habit a visual reminder, or statement, for the religious life, but it is most often a statement of orthodoxy. That, I believe, is what is really getting Margaret Susan Thompson's, and all of the religious sisters she knows, goats. I can pretty much guarantee that the religious sisters that Margaret Susan Thompson knows are, in many instances, in favor of women priests. Probably have no issue with contraception or same sex "marriage". Might even have a majority of them who would call themselves "pro-choice". I'll bet a number of them dabble in raiki, the enneagram, centering prayer, Eastern religions, and so on. In other words, I'll give odds that a large number of them are Modernists, or heterodox. The Church needs to catch up with the times. The Church needs to bend to the will of society as opposed to being a witness of timeless truth to society.

That, in my humble opinion, is what is really going on here. At its core, this is a clash of heterodoxy vs. orthodoxy. Modernism vs. Tradition. And even the left wing media "who should know better" (i.e., they should know better than to use pictures of anti-abortion, transphobic, homophobic, anti-woman, patriarchal supporting, religious sisters, as opposed to pictures of the woke religious sisters) is, inadvertently, taking the "wrong" side in the argument.

All of the above boils down to this: Next time you see a picture of a nun, in a habit, in the media...well, don't be fascinated by her, and certainly don't giggle over her or objectify her, and for goodness sakes don't infantilize her...just remember that the nuns you don't see - the ones without the habits - are suffering because of that picture. And say a prayer, or two, for them. And for Margaret Susan Thompson, as well.

Closing Comments

You will not be getting a newsletter from me next week as I will be in the process - all next week - of moving the Bible Christian Society office. So, please say a prayer, or two, that the move will go smoothly and without any pulled muscles or strained backs.

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