Obedience, Chastity and Poverty

It would appear that nuns do not have the time or resources to be involved with their communities because of their vows of obedience, chastity and poverty, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are some orders devoted solely to prayer, but they are few and far between. Becoming a nun may be a way for some women to escape the outside world, but many orders are very involved with the world around them. They are movers and shakers who accomplish great works, and they consider this to be their way of serving God.

Feeding the poor and helping those who cannot help themselves is one of the fundamental reasons many women join orders. They believe they can make a difference with hard work, and they often do. Organizing food banks and raising money for charities is just part of their involvement in communities, and it doesn’t stop there.

Hands-on work within their community is an important role for these women, and many of them give their time to counseling others and helping them find a path through life. They guide people who seek them out, and they help build up people in areas where that is necessary. Breaking the cycle of poverty and illiteracy is a calling many of them feel strongly, and their best chance to have an effect is through the church structure.

People occasionally shy away from nuns because they represent a religion, but many nuns no longer wear habits. They do tend to dress in a conservative fashion, but many now wear modern clothes to fit into the community. They are committed to success in their endeavors to help others, and they have few restrictions on who will receive this assistance. They do encourage people to attend church, but missionary work is almost never their main goal.