Do nuns get insurance?

Medical, dental, vision?

Do they always keep up there drivers licenses?

What do they do with there other posessions when they become nuns?

My experience is pretty much limited but I'll answer to the best of my ability based on my daughter's experience. I imagine that the answer to these questions depend entirely on the order and the nun. It will be interesting to see what others have to say.

The first two lines seems related. By insurance I'm assuming you mean medical, dental, vision? Although Sr. Lauren is still covered by my medical/dental plan she doesn't need it. All of her medical needs are taken care of by her community. I don't know, quite frankly, whether they have an insurance plan or whether they pay as they go. I suspect that since insurance is priced to cover the average person and because cloistered nuns live safe, healthy lifestyles I suspect it wouldn't be a good value for them. Maybe they have a special cut rate cloistered community discount.

If you meant life insurance, then I doubt it. Life insurance is meant to take care of loved ones you leave behind who are still dependant on your income and/or to pay off any remaining financial obligations that you leave behind in the event of your death. Since the PCPAs have neither dependants or financial obligations I doubt that they have life insurance.

Licenses. If they drive they need licenses. If they don't then why pay what is essentially a tax to have the privilege. The cloistered nuns at OLAM don't have licenses and don't drive even when they do leave the cloister for some reason. The externs, on the other hand, need licenses.

Possessions. This depends on a lot of things. Sr. Lauren was able to take with her some items such as shoes, under clothing, makeup, some music (approved by mother), some books such as piano and guitar music (also approved by mother), and one change of clothing which she must keep for 1 year in the event that she leaves for some reason. Everything else she either gave away to friends/family/charity or left at home. She spent quite a bit of time sorting through her possessions and deciding to whom she wanted to give them. Kind of like not only writing a will but getting to execute it too!

I hope this helps.

Michael





p.s. - yes, the makeup was a joke.

Many times in the novitiate you provide all your own insurances. Once you become a professed nun, you will be provided for generally. And we all know what insurance costs, it is quite steep.
Most sisters do keep their drivers license, some must drive in the job that they do(of course they share cars!). Even contemplative nuns do drive on occasion, taking another sister to the doctors or food shopping. I am sure it is up to the individual and the order how much they will do.
As to posssessions, you give what you can away....and that is very difficult to part with your prized possesions. There is very little that you are allowed to take with you into the convent. And most of that is clothes.
And that includes your animals, generally they will not be taken into the convent with you. It is so hard to give it all up, but isn't that why you are becoming a nun in the first place?

yeah that seemed a bit weird.

I got covered for insurance beginning my prenovitiate by an insurance company that specializes for religious communities (especially with the whole poverty thing). Insurance is so important, because some of the guys are going to the doctor frequantly. I know the rule of St. Augustine does require a value of bodily health, so i can't imagine why certain other religious orders would not value.

I am only covered, because i am young, and a full time student. An older man entering, say in his thirties, would be required to cover his own insurance until beginning novitiate.

I entered without my driver's license. So i go out every week to practice driving with one of the priests. I should probably have my driver's license within a month. It is a requirement for us, because we live in community and work in various ministries.

I hear that in the old days, there was like three cars for the community of twelve. And they would have to sign out the cars in advance. They all needed licenses, but didn't all have their own cars.

Any order that is active, you should have a driver's license. I would say, that a contemplative order might not require it, but have one anyways, and then heck, you might not ever renew it after you enter.

I really can't answer that. Sr. Lauren, if i am correct, became a Franciscan. They have a stricter interpretation of poverty. I think you would have to ask the individual community.

Usually things to keep would be, a couple of articles of clothing. I remember hearing of a sister who entered at 17, and wears boots. Music and books.

Augustinian interpretation is all goods in common, but even this is loose, becausemost people don't want other's music or books all the time, but we keep a spirit of poverty, in that if i need another priests book, or wanted to listen to a cd, we wouldn't think, but to just give it.

What i did bring, besides my books and music, was my computer, dvds, and pictures of friends.

SHALOM

I think that you have to keep your own insurance in formation (but I AM NOT COMPLETELY SURE and don't want to "misrepresent" anyone). But it depends on the Order too.

In the Order I am discerning with, the Vocation Director stated that you need to take care of ALL of your financial aspects during Postulancy (Candidacy) as well as the Novitiate. Once you become temporarily professed they will give you insurance. You can also work during your candidacy/postulancy. But as you know in the Novitiate, you do not work (at least in the canonical year), so in my case, if I entered, I would need to have all the money for insurance saved.

In the Order I am discerning with, you do keep your license. They are apostolic, so they drive to ministry!

As far as possessions, you can leave them with your family until the conclusion of formation or your Novitiate. You can either let your family keep them or donate them to the community. (This is in the community I am in discernment with). ~ Like I said, I DO NOT want to misrepresent anyone, this statement is from my own discernment. Thanks, and hope I helped...

My best advice is to ask the particular Order you are interested in because I think they are all different. There is also canon law on possessions as well. Peace!

BTW, I LOVE the title, it's cute..."Assorted nun questions"...teehee

In the order I'm joining, health insurance is covered by me for the first three years, and then they pick up the tab after I make vows. The order does pay for basic living expenses.

The driver's license, I would get to keep. It's kind of interesting because they ran into a snafu with the state of Alabama where they started a no head covering on license pictures law when some of the SIsters tried to get their licenses renewed, but then the state did away with it (but they were prepared to fight it).

I don't have a clothing list yet, so I don't know what I can bring. I know that there's something like 13 pairs of brown socks on the list, but other than that, I'm not sure. When my friend Alyssa entered the Martyrs, she could bring some books, towels (hers are neon colored), normal pajamas, slippers, running shoes that didn't have to be black like her other shoes (sandals and the nun-esque black leather shoes), and some other assorted things.

She gave away the rest of her stuff. The most random thing that was passed down to me was a roll of Hello Kitty toilet paper. The nuns did let her bring a garden gnome to put in a garden.

OK, now that is bizarre.

I've often dreamt of joining a religious community for the express purpose of NEVER again having to see another garden gnome. I guess now I'll have to dream of being an astronaut or something.

HAHAHA my favorite part is that i know exaaaactly what you are talking about when you say "the nun-esque black leather shoes."

Jen!

You are entering the Martyrs? In Alton?!? Awesome I am so happy for you! I love Sr. Beata! She is such a sweetheart, she always sends the best emails! You're going to be a Franciscan, that's great! You just made my day! Why didn't you tell me before!!



Peace and all good!
Lauren

Her friend, Alyssa, is the one who entered the martyrs

I wonder if nuns legally change their names.

Nope. Sr. Veronica Therese showed me her driver's license and it still had her birth name on it

This is a quote from Alyssa's first letter:



I'm not entering the Martyrs. I'm going with the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. I was so close to entering them, but then Alyssa introduced me to the Sister Servants whom she really, really loved. God works in funny way because she went to Alton, and it looks like I am headed for Birmingham. I did run into Sister M. Beata on my March for Life trip. She was staying at the same hotel as our group. It was nice to run into her again because she is great, and she knows what she's talking about.

Nonetheless, it's good! I am so happy for you. TTYL.

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist love telling stories about when they go to school (Eastern Michicagn University) and correct their teachers as to their "preferred" name. Makes for some pretty good stories to tell on retreats!

haha, i bet!!

I've sen the gnome! Apparently Mother has a thing with assorted lawn ornaments

So, along that line, what name do a sister's family member call them by?

I think they can call them whatever they want. I had a roommate whose sister was a Sister, and she called her by her baptismal name when she referred to her. I also roomed with the niece of FUS's president, and she didn't call him Father Terry, but Uncle Johnny.

That's a good question, I guess it would depend on the individual.
Hmnn...

I think it does depend on the individual... and the community. We should ask OLAM Dad about his own feelings on when (God willing) his daughter will have her name "changed."

Stories from Dominican student brothers lead me to believe they're called by both their baptismal name and their professed name, but mostly by their professed name unless someone forgets.

I know that it's something my own family has struggled with. My mother has said she would have a very hard time calling me by another name. And I've basically had to promise her I won't take a man's name. ["Because you're my daughter and not a boy!!!!!!!!]

My mom said the exact same thing!

I love religious names, so I'll probably call her by whatever name is given to her. Sr. Lauren was born before I discovered the Truth and the beauty of the Church into which I was born (a.k.a. my conversion) so her name has no religious significance to me. I'm sure that whatever new name that she is given will mean more to me than the name I gave her. When/If Margaret Mary or Maximilian Kolbe (two of my children) ever receive religious names they had better be good ones!

I'm trying to get into the habit of calling Lauren 'Sister Lauren' because I want to give her the respect that she is due. I must admit I don't always remember though. In fact, I had to go and edit the preceding paragraph to add the Sr. when I realized that I had forgotten it.

Mother Angelica's birth name is Rita Rizzo. Sounds like a character from Grease. Mother Vicar's birth name is Gail. They are both nice names but I like Mother Angelica and Sr. Mary Catherine better.

Thanks so much for your contribution to this discussion!

I will do my best to reply, as I'm still learning as well!

Do nuns get insurance?

Medical, dental, vision?

I would assume most communities have an insurance plan, and for each community it would be different what they required of postulants/novices, some might wish you to provide a dowry to cover for insurance needs for those early years. When you become a professed sister, you are then taken care of by the community and they would provide for your medical needs.

Do they always keep up there drivers licenses?

Good question and one I had not thought to ask, but I know many of the active orders do drive so they would most likely keep up their lisences, and for cloistered contemplative would depend on the community and also if they had externs, with externs they would most likely keep up their lisence and some even the choir/enclosed sisters might keep up their lisences.

What do they do with there other posessions when they become nuns?

Most when you apply or are ready to enter will give you a list of the things you can bring with you, and all other things ie. clothes, books, nicknacks etc you would sell, give to a family member/friend or donate to the poor.

God Bless You!

Why do they pick another name?

If a nun ever leaves being a nun, what would happen to her? Would she just be out on her own with only what she brought with her?

Fast answer: It depends on the order!

Longer answer: Some communities of men and women have the practice (tradition) of chosing/being given a "religious" name. My understanding is that this symbolizes the new life and new community you are a part of. (And in most cases doesn't deny, ignore, or dimish the life you've come from.)

Throughout history, many women have taken the name Mary as part of their religious name. (Or Marie, Maria, etc.) Many women have also taken names of patron saints, or many times, a parent or grandparent.

Fast answer: It depends on the order!

Longer answer: It depends on when he (in the case of a priest or religious) or she left in the stages of formation. The process of religious formation is a lengthy one so that the process can be as helpful as possible. Most religious communities allow for a time of aspiracy to figure out if you and the community are a good fit. So in most cases, if you leave after that, it's not a very big deal. During the first year of religious life (as a postulant), most women will have paid a dowry (or an amount of money) so that if she does leave, she has some money to return home, etc. If she stays within the community, the money will go to the community.

Most religious communities require multiple years of temporary/renewable vows. This allows for further discernment on the part of the sister and the community. If a woman has taken solemn vows (final profession) and decides to leave a community, it is a serious matter. (That is not to say that it is impossible. Decisions would be made by the superiors within the religious community, and based upon the individual leaving.)

I have heard that for priests, if he "leaves" he ought to go through a process of relaitization. (I don't know how to spell that.) Basically, it is important for any religious to understand how his/her role in the Church changes as s/he becomes a member of the laity (again).



That was long-winded. Sorry. I just love the title of this thread though. It always makes me smile.

Just like shortnun said, many religous communities have traditions of recieving a "new name in religion" This usually takes place at their investuture when they recieve the habit. It is meant to symbolize transformation in Christ.




I think nowadays communities are more sympathetic than in the past about this. To my knowledge, if a woman leaves during formation, she is given the dowry she came in with. She is also given time to get her affairs in order so that she can have a place to live when she leaves. When a Sister leaves after taking Final Vows, a dispensation from Rome is needed. Formation periods are purposely long (6-8ish years) so that you really know what you're doing.

again with both cases, a lot depends on the community but I hope no community would just throw a woman out in the cold!