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Various Customs


Hemma

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Hi all :)

 

We have a wonderful thread about Carmelite Customs, and some about veils and similar things, but I couldn't find any for "various questions and accounts". Because I have one.

 

Recently a friend told me about some of the reasons which kept her off entering religious life. One of the less important, but quite daunting aspects was about underwear. As she told me, there are some convents who don't give the nuns own underwear with a number or name sewed in, but they just sort it according to the size after washing and every nun takes what she needs. I thought she was talking of some very austere Clare nuns or something like that, but then she mentioned a large and quite modern benedictine abbey in Germany. I just don't believe it! Are there still monasteries who handle it like this in our times?

Actually I don't mind to share towels and bedclothes, and I could also get used to community night gowns or shirts. But panties.. no. :covereyes:

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15 views but no answer. I suppose you are as staggered as I was. I think I have a pretty good feeling about the likelyhood or commonness of convent customs in general, but in this case I have no idea. And it's something you really get confronted with if you enter.

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AccountDeleted

I have been in quite a few convents, both very pre-Vat 2 and more modern, and in NONE of them did the nuns 'share' underwear. Every nun had her own underwear and used only her own underwear. So your friend should just avoid that particular convent if it is an issue for her (which it would be for me too). 

 

Each community has its own way of handling laundry - some do all the personal clothes one day and all the Manchester (sheets, towels etc)on another day - but everyone's together (with markings to identify personal items). Some smaller communities have each nun do her own washing - she is assigned a day or part of a day (morning or afternoon). 

 

There is enough variety in religious life for every individual - believe me, I have the experience to justify that statement! :)

 

 

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maximillion

Must admit I have never heard of this either. It must be very particular to this German community.

 

Like nunsense, we had undies and nightwear with our nunny number in it. For personal use only.

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I've never heard of this and suspect that it must be pretty rare. However, if it's any help, I'm pretty sure that a modern German Benedictine Abbey would have the sort of washing facilities that would mean that the underwear would come back from the wash totally sterilized. (I did once live in a community where handkerchiefs came out of a common supply, and knew another community where this also happened. It's not something I would choose to do if they were washed as mine are now washed, but they were boiled came back whiter than I would have thought possible!)

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I've wondered myself whether the information is authentic, because it is just so incredible. But I just can't think of a plausible way to get it out from the nuns themselves.

 

My former community had names in everything and even with 50 or 60 sisters I had no problem of sorting it in time when I had to help in the laundry. Same with handkerchiefs.

Luckily the convent I'm discerning with has it the same way - I've asked them at once and they laughed :smile3: I am VERY glad about this. Gosh I wouldn't even have thought about the possibility!

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I was in a community for some 27 years and all laundry was done 2xs a week by whichever Sister was in charge of laundry & she was helped by a novice. All our undergarments were 

made by the community and came in S, M, L & XL (according to our own sizing system). Each Sister had her personal items of clothing, bed linens, towels, etc. There were some "community use" items for when one was in the hospital or they could be borrowed for a doctor's visit if one's personal undergarments were not considered "presentable"....These latter items were then returned to "community" after one was finished w/them....But at no time were all our items from a community supply.  However, I know that years ago, some communities handed out clothes to their Nuns/Sisters each week from a common supply. I would find it difficult to believe that some communities would still do that. But I have heard some strange things: Once when I was visiting a cloistered community in a 3rd World Country, I passed by a washing machine & told Mother how nice it was that they had a washing machine. "No,: she told me, "the Nuns do not like it because it is so unsanitary!"....Each Sister continued to do her own clothes by hand....

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truthfinder

It might be true, but it sounds like one of those older stories, carried on by word of mouth used to scare girls away from convents.  "ooh, you know they share underwear; oh, they make you clean the floor by licking it..."

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Sounds plausible. But I've asked my friend about the source of the information. She has it from a young woman who discerned with the nuns about 10 years ago and who knew many internal matters. She admitted also that everything was really, really clean - you're right, Egeria.

 

 

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maximillion

 

 

ooh, you know they share underwear; oh, they make you clean the floor by licking it..."

 

 

This tickled me, but it is true, that is just how things get told, even in todays world.

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truthfinder

I have a somewhat professional interest in anti-nun literature, and this made me think of it.  Sometimes stories are based on fact, but distorted through word of mouth, or sometimes just a complete misunderstanding of the culture.  I could understand a community that did this, but most places now have a sense that some items shouldn't be held in common.  (Just remember, in some places in the distant path, hospital beds were shared.)

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Well to prevent further misunterstandings: this is NOT typical for German culture. Clean yes, sharing underwear no. 

:cheers:

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Bride of the Lamb

I can assure you that this is neither typical nor common. However, if this is the Benedictine abbey I just have in mind, they are rather, ahem, particular. 

 

Rather common in my opinion is that postulants bring their own underwear (as it is appropriate) and sew a number in it. Later on, the community who buys underwear in some kind of bulk will replace worn out things (or family members will present her new stockings, underwear and things like this); but the sister sews her number in it and only she uses these. The Carmelites had a cupbord and every sister had a sehlf in it, they even alloted lower numbers of the shelves to smaller sisters and higher numbers to the tall sisters ;)

Edited by Bride of the Lamb
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I wonder if perhaps this could be one of those mangled tales with a speck of truth in them.

 

The community I was in, we brought our postulant stuff and then asked for other things as we needed them.

 

If one needed something that was common, one might be told to go to a common cupboard or shelf to get it... and I could see a sister who needed some new underwear being told to go and get it... from a place where there were new pairs set out by size... but I can't imagine it would be done after wearing, even if laundered.

 

Very often if someone was given something (say a parent brought a gift during a visit), she would be told to put it into the common cupboard... but it sounds to me like this one just has taken on a life of its own.....

 

 

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Hi Bride of the Lamb,

I would be highly curious which abbey you're thinking of... If you're right I shall tell you :)

Maybe I write an email address in my status at a certain time when you're online? Please suggest some date and time - by this I can avoid to have it in public for longer.

 

As I've already said the information comes from a reliable source. A friend of mine knows a woman who was closely discerning with the nuns about 10 years ago. That woman knew many internal matters and she has also reported that everything there was very neat and clean.

 

In my former community we had names in every sock and cloth that was of personal use. It would never have occured to me that there are other possibilities.

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