“In silence and stillness they earnestly seek the face of the Lord and never cease making intercession with the God of our salvation that all men and women might be saved.”

– Book of Constitutions of the nuns of the Orders of Preachers, Chapter II, 4

This quote, belonging to the 13th-century Dominican Order of Preachers, or “Dominicans,” founded by Spanish friar Dominic de Guzman, summarizes the role and lives of not only Dominican nuns, but all nuns, fairly well. As the French website Service des Moniales (“Service of the Nuns”) shows us, there is a vast array of monastic orders of nuns and priests contained with the umbrella of the Catholic faith — there are even four different branches just of Dominicans, as seen on Dominican Life. In the end, traditions, ceremonies, and rules of conduct may differ from order to order, or convent to convent — like the Sisters of Immaculate Health in Mexico, who care for a nearly-extinct salamander, the axolotl, per the BBC – but these dissimilarities are minor or fringe more often than not.

The overarching, shared lives of nuns might just conform to general expectations: living cloistered in a monastery, lots of silent prayer, no earthly possessions, no sexual relationships, and avoiding any change of habits (credit to Elvis for that joke, per YouTube). Some of the more well-known religious rules have certainly seeped into public consciousness — vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience — but how do they translate into nuns’ daily lives?

Differences between a 'sister' and a 'nun'

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A centuries-old daily schedule of mindfulness

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Unbreakable tenets

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That takes us to the big ticket items that most people know, which are universal for all nuns: the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. 

Nuns’ vow of chastity gets a lot of attention, as it’s understandably difficult for most folks to accept and imagine. As Sister Julie says on A Nun’s Life blog, sexual relationships are prohibited, no matter how much desired. Even though, she admits, sex is “a powerful experience of union and love,” nuns elect to express their love in non-sexual ways like community service, prayer and devotional activities, and communing with the divine in a more universal way. The phrases “married to Jesus” or “Brides of Christ” are often invoked in this case.

A vow of poverty may be equally difficult to imagine, but Sister Monica Clare Powell (born Claudette Monica Powell) does a good job of explaining it on a YouTube video. If you’ve ever felt swallowed by the emptiness of a consumerist life and the hollow, unending appropriation of meaningless goods, then the idea of living simply might sound appealing. And that’s what it really is, as A Nun’s Life blog again explains: a “vow of poverty, not destitution.” Pare down, dial it back. Own your own soap, of course, but detach yourself from material things in lieu of spiritual things (a sentiment shared by numerous other faiths).

And finally: obedience. Obedience to what? Well, as Ask a Catholic explains, to a life lived in imitation of Jesus.

The path from 'aspirant' to 'fully professed'

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Of course, following all these rules isn’t for everyone. But for those who decide on particular life path, there’s a sequence of steps that must be followed — a multi-year application process — to ensure that would-be nuns are serious about the whole thing. There are differences according to order (Benedictines vs. Dominicans vs. Passionists, and so on), but the overall structure is the same for everyone, as Aleteia outlines.

Being an “aspirant” means that someone has formally approached an order and said that they want to join. They continue to live amid society for another year or two while doing outreach, projects, teaching, monitoring social media — whatever needs doing — with their chosen community. A “postulant” has “formally moved in” to a monastery. But she’s not allowed to be called a “sister” and wears different clothing from nuns who have made their final steps. This is supposed to be a time of intense inward focus that lasts maybe six months.

A “novice” has been officially accepted and can start classes and training, take vows, and possibly change her name (like Sister Powell, mentioned before). After this, there are ranks leading up to “fully professed” nun, and eventually “mother superior,” who’s in charge of a monastery.  

Some other rules nuns have to follow, as Kiwi Report says? Keep on your habit. No “luxury” foods. And as of a 2016 papal instruction by Pope Francis: limit social media (per Culture Trip).