A hundred years ago it was the hope of every good Catholic family that a son or daughter would choose the life of celibacy and become a priest or a nun. These days, though, few people choose this path and the Catholic church is now in crisis.
Becoming a nun is no small matter. It is a life long commitment. Many people believe that true nuns are “called” to the position by God. A “calling” or vocation may come from a dream, a vision or even an overwhelming desire to commit one’s life to God. If you feel that you have been “called” or have a vocation, than you may be someone who should become a nun.
What do you need to do to become a nun? The first thing you should be is Catholic. If you are already Catholic, than you are on the right track. If you are not Catholic, than you will need to look into converting to Catholicism. If you would like to convert, your best course of action is to visit your local Catholic church. There a priest will be able to work with you on the steps you will need to take to become Catholic.
Once you have become Catholic, you are now ready to look into what it takes become a nun. Nuns need to be unmarried. In the Catholic church this means that you should be both unmarried now and never married before. The Catholic church does not recognize civil divorces and obtaining a divorce from the Church is not easy. You can become a nun however, if you have been married in the past and your husband has passed away.
While the Catholic church does frown upon pre-marital sex, a woman can become a nun if she is not a virgin (as long as she has not married).
If you meet these standards; Catholic and unmarried/undivorced; you are free to become a nun.
Your next step will be to decide what order you would like to join. Nuns have groups that are called orders. Each order has its own set of rules that dictate how the nun of that order can act. The rules for each order may decide how a nun can dress, whether the nun can own property and what causes a nun may pursue. Choosing an order is very important. While all orders of nuns require that you take a vow of chastity, the level of strictness varies from order to order. While some people may feel that wearing a habit is an important aspect of being a nun, others may feel that the habit is outdated. While some may feel that taking a vow of poverty will show dedication, others may feel that belonging will not interfere with a nun’s dedication to God. You will need to examine your own beliefs and match your beliefs with a suitable order.
For more information about various orders, talk to a priest or nun at your local Catholic church. Once you have found an order that matches your beliefs, you will b able to join if you meet all the criteria for that order.
Once you have joined, you will go through a training period. This is a period of time where you will be able to learn the ways of that particular order. It is also a period of time to ensure that you truly wish to become a nun.
Taking the steps to become a nun is no small matter. Many women get all the way to their training period only to discover that the devotion and commitment needed to become a nun for life is just not something they are willing to give. Becoming a nun means that you will never have a physical husband, or have children, or possibly even own property.
That being said, you do have the benefit of having the Lord as your husband, being a mother to all children and being able to claim ownership to the Kingdom of Heaven.
If these are things that appeal to you, than you may want to talk to your local Catholic church about taking further steps to become a nun.