College students aren’t typically known for their vows of
celibacy and vigilant, die-hard commitment to God.
Of course, there are plenty of religious students at UCLA, and
many student-run faith-based organizations.
But let me put it this way: I have yet to see a “Future
Priests and Nuns of America” booth on BruinWalk.
According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate,
the number of religious sisters in the United States in 1965 was
179,954. In 2005 the number was only 68,634.
Of course, a lot has happened in the U.S. since 1965. The role
of women has changed dramatically, so it comes as no surprise that
the number would significantly drop.
I’ve always thought about what it would be like to be a
nun. I’ve often considered it to be a somewhat mysterious
profession, in the sense that I’ve never really understood
the basics of the job and the kind of people who decide to choose
that career path.
The process to become a nun is hardly easy. First of all, you
have to be a baptized Catholic.
And depending on which order or religious community you apply
to, you may even need a college degree.
Then you find which order you want to join, stay there for a
number of years, go through various training periods, and take many
vows.
Even after all the hard work and preparation, the one thing many
of the Web sites about nuns have in common are their warnings to
prospective faith followers that often people take all the
necessary steps to becoming a nun and still find they aren’t
ready for it.
I think a lot of people growing up feel fascinated by nuns.
After all, what child didn’t grow up singing “I am 16
going on 17″ along with Julie Andrews and the other
characters in “The Sound of Music”?
Andrews’ character Maria ends up with Georg von Trapp and
they live happily ever after.
Perhaps our generation looks at it from Maria’s point of
view ““ that to be a nun would be to give up a lifetime of
freedom.
There’s always been an abundance of nun costumes at
Halloween shops, with some people making a twist to the costume and
dressing up as pregnant nuns. Why are people so interested in
them?
By “people,” I mean “myself.”
I started thinking about the application process to be a nun.
Then I began to think about what kind of a contender I would
be.
To be honest, I didn’t think I had a prayer.
First of all, I’m not a practicing Catholic, so I guess
that would be strike one.
Although I was baptized and raised religious, I now consider
myself agnostic, so that would be a bit of a problem.
I didn’t know if my life had been too filled with sin over
the years for me to be a candidate for one of the highest positions
in the Catholic faith.
Flashbacks of 21st birthdays with friends and happy hours at
Maloney’s were rushing into my head, but I tried to push them
out of the way.
I also had tons of questions in the back of my mind.
Do they give future applicants a lie detector test?
Do you have to be a virgin? Are you allowed to go out to the
bars when you’re in a convent? What happens if you have done
some pretty over-the-top things in your life? Do they dismiss all
that and let you start with a brand-new slate, or do they throw you
out of the church and ban you forever?
After doing a little research, I realized things weren’t
as cutthroat as I had originally imagined. I found out that you do
not have to be a virgin to become a nun, but you do have to be
chaste and unmarried.
There are all types of different career avenues you can choose,
including doing humanitarian work or working at a Catholic
school.
The reason these people choose these lives is because they feel
it is their destiny, so they don’t look at it from the same
perspective as I do.
When they think of a lifetime of serving God, it makes them
excited. When I think about never having the option of getting
married and having kids or relationships in my life, it makes me
very sad.
Bottom line: It’s a really big commitment, and I
wouldn’t be good at it. But I commend those who are.
Do you want to split a six-pack and watch “Sister
Act”? E-mail Shackelford at bshackelford@media.ucla.edu. Send
general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.