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Poverty, Chastity, and Change: Lives of Contemporary American Nuns (Twayne's Oral History Series)

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Carole Garibaldi Rogers interviewed 94 U.S. nuns (and one Canadian) in this important contribution to the Twayne Oral History Series. She uses oral histories to get beyond the stereotypes of nuns carried by Catholics and non-Catholics. More importantly, this book documents how life has changed for women religious before and after Vatican II, and what it might mean for the twenty-first century.

In their own words, the nuns show themselves as a diverse group. Most are smart, articulate, open-minded. Women religious talk about their work fighting racism, poverty, anti-Semitism, sexism, even homophobia, both in society and in the church. Ocassionally one of the speakers seems misinformed about important issues (the doctor who refused to deliver babies because she didn't want to risk catching AIDS), but all of the women who share their histories have something to teach. The oral histories include women who have left the convent, and women who find their religious calling in secular work.

While there is ethnic diversity among the Irish, German, Anglo, and Italian Americans, few women of color appear in this collection (five African American women and four Chicanas were interviewed). I mention this not to diminish Roger's work or to ignore these nine women, but because I would like to have read more of them, and hope that someone else will undertake this important work.

One thing I reflected on after reading this book was the way that popular images of nuns are formed around a sexist understanding of women: a sort of perpetual "dear maiden-aunt" stereotype. The women I met in these oral histories are complex people, whose lives are more than a moral lesson.

Carole Garibaldi Rogers interviewed 94 U.S. nuns (and one Candadian) in this important contribution to the Twayne Oral History Series. She uses oral histories to get beyond the stereotypes of nuns carried by Catholics and non-Catholics. More importantly, this book documents how life has changed for women religious before and after Vatican II, and what it might mean for the twenty-first century.

The nuns you meet are a diverse group. You find women who fought against apartheid, who fight still against anti-Semitism, racism, and poverty. You see the struggles within religious life, against the ways in which women are less valued, against racist and sexist attitudes. Occasionally you meet someone who seems misinformed in some areas(the doctor who refused to deliver babies because she didn't want to risk catching AIDS), while courageous and dedicated in others. You find also, women who have left the convent, and women who find their religious calling in secular work.

While there is ethnic diversity among the Irish, German, Anglo, and Italian Americans, few women of color appear in this collection (five African American women and four Chicanas were interviewed). I mention this not to diminish Rogers' work or to ignore these nine women, but because I would like to have read more of them, and hope that someone else will undertake this important work.

One thing I reflected on after reading this book was the way that popular images of nuns are formed around a sexist understanding of women: a sort of perpetual "dear maiden-aunt" stereotype. The women I met in these oral histories are complex people, whose lives are more than a moral lesson.

The life of a Roman Catholic nun still remains ambiguous to many people. The outside world has many perceptions of the female clergy. Nuns are typically associated with wearing a long black habit and a veil; living in a recluse and sheltered environment and praying all day amongst other nun's. The reality is far different from these stereotypes. While true that most Nuns' join the convent because they are completely dedicated to God and wish to devote their lives serving him. Their servitude encompasses a multitude of different disciplines raging from renowned writers to traveling nurses. The main running theme throughout the book is change and most notably the transformation that took place in the women's religious movement after Vatican II. The Catholic Church has been historically under the management of a male clergy and hierarchy. Female clergy have not been given equal opportunities in obtaining leadership positions. Vatican II produced an emerging women's movement that captured attention worldwide. It challenged the patriarchal tradition of the church and started making serious headway toward its goal: restoring the equality in theory and practice that belongs to each Catholic. Vatican II embraced the sociological theory of civil rights and included the following written statement in its Pastoral Constitution: "The Church in the Modern World" stated, "With respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God's intent" (No.29). Throughout the course of the book the reader is presented with detailed examples of how life has changed for female clergy before and after Vatican II and their various responses to these changes. The impact that Vatican II produced shows that progression in the women's movement for social justice and civil rights is also found in the Roman Catholic Church. Reactions in the church to the changes of Vatican II vary from disillusionment to happy acceptance. Many times the reactions depended on the Nun's age, family upbringing, and her orders outlook. Many of the younger Nuns where more inclined to welcome the changes that Vatican II brought while the older Sisters where not as accepting of the new changes. The growing emphasis on Gospel spirituality that Vatican II emphasized pointed religious women toward further developments in social order and allowed them a greater part in decision making towards particular issues that motivated them.