Religious and health care

[debraran]

Hi, this question might be “dated” but in reading older books by nuns, (60’ 70s,80’s’)mostly contemplative (some in orders, some that left) they said heatlh care was very minimal for them compared to priests. Many cancers were found out later, they didn’t visit doctors or dentists on a regular basis. Sometimes someone came to the convent, but I can’t imagine adequate health care with that. I was always concerned because many in cloisters get very little exercise to speak of and their diet can vary sometimes with the generosity of others.
I also thought of this when I friend brought it up because I remember Mother Angelica’s best friend, Sister Raphael, who died of cancer and it said she had been bleeding a lot and when they found the cancer it was too far gone.
Anyone every hear about this aspect of religious life? I know $$ is a big concern, but it seems shameful to let dental/health routine care go unless it’s a major problem. I know Father Groechel said most of the contributions that don’t go to the poor go to health care, but it seems women’s orders might be a bit behind.

 

[udoc89]

My brother-in-law is a doctor, a Mason, and a Lutheran with a slight anti-Catholic bias. One thing I admire about him, however, is his committment to the well-being of his old, and sometimes very poor patients. There is a small monastery a few miles out of town, and my brother-in-law takes care of some of the nuns. He has griped to me on occasion about the fact that “The Catholic Church does not take very good care of the nuns!” It didn’t impress him much when I told him that they take a vow of poverty when they join the order.

 

[debraran]

I know, but even as a “youngin” in the 70’s, I always thought nuns got the short end of the stick so to speak with certain things. Priests always had people fawning all over them, visited the doctor, hospitals, whatever they needed, but nuns stayed “in the cloister”. That’s why so many wrote about it, the mystery of it at the time. I remember a family friend who was a priest saying, he would save up all the wine, liquor, non-male gifts, and bring them to the convents on Christmas. He said (this was in CT) they never got anything and NEVER got alcohol even sparkling wine for the holidays. He’d get cakes, cookies, meals, they wouldn’t get anything much at all. I guess they thought they couldn’t or wouldn’t want it.
But I can only hope healthcare is better for them today in cloisters. I would imagine the sisters would be careful not to spend too much time or money on themselves, but I’m sure God would want them to do what they could to stay healthy.

 

[udoc89]

I’m a convert, but this part of Texas is heavily Catholic–lots of Czech, Polish, and German Catholics immigrated here in the 1880s. My father was also a doctor, and I never heard him mention the nuns’ lack of adequate healthcare. I know he took care of several priests.

What you have posted has made me think. I believe I’ll make extra Christmas goodies this year and drive out to the monastery. I’d like to visit it, anyway. They support themselves by raising miniature horses.

 

[debraran]

Minature horses, how sweet! The ones near me make soap, bread, jams, things like that. I will have to be sure to remember them too. We have a very mixed parish with different ethnic groups, but the Italians heap, (and I mean heap) the cookies, etc. on the friars. One commented when I dropped off some pastry, "does it look like we are starving?"with a smile (they all have a pot-belly to some degree) Next year, I’ll make sure to remember the nuns instead.