Religious Life and Writing as a Ministry

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TeresaRoseHJM

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This may sound like a really stupid question, but does anyone know if there are women’s religious orders that would allow me to continue writing fiction and non-fiction if I became a sister/nun? I have a felt a strong calling to religious life since I was a little girl (I’m now 38) but I also feel like being an author is part of what I’m supposed to do with my life. I write historical fiction, non-fiction and I’ve written one fairly clean romance, so nothing dirty or immoral.

I know the traditional ministries of religious life are education, health care, social work, elder/child care, etc., but I don’t feel drawn to any of those. Maybe teaching at the college level, but even that is only mildly attractive. That is one of the reasons why I did not seriously discern at a younger age.

I feel like I have two callings, to be a religious and an author, but I have no idea if there is a way to be able to do both.
 
I know a Dominican nun who is a writer. She must have written 4-5 books by now that I know of. Most of them Theology of some kind. There are other nuns in that convent who translate books into other languages.
 
I know loads of religious in many congregations who do writing of all sorts. One is currently a novice; others are professed. OF COURSE people can write as religious.

While I know people in a lot of different communities who write as their principal ministry (this doesn’t count, for example, scholars who publish extensively in their academic fields), you may want to look into the Daughters of St. Paul.
 
I’d imagine that all orders have free time. It can be done.

Now comes the footwork. I think there is a home for you if it is God’s will.
 
But because the Philosopher was wise,
he kept on teaching the people what he knew.
He studied proverbs and honestly tested their truth.
The Philosopher tried to find comforting words,
but the words he wrote were honest.
The sayings of the wise are like the sharp sticks that shepherds use to guide sheep,
and collected proverbs are as lasting as firmly driven nails.
They have been given by God, the one Shepherd of us all.
My child, there is something else to watch out for.
There is no end to the writing of books,
and too much study will wear you out.
 
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Have you tried the Daughters of St Paul? I don’t know if they would allow you to write a lot of fiction but their ministry seems to be around evangelization through book sales etc…
 
I majored in (written) communications in college and more recently (in the last few years) this has come back into play for me.

I now layout and edit our monthly newsletter and do two blogs (one for my workplace and one for my Franciscan community).

As was said before, discuss it with communities that you are interested in.
 
It certainly exists; look at Fr. Andrew Greeley . . .

It is certainly possible to take exception to his works, and some of the behaviors in them, as well as the theology, but when you read most of them, you are immersed in an unmistakeably Catholic environment. Flawed as they may be in some regards, the Catholic spirituality int hem is a welcome escape from the modern world.

There are also two SF novels in his works, one of which (God Game) is fascinating (if dated for the computer technology), while the other is marred by the “interesting” (to be charitable) way he sees the church evolving.

Overall, though, they seem to be a significant contribution to Catholic culture (although if I was more interested in mystery novels, I’d probably read the rest).

hawk
 
Daughters of Saint Paul - they are consecrated to the communication of Christ through modern media. They also run religious bookstores all over the world. I am sure if your fiction or nonfiction conveys Catholic messages or covers Christian topics, they would surely allow you to continue writing, encourage it even.
http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/
 
He was also a respected sociologist, who published widely in that field.

A current counterpart to Greeley is James Martin, SJ. Of course, there are tons of sisters and priests who are widely published in a variety of fields and genres.
 
You mean, after it stopped being a derivative of eugenics and xenophobia? That was the discipline’s origin. Thank goodness it is no longer that. [Of course, that was before Greeley’s time.]
 
Hey there. I relate to this a lot. I have the vocation to celibacy. I have considered joining a secular institute or becoming a consecrated virgin. I am not suitable for the convent because of health reasons. Secular Institutes are a new modern vocation that might allow you to continue a less than traditional job. I’d discern my vocation and speak to actual active-contemplative sisters about this vocation to write. Mother Angelica was on tv. I don’t think its impossible. I have also met a priest who was a counselor, and another priest who was a foster father. A lot more is possible than you might have envisioned.
 
I thought of them. We have a Pauline bookstore here in town. The only problem is I am not a fan of St. Paul. But I am trying to keep an open mind.
 
http://www.vocations.com/womenrel.html

The link above has a lot, of female religious orders and congregations. I saw some which included journalism, evangilization, or education (they may sponsor the authorship of educational non-fiction).

Also know, it is perfectly possible that Orders will let you write if you are called to, even if it is not directly part of their charism. Look at the Trappist. They are a pure contemplative Order and yet they produce excellent books on spirituality.
 
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