New Habits: Today's Women Who Choose to Become Nuns

I spent six years in a roman Catholic religious order, from 1966 to 1972, because I experienced a strange and unsettling call. Those post-Vatican Council years generated a wind sweeping through the world of Catholic nuns, monks and priests, a vast raising of dust in the corners of our self consciousness. We wondered if religious life was 'relevant' to a future-shocked society as we deliberated wheter to stay or leave. Refreshingly, that kind of sociological navel gazing is entirely absent in New Habits.Rather, ten Anglican novices of varying ages and orders reveal with warmth and intimacy the core of commitment to God. This personal quality, rather than a stab at psychosocial analysis, distinguishes the book. Sister Lynn, for example, typifies the ingenousness of the novices: 'What I most love about the life here is the freedom. It sounds weird because I was just moaning about the restrictions and the timetable and stuff, but at the sametime community has allowed me to be free to be who I am. I don't have to pretend.' Ten women, ten stories, ten souls laid bare. No pretense. And Losada graciously stands in the wings while she gives each nun center stage.What do we imagine about nuns and their lives? New Habits rings with faith, honesty and simplicity as each woman conveys her profound inner reflections and her humdrum daily experiences. The parallel format of the interviews - personal history followed by insights into poverty, celibacy and obedience - lends a mantra-like rhythm to the book. Through this gentle repetition , what comes across is the goodness of a life dedicated to enjoying and manifesting God's love in a faith community - which thus becomes its own excuse for existence. Relevance? Who cares? That every sister in the book was an active participant in life prior to her vocation cannot be doubted. That each of them is currently fulfilled is equally obvious. Thy will be done!New Habits may not send any readers into the convent, but minimally it satisfies our curiosity. Beyond that, it makes it eminently clear that whatever fun, joy and accomplishment life in the lay world has to offer, something intangibly deeper and quietly ecstatic lurks within convent walls, in God's world, where only a few of us ever savor it. I've had both, and I know.

This book, it's like a walk through a beautiful garden on one of God's many exquisite days -- all that makes the Universe radiant and miraculous is there. Every half hour or so we meet one of Isabel's ten novice nuns -- women she has interviewed who have chosen a life of service and prayer, simplicity and love. And we walk with them for a while. These women are magnificent, not because they have chosen a "noble" life but because they remind us, in the simplest and purest sense, of how precious and fragile life is. The author allows her novices to speak for themselves, and each is so eloquent in sharing with us why she has chosen to "have time with God." And the most wonderful thing about the book -- aside from the pleasure of meeting them -- is the peace one feels in the company of these women, that is to say in the presence of human beings who have consciously chosen a life relationship with that which is divine and eternal. In meeting them, we are invited into their world and enriched by their humanity, their centeredness and wisdom, their simple and profound appreciation for the power of Love, which is God, in the Universe. Our walk with them in the garden is a healing moment. Thank you, Isabel.

"New Habits" is a book which will challenge every preconception you've ever had about the women who choose a confined religious life. It asks a series of young novices all the questions you would want to ask, and though they often have different answers, there is a feeling of unity and peace in this book which joins all these women through the utter devotion they feel towards God. You come away from it not wondering how they could give up so much, but how the rest of us live without the happiness they find through such simplicity. Whatever your faith or lack of it, this book, and the women within it, are inspiring individuals whose pure desire to care for others and live loving lives will in turns amaze, sadden and compell you - read this book!

This is a book for those who want to go below the surface and see lives transformed by the power and love of God. Beautifully written, with photos of the sisters, you'll go on a journey with these dear souls - where they reveal their intimate feelings. You'll hear the stories that tell what brought them to God's door. Gentleness and gratitude fill the pages of these courageous lives. If you want to read why people can find meaning in living for and with God - buy this book. You'll be inspired, laugh and share the integrity of women who find God irresistable and a lover of their souls. God wants us as much as anyone in this world - but only a few people hear His voice and come. Find out what kind of people these are who find a vision that goes beyond this life. This book will help you see that suffering and disillusionment can be overcome and are often springboards for real joy. The sisters portrayed here transcend mere human limitations. In discovering why they find personal meaning in religious life, the sisters share the presence of God. They become a link in the chain of faith that goes back to the beginning of time. We are blessed when we share the vision. You'll love the book!

Mary J Cook ([email protected] ) from London, UK , 10 September, 1999 Read it and be surprised. New Habits is awe inspiring. These 10 women really open their lives to the interviewer giving a very honest account of how and why they decided to join a Religious Community and the impact of that decision on their own lives and the lives of those they love. They each share a very personal story with an unexpected generosity. The common thread is a very evident love for God, their sisters and the world in which they live. To Christians this is a book that challenges our understanding of prayer and community, to those without a faith it is a challenge to see beyond our expectations and prejuduces and discover the transformations faith can make in peoples lives. It isn't running from the world but running to God that is evident here. Read it and be surprised.