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Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence
Review
Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence
Review
by Joe B.
Rachel was a beautiful woman, though all that was visible was her face, constricted by her starched white habit. It was in the second grade and I was in love. This woman radiated goodness, a striking contrast to the nun I had as a teacher the previous year. Sr. Lauraine was a wicked, evil woman, or so it seemed at the time. I cannot imagine any six-year-old who would not be terrified of her. In the eighth grade, Sr. Virginia brought a vitality and life to science that has remained with me to this day. Still later in my education I would learn calculus from a brilliant old woman with a Ph.D. in mathematics who was also a nun, and two computer languages from a nun with a Ph.D. in computer science. A now dead aunt of mine was a nun and I have a sister whom I respect and admire a great deal who is a nun. I am an atheist. My life so far has been filled with nuns.
It was with great interest that I began reading "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence". In this compilation of stories we are treated to everything from the sublime to the ridiculous - from individual searches for purpose and meaning through austerity and asceticism to young women in bridal gowns singing "Veni, Sponsa Christi (Come Spouse of Christ)" at their profession of final vows. This certainly is a queer world we learn about, including: flagellation, chapter of faults, Mother General, stigmata, etc. The stories, contributed by former and current nuns, are mainly reflections on life as a lesbian in the convent, what possessed them to join or remain and the circumstances of departure. The stories are all filled with emotion, much of it anger. Many of the accounts are similar which at times can be tedious.
Many of the women whose stories are presented joined the convent in order to escape a society in which they felt they did not belong. They preferred instead to live in a community comprised exclusively of women, even though ultimately this society was ruled by the patriarchal church. Most of these women entered with a high degree of idealism, living their lives as ascetics, eschewing worldly possessions. Many left the convent angry and in most cases left the church at the same time. Quite often, these women became involved in a deep feminist spirituality. On the other hand, some of the lesbian ex-nuns are still involved with various aspects of organized religion. Also, a few of the stories are from women who have chosen to remain nuns and try to effect change from within. Some of these nuns live on the "outside" with lovers.
Each year brings a decline in the number of women entering the convent. The current pope is doing nothing to solve the dilemma faced by women in the Catholic church today. In fact, he is attacking most of the gains made by women since Vatican II. Hopefully, young women racing the prospect of entering the convent will get a hold of a copy of "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence" before making that decision. As the title implies, the silence has been broken in more ways than one. This book is an important statement on the condition of women in the church. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, the people who need to read it most will never even hear of it.