THE OLD ORDER
The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate convent in Mundare, Alta. serves as both a place of religious contemplation and a seniors home for nuns.
The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate convent in Mundare, Alta. serves as both a place of religious contemplation and a seniors home for nuns.
She has lived in a convent since she was 16, but Sister Laura Prokop has hardly led a cloistered life. The 71-year-old nun is well aware of how the world has changed since she joined the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in the early 1960s.
Prokop joined the Ukrainian Catholic order in the early 1960s, a period that stands in stark contrast to contemporary times. Religion isn’t as important in many people’s lives and women today have more choices than they did when she was young. “There are so many possibilities open … to young people now compared to earlier times when teaching, nursing and secretarial work were about the only avenues open for young women,” she says.
These social transformations have impacted Prokop personally. She was the last nun living in her order’s Calgary convent when it was sold in April 2016. She moved to Mundare, where the Sisters Servants of Mary have had a presence since the early 1900s. The nuns remain active in the community and are frequently called upon to give blessings at baby showers and other occasions.
When Prokop arrived at the convent, it was home to 10 senior nuns, including two in extended care. Today, there are six nuns in residence, including three in extended care. But Prokop has no regrets. She is sustained by her faith and the knowledge that she has moved where she can be of assistance. It’s how she has lived since deciding to dedicate her life to prayer and active service.