Sister act on the up as nun numbers hit a 25-year high
The number of women i n Britain becoming nuns is at a 25-year high.
Figures from the Catholic Church show the number of women taking holy Vows has trebled from 15 in 2009 to 45 last year.
From a low of only seven in 2004, the figure has been rising for the past decade.
Theodora hawksley, 29, was until recently a post-doctoral researcher in theology at the
‘Gap in the market
for meaning’
University of edinburgh. But at the beginning of the year she decided to become a nun.
She joined the Congregation of Jesus in January and is now living in their house in Willesden, North London, while taking the first steps towards making vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Miss hawksley, from hertfordshire, said: ‘In one sense, it is a bit like trying to explain to somebody why you are marrying the person you are. You can list their qualities, but in the end it is a relationship of love.
‘But on the other hand, I was drawn to it by wanting a greater freedom in being able to give myself to God and the world. I don’t have to worry now about practical things l i ke making a career f or myself. I’m free to go where I’m needed and meet people at the margins.’
She is not the only young woman choosing the religious l i fe. According to Church figures, 14 of the 45 women who entered convents last year were aged 30 or under.
Miss hawksley said: ‘There is another person in an order in London and she is 27 and we meet to chat. You are not on your own. It is an unusual life choice, but you are not the only one making it. There are plenty of people asking themselves the same questions.’
She admitted some of her friends were ‘a bit bewildered’, but most had been very supportive.
Far from being trapped in t r aditional habits, Miss hawksley said her order tends to dress down i n T- shirts and jeans.
Father Christopher Jamison, director of the National Office for Vocation of england and Wales, said: ‘There is a gap in the market for meaning in our culture. One of the ways women may find that meaning is through religious life.’
Sister Cathy Jones, religious life vocations promoter at the office, said: ‘ We are never going to be at the place we were at 50 years ago, Catholic culture was at a very different place.
‘ But the f act that more women are becoming nuns than in the past 25 years shows that as a generation we have turned a corner.’
Last year, BBC Northern Ireland political reporter Martina Purdy quit her 25year career in journalism to become a nun.
She said: ‘ I know many people will not understand this decision. It is a decision I have not come to lightly, but it is one I make with love and great joy.’