Benedictine nun advice - Want To Be A Nun? 'Have A BF First'

[Renel B. Peña]

Kyrie Eleison.!!!

A weird advice and one clear example of the disastrous effects of Religious Liberty. 

"Virginity can be lost even by a thought." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, 5th century A.D.)  

If it's so, how much more if you advice a future nun to have a boyfriend first? Really pathetic advice especially from a so called Benedictine nun.

I think the sister never read the great encylical of Pope Pius XII entitled "Sacra Virginitas" because she wont dare gave this ridiculous advice. 

"But it is a very mournful thing, by which the ravings of human reason go to ruin when someone is eager for revolution and, against the advice of the Apostle, strives 'to be more wise than it behooveth to be wise' (cf. Rom. 12:3), and trusting too much in himself, affirms that truth must be sought outside of the Catholic Church in which truth itself is found far from even the slightest defilement of error, and which therefore, is called and is 'the pillar and ground of the truth' (1 Tim. 3 15). But you well understand, Venerable Brothers, that We are here speaking in open disapproval of that false system of philosophy, not so long ago introduced, by which, because of an extended and unbridled desire of novelty, truth is not sought where it truly resides, and, with a disregard for the holy and apostolic traditions, other vain, futile, uncertain doctrines, not approved by the Church are accepted as true, on which very vain men mistakenly think that truth itself is supported and sustained." (Pope Gregory XVI, 1834 A.D.)

Want To Be A Nun? 'Have A BF First'

MANILA, Philippines - Women who want to be a nun should try having a boyfriend first. The surprising advice is not from some liberal activist, but from a Benedictine nun, Sr. Mary John Mananzan.

Mananzan, the head of the Association of Major Religious Superiorsin the Philippines (AMRSP), said having a romantic relationship with a man is one way of helping a woman find out if she is really meant to spend a life of meditation, embracing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

''I tell them go have a boyfriend or if they have a suitor, I tell them entertain him,'' she told reporters in an interview during a gathering in Manila.

''I don't mind if they'll have a boyfriend; at least they have a choice so that when they're inside (a convent) they won't be tempted anymore,'' the 74 year-old nun said.

Mananzan also counseled young women to try working first.

''If they are only 22 years old, we tell them to work first for them to experience it so that they won't regret it later,'' she said.

Mananzan admitted that the number of women joining a religious order has declined over the years.

''If you will compare it to the 1950s it's not so much anymore, but we have yet to experience a crisis unlike in America and Europe where convents are closing down. We still have enough personnel. We even send missionaries all over the world,'' said Mananzan.

The Benedictine nun attributed the decline mainly to the secularization of the society.

''There's a lot of secularization and women have more opportunities now to serve the poor unlike before that you have enter the convent to do that,'' Mananzan said.

''To be celibate is a special vocation. If you want to help the poor you can do that without having the vow of celibacy. To have the vow of celibacy is something very special that's why I don't believe that everybody is called for that,'' she added.

But, Mananzan said, the degree of secularization in the Philippines is not so much unlike in other countries.

''There's a difference in the degree of secularization. In Europe, they don't go to church anymore unlike here our churches are full with people. The people are still very religious and families are more or less still intact,'' she said.

Mananzan said there are still more nuns than are priests in the Philippines.

''I think we are about 10,000...there are more nuns than priests,'' she said.

In 2004, then Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle disclosed that there is a shortage of priests in the Philippines and at least 25,000 are needed to serve some 68 million Filipino Catholics.

Tagle, chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines' Episcopal commission on doctrine of faith, said the 8,700 priests nationwide are overworked since the ideal ratio should be one priest for at least 2,000 parishioners.

That time, he said, the country has only one priest serving 15,000 Catholics.

Mananzan then invited the youth to consider entering the religious life.

''To the youth, if you want a meaningful life, this is a very meaningful life. I could say that because I'm a nun for more than 55 years and I'm not regretting it at all,'' she said.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/want-nun-bf-first-141814720.html

[Daniel M]

This Nun is experiencing an overflow of young women who are apparently  entering convents without having a true call to the religious life.  It would be difficult to be  Clearly  called by our Lord, and to to serve in Chastity, Obedience and Poverty;  and then to see those who are running away from the difficulties of life perhaps, thinking they want to "Try" to do this. 

 I have a relative who is a Carmelite nun for the past 22 years and she found her calling to be sure!!, however the difficulty of the mission is another matter, as she eloquently says.  I could understand  my Blessed Cousin thinking such a thought as this, but for a Nun to be so Vocal about it for the world to hear, makes me go to my knees in prayer for her.  It must be a problem for her to come out and say this for most Nuns live a devout life and she must think that this radical comment may help some young women to make sure their calling is sure! for the journey is MOST difficult but very rewarding from what I know.

God Bless All Of Our Nuns and Priests who are Trying to Serve The Body Of Christ.  Give them wisdom and good judgement in their actions and speech JMJ