The Cloister

Most of the nuns at Our Lady of Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama live a cloistered life. This means that they rarely venture out into public and only see their families a few times a year. Once they close the door behind them, their lives are committed to the cloister. It's hard to imagine just what this must mean.

At the EWTN 25th anniversary in Birmingham, I was shopping in the bookstore/gift shop that had been set up for the event. I noticed one of the young nuns shopping as well. I couldn't resist and asked why she was shopping here when there was a gift shop just outside of the monastery.

She told me that she has never been inside that shop. The nuns attending the anniversary celebration had special permission to come to Birmingham. She had additional permission to shop --- and I saw no other nuns shopping. She told me that someone gave her the money --- she's taken the oath of poverty --- which she was using to purchase a few items to send to a niece.

Even something as simple as sending a small gift to a loved one is a unique and difficult task for someone in the cloister.

I was amazed that so many of the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration were young. This, to me, is a good sign.

At the Shrine, we could see the tall wall surrounding their community. I watched as my little 10 year old daughter played outside of this wall and I thought about how just on the other side, these young women had committed their lives to God.

The Mother Vicar there was born and raised here in Louisiana with a good Cajun name of Breaux. She commented about there being quite a few Louisiana nuns there. Cajuns are very Catholic and I find that they tend to rise to positions of leadership wherever they travel. She seems to fit that mold perfectly.