Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence

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The other stories and authors will likely be new to readers, and I think impactful in the way they mirror each other with shared experiences and ideas. Each nun in these stories describes her individual and searing path in, or out of, the convent to discover and face the truth of herself. My favorite sections were “Journal of a Novice” by Barbara MacKenna, which was a contemporaneous journal and gave lots of useful details about daily life in a convent, and “Second Generation” by Mary Alice Scully, which was about a mother and a daughter who were both coincidentally lesbian nuns. Divorce has absolutely nothing on breaking up with Jesus Christ and your entire life plan and community!

And they couldn't afford to send me to college to become a physical education teacher, although my younger brother went. If you grew up Catholic and female there were three options: marriage + babies unlimited, the religious life, OR single life, which was like watching black and white tv: never by choice and only in the absence of any other options. Second wave feminism is very much at work here, and while I can stomach the self-empowering language (and can ignore the rampant appropriation of Indigenous cultures once these women ‘find their way’), I can’t ignore the fact that this anthology needed a better editor. Their combined message, though, is an important one, and their honesty and frank style won me over as they shared very personal, and often painful, details of their experiences. Though many described how their coming out was made safe in the confines of the convent in the company of other women, most felt lonely at first until they could confide in other sisters.Although there were often punishments for nuns who slept together, the definition of sex was different at the time, meaning it was not considered sex if there was no man involved, and therefore nuns could have relationships with each other without comprising their chasity vows.

My own particular interest has always been those landmark, ground-breaking memoirs of individuals whose acknowledgement of their homosexuality took place within the context of their religious faith, yet did not involve rejecting that faith totally, but rather striving to accept their sexuality as God-given and even God-approved and blessed, and where possible to impart that understanding to the religious communities to which they belonged. She views the issue of same-sex relations as one of justice and adds that “inclusivity is always an issue” -- not only in the matter of treating gays with dignity.

Despite the controversy, the book became a best-seller, rights were sold to make a movie, and a paperback edition was published, as well as a British edition. The fascinating insight into the mentality of the women, before, during and after their devotion to the church is worth the old brittle pages it's printed on. While some women seemed undeterred by leaving the convent, others struggled with depression, joblessness, family issues and finding their place in a society that is hostile toward women, especially queer women. On the shelves for only a month, the book will complete a third printing today, bringing the number of copies in print to 150,000. While my childhood friends were fantasizing about marrying their college sweetheart and what the babies would look like, I was fantasizing moving far, far away from home and family so I could figure out who the heck I was.

Seller has stated it will dispatch the item within 1 working day upon receipt of cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab .Shortly after, Warner Books bought the rights for mass-distribution and spread the book far and wide with its second edition.

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