Oprah: Get Me To A Nunnery

Today on The Oprah Show, reporter Lisa Ling visited the convent of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Also appearing on the show, were a number of the Sisters themselves. In a recent article in First Things, "The Anchoress" explained why she wouldn't be among those watching:

A peek at her teaser for the Tuesday show ... indicates that the Sisters will share the hour with a look at the “the word’s only Western Geisha.” One serves God and thereby all of humanity, one serves a single man and makes him feel like a god. I don’t think that Ms Winfrey meant to make it sound like a carnival barker selling a “freak” show.

I guess Oprah’s “theme” here is that two rather “secret” lives are being looked into, but I do wonder at the mindset that puts Consecrated religious and Geisha on the same footing. Either one of these subjects could easily fill an hour’s worth of television, and by reducing them to 23 minute overviews, both features promise to be as penetrating as prop knives; superficial, shallow and sensationalistic.

But then again, I’m not an Oprah (or daytime tv) viewer, so perhaps that is par for the course?

Most critics of a show like this are going to approach everything about it with suspicion. The downside of this approach is that, should the object of such commentary ever defy your preconception, your opinion carries no more weight than anyone else, and it no longer matters how many blogging awards you've won. After all, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

The order based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was founded in 1997 by Mother Assumpta Long and three fellow Dominicans. The present Mother Superior (the mother foundress having since retired, if still very active) is seen in the documentary carrying a Blackberry, from which she keeps her finger on the pulse of discerning women throughout the country and beyond, who write to her with their questions. Their experience must not be unlike that of the postulants (candidates in the first stage of formation) interviewed as a group, who admitted to having been afraid to ask about Religious life as schoolgirls, but who now feel liberated in finding their answer. What does this say about the way they were raised in the Faith?

Even the experience of Religious life itself is portrayed as liberating, as these Sisters are detached from the things of the world, the possession of things, the clamoring for position and gratification, as all is devoted to Christ their bridegroom, and to His children whom they encounter in their work. This comes as a surprise to the visitors to the convent, not to mention Oprah, all of whom expect to see a restrictive and narrow existence. They find instead the genuine happiness of the Sisters, whether interviewed in the segments, or appearing in person on the show.

It is the sign of a good vocation to Religious life when its adherents, as a novice mistress once said, “eat a lot, pray a lot, and laugh a lot.” To find yourself, just to BE yourself, can be a joyous thing in and of itself. How much more so when the search for that place is a long and winding journey, one not tread upon lightly.

Of course, however thoughtful the presentation may be, it wouldn't be The Oprah Show if she didn't ask how these women can give up sex for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, the good Sisters recognize this as an honest question, and above all, a fair one. It is also an opportunity for them to explain how the call to Religious life does not demand that they give up their sexuality, but instead to express it in a different way. To explain that fully would take a longer documentary, but the Sisters manage to do it justice in the time they have.

The entire segment lasts 23 minutes, and while so much is said in so little time, one can see that there is so much more.

The result is a sympathetic presentation of Religious life, and an effective witness for the mission of the Church, in a place where we least expect it. The show's website has a text version of the segment transcript, entitled “Keeping the Faith.” There is also a video clip covering Ms Ling's visit which does more justice than that which we provide here, entitled “Overnight at a Convent.” These images from a slide presentation at the order's website -- sistersofmary.org -- show how Ms Ling and the crew could be totally at ease, in a place where such intrusions are very uncommon. The good Sisters make it look easy, which is to be expected when they're free to be themselves.

So it was for this episode of Oprah. So it is for life behind the walls.

(By the way, Ms Scalia, not even in the Midwest, do we ever refer to women Religious as "gals.")

[One of our collaborators, a former Carmelite novice, contributed numerous insights to this report, and is worthy mention, and of our thanks.]
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