Community of Jesus Compassion’s Perspectives on Traditional Nunnery Garments and Monastic Vows in the 21st Century

Abstract

This study examines the relevance of the distinctive nunnery garments and monastic vows in the 21st century. This is done by conducting a research with a young Anglican religious community in the Diocese of Natal, South Africa, known as the Community of Jesus Compassion (CJC). The choice of this community was because of its relevance in being one of the young communities in this modern era but that has chosen to be stuck with the distinctive nunnery clothing and observation of the traditional monastic vows. CJC has young Sisters with the ages ranging from early twenties to below seventy which means they could be attracted to the modern lifestyle of clothing just as they have adopted modernity when it comes to their buildings and modern technological equipment. Nevertheless this community seems to love what is considered obsolete and a medieval costume by the wider religious community including Catholic nuns. Furthermore, CJC was chosen because unlike the Catholic women religious who are well exposed and well known, there is nothing much written from the Anglican perspective. Adopting hermeneutical perspective theory, this study has examined the perspectives of the CJC nuns about the nunnery garments and monastic vows. Their perspectives are not considered conclusive since perspectives are subject to change due to the perceivers’ circumstantial perceptions and due to the fact that others may perceive the same phenomenon differently. For instance perception is an outcome of the perceiver perceiving a perceivable thing that has influential presence or has revealed itself to be perceived but the perceiver’s perception remains subjective to that particular perceiver. Due to the debates about the distinctive clothing for the nuns, particularly after Vatican II Council and the strong opinions against the wearing of the religious garb in this era, the positionality of the researcher was deliberately apologetic. This is because it was discovered that besides CJC’s traditional stance on the religious garment, there are other communities around the world who still feel strongly drawn to the religious garb as the essential part of the religious life. Therefore they deserve safe space to wear it without intimidation of being considered archaic. Nevertheless, the research findings indicated that there are also valid reasons behind the alteration or total abandonment of the religious garb. Subsequently those who have chosen to discard it are not less nuns than those who remain habited. It became clear that these two camps of those who want to maintain the religious garb and the progressive communities who perceive it as outdated are a necessary diversity that makes nunnery life even richer. Therefore mutual respect of opinions is an essential stance so as to avoid unnecessary discord among the women religious particularly with the religious garb being at the center of the disharmony. It was also found that feminist issues become entangled with the way the religious garb is perceived since self-declared feminist nuns see it as demeaning garments that present nuns as people of low mental capacity. On the other hand those who have chosen to keep it see themselves as having opted for the humble attire that display Godliness to the world that otherwise would have never known that there is an alternative lifestyle in nunnery relevant even in the 21st century.