FEMALE MONKS: are there Catholic ones?

opus101 · #1 Apr 22, '12, 11:21 am

Is there such a thing as a women who is a Catholic monk? I just read about a woman who is referred to as such.

**Tantum ergo** · #2 Apr 22, '12, 11:22 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by opus101

Is there such a thing as a women who is a Catholic monk? I just read about a woman who is referred to as such.

It might be a good idea to link to the article you read, or to let us know where you read it.

opus101 · #3 Apr 22, '12, 11:39 am

Mary Lou Kownacki, Benedictine Monk. Scroll down to the section on the left about Poetry. http://eriebenedictines.org/sites/de...asons-2012.pdf

opus101 · #4 Apr 22, '12, 11:50 am

And here, scroll down to the book "between Two Souls", where she is referred to as a Benedictine Monk.

http://www.takase.com/GraphicDesign/GraphicDesign.htm

Quarles47 · #5 Apr 22, '12, 12:49 pm

Female monks

What's next? Male nuns

**Tantum ergo** · #6 Apr 22, '12, 12:55 pm

The Greek word translated as monk centuries ago could refer to men or women.

Apparently the Erie Benedictine Sisters started this monastery using as their guidance a work of Sister Joan Chisiter.

domandcarols · #7 Apr 22, '12, 1:16 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quarles47

Female monks

What's next? Male nuns

Seriously!

Corki · #8 Apr 22, '12, 1:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tantum ergo

The Greek word translated as monk centuries ago could refer to men or women.

Apparently the Erie Benedictine Sisters started this monastery using as their guidance a work of Sister Joan Chisiter.

Actually, she is a member of that community.

Their sit is confusing as it seems to use the words, nun, sister and monk interchangeably. No wonder the OP is confused - I am too.

**JharekCarnelian** · #9 Apr 22, '12, 1:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by domandcarols

Seriously!

Just a point Dom monk in many places in the Christian world refers to male OR female monastics in a similar style. Our Eastern Catholic brethren and Eastern Orthodox often use the term monastic regardless of whether it refers to male or female. We in our part of the world have developed differing words for male and female but in many places the same word covers both genders with only a slight modifier at the end of the word to indicate a male or female monastic.

For example in Russian the word for a monk is:-

монах
монахиня

The first word would be used for a male monastic and the second for a female. Thanks to Mrs. Carnelian for typing in the Russian there for us.

Gertabelle · #10 Apr 22, '12, 1:24 pm

The words "monk" and "nun" are gender specific but refer to the same monastic way of life. Monks and nuns live in monasteries, are contemplatives, and usually have some degree of enclosure. Not sure about monks, but nuns make a solemn profession of perpetual vows, unlike sisters (consecrated women in religious congregations) who make a simple profession of perpetual vows.

A "female monk" is simply a nun who lives an enclosed contemplative life. Sometimes authors who do not fully understand the terms, or those who are trying to make a point, will refer to a nun as a monk -- perhaps because the term "nun" is often misused to refer to all consecrated female religious. The author may simply have been trying to clarify the particular way of life (monastic) of this woman.

Gertie

DhuAlQarnayn · #11 Apr 22, '12, 1:38 pm

In many languages, including Greek where the word originated, the words for monk and nun are the same. Mary Lou Kownacki is one of the most famous nuns in the United States (she served as national director of Pax Christi and executive director of the Alliance for International Monasticism); she sometimes refers to herself as a monk because she lived as an ascetic missionary in the inner city, an image associated in the popular imagination with monks, whereas when she refers to herself as a nun people assume she was cloistered.

opus101 · #12 Apr 22, '12, 1:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gertabelle

The words "monk" and "nun" are gender specific but refer to the same monastic way of life. Monks and nuns live in monasteries, are contemplatives, and usually have some degree of enclosure. Not sure about monks, but nuns make a solemn profession of perpetual vows, unlike sisters (consecrated women in religious congregations) who make a simple profession of perpetual vows.

A "female monk" is simply a nun who lives an enclosed contemplative life. Sometimes authors who do not fully understand the terms, or those who are trying to make a point, will refer to a nun as a monk -- perhaps because the term "nun" is often misused to refer to all consecrated female religious. The author may simply have been trying to clarify the particular way of life (monastic) of this woman.

Gertie

Well, I wish this were true, but it isn't in this case. The reference to "monk" was by the community itself who made up the flyer. It's also used by their own publishing house in regard to this same sister. I've been searching on the internet and have since found that in the Catholic Church, there are to be no female monks , and there is a difference between monks and nuns, not just as far as gender goes.

opus101 · #13 Apr 22, '12, 1:52 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by DhuAlQarnayn

In many languages, including Greek where the word originated, the words for monk and nun are the same. Mary Lou Kownacki is one of the most famous nuns in the United States (she served as national director of Pax Christi and executive director of the Alliance for International Monasticism); she sometimes refers to herself as a monk because she lived as an ascetic missionary in the inner city, an image associated in the popular imagination with monks, whereas when she refers to herself as a nun people assume she was cloistered.

Then why doesn't she put the word "monk" in quotation marks? It is very confusing.

Corki · #14 Apr 22, '12, 1:56 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by opus101

Then why doesn't she put the word "monk" in quotation marks? It is very confusing.

Given the source, I think she may be using "monk" as a gender neutral descriptor - an attempt at inclusive language.

DhuAlQarnayn · #15 Apr 22, '12, 1:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by opus101

I've been searching on the internet and have since found that in the Catholic Church, there are to be no female monks , and there is a difference between monks and nuns, not just as far as gender goes.

This is not true. The words 'monk' and 'nun' happen to be different in English but in many languages they are not. A male monastic may be ordained and serve as a priest, but beyond that there is no difference.