Please forgive me for being a little behind on answering questions. We have had some very interesting questions and comments that will keep me busy all week. I just haven't had time to get to them because I am getting ready for the big nun beauty contest. I'm already at a disadvantage wearing the full habit. Should I take the hem up, show a little leg?
Honestly, there are days when I long for my extra long ruler, or better yet the rubber tipped pointer, which had a better reach. I'd like to reach all the way to wherever in Italy that group is and give them a good hard rap on the top of their heads.
Two things: Since when does a nun care how she looks, ugly or pretty? Now if her soul is all hook- nosed and wrinkly, I can see a problem looming. But outwardly? Why do we always wear such dumpy outfits? It's so no one, including ourselves, thinks about what's on the outside. It's why we don't have hair or gold lame habits and taffeta veils.
Where is that ruler? I know it's here someplace.
And the other thing: Since when do nuns have an image of being old and ugly? The image of nuns, your second grade teacher aside, is utterly beautiful. Audrey Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Anne Bancroft, Julie Andrews (until she runs off with Captain Von Trapp), Rosalind Russell, Ingrid Bergman, Debbie Reynolds. Oh,
they are 
sooooooo
unattractive!
There are some not-so-attractive back up nuns but they are only there for comic relief. The focus is always on the pretty, pretty nun.
Even the nun in that horrible "Agnes of God" movie, beautiful!
Even that girl who decides to become a nun at the end of "The Trouble with Angels"...which one was it? Haley Mills or the other girl? Who cares? They're both cute.Image problem my foot. My great big foot in my giant black nun shoe.
I have a feeling that many of the pictures submitted will look more like this:
I hope so, anyhow. Because otherwise, some old nun in big black shoes is going to have to clomp off to Italy armed with both ruler and pointer. Sister Mary Rambo is not pretty when she's angry.
24 comments:
Okay, the whole contest idea is just plain ridiculous.
Oh my... when I read about this I gasped in disgust.
American Idol meets religion.
The real beauty of any human being is on the inside... spiritual beauty. I would gather it's the only beauty our Lord sees.
Actually Sister, that picture of you is kinda cute. Maybe you should send it in.
Then again, considering the concerns I expressed over at Ironic Catholic, Maybe not.
Still, you fit my image of a "pretty" nun and I hope my 12 year old daughter continues her tract to the religious life. (BTW she's cute too, and I aint sendin' no picture to some psyco priest.)
Martin
I wondered if you were going to comment on this, and of course you had already written on it by the time I headed over here.
Good for you, Sister. Since when is a nun supposed to be judged by her outer beauty? The whole thing is ludicrous.
Lest we forget Sister Charles Bronson.
This has got to be a joke? Right?That priest just wanted to get people to read his blog ... please tell me that is what it is... Just some gimmic ... right?
"[Father Rungi] added that the idea of staging such a contest had been suggested by nuns themselves."
Reeeeaaaaaaaalllyyy???
Sister, you're going to need more than just the ruler and the pointer. I'm all too afraid you're going to need backup, in order to put the thwack on everyone who deserves it.
If I was only half as beautiful as Mother Theresa...
Pretty funny!
...and don't forget my favorite nun, Sally Field!
Just another item to add to my "sighing, head shaking and eye rolling" list:)
You know sister, nothing surprises me anymore..When I read about this the other day, I just thought, what will they think of next?
People are losing their sense of direction..something Mother Teresa didn't do.
I thought it was a cute idea. Not a good idea, but a novel one none the less. I highly doubt that this contest will be anything like the ones with the topless firefighters or the ladies in the bunny ears.
If you really really want to get into it, NO woman - nun or otherwise - should be judged by their appearance alone. Yet still, there are beauty contests. Not because women are being forced at gunpoint to parade around in a prom dress and give answers to dumb questions (thank you, miss teen South Carolina), but because there are some women who WANT to. I am assuming the same goes for nuns. I am dissappointed that the article wasn't written from their point of view - I would have liked to have heard their thought process on this one. Whether I agree with it or not.
I will be checking out the site when it launches, if not just to see exactly what they had in mind. Then I'll make my decision on whether it's "discusting" or not. Until then, it just sounds like some fun project that some nice ladies cooked up as a way to revive interest in the Catholic way of life...albeit, in a very odd way.
I'm sure their hearts are in the right place.
We are called to be IN this world, but not OF this world--at least that's what I was taught in Catholic schools. And "what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his immortal soul?"
We must PRAY for Fr. Rungi so that he achieves some clarity in this matter. This whole situation smacks of an overcoddled little Italian boy still seeking to feel important. Look to your soul, Fr. Rungi, and not to the good sisters' hemlines! It is preposterous to suggest that the sisters themselves dreamed this up. Religious are instructed to not only avoid impropriety, but to avoid the APPEARANCE of impropriety.
I'm with you, Jennie. Or our Sister Mary Martha, too. I'm serious.
Rev Sister
I grew up near a convent. As a lil boy I used to always go an play in the convent ground we did not have playgrounds where i am from so their ground was always welcome for us kiddes. I used to like teh sisters in their habits. They had calm and collected faces. they shone a nobility which other women did not have. Lets have more nuns like those please.
I've never seen an ugly picture of Mother Theresa but the one you have here with the baby is truely gorgeous.
I really think that priest was just trying to show that not only ugly girls who can't get husbands become nuns. Give him a bit of a break. I PLEASE stop with the nun with a ruler stereotype.
Perhaps this will allow people to see that nuns are real women, and not composed of only "angels and demons," so-to-speak.
At least, that's the good in it I can see.
It seems to have just been called off:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7583337.stm
Now, I feel some sympathy for Fr. Rungi. I cannot say I was so charitable before.
Janelle
Fear not, the whole thing's been cancelled. Read about it here: http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSLQ28531620080826
I'd venture to guess that Italian priests have little or no pastoral work to busy themselves with. This isn't the first beauty-pageant-type of idea to come out from there. Anyone else hear about the "Hot Father" calendars on sale in Rome?
See what I mean?
http://www.calendarioromano.org/
Sister, do you have one? :-)
elena, the thought was too scary - I couldn't even think about following the link. Glad the contest was cancelled, though I wouldn't have minded seeing a photo of Sr. Mary Rambo!
I have the Hot Fathers calendar from Rome :-) Its very nice! Oooooh, loosen up people. Life is beautiful and so are people, even nuns and priests. Lets not dehumanize them completely.
I've seen the calendar Francesca is talking about. They're not really priests, but yeah, some of them are quite attractive. Mention of the calendar has actually worked its way into my novel.
To whomever posted the question about who became the nun at the end of "The Trouble with Angels"--
It was Mary Clancy (Haley Mills); Rachel (June Harding) boards a train to go back home in the end after paying a visit to Mary.
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