Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., for example, in the movie Dead Man Walking , has been such an effective witness to religious life because her struggle shows in that movie. She didn't always know what to say or what to do, but she was nourished by prayer. She went back to her community again and again, and they supported her. What we have to show people is not just that religious share their goods in common, or that we don't get married, or that we pray and live in common. It's all of those things put together in a way that defines a lifestyle.
Some people say nuns are almost invisible today.
One problem is that we're not visible in parishes anymore. I regret the loss of the parish convent, for example. I never taught in a parish, but I had a wonderful experience for three years in the 1980s of living in a parish convent. People knew the convent was a door they could knock on. I think we're now in a period where we've cast off symbols, like the habit, that are no longer relevant in some situations, but we haven't found new ones yet.