The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-01-07
Some Very Clever Women in the Order
Which Has Less Than One Hundred
Members in this Country.
Something of the Daily Life of These Women
and the Causes Which Lead Them
to Forsake the World.

ners the grace Of supererogation-con-
version refused by the anger of God.
"kneeling on the bare stones before
the great double doors Of the monas-
terry, hands clasped, eyes cast down
and heart palpitating, the postulant
waits and trembles. Soon the silence
OF her meditation is broken by the
metallic rattling Of keys, the grating
of. enormous bolts wrenched from
rusty staples. One, two, three, four
and the last door opens. On the
threshold stand three nuns in coarse
dark woolen habits, their feet incased
III curious sandals. A kindly smile
lllllnllnes their aScetic countenunces.
lhcy are the reverend mother prioress,
three honored mothers under the
prlorcSS and the mistress Of noyices.
In trembling voice the postulant makes
known her desire: My mother, hum
bly ask entrance into your holy house,
however unworthy l may be-
'"Tlle postulant then kisses the scap-
ular Of the prioress, while the mother,
making with her crucilix the sign of
the cross, blcsses the new child. Not
Il word is spoken. The response is a
gesture. This woman, whom we will
llcnccforth call mother, extends to her
Il hand hidden in n coarse sleeve, and
leads her under the massive arches Of
the cloister. All is new, all is strange.
botll the charm and the awe. In vain
The postulant forces herself to walk
nolsecssly, but at every step her
worldly shoes make hollow, jarring
t1,d on the ancient hagstoncs of the
cloistcred aisles.
Unused to such rude contact the
pavcmcnts seem to ask of the in
trudcr. who is this that would dis
t'lrb the silence and the rcpose of the
virgins sleeping their last sleep under
tllc eternal shadows?' Over the stone
aisrs of graves the young postulant is
led to the choir to salute the Saviour
and Master, to recognize Him, in
whom will be forever her lover, hus-
band, father, mother, brother, sister,
lhnlly friends and country.
after the example of her grave in
Strllctors, she prostrates herself upon
The bare floor and kisses it, while she
adolcs the blessed sacrament, triply
veilcd by three grills, placed one over
tlc other, and two sombre curtains.
"llcr glances have searched the
heavens and have found Him! The
great cruciliX of the choir impresses
her She suffers the divine suffering.
and her heart cries out in mute
prayer: OOH, my Christi Here is Thy
creature and Thy lover! Enfold me
in Thy bloody arms and receive me
the sister of charity of Thy incurable
wOundsn
Meanwhile the sharp stroke of a
| little clock has summoned the reliy-
ieusc to the reception of an unknown
companion. Grouped in two choirs
| they stand in the recreation hall:
hands under their scapuars, their feet
together. silent, motionless, they pray.
1'lle prioress advances to the middle
Of the hall, conducting by the hand
her ncw-found child. All the nuns
kncel down. With her crucifix, the
prioress makes the sign of the cross
on the bowed heads of the assembly.
All then rise and the presentation fol-
lows
] My sister N. (the name of the re-
ligieuse is then given by the prioress;
the postulant has no choice in the mat
teri. Age. ordinarily between sixteen
and twenty-five years.
"The mother prioress then embraces
the postulant, and in turn each nun
gives the new conner a fraternal kiss.
In it's austere simplicity, it is chill
ing ceremony. Does the postulant feel
the poverty Of her surroundings? To
the contrary, she is ashamed of her
elegant toilet, and hastens to discard
it for the coarse sackcloth Of her COM
panions.- With the donning Of the
white veil, forever more her face is
hidden, not only from the world, but