Nun Run (4)

The nun run is a weekend event, sponsored by six communities, Sister Vandborg explained. Women who are interested in religious life start at one convent on Friday evening, meet the community, then move on to another convent, where they spend the night. In the morning they breakfast with the community before traveling to another convent and meeting the sisters there. This good-humored version of “speed-dating” continues until Sunday evening, when all of the communities gather for a meal with the inquiring women.



The sisters are young — the average age in the community is 26 — and when they arrange “come and see” weekends, they have had to cap attendance at 100. (...) The inquirers range in age from juniors in high school at 16 or 17 to women in their mid-30s, but the average age is 24. The inquirers’ first contacts are usually through the Internet, and eventually they are invited to spend a retreat over a Saturday night with the community.

Of the more than 600 inquirers each year, about 10 enter the order, Sister Garretson said. The order isn’t old enough to answer the question, “Why do people stay?” she observed, but she hoped to answer the question herself in a few decades.

(source: The Catholic Herald, diocese of Sacramento. I think a “weekend event” is too short on time, but maybe longer times could wipe out most of the participants...)