Nunsense

One of my favorite games as a child was playing church with my friend, Mary. We would flip a coin to decide who played the nun. The looser had to be the priest which involved passing out Wonder Bread hosts and pouring grape juice wine. The coveted role of the nun wore a habit fashioned from a white pillowcase thus becoming "Sister Mary Pillowcase".

I like to believe that all Catholic girls played church and dreamed of being nuns when they grew up. I was fascinated by these women even though they scared me immensely.

I will never forget the time Sister Beth took our 4th grade class on a tour of the convent.

What a privilege to see where they lived beyond our classroom walls. In each bedroom there was only a single bed with a crucifix on the wall and a chair. That was it!

Oh, to live so simply....

My fascination to join the convent was replaced by a fascination for boys about 4 years later, but my nun fear remained throughout my Catholic schooling. Still today I suffer from a serious case of nun-damage.

Our residence in Rome was just outside the Vatican walls. There were nuns everywhere- millions of them from all over the world. One day I caught a burning stare from a nun , and I realized the skirt I was wearing didn't quite cover my knees. I felt so ashamed. That same day I came across a nun supply store -"one stop shopping for all your nun needs."

They had it all. I never questioned where they got their outfits. It was just something you accepted, like the many notions dealing with Catholicism.

Do you think you need to present some kind of nun identification card to shop there?

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