Women of Faith: The Chicago Sisters of Mercy and the Evolution of a Religious Community

Glossary

Glossary apostolate: Ministry or mission of a religious congregation or of the laity. bands: Name given to a class of women who entered the novitiate in the same year. bells (or call bells): Bells were rung to call sisters to a particular exercise or period of prayer during the day. Sisters were often assigned a call bell (the number of times and the manner in which the bell was rung) and were required to respond to it. branch house: Often referred to as a daughter house. A convent in a new foundation, but still under the authority of the motherhouse. charism: Spiritual foundation of a religious congregation, providing its distinct character and purpose. cloister: An enclosed or removed space within a convent or religious house specifically set aside for religious seclusion of members of a religious community . Laity or clergy are barred from entering. In contemplative or cloistered communities, women religious traditionally were restricted from leaving their cloister. See enclosure. convent: A building or structure where members of a congregation of women religious typically live. Divine Office: The recitation of certain prayers throughout the day at speci fic times. Prayers come from the Breviary, or prayer book. Divine Office is also called the Breviary and canonical hours. The parts of the Divine Of- fice are Lauds (prayer at dawn), Prime (early morning prayer), Terce (midmorning prayer), Sext (midday prayer), None (mid-afternoon prayer), Vespers (evening prayer), Compline (night prayer), and Matins (prayer during the night, also known as Vigils or Nocturns). enclosure: Synonymous with cloister, the rule enclosure restricts women religious from engaging in the secular society, restricting their movements within convents. 334 | Glossary horarium: The daily schedule of a religious community. The horarium was set by a religious superior. juniorate: A course or house of study as novice. A Sister of Mercy became a Junior after a temporary or first profession. The Sisters of Mercy created a House of Study in the 1950s when they extended the period of time before a novice entered ministerial work. lay and choir nun or sister: A choir sister entered a religious congregation with a dowry, was normally better educated, and once professed was a full voting member of the community. She also recited the Divine Office in Latin and performed the ministries of the congregation, such as teaching and nursing. Lay sisters, on the other hand, came to a community without a dowry and with little formal education. They performed the domestic chores or duties of the community and did not engage in the congregation ’s ministries. There was a definite internal class distinction between choir and lay sisters, as lay sisters did not have a vote and could not hold office in the community. These distinctions were unpopular in the United States, as they were seen as undemocratic, and most religious congregations did away with them by the end of the twentieth century. The Sisters of Mercy, who rarely admitted anyone with these distinctions, officially did away with them by 1930. local house: A convent under the direction of a motherhouse and in close proximity to it. motherhouse/parent house: The principal house or convent of a religious congregation. norms: An authoritative standard or model of religious life, guiding proper and acceptable behavior of a religious community. Norms were often articulated and explained in the Sisters of Mercy’s Customs and Guides, which expounded upon the Rule and Constitutions. novice: A woman in a period of probationary membership in a religious congregation. Sisters of Mercy became novices after a six-month period as postulants. They remained novices until the first, or temporary, profession after a year. novitiate: The period of formation for women who entered the Sisters of Mercy. It is also the term applied to the building where formation occurred. nun: A female member of a religious order who professes solemn vows, engages in a contemplative spirituality, and whose religious life is restricted by a cloister or enclosure. Glossary | 335 postulant: A woman admitted to a religious congregation for a probationary period. The Sisters of Mercy had a six-month postulancy. sister: A woman religious who professed simple vows within an active or apostolic congregation. Sisters, like the Sisters of Mercy, were not bound by rules of enclosure/cloister. ...