It may sound like a bit of an antiquated idea – becoming a nun. Perhaps it conjures up ideas of ‘disgraced’ women being forced into convents, or old women praying on their knees in a draughty abbey, but for some young women, becoming a nun is something which some they really want to do.
In 2014, Spanish model and actress Olalla Oliveros shocked many by giving up on her career to pursue a religious life and become a nun. It wasn’t a whim. In fact, she’d made the decision to change her life so dramatically, four years before she made her public announcement.
It wasn’t that Oliveros didn’t have a flourishing career already either. She was well-off, had good career prospects, and plenty of friends and a loving family. Her life was not an empty one without good things, but she felt that it wasn’t what she wanted to do anymore. She wanted to follow what she felt to be her aim in life.
She’s not alone in her decision though. In 2012, a TEDx talk called “Why Nuns Don’t Have Midlife Crises” explored the key factors in the vocational move. J.E. Sigler who gave the talk had interviewed many religious women to try and understand why they had chosen the life they had. Among the reasons they gave were feelings of a need to serve a greater cause, and from doing this a sense of joy and love.
For some, joining a convent is an outdated practice ill-suited to modern ideals, but for others, it’s exactly what they want to do.
