Physical,Psychological and Social Adaptation of African American Nuns to Their Religious Communities as They Age: Implications for Aging in Place

ABSTRACT

This study examined the association between health status, stress, depression, satisfaction with the relationship with the religious community, alienation from significant persons, racial/cultural identity and “aging in place,” as measured by length of time in the same religious community, for a purposive sample of 72 African American nuns. Aging in place was significantly associated with perceptions of better health status, less stress and depression and greater satisfaction with relationships with the religious community. However, the study also found that the longer the nuns lived in their respective communities, the less racially/culturally identified they became. These findings underscore the need for finding ways to keep nuns in their religious communities as they age and to provide avenues of racial/cultural expression for African American nuns.     

A Review of Mortality Research on Clergy and Other Religious Professionals

An exhaustive literature search was undertaken to find studies on mortality rates among clergy. A total of twelve studies, published between 1959 and 2000, were identified that examined mortality among American and European clergy. All but one of the reports found lower all-cause death rates for clergy compared to the people in general population of similar age. Protestant ministers consistently were found to have more than a 25% mortality advantage in various studies. Catholic nuns had a mortality advantage of roughly 20%–25%, whereas the mortality advantage of Catholic priests was just over 10%. Possible factors contributing to the lower death rates of clergy are discussed.     

Reading Like a Nun: The Composition of Convent Libraries in Renaissance Europe

In this article the author examines the composition of convent libraries in Renaissance Europe—specifically, Italy and Spain. While much research on monastic libraries has occurred, little has concerned convent libraries. They are unique because they include writing both by and for women. The author used previous historical research to form an overview of a convent library's composition. Examining monastic and Tridentine rules regarding literature collected and produced in convents allows one to understand if ecclesiastical legislation restricted convent literature. From there, examining scribal work performed in convents, a few known convent holdings, and the works written by nuns themselves can illuminate the holdings of a convent library. These methods lead to the conclusion that convent libraries contained collections rich in social history and women's history because they contained some of the only literature by, for, and about women.     

Preaching,Sexuality, and Women Religious

Abstract

This paper addresses how the role of the prophetic is contested by examining ecclesial conflict in the Catholic Church as exemplified in the Vatican critique of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the social ministries and lobbying efforts of NETWORK’s “Nuns on the Bus.” Drawing on the fields of homiletics, biblical studies, public theology, and feminist theology, we examine patterns of prophetic discourse and defend the work of the nuns as prophetic in that their work bears witness to the reign of God in everyday contexts. Binary patterns such as church/world, ordained/lay, sacred/profane, male/female, privileged/marginalized are ultimately inaccurate and unhelpful. We argue that the prophetic must be shaped and discerned by the lived experiences of the whole people of God but privileging the experiences of those on the margins. We invite readers to think of the role of the prophetic beyond the pulpit and into the public sphere.     

Failure in Class-Inclusion Reasoning in a University Sample

Two studies were undertaken with the purpose of examining adult performance on tasks of class-inclusion reasoning. Both duration of visual presentation and instructions regarding speed of response were varied. In both studies overall performance was low (approximately 60% of items were answered correctly) but neither duration of visual presentation nor speed of responding were shown to be systematically related to errors. Even when participants were permitted unlimited time to view the visual display and put under no pressure to respond quickly performance only reached 80% correct. Significant improvement over trials was observed, which suggests that participants may not have initially understood the task. Results are discussed in terms of the adequacy of class-inclusion tasks as measures of competence in logical reasoning about classes.     

Transsexualism and the Church

Abstract

Transsexualism raises many perplexing issues for Christians. This paper first reviews the scientific evidence, especially that relating to the biological aspects, and then issues relating to transsexualism as a social construct. It is suggested that it is wise to reject both the idea that transsexualism is completely determined by biological factors, and that it is nothing but a social construct. There are also intriguing issues about specifically religious attitudes to transsexualism, that are in some ways similar to those raised by eunuchs. Two recent Christian contributions to the Christian discussion of transsexualism are then reviewed—the scholarly work of Oliver O'Donovan, and the more popular report of the Evangelical Alliance. The latter raises interesting issues for discussion, but its negative attitude to transsexualism is not always justified by the arguments presented. Finally, practical issues facing the Church are considered, including those relating to transsexual clergy.