Can we afford to get out of the habit of nuns? In 1965 there were 181,000 nuns in America; today there are 84,000 and their average age is 70. The writer, Lucy Kaylin, wanted to find out what nuns are all about before their numbers disappear all together. Her new book, “For the Love of God” is about the American nun today. She most likely doesn’t wear a habit, she’s probably a feminist who’s vocal about women’s reproductive rights and the ordination of women, she’s more likely to be an activist protesting military intervention or running a homeless shelter than to be cloistered in a monastery.
But why should outsiders be worried about the fate of nuns? Because, says Lucy Kaylin, “now more than ever, our society could benefit from the example of this inviolable sector so untainted by capitalism’s oracular precepts.” Get thee to a nunnery, this hour on the Connection
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Lucy Kaylin, author of “For the Love of God”
Sister Jeanine Gramick
Sister Nancy Shively