Life as modern nun is 'positive'

Catherine's conservatory has been converted into a chapel

Catherine Cruz was completing a fine art degree at Winchester School of Art when she started on the path that led her to becoming a nun.

She went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain where then Pope John Paul II was preaching.

That was a turning point for her. But Catherine admits it wasn't a sudden decision to become a nun:

"I suppose it was just a gradual awareness and an attraction to the simplicity of it and sensing perhaps this is where God is leading me."

Having taken her full vows to enter the order, she welcomes up to four other sisters to share her suburban house in Southampton.

Catherine works full time as the Catholic Chaplain of the University of Southampton:

"I see it as a continuation of my ministry - sharing prayer, organising events and talking to students."

This whole lifestyle was a complete surprise to me - and yet we've all got a longing to live a really authentic life and make a difference to other people Catherine Cruz, modern-day nun

Verbum Dei

She is part of the Verbum Dei, which is an international Catholic community which operates in 30 countries around the globe.

The group was founded in Mallorca in 1963. It has a women's branch as well as sections for men and couples.

Catherine joined in 1990 and completed spiritual and theological training in Spain, until 1995 when she went to San Francisco for two years of pastoral work before returning to the UK.

Lifestyle

Living as a nun in the community, Catherine admits can be "a bit of a conversation stopper" and she can be greeted with a mix of bewilderment and surprise, but she does notice that "people instantly trust you."

While the traditional view of nuns is of women in habits and confined to convents, Catherine insists it is important to engage with the wider community:

"We try and dress simply and normally. It's about being accessible and not putting any barriers up and setting myself apart from people."

"This whole lifestyle was a complete surprise to me - and yet we've all got a longing to live a really authentic life and to make a difference to other people."

Vows

Catherine spends an hour in her chapel at home before starting each day

Taking vows is another central aspect of becoming a nun. Catherine initially took a vow for two years before renewing and taking full vows 10 years after she had originally joined the community:

"Because it's such a big commitment, you really do need time to grow into it and for you to grow as a person"

Nuns in Verbum Dei take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. While Catherine admits they sound quite grim and austere, she points to their deeper meaning for her.

"It's much more positive. 'Poverty' is a vow not to own anything, that's about sharing my life ... 'Obedience' profoundly means you are vowing to obey God, in the sense that God has a bigger vision than I do.

"'Chastity' is the one that people think is very strange. You are giving your love to God - that is the most precious thing we have. For me it is a challenge and sometimes I have questioned 'have I done the right thing?' But God's love is so real, you really can rest your whole heart on it."

But as Catherine reflects on her life and her calling, she insists the vows are more than box-ticking: "They're not rules but a path for living and channeling your whole life for God and for others."