My mom loved meeting Irene and was very interested in how the sisters live, what they do, etc. Their way of life is very different from the nuns that most of us imagine: singing, wearing black and white and helping unfortunate souls. These sisters do sing and believe that they help unfortunate souls, but more through prayer than action. Their days are mostly spent in solitude. They work silently, eat silently and silently pray. They are more like monks than nuns, hence the term "monastery" rather than "convent".
Alex's mother is a devout catholic and, although she is obviously proud to have a daughter as a nun, it is also quite clear that she misses her daughter madly. Visiting her is always bitter sweet, and now with her new little niece, it was a very emotional time.
It was nice to get out of the city and be around the bugs, birds and stars for a few days. Arabella, of course, was a little angel. The habit scared the bejesus out of her at the beginning, I think, but she bonded with her Tia Irene before the weekend was up.
It was, what I would call, a "religious experience".
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