- A
- K
Greetings! My name is Kathryn Aldridge, and I want to be a nun. This is a page to help in that endeavor, and to explain a little about exactly what it is I’m doing and why. This info page is a work in progress; stay tuned for updates!
“What is nun-fu?”
It’s a pun on kung-fu, that’s all. I am in the process of discerning religious life with the Passionist Nuns in Whitesville, KY, and to be able to move to the next stage in the discernment process I need to acquire some funding.
If it makes a difference, if I meet my goal I will do my best to have a picture made 2+ years from now when I am in my religious habit (“nun duds”) of me, a nun, doing a kung-fu pose, as a thank-you to you all. (Photo contingent on permission from my superior.)
“What do you need funding for? I thought nuns lived a vow of poverty?”
They do, and kudos for being well-informed on religious life! However, before one becomes a nun and is a fully-fledged member of the community, there are two steps of formation before that: aspirancy, which I’m in now, and postulancy, where I’ll be living at the monastery full-time without being under the “financial roof” of the community, so to speak.
In the aspirancy, I will be traveling to Kentucky two times, for a one-month visit and a two-month one later on. I have the airplane tickets taken care of for the one-month stay, but I still need to acquire some more clothing that falls in the parameters of the monastery’s aspirancy dress code, and I’ll need to purchase another set of plane tickets for the end of July for the two-month stay.
As for the postulancy, since I will not be working, I will need to have money saved up to pay for a year of health insurance out-of-pocket, which will not be sponsored by an employer’s health program. Another part of applying for the postulancy is a $750 “dowry” that covers my postulant uniform, my 4-volume breviary/other books necessary for the monastic life, materials for my formation, and, like, food and stuff. :P Here’s the breakdown of my estimated expenses from now til I become a nun (may change as I get more information):
$3600: One year of health insurance (estimated at $300/month)
$300: Flight to Kentucky for a two-month aspirancy live-in
$350: Monastery-appropriate clothing for aspirancy live-in
$750: Postulancy uniform, four-volume breviary, books and materials for formation, and other expenses
Total funding for the rest of my aspirancy and year of postulancy: $5,000
“What about your student loans?”
So, when someone becomes a nun and joins a religious community, everything that’s theirs becomes communal possession—including their debt. Needless to say, most communities can’t afford to suddenly go thousands of dollars in debt when they accept a new nun. For me, I’m applying for a grant from the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, an organization which takes on the burden of paying one’s monthly payments. However, they don’t cover non-student-loan expenses like those mentioned above, so that’s what this page is for.
“How can I help you in your pursuit of this goal?”
Prayer is the first thing. Please pray for me, that I may see what God’s will is for my life and that I may have the fortitude and the means to realize His will. —If you’re not really a praying kind of person, I’d appreciate it if you’d ask God to help me anyway. He can use all prayers for good... even those topped off with some big ol’ dollops of doubt. :)
Second, if you are able, please contribute to this page so I can move forward in my discernment process. While I do still have a job, part of my current status involves taking a few months to do a “live-in” at the monastery, and that loss of income coupled with travel expenses will make it difficult to amass the funding in time.
Third, whether you’re able to help out financially or not, please share this GoFundMe with as many people as you can! I have a very limited social media presence, and I don’t have any rich uncles (as far as I know—give me a shout if you’re out there!), so I’m reliant on you all to help me reach more people. There should be options for posting to the FaceBook, as well as through old-fashioned methods like copying a link. :P
“I’m a Protestant and I don’t understand why you’re doing the thing?”
Ah, yes. (Hi, most of my family!) Well, it’s tricky to explain without going through the whole Catholic faith with you, but here’s an analogy that might be helpful in the meantime.
Think about missionaries you’re familiar with. Many of them go to various places, help the people in that community, and share the love and Word of God while they’re there. Nuns are like that, except their “mission field” is prayer and intercession. While missionaries do both physical and spiritual good in a single place, nuns—through their prayers and God’s loving kindness—can do good anywhere in the world!
Beyond that, though, I really feel like this is where God is calling me. I’m not 100% certain, but I feel a great sense of peace when I imagine giving my life to God in this prayerful, faithful way, more so than even imagining being a more traditional missionary or embarking on other beautiful life-paths. And if this is where God wants me, well, I gotta be here. And I trust He’ll get me there, one way or the other. :)
Thank you for reading this far—or at least skimming! If you’d like more information on the community I’m entering, you can find their webpage at passionistnuns.org. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop me a line. Other than that, THANK YOU for all your help and support, in whatever way you feel led to! I’m praying for you!
“Grant eternal life, O Lord,
To all who have done good to us,
for Your Name’s sake. Amen.”
--prayer the community offers up every day for our benefactors (that includes you!)
“What is nun-fu?”
It’s a pun on kung-fu, that’s all. I am in the process of discerning religious life with the Passionist Nuns in Whitesville, KY, and to be able to move to the next stage in the discernment process I need to acquire some funding.
If it makes a difference, if I meet my goal I will do my best to have a picture made 2+ years from now when I am in my religious habit (“nun duds”) of me, a nun, doing a kung-fu pose, as a thank-you to you all. (Photo contingent on permission from my superior.)
“What do you need funding for? I thought nuns lived a vow of poverty?”
They do, and kudos for being well-informed on religious life! However, before one becomes a nun and is a fully-fledged member of the community, there are two steps of formation before that: aspirancy, which I’m in now, and postulancy, where I’ll be living at the monastery full-time without being under the “financial roof” of the community, so to speak.
In the aspirancy, I will be traveling to Kentucky two times, for a one-month visit and a two-month one later on. I have the airplane tickets taken care of for the one-month stay, but I still need to acquire some more clothing that falls in the parameters of the monastery’s aspirancy dress code, and I’ll need to purchase another set of plane tickets for the end of July for the two-month stay.
As for the postulancy, since I will not be working, I will need to have money saved up to pay for a year of health insurance out-of-pocket, which will not be sponsored by an employer’s health program. Another part of applying for the postulancy is a $750 “dowry” that covers my postulant uniform, my 4-volume breviary/other books necessary for the monastic life, materials for my formation, and, like, food and stuff. :P Here’s the breakdown of my estimated expenses from now til I become a nun (may change as I get more information):
$3600: One year of health insurance (estimated at $300/month)
$300: Flight to Kentucky for a two-month aspirancy live-in
$350: Monastery-appropriate clothing for aspirancy live-in
$750: Postulancy uniform, four-volume breviary, books and materials for formation, and other expenses
Total funding for the rest of my aspirancy and year of postulancy: $5,000
“What about your student loans?”
So, when someone becomes a nun and joins a religious community, everything that’s theirs becomes communal possession—including their debt. Needless to say, most communities can’t afford to suddenly go thousands of dollars in debt when they accept a new nun. For me, I’m applying for a grant from the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, an organization which takes on the burden of paying one’s monthly payments. However, they don’t cover non-student-loan expenses like those mentioned above, so that’s what this page is for.
“How can I help you in your pursuit of this goal?”
Prayer is the first thing. Please pray for me, that I may see what God’s will is for my life and that I may have the fortitude and the means to realize His will. —If you’re not really a praying kind of person, I’d appreciate it if you’d ask God to help me anyway. He can use all prayers for good... even those topped off with some big ol’ dollops of doubt. :)
Second, if you are able, please contribute to this page so I can move forward in my discernment process. While I do still have a job, part of my current status involves taking a few months to do a “live-in” at the monastery, and that loss of income coupled with travel expenses will make it difficult to amass the funding in time.
Third, whether you’re able to help out financially or not, please share this GoFundMe with as many people as you can! I have a very limited social media presence, and I don’t have any rich uncles (as far as I know—give me a shout if you’re out there!), so I’m reliant on you all to help me reach more people. There should be options for posting to the FaceBook, as well as through old-fashioned methods like copying a link. :P
“I’m a Protestant and I don’t understand why you’re doing the thing?”
Ah, yes. (Hi, most of my family!) Well, it’s tricky to explain without going through the whole Catholic faith with you, but here’s an analogy that might be helpful in the meantime.
Think about missionaries you’re familiar with. Many of them go to various places, help the people in that community, and share the love and Word of God while they’re there. Nuns are like that, except their “mission field” is prayer and intercession. While missionaries do both physical and spiritual good in a single place, nuns—through their prayers and God’s loving kindness—can do good anywhere in the world!
Beyond that, though, I really feel like this is where God is calling me. I’m not 100% certain, but I feel a great sense of peace when I imagine giving my life to God in this prayerful, faithful way, more so than even imagining being a more traditional missionary or embarking on other beautiful life-paths. And if this is where God wants me, well, I gotta be here. And I trust He’ll get me there, one way or the other. :)
Thank you for reading this far—or at least skimming! If you’d like more information on the community I’m entering, you can find their webpage at passionistnuns.org. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop me a line. Other than that, THANK YOU for all your help and support, in whatever way you feel led to! I’m praying for you!
“Grant eternal life, O Lord,
To all who have done good to us,
for Your Name’s sake. Amen.”
--prayer the community offers up every day for our benefactors (that includes you!)