HOPE
ENDURES
An Australian Sister's story of leaving Mother Teresa, losing faith, and her on-going search for meaning
Extras
Life as an MC
The skeleton on the life of a Missionary of Charity was the timetable by which the community lived. There were certain principles that underpinned this life: that God’s will was manifest in the orders of the superior of the community and so required total submission, that each sister was inherently sinful and that non-religious literature and debate could lead a person astray.
Let me go through the time table with you. Certain aspects may vary such as the time of Mass but the outline remains similar.
| 4.40 | Rise. Clang, clang, clang. ‘ Let us bless the Lord!’ By now you are on your knees in the dark of the dormitory starting to dress. The day has begun. You place wire chains on your upper arm and under the rope cincture of your habit. No matter what your nationality or where you work you dress in a Bengali sari. |
| 5.00 | Morning Prayer, office and meditation. Read the Gospel or scripture passage of the day. Reflect on how you will put it into practice. |
| 5.50 | Duties. Remove chains. Wash clothes in a bucket, make beds, do housework on your knees with bucket and rag using the washing water. Prepare vegetables and cook for lunch. Walk to mass saying the Rosary. Silence is to be kept at all times. |
| 7.00 | Mass |
| 7.40 | Breakfast of 4 chapparties or 4 slices of bread with tea is eaten in silence while a spiritual book is read. The amount of food is prescribed. You must eat the full amount. |
| 8.00 | Apostolate. Leave for work in pairs. No personal chatter permitted and so the sisters say the Rosary out loud while walking or travelling by public transport. The work may be caring for those in a home, teaching catechism, visiting shut-ins, teaching typing or sewing etc. A sister may not accept the hospitality of anyone they visit or eat or drink outside the convent. A sister may not speak unnecessarily to those you work with or for. |
| 12.30 | Midday Prayer and Examination of Conscience. Faults and sins of thought word deed and omission are to be recorded in the examen book for later confession. Being late for prayer is not acceptable even if a sick person has just been brought into one of the homes or some other situation arises. Community duties are paramount. |
| 1.00 | Lunch. Grace is said. Each sister takes their numbered tin plate and cutlery. Once all are seated on the wooden benches the food is passed down the middle of the table. The community listens to a short religious reading and then the superior says the code word ‘Praise be Jesus Christ’ to allow cheerful chatter. After a half an hour the same code words restore the silence and the community rises as one. Plates and dishes are washed using ash as an abrasive. |
| 1.15 | Rest. The sisters lie down for ˝ hour. Reading is not permitted. |
| 1.45 | Afternoon Tea. Talking allowed |
| 2.00 | Spiritual Reading of religious books approved by the superior. . |
| 2.30 | Apostolate |
| 6.00 | Adoration. An hour of prayer which included about 20mins of silent reflection and 40 minutes of vocal prayer and singing |
| 7.00 | Prayer of the dead – 15 bells tolled and the sister knelt wherever they were and recited a psalm for the deceased |
| 7.05 | Tea. Talking allowed after a short reading. On Fridays 10 Our fathers were prayed kneeling with out-stretched arms before the meal. On first Fridays, ritual penances such as kissing the sisters feet or begging a meal (ie holding up a bowl while kneeling and asking ‘Please may I have something to eat?’ The meal was then eaten while kneeling. |
| 7.30 | Taking the discipline ie hitting oneself on the thighs with a knotted rope. |
| 7.45 | Evening Prayer |
| 8.00 | Recreating. Talking allowed while mending, peeling vegetables etc. |
| 8.30 | Night prayer and examination of conscience. |
| 9.00 | The Paters (ie 10 Our fathers prayed on one’s knees with outstretched arms beside the bed) |
| 9.00 | Lights out |
Community chapter: Once a month at a community chapter each sister confessed their faults and asked forgiveness for any wrong doing within the community.
There was weekly confession of wrong doing to a priest. This got to the level of thought and motive as there was little opportunity for reprehensible words or actions.