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| Meta AI Generated Image - Entrance to Rosa Mystica Rose Garden and Convent |
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| Nun Tending a Rose Garden ( Image by Gemini) |
Here's another exaggerated, if not a fantastical thought that crossed my mind. The genesis of these thoughts came while attending a Sunday mass - on seeing the sisters who were giving communion to the Sunday mass attendees, my mind hit upon these concepts. Read on...
Intersection of Different Thoughts
What all tasks can a nun or sister in a convent do, apart from her devotion to activities of the church, or her daily prayer?
Typically, we see sister taking different responsibilities of the church, running schools or other educational institutions, managing orphanages, children homes, nursing care in hospitals, hospice, etc. Apart from these, what activities can a nun do in her lifetime of devotion towards the service of the lord.
These are the answers from Google and ChatGPT.👇
What is the daily life of a nun?
Nuns attend to the Divine Office of the five major hours of prayer. In addition to time set aside for scripture reading, silent contemplation, meditation, Adoration and reception at Holy Mass. In addition to the gleeful acceptance of daily chores in the maintenance of the fabric of her monastery or convent.
A day in the life of a nun in a Catholic church typically involves a structured routine focused on prayer, work, and community life.
Early Morning Prayer: Start the day with the Liturgy of the Hours (e.g., Lauds).
Mass: Attend or participate in the daily Mass.
Breakfast: Have a simple breakfast with the community.
Personal Prayer and Meditation: Spend time in personal prayer and reflection.
Work Assignments: Engage in various tasks such as teaching, nursing, administrative work, or other community responsibilities.
Midday Prayer: Participate in the midday prayer (e.g., Sext).
Lunch: Share a communal meal with other nuns.
Recreation or Rest: Take a short break for relaxation or rest.
Afternoon Work: Continue with assigned tasks or community projects.
Spiritual Reading: Spend time reading religious or spiritual texts.
Evening Prayer: Participate in evening prayer (e.g., Vespers).
Dinner: Share another communal meal.
Community Time: Engage in community activities, discussions, or recreation.
Night Prayer: End the day with night prayer (e.g., Compline).
Personal Time: Have some quiet time for personal reflection or leisure before bed.
Exploring New Activities for Catholic Nuns
Apart the tasks like "teaching, nursing, administrative work, or other community responsibilities", what else can a nun do in a day? Further more, is a nun free to choose to do activities which she's interested in or things more close to her heart? Which all activities are vetted by the church/Vatican?
Well, I'm unaware of the do's and don't of tasks which a nun can do. The information, I can get is mostly from Google or ChatGPT!
Sometimes, I really wish to know a nun or a priest with whom I have the freedom to ask deeper questions and also to get solace from their wisdom learned in their priesthood. Well, I look forward to know more about the life in the parish through a nun or priest. One of my goals for 2024.
So, based on my thinking,, these are the activities a nun can engage and be productive.
7 Plus Activities which Nuns can Do in a Day
1. Start a hair cutting ( Saloon) for ladies.
This sound a bit out of place. However, if we good deeper into the aspect of hair cutting and grooming, I feel it's really valuable skill to learn for any individuals who has an interest in grooming, esp hair styling.
Such skills could be useful as it could be used to earn a livelihood for many women in the parish. Imagine, if sisters run a saloon and they teach ladies hair cutting skill, then they can later start a salon or beauty parlour..( Employment opportunity for ladies)
Also, in our society there are many men and women, who are abandoned by the children and living in old age home and those living in infirmary. So, hair cutting, trimming of hair for such men and women, hair cutting, coloring, etc will make them look good.
Related to this, nuns can teach orphans these skills. Later on, such skills will be vital as it will give them employment in similar biz.
2. Start a boutique
I think there are stitching centers in many convents. These centers provide vocational training to women in stitching, embroidery work, etc.. Another aspect of such centers is that they can open a boutique where they can sell wedding veil, wedding gown, design handkerchief of bride and groom, baptism dress, and other dress work related to occasions in the church. It's also an employment opportunity for people.
3. Massage Spa for Solace for Ladies
Each passing day, people are stressed as life is chaotic, and pitiless. What if sisters provide some solace through relaxing body massage. This is based on the fact that many women are going through various kind of trauma in life and a physical massage provides a much required relief.
So, having a spa or massage will provide much needed therapy for many women in different phases of life. These centers could offer other treatment for pain relief, aromatherapy, or acupuncture, etc
4. Carpentry work
Jesus worked as a carpenter under the guidance of his Father. Taking this a cue, what not start carpentry skill training. I was watching a video about organizing things and in that the person was saying that everyone needs to learn the skill to make a shelf to organize things at home.
4. Start a Rose Nursery ( Rosa Mystica Convent cum Rose Nursery)
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| Image Generated by Meta AI ( Much better than ChatGPT or Gemini) |
This is the key point of this blog post. It all started with a thought while I was attending the Sunday mass. So, with that spark, I thought of this plan - why can't sisters start a commercial level rose garden!
By any chance have you thought about it? If yes, then I got company!
Now, imagine, if every church utilizes a portion of their land, or open roof of their building to plant roses. This is plan one. The bigger plan is to create a sprawling rose garden, in church land somewhere in the outskirts of the city.
This garden will encompass many other things. The primary thing will be a convent, a covered and open rose garden, a drive in garden cafe, a plant nursery with the collection of roses, flowering plants, foliage plants, ferns, orchids, dendrobiums, lilies, etc.
If it's planned well, it could be developed as the largest collection of rose plants in each district!
To start a rose garden in a big scale ( 2 acre of land or beyond), it will require the effort of a large team, people with specific skill in gardening, also investment and workers. Apart from the workers, such a garden would require the effort of volunteers.
Calling Volunteers
There are many tasks which a large nursery has to do on a daily basis. - from re-potting, pruning, tissue culture, packing plants for shipping, mixing manure, creating compost, managing sales counter, cleaning, watering, spraying fertilizers, etc.
Sisters who manage this rose garden, could use social media and church groups to ask for volunteers and also ask for public to spare a day for volunteering in the garden. The work could be segregated based on the skill, capability, and knowledge This sort of facility will be open for people from all walks of life, irrespective of religion.
One of the highlight of this place is the facility for stay for volunteers. So, just imagine the scale of things in each such rose garden which is called as "Rosa Mystica". 🌹🌹🌹
Such garden space is designed to provide a peaceful, relaxing and fulfilling activity for those who wishes to tend the plants. The garden facility will have extensive green house settings where roses will grown in controlled environment, a horticultural facility and research facility which will facilitate in tissue culture, grafting and propagation of plants.
Such a plant garden/nursery will give ample time for sisters for daily prayer and spiritual reading.
The income for the centre would come through direct and online plant sale. Also, sisters will take training class on rose cultivation, propagation, pruning, where students can learn to identify different rose species and also learn to use it for starting a nursery.
Given the large scale growing facility of roses, such centres can even export roses to Vatican! And, they can exhibit roses during flower show or sell cut roses to florists and even sell directly to wedding planners and event organizers.
A spin-off of a garden centre are the skills related to flower arrangement. In this regard, sisters can learn and take classes on flower arrangement, teach how to make different types of wedding bouquets, floral arrangement on altar and at home.
If flower arrangement gets popular with people in Catholic faith, then people will get into the habit of keeping cut flowers at homes, and in front of the picture of Sacred Heart of Jesus! Now, many houses use plastic flower, which takes away the beauty!
A new trend and interest in flowers, roses and flower arrangement. Probably, each parish can conduct flower arrangement competition! ( another positive of the idea)
Finally, each church can organize a Rosa Mystica day - day set for special prayers for Mother Mary. Such a prayer day will culminate in a Rose Plant Sale! ( White Roses for prayer, red for sacrifice, and yellow or gold for penance.)
Who can work in such nurseries!
I take a cue from a nursery run by Association Of People With Disablity Horticulture Training Centre, Bangalore. So, sisters can employ people with physical disability, or retired nuns, or people who's interested to work in garden, volunteers from colleges, agricultural university, retired people who wants to feel engaged, senior citizens interested in gardening can devoted a day in these nurseries doing voluntary work etc. ( Well, I can go on and on lecturing about this)
5. Candle Making by Sisters
Candles are used daily in the church service and also used as an offering. Now, think of nuns making votive candles for church use and for sale to public. They can make unique and scented candles, which can be sold though Church stall or sold at church offices. Don't you think, this could be a unique thing and also of high demand if good quality is maintained. ( Btw, I teach how to make candles 🕯️)
Btw, as part of vocational training, young people could be taught candle making at churches.
6. Make Thy Own Bread 🍞
Start a small bakery training and bakery unit in each parish. Imagine, if each Church has a small bakery which makes fresh handmade breads and buns. And, like many other skills, nuns can start a mini bakery unit where they teach women the skills to make puff pastry, breads, buns, cookies, etc. Well, it could be bread winner for many women! What you say!
Also, if they sell limited quantity of freshly baked bread or buns though a small booth in a nearby place, then it can sell it hot, hot!
Here, I was imagining if there was a small such unit along with Marion Ville School. Imagine, if high school kids are taught bread making - a skill that gives then hands-on experiencing of making bread. So, kids with the supervision of teachers or sisters can make say, 100 or 200 breads daily and I'm sure, by evening it will bought by parents who pick their kids. Btw, it can be made on one or two days a week!
7. Finishing school ( ChatGPT answers ) 👇
Finishing schools are educational institutions that focus on teaching young girls etiquette, social graces, and various skills intended to prepare them for society and professional life. Here's a list of what finishing schools typically do:
Etiquette Training |Social Graces | Cultural Education |Personal Grooming| Dining Etiquette
Does nuns run finishing school ( I asked this question to ChatGPT) Here's the answer: 👇
Yes, some finishing schools have been historically run by nuns, particularly within Catholic institutions. These schools often integrate traditional finishing school curricula with religious education and moral development. Here's how nuns might contribute to a finishing school:
Teaching Etiquette and Social Graces: Nuns may instruct students in manners, proper conduct, and social etiquette.
Religious Education: Provide religious instruction, fostering spiritual growth and understanding of Catholic teachings.
Personal Development: Guide students in developing virtues such as humility, kindness, and respect
( Copied only few points from the big list) ☝️
In conclusion
What do you think of the points shared above. Out of the seven points, which one do you think is more suitable for nuns? Apart from these, is there anything else you like to add?
What about cobbler skills? Or crochet work, knitting, weave a chair, clay modeling, making garden chair, or using clay or Plaster of Paris to make small to medium sized figurines of guardian angel, fairy, Mother Mary, garden fairies, gnomes, toad stools etc!
Let me know!
Curious Konnections
P.S - Today at the church the closing hymn was sung beautifully by the choir team. And, after listening to it, I was humming this hymn Nanma Nerum Amma
Btw, I wish this church had recorded this hymn sung by the choir! We all now have the technology in our hands. So, imagine if a church records one of the best songs sung by the choir and uploads it on YouTube. And, then they share it to the parishioners via a Whatsapp post! Viola! The beauty of that hymn reverberates for a long, long time!
Meaning of Rosa Mystica
ChatGPT"Rosa Mystica" is a Latin term that translates to "Mystical Rose" in English. It is a title given to the Virgin Mary in Christian tradition, particularly in Roman Catholicism. The term is often associated with her role in various apparitions and religious contexts, symbolizing her purity, beauty, and spiritual significance.The title "Rosa Mystica" is also linked to specific Marian apparitions, such as those reported in Montichiari, Italy, in the mid-20th century, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared with a focus on the symbolism of the mystical rose. In these apparitions, Mary is often depicted with three roses of different colors on her chest, each representing different aspects of her intercession: white for prayer, red for sacrifice, and yellow or gold for penance.
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Another thing I learned by writing this post and that is sext!Sext is a canonical hour of prayer in the Roman Catholic Church's Divine Office, or liturgies of many Christian denominations. It's usually held around noon and is made up mainly of psalms.
WE beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts: that, as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an Angel; so by his ✠ Cross and Passion we may be brought unto the glory of his Resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.
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