FORCE OF HABIT: THE CONSTRUCTION AND NEGOTIATION OF SUBJECTIVITY IN CATHOLIC NUNS Megan P. Brock A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Western Sydney October, 2007 i There was also a Nun, a Prioress, Her way of smiling very simple and coy. Her greatest oath was only „By St Loy!‟ And she was known as Madam Eglantyne. And well she sang a service, with a fine Intoning through her nose, as was most seemly, And she spoke daintily in French, extremely, After the school of Stratford-atte-Bowe; French in the Paris style she did not know. At meat her manners were well taught withal; No morsel from her lips did she let fall, Nor dipped her fingers in the sauce too deep; But she could carry a morsel up and keep The smallest drop from falling on her breast. For courtliness she had a special zest, And she would wipe her upper lip so clean That not a trace of grease was to be seen Upon the cup when she had drunk; to eat, She reached a hand sedately for the meat. Geoffrey Chaucer Prologue, The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer, c. 1386) ii DEDICATION For my parents the first of my educators and for Nuns who taught me to read write and play music. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research owes its inspiration to the many Nuns I have worked with professionally, to their stories of perseverance, dedication and commitment, often in the face of great personal struggle. I wish to acknowledge the Nuns who participated in this research, who generously told their stories, offered hospitality and reflected on their lives, at times laughing and crying as they did so. I thank each one of them for being part of this study. I also express gratitude to the Orders of Nuns in Australia and New Zealand who contributed funds, in-kind support, enthusiasm, encouragement and praying hearts to the research, and to the Australian Conference of Religious for use of their resources. Particularly I am indebted to my own Religious Order, the Sisters of St Joseph, Lochinvar, to the Leadership Teams and to individual Sisters for their interest in and assistance with the study, and for encouragement throughout its progress. In acknowledging the work of my supervisors, I especially thank Associate Professor Meg Smith for her generous assistance, advice and kind support during the final stages. I am grateful also to Margo Moore, Mary Shannon and Natalie Fisher, who read sections of the thesis as it progressed, offering valuable feedback and suggestions. I warmly and sincerely thank my mother for staying alive long enough to see this thesis come to fruition, my extended family for their support, my friends for still being there at the end, and particularly Michele, a wise and staunch sounding board, supporter, mentor, and concert-therapy companion throughout the duration of the study. iv STATEMENT OF AUTHENTIFICATION The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. Megan P. Brock v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 4 1.1 Background to the research .................................................................................................... 5 1.1.1 Representation of Nuns in society ................................................................................. 6 1.2 Positioning of Researcher ....................................................................................................... 9 1.3 „Nun‟ within the framework of the Church ........................................................................... 11 1.3.1 The Emergence of Apostolic Religious Orders ............................................................ 13 1.3.2 20th Century Religious Life ........................................................................................ 14 1.3.3 Vatican II and its influence on Apostolic Religious Orders ......................................... 15 1.3.4 Post-Vatican II Religious Life: the Australian/New Zealand context ........................... 16 1.4 Focus of Present Study ......................................................................................................... 19 1.5 Epistemological Framework ................................................................................................. 19 1.5.1 Foucauldian Discourse Approach ................................................................................ 20 1.5.2 Feminist Approach ...................................................................................................... 27 1.6 Structure of the Thesis.......................................................................................................... 29 1.7 The Insider‟s Voice .............................................................................................................. 31 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................ 37 2.1 Lifestyle issues: Dealing with Change after Vatican II ......................................................... 38 2.2 Diminishment of numbers .................................................................................................... 51 2.3 Mental health issues ............................................................................................................. 54 2.3.1 Previous pathology ..................................................................................................... 54 2.3.2 Stress, depression, loss of meaning ............................................................................. 57 2.3.3 Alcohol Dependency ................................................................................................... 64 2.3.4 Anger .......................................................................................................................... 68 2.4 Bodies/sexuality ................................................................................................................... 74 2.5 Australia/New Zealand Research .......................................................................................... 85 2.6 Summary.............................................................................................................................. 89 2.7 Research question ................................................................................................................ 92 2.8 The Insider‟s Voice .............................................................................................................. 93 CHAPTER 3: THE CHURCH‟S DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS OF NUN .................................... 94 3.1 Analysis Sources .................................................................................................................. 95 3.1.1 The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Abbo & Hannan, 1952) .............................................. 97 3.1.2 “Lumen Gentium” (Abbott, 1966) ............................................................................... 97 3.1.3 “Perfectae Caritatis” (Abbott, 1966) ............................................................................ 98 3.1.4 Revised Code of Canon Law (Catholic Church, 1983) ................................................ 98 3.1.5 Vita Consecrata (Pope John Paul II, 1996) ................................................................. 99 3.1.6 Starting Afresh from Christ (CICLSAL, 2002) .......................................................... 100 3.2 Analysis Method ................................................................................................................ 100 3.3 Dominant Discursive Constructions of Nun ........................................................................ 101 3.4 The Nun as Called by God ................................................................................................. 102 3.4.1 The Call Marks the Identity of Nuns ......................................................................... 103 3.4.2 The Call demands Faithfulness ................................................................................. 107 3.5 The Nun as Self-sacrificing ................................................................................................ 112 3.5.1 Total Giving of Self .................................................................................................. 114 3.5.2 Regulation of the body .............................................................................................. 119 3.5.2.1 Dress ............................................................................................................................. 120 3.5.2.2 Vows ...................................................................................................................... 124 3.5.2.3 Communal Living .................................................................................................... 127 3.6 The Nun as Working for Church ........................................................................................ 129 3.6.1 Submissive to the Church Gaze ................................................................................. 130 3.6.2 Engaging in Mission of Church ................................................................................