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Changing Habits: A Memoir of the Society of the Sacred Heart
Through recollections of her own Sacred Heart education and interviews with graduates and faculty, the author profiles the prestigious Catholic academy for women and assesses the negative effects of Vatican II reforms on the Society of the Sacred Heart
254 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1988
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March 7, 2011
"Changing Habits" A Memoir of the Society of the Sacred Heart" was written in 1988 by V V Harrison.
In this vivid memoir and compelling history, the author takes us into the exclusive world of the Society of the Sacred Heart with both the humor and the understanding of one who has been there.
She also reveals the rich, intellectually demanding and fascinating traditions that have carried the Society through its unique history from 1800 to the present.
Founded in the midst of the violent French Revolution, the Society of the Sacred Heart spread to six continents by 1908 and became one of the most prestigious religious congregations of nuns in the Catholic Church. Superbly educating daughters of both the wealthy and the poor to go into the world with "a man's mind and a woman's heart", the Sacred Heart has graduated such disparate women as Vivien Leigh, Maureen O'Sullivan, Yoko Ono, Susan Saint James, Michiko Shoda (Crown Princess of Japan) and the Kennedy women.
But when the edicts of Vatican II threw open the doors of the Catholic Church to the 20th century, they sowed seeds of disorder throughout the Society. The call for renewal, to become attuned to the world of today, turned the congregation upside down. Lives that had been restrained by the rule of cloister and the monastic traditions of the past were not easily adaptable to the freedom of the new edicts. The nuns suffered an unplanned- for defection from their ranks and many of their well-known and exclusive academies were forced to close.
In 1988, more than 20 years after having shed their traditional habits and adjusting to the new ways of the Church, the modern Sisters have re-evaluated and rebuilt the very foundations of their lives.
"Changing Habits" is an interesting journey from the traditional "Convent of the Sacred Heart School" that the author attended,to the modern experience of both students and nuns today. Gone are the nuns in their beautiful traditional religious habits ~~ long gone are the days when they were known as "Mothers" in those beautiful mansion schools that educated the wealthy elite.
There are several great photos from the author's days at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and of the Madames of the Sacred Heart in their elegant Traditional habits to the modified habits of the 60's to no habits at all today. Also included are pictures of other Mansions used as Convent schools around the world.
"Changing Habits" is the story of how the absolute strictures of one religious congregation of nuns dissolved and dramatically affected a worldwide community of 7,000 nuns on five continents ~~ as well as the many generations of women whose lives these nuns had touched deeply.
"Changing Habits" recreates the mysterious world inside an exclusive convent school ~ a world gone forever. If you have ever been curious about life behind the convent walls, this book will answer that curiosity.
In this vivid memoir and compelling history, the author takes us into the exclusive world of the Society of the Sacred Heart with both the humor and the understanding of one who has been there.
She also reveals the rich, intellectually demanding and fascinating traditions that have carried the Society through its unique history from 1800 to the present.
Founded in the midst of the violent French Revolution, the Society of the Sacred Heart spread to six continents by 1908 and became one of the most prestigious religious congregations of nuns in the Catholic Church. Superbly educating daughters of both the wealthy and the poor to go into the world with "a man's mind and a woman's heart", the Sacred Heart has graduated such disparate women as Vivien Leigh, Maureen O'Sullivan, Yoko Ono, Susan Saint James, Michiko Shoda (Crown Princess of Japan) and the Kennedy women.
But when the edicts of Vatican II threw open the doors of the Catholic Church to the 20th century, they sowed seeds of disorder throughout the Society. The call for renewal, to become attuned to the world of today, turned the congregation upside down. Lives that had been restrained by the rule of cloister and the monastic traditions of the past were not easily adaptable to the freedom of the new edicts. The nuns suffered an unplanned- for defection from their ranks and many of their well-known and exclusive academies were forced to close.
In 1988, more than 20 years after having shed their traditional habits and adjusting to the new ways of the Church, the modern Sisters have re-evaluated and rebuilt the very foundations of their lives.
"Changing Habits" is an interesting journey from the traditional "Convent of the Sacred Heart School" that the author attended,to the modern experience of both students and nuns today. Gone are the nuns in their beautiful traditional religious habits ~~ long gone are the days when they were known as "Mothers" in those beautiful mansion schools that educated the wealthy elite.
There are several great photos from the author's days at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and of the Madames of the Sacred Heart in their elegant Traditional habits to the modified habits of the 60's to no habits at all today. Also included are pictures of other Mansions used as Convent schools around the world.
"Changing Habits" is the story of how the absolute strictures of one religious congregation of nuns dissolved and dramatically affected a worldwide community of 7,000 nuns on five continents ~~ as well as the many generations of women whose lives these nuns had touched deeply.
"Changing Habits" recreates the mysterious world inside an exclusive convent school ~ a world gone forever. If you have ever been curious about life behind the convent walls, this book will answer that curiosity.
Displaying 1 of 1 review