2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

Sister Mary Joseph (formerly Elle Kruger) is a grade school friend of Lucas’s who he uses to consult with for profiling and as a gaming partner. Do you think she became a nun for all the right reasons or did the trauma of her horrible acne lead her there? What do you make of her asking Lucas as a teen to not visit her again? Their current relationship?

A woman with bad acne would not pass for a calling. She wouldn't get through the novitiate years. Getting through the training is a good nine or ten years of prayers, counseling, etc. It is difficult to fool the senior nuns (Mother) or the priests.

I thought her father was behind her asking Lucas not to return for some reason. It is a badge of honor in the Catholic church to have a family member who is a nun or priest. They think it is a pathway to heaven. If not her father, she already knew she would be a nun and didn't want to lead Lucas on.

I like their current relationship. Elle prays for Lucas, and he needs a lot of prayers, but she also guides him.

I think that Elle had the sense to know that, most likely, Lucas would never be future husband material for her, even though she was probably a little bit in love with him; and he was a good friend to her. His admiration of intelligent women (exclusively) stopped him from taking up with some super attractive women -- those whose brains offset their physical attraction!

I think Elle did demonstrate that she had a calling. Her gaming with people outside the cloistered walls just showed that she did not avoid people who lived in that world.

I felt that her acne probably at first led her to become a nun.
At the point where we meet her though, I felt like she had made peace with where her life led her. She was happy with her 'job' and still maintained outside of the 'cloister'.

I don't know enough about how one goes about becoming a nun to know what that would entail and if she would make it or not.


I know that my dad as the oldest son in a catholic family joined the seminary and planned to be a priest but ended up finding out it wasn't for him. He ended up going to college to become an accountant. Glad he did or I wouldn't be here :)
The oldest daughter in their family did become a nun.

I think she probably was afraid that if she let herself develop feelings for Lucas it might lead her astray. When they become friends later it seems that she is truly content with her life and choices.