CONVENT
341
CONVENT
\\\n-n spokoii of in its corporate capacity. The word
v:is first used in this sense when the eremitical life
I .' i;,iii to lie conitiined with the cenol)itical. The her-
mits of an Ivisti-rn laura. living in separate cells
uroiiped around that of their common superior, when
>[ioken of collectively, were called a conventua. In
\\ cstern monasticism" the term came into general use
from the very beginning, and the technical phrase
ii'iluix el conventus signifies to this day the entire com-
uiiiuity of a monastic establishment. (2) The build-
inns in which resides a community of either sex. In
this sense the word denotes more properly the home
( 'i:i strictly monastic order, and is not correctly used
! i designate the home of what is called a "congrega-
tion. In addition to these technical meanings, the
winl has also a popular signification at the present
il:i.\-, by which it is made to mean in particular the
- riHHle"of female religious, just as "monastery" de-
11' itcs that of men, though in reality the two words are ■ tot-changeable. In the present article the word is '.rn chiefly in its popular sense. The treatment, roover, is limited to those features which are com- i I oil to all, or nearly all, convents, while peculiarities line to the special purpose, rule, or occupation of each r liyious order are explained in the pertinent article. < ONVENT Life. — The life lived by the inmates of a i\ent nattirally varies in its details, according to particular object for which it has been founded, ■ the special circumstances -of time and place by which it is affected. Convents are often roughly di- •\iili-d into two classes, strictly enclosed and unen- closed, but with regard to the convents existing at ilio present day this division, though correct as far as it Ltoes, is not a very satisfactorj' one, because both rlisses are capable of subdivision, and, on account of iIh- varied kinds of work undertaken by the nuns, t liise subdivisions overlap one another. Thus, of the '■Mtly enclosed communities, some are purely con- 1 Illative, others maizily active (i. e. engaged in loiitionnl or rescue work), while others again com- ,:ir the two. Similarly, of the unenclosed orders, some are purely active (i. e. undertaking educational, I imchial, hospital, or other work), and others unite iiio contemplative with the active life, without, how- r, being strictly enclosed. As a general deduction nay be stated that the contemplative life, in which men were actuated by a desire to save their own lis and the souls of others by their lives of prayer, liision, and mortification, was the idea of the older i rs, while the distinctive note of the more modern urcgations is that of active work amongst others I the relief of their bodily wants. With regard to the educational work of the con- its, it may here be stated that this includes the oiling of both elementary and secondary schools, .. A ell as the training of teachers for such schools and higher education. The hospital and nursing work com- prises the management of hospitals, both general and for special classes of patients, as well as the nursing of ih rich and poor in their own homes. Rescue work '.iidcs the conduct of penitentiaries, orphanages, .1 homes for the aged poor. A few convents make special jirovision for the reception of guests, for re- treats and other spiritual purposes, and a large propor- tion of then receive boarders at moderate charges. I Some, mostly of enclosed communities, have under- taken the work of Perpetual Adoration, while others devote themselves to ecclesiastical embroidery and the making of church vestments. This particular I kind of work has always been characteristic of Eng- lisli nuns, whose cmbroiderj% known as the opus .'liciimtm, was famous in medieval times (Matthew lis. Rolls ed., IV, an. 1240). The ordinary routine iiie in a nunnery has always corresponded approxi- t'ly with that of a monasterj'. The nun's day is lied between the choir, the workroom, the school- 1, the refectory, the recreation-room, the cell,
and, with the active orders, the outside work, in peri-
odical rotation. Idleness or lack of occuiiation is
never ijcrmitted. The earliest rules for nims, .as well
as the most modern, all prescribe labour of some use-
ful kind. The medieval nuns could always read and
write Latin, and they also employed themselves in
transcribing and illuminating sacred books, and in
many of the fine arts, the cultivation of which they
consecrated to the service of God. The convents
thus were always hc.nes of industry, and just as form-
erly they played no small part in the spread of civili-
zation, so now they are almost indis])ensable hand-
maids to the cause of the Catholic Church.
Unfounded C.\lu.mnies. — It is not necessary here to refute the many base and vile charges that have from time to time been brought against the conven- tual system; a mere general reference to them is suffi- cient, for the evidence of the salutary work done by convents and the fruits of the lives of the nuns are in themselves ample refutation. In the past there have been "anti-convent" and "convent-inspection" socie- ties, as well as the lectures of "escajied nuns" and literature in abundance of the "Maria Monk" type, and they may be expected to crop up again periodi- cally in the future. These may and do for a time hamper the work of the nims and cause a certain amount of disquietude in some quarters, but it is a significant fact that, whatever excitement they may raise for the time being, the agitation always dies down again as suddenly as it arises, and its harmful effects never appear to leave behind them any lasting results, except perhaps an increased interest in, and respect for, the conventual life that has been vilified. Legislation .\s to Convents. — Canon law con- tains a Inrgp and important section relating to the estiililishiucnt, and government of convents. The pri\ ilcoos of such as are exempt from epi.scopal juris- diction, the aj)pointment of confessors for the nuns, and the duties of the same, the regulations of the Church concerning enclosure, and the admission and testing of candidates, the nature and obligations of the vows, the limits of the powers of superiors, and the conditions regarding the erection of new convents are among the many points of detail legislated for. One or two points may be alluded to here. The law of the Church requires that no new convent be estab- lished, whether it be one that is exempt from episcopal jurisdiction or not, without the consent of the bishop of the diocese; for what is technically called "canoni- cal erection" further formalities, including approba- tion from Rome, have to be complied with. All confessors for nuns must be specially approved by the bishop, even those of convents that are exempt from his ordinary jurisdiction, and the bishop has also to provide that all nuns can have access two or three timx'S in the year to an "extraordinary" confessor, other than their usual one. The bishop also is obliged periodically to visit and inspect all the convents in his diocese, excepting those that are exempt, at the time of which visitation everj' nun must be free to .see him privately in order to make any complaints or sugges- tions that she may wish. With regard to the admis- sion of postulants the law provides for every precau- tion being taken, on the one hand, to prevent coercion and, on the other, to safeguard the community from being obliged to receive those about whose vocation there may be any doubt. Physical fitness on the part of a canilidate is in most orders an indispensalile con- dition, though there are some which admit women of delicate health; but, once admitted:in<l profcssetl, the contract becomes reciprocal, and while the nun tmder- takes to keep her vows, the convent, on its side, is boimd to provide her with lodging, food, and clothing, and to maintain her in sickness or in health (see Novitiate; Vow).
Do WIS V. — With regard to the dowry required of a nun, the customs and rules of the different orders vary
