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Myth #2 — Only Introverts Can Be Nuns

“I don’t know … you just don’t seem like the ‘nun type.’ You’re so outgoing! Isn’t it the quiet, shy, pious girls that usually enter a cloister?”

This very common myth sounds at first like a “no-brainer.” It seems quite reasonable to assume that those who are called to a life of silence, solitude, and prayer would all be introverts. However, if you make such a statement to an actual group of nuns, you are likely to get a hearty laugh!

While it’s true that there are many nuns who are quiet and introverted by temperament, this is by no means a pre-requisite for monastic life. In fact, there are many holy and faithful contemplatives who are decidedly extroverts — people who find it easy to go out of themselves and reach out to others in social situations.

Every personality type can be found among nuns, and each one has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. While an introvert may take very easily to the practice of silence, relish the times of solitude, and have a natural capacity for times of quiet prayer, she may have to fight over-introspective tendencies (which can turn into selfishness) and make an extra effort to actively contribute to times of community recreation or sharing. An extrovert, on the other hand, may struggle with holding her tongue and keeping “custody of the eyes,” but she can also enliven community recreation and help quieter or new members “come out of their shell” more easily. The Lord Who gives the vocation will also give the grace to fulfill it — whatever the Sister’s natural temperament may be.

The bottom line? God calls whom He wills, and He likes variety in His cloisters! If it were left up to us and our limited human perspective, perhaps we might never have gotten to know some of those we now call Sisters … but thanks to God, He sees a much bigger picture. The unique and unrepeatable way in which He interweaves our lives makes each community a veritable tapestry of different souls, each one helping the others and receiving help from them in turn. And how much richer we are for it!