THE MODERN NUN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 302, 22 December 1933, Page 5

THE MODERN NUN

WORK AMONG GIRLS.

- A new and unsuspected force for good and service is in England—moving in any dress that is the latest fashion—the Modern Nun. Her mission is the Modern Girl. So wherever the Ladies of the Grail go earning out their work in factories, universities, and secretarial schools, i among seamstresses, laundry or chorus girls, they aro inconspicuous except for their air of grace and well-being. Back in the convent, or motherhouse, they don the traditional garb of chastity. poverty and obedience. Out in the world they are identified with aorvice and the most powerful movement sweeping the girlhood of England and Europe. It is the Apostolate of the Grail. Girls may become aspirant members at the age of 12, active members at 14, leaders at 18; upon marriage their membership ceases, as the movement is for youth only. But it consistently holds before girls the ideal of motherhood and prepares them for the sanctity of marriage. In the Grail clubhouses—supported by the girls themselves and superintended always by a nun—there are classes for housewifery, house decoration, music, painting, drama, needlework, dancing and public speaking, together with religious instruction. The members follow the principles of their Grail Fellowship—which amounts to an active Christianity—in their homes and at work. But all spare handwork and handcraft belongs to the Grail. , The Order of the Grail was Started h\e j cars ago by a hundred Hutch nuns —who moved out into the world two by two. I went into the clubhouse in Sloan Street, says a writer in an English paper. It was gay. Mural paintings by the girls decorated the walls. The chairs were covered in tapestry. Everywhere were signs of diligence, .creat ion, and loving care. Keligion blazed in colour and warmth. “You see,” said a girl, “we believe that the Spirit of the Cross is Joy. We are meant to be cheerful, and women, especially, should make the world beautiful through our homes.”