Nuns in Scotland offer a path to faith and taste of convent life

By Muvija M

THE HIGHLANDS, Scotland (Reuters) -It is exciting to be here in these times, says Sister Mary Gianna, a 41-year-old nun from the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, who teaches children and adults in Scotland about the Catholic faith.

"I feel like the original apostles sometimes - going and speaking the name of Jesus. People have never even heard of him."

She and the three other nuns who live at Greyfriars Convent in Elgin, northeast Scotland, run retreats for Catholic youth ministers and women aged 18-30, seeking to know more about God and life as a nun. They also offer classes with creative play and music for children, in a country where Sister Gianna feels secularisation has become prevalent.

"There is a generation now that has never even heard about Jesus, because no one taught their parents, or took their parents to church, or read the Bible with them," she said.

HISTORIC CONVENT HOSTS A NEW GENERATION OF NUNS

A U.S.-based religious order, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia were invited to live at Greyfriars, which dates back to 1479, in 2013, at the request of the local Catholic bishop, after a previous group of nuns left as their numbers dwindled.

Caitlyn Stewart, a 25-year-old woman from Glasgow, attended their Encounter Christ retreat in Elgin after becoming interested in Christianity during a degree in Religious Studies, and is considering becoming a Catholic and joining the order.

"I love the idea of being a bride of Christ. That's such a beautiful term for what that consecrated life is," she said, referring to the notion of nuns as spiritual brides of Christ.

"Coming into faith as well, I've literally just gone straight in at the deep end," said Stewart, who describes herself as a former goth covered in tattoos and who knows joining will mean ending a six-year relationship with her boyfriend.

Some in her family are supportive, others less so, she said. Among the older generation more widely, she sees a degree of animosity towards religious life and nuns and priests, because of the way the Church used to be and its numerous sex and child abuse scandals. Younger people are more willing to believe specific people acted badly, she said, and that the Church isn't inherently bad.

During the shared weekend with the nuns she said she saw their peace, joy and love.

"It does draw you in when you see that."

Catherine, a 22-year-old from Washington D.C. who is studying in Scotland, is on her sixth retreat with the nuns and is also poised to join.

"I got to know them, and I got to know their community and charism [spiritual gift], and I saw how much they love the Lord. I came to recognise that the Lord is calling me to love him in the same way."

NUNS' NUMBERS FALLING

Globally, the number of nuns has fallen to just under 600,000 from over a million in 1970, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a U.S.-based research firm.

In Scotland, the number of religious sisters has also declined to about 300 in 2021 from over 1,200 in 1980, according to the Catholic Directory and Catholic Record Society.

Sister Gianna says she sees potential for the Church to grow again, as people seek deeper meaning in life.

"People see the love of the Church through our vocation as brides of Christ and mothers of the Church. And I think that people, young people especially, really respond to that, because they feel loved, and then they open up."

Julia Sledz, 14, attends the nun's youth group and is an altar server at Mass. She described the group as a place where she can understand more of her relationship with Jesus and talk about God without being judged, as well as enjoy a very different atmosphere from school.

Sister Bernadette Marie, 36, describes teaching the children as being like a matchmaker, helping them develop a bond with Jesus.

TEACHING THE FAITH THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Sister Miriam Ruth, 34, also hails from an order founded in the United States, the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, and has come to Edinburgh to spend several years in the Scottish capital. She lives with two other nuns and teaches Catholicism to adults online and records videos.

"Technology really expands the number of people that I can work with and speak with," she said.

The Church is keen to spread its message digitally and embrace social media to speak to young people. This month Pope Leo made Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian boy who died aged 15 and built websites to spread his faith, the first saint of the millennial generation.

But while it turns to fresh forms of communication, the Catholic Church stands by its ancient rites. Studies have shown younger adults in particular have found solace in traditions since the pandemic, helping to spark a revival in Catholicism.

The share of Catholics among those who regularly attend a church service in Britain rose from 23% in 2018 to 31% in 2024, while Anglicans of the Church of England dropped from 41% to 34%, according to a Bible Society and YouGov report.

"It is a Church that's stood since the days of Jesus ... it has weathered many storms... and that is what drew me," said youth group leader Brynna Bailey, 59, who joined the Dominican sisters for a retreat in the Highlands.

SUPPORTING THE WIDER COMMUNITY

While some religious orders focus on teaching, in Glasgow, 29-year-old chemistry graduate Sister Catherine Farrelly is a member of the Sisters of the Gospel of Life, who run a pro-life group to support expectant mothers, offering baby clothes, housing assistance and other aid.

"Beautiful" life in the convent, which she shares with two other nuns, comes with its unique perks and quirks, she said.

"People think you're just on your knees praying all day ... We do joke with each other, we do wind each other up, we do laugh," she said. "We are real, and so we struggle, but we also support each other."

Sister Roseann Reddy, 61, who founded the order in 2000, said some people may romanticise the life based on what they see online. "It does give people an insight into what religious life is," she said, but those considering it must fully understand the gravity of such a choice.

Stewart knows if she does join, she will stand out.

"To see a woman devoted to God in that way, wearing a full habit, it is quite striking... and in Scotland they are so few and far between."

(Reporting by Hannah McKay; writing and additional reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Kate Holton and Alexandra Hudson)