SISTER
ISABLELLE, OP
Dominican Nun
How/when did you know you were called to be a nun?
At 17 years old, I had only vague memories of the catechism, and I was away from the Church (my family did not go to Church either.) I was searching for truth and beauty through art (mainly ballet and music) and philosophy. One day, I had a sudden and intense experience of the Presence of Christ as a living Person, silently irradiating an all-powerful love. I immediately knew that this was to be my life: to live in His presence. My life of contemplative prayer had begun. I bought a Bible and read it from A to Z, and I returned to Church, mostly for the Eucharist. I began to see people and all things around me in a new light of friendship. I understood that through prayer, God's love could reach everywhere and heal the world from within. But that was not enough: I wanted to give my whole life to God in contemplative prayer. So, I discerned monastic life to be part of a communion of persons dedicated to prayer that has been around since the beginning of the Church. It took some years; I was 23 when I entered the monastery.
How/when did you know you were called to be a Dominican Nun, specifically?
At the beginning of my discernment, I was still afraid to speak to priests and religious (!), so I did a lot of reading and (discreetly) visited communities by myself, to come to know the various religious orders who had monasteries. I was attracted by the Dominican Order because of its "special blend”: a deep contemplative dimension (not the first thing people think of about Dominicans, but it was obvious for me from the start!); a spirit of simple fraternity, freedom and joy; an openness to culture (arts, sciences...) and the importance of study; and a trust in the responsibility and creativity of its members. It seemed to match what God had sowed in me, both humanly and spiritually. So, I finally opened my mouth and entered a Dominican monastery.
What does it mean to be a consecrated person?
​It is to be focused on one goal: God. All those who live a great passion: sport, music or whatever, will easily understand! There are many forms of consecrated life, but the core is always the same: to keep our eyes on Christ. Then all the rest falls into place. But if we take our eyes from Christ, we begin to look at ourselves and are imprisoned again in our narrow self. Then life loses its taste and meaning. So, it is vital for a consecrated person to be always connected to God. And because her consecration is publicly recognized by the Church (with possible signs like the religious habit or others) she is a witness that God lives and can fulfill a person's life.
What’s the difference between a sister and a nun?
As far as I can grasp the nuances of the English language (I am French), I would say that a nun lives a life of contemplative prayer and work in a monastery, punctuated by the liturgical offices, in a dedicated space of silence called the enclosure. She seldom goes out and doesn't have any visible ministry with people. A sister lives in a convent or in a smaller community, has less times of prayer, but brings God's love to people by reaching out and ministering to them in various ways.
How does your Dominican identity give shape to your vocation?
Being a Dominican doesn’t change the outward shape of my life in a monastery, but gives it a certain spirit, which comes from the person of St. Dominic himself. As I said above, there is joy and simplicity in our relationships as sisters, all equal in the bond of charity. Study is also a mark of ours: it does not mean that we all are highly intellectual! But each of us according to her capacities and interests, commits herself to seek for God through a kind of study, her whole life long. It is a gratuitous thing, even if a nun publishes a book here and there. Our liturgy has to be beautiful but not too long or complicated; lest we lose the devotion, said St Dominic (I do agree with that!) Following in the compassion of St Dominic, we carry especially in our prayer those who are the most in need in our world. We want our chapel to be open to all, as a place of prayer and peace for people of all sorts and religions who pass by. In my community, we are attentive to art and beauty (art and nature), for it conveys the Word of God in a special way. And of course, we have a unique bond of friendship with our Dominican brothers and sisters: they have a unique place in our prayer, we share news with them, they come and visit...we are deeply aware of being one family.
As a cloistered nun in the Order of Preachers, how do the nuns contribute to the mission of preaching?
​Like the Church is the Body of Christ, our Order of Preachers is one body whose different members share the same mission, according to their own calling. For preaching is not only speaking from a pulpit. We call it “the Holy Preaching”, that is: sharing in the mission of Christ, who came to reveal the true Face of God and re-open the way to Him. Our brothers and sisters in the Order are the visible part of the Holy preaching by their words and deeds; we nuns work in the invisible, by the offering of our lives, in order that the Word of God – Christ, be revealed in the hearts of all men and women, and overcome all darkness in our world. Humanly speaking, to live a hidden and silent life in an Order of preachers can seem a contradiction! But those who know the power of prayer see none. I am not less contemplative, either, because I belong to an order labeled “apostolic”: it is quite the opposite! The more my brothers and sisters toil to evangelize the world, the more I support them by staying united to Christ, the Saviour.
What’s your greatest joy as a Dominican Nun?
When in our community we have a good laugh together! It means that, freed by the grace of God, we can go beyond fears and differences, to meet at a deeper level where our hearts are one. That is the Kingdom Christ wants to build on earth.