h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...you completely ignore Carthusian nuns, I notice. Until fairly recently they lived a life very similar to, say, the Benedictines or the Cistercians; but the last couple of foundations (including the one of which I used to be a member, Reillanne in the Hautes-Alpes) have been modelled on the monks' monasteries, & have cells very like theirs. There is still quite a strong prejudice against women in the Order, including an assumption that the women are not strong enough for the complete observance (which, of couse, is nonsense). But they are getting there, slowly. There are, at present, still choir nuns and lay (or claustral) sisters, but rumour has it that the lay sisters are being phased out. Which I think is pretty silly, since everyone has their own vocation & the less squeezing of people into a one-size-fits-all pigeonhole the better. There is also always a male chaplain attached to the women's monasteries, since in the catholic church women still (STILL!!!!) cannot be priests. And a couple of lay brothers, since women are (excuse me while I choke) weak little things who cannot manage heavy manual work.

Yes, I am jaundiced. And the boast "numquam reformata quia numquam deformata" is no longer true (the second half never was) but I still find the Carthusian life, at least in its inspiration, pretty amazing.

Drystane, I'm afraid Bels won't reply. He's dead, unfortunately.

That being said, there's no reason why you couldn't write a paragraph or two about the nuns and then request an update from the Italics.

Very true.