The Saint Martin Monastery

When Sister Marva Coakley devoted herself to religious life in 1977, her Benedictine religious order had 22 sisters, and there were two convents in Nassau -- Saint Martin (now Saint Martin Monastery) and the Sisters of Charity. Today, the Sisters of Charity Convent is no more and the number of sisters at Saint Martin stands at 11. As the number of sisters dwindled over the years, the ages have soared. The youngest is Sister Marva, who is in her early 60s; Sister Vernice Wilson, 84, is the oldest.

The dwindling, but aging population has the community in a quandary as the sisters try to entice young women of faith to monastic life. This year, after many years, the sisters have opened The Retreat Centre/Guest House to give people who may express the desire to share in monastic community life the opportunity to do so. Retreats can be done daily, over a weekend or over the course of a week.

Two weeks ago, the sixth grade class from Saints Francis & Joseph Catholic Primary School, who were preparing for Confirmation and First Communion spent a day in retreat at the new center; prior to that, two women in their 20s participated in the Come and See Program for a weekend during which they were able to live the monastic experience. They met the sisters, prayed with them, baked with them and engaged in recreational activities with the sisters.

The new Retreat Centre/Guest House houses six beds for overnight visitors. Day retreats, the sister said, can accommodate more than 20 people at a time.

With this new program, Sister Marva is hoping they can attract young people into the community. The newest person to walk through their doors was Sister Agnes Johnson, 83, who rejoined the community four years ago, after taking time off to take care of her sick father. During that time frame, they also lost Sister Mary Josephine, who passed away three years ago.

A dwindling, but aging monastic population is not necessarily only a Saint Martin Monastery concern, but a global one.

In 2014, in the United States, the total number of nuns has fallen from about 180,000 in 1965 to roughly 55,000, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate; a drop of 72 percent over 50 years.

The number of nuns and sisters plunged through the years as more career opportunities for women opened and sisterhood became less viable. Generally, a nun lives a cloistered, contemplative life in a monastery while sisters live and work within their communities.

In the United States and Canada, convents and monasteries aren't leaving the future of their orders to prayer and chance, and have turned to the Internet and social media to attract women who feel the calling to serve God and their community.

The sisters at the Saint Martin Convent were no different as they sought to attract youthful Bahamian women to the order. In recent years, the sisters even resorted to advertising in the newspaper. An advertisement in The Nassau Guardian read "Do you want to become a nun and do the Lord's work? If interested contact Saint Martin Convent at 323-5517 or 323-5466".

The challenges
"We are most certainly facing the same challenges as convents the world over," said Coakley, the director of vocation at Saint Martin Monastery.

The urgency of the situation was even addressed by Pope Benedict XVI, pope emeritus of the Catholic Church during his eight-year term as he urged young people to recognize that they were a gift to the church. The pope hoped young people would recognize the need for nuns and give themselves up for the love of God.

As vocation director, Coakley recruits by going into the churches and holding seminars to inform people about religious life. An exhibition of the sisters at work is set up for viewing and people are invited to experience evening vespers (prayers). Afterwards they are invited to partake in a social, with goodies baked by the sisters. It also gives people the opportunity to ask questions and experience the silence of the convent and the calmness of the sisters' lives.

Coakley, who grew up on Harbour Island, said it was that calmness of life that attracted her to the convent. She said she had a yearning, and wanted to teach.

"On Harbour Island, there were only white sisters [Sisters of Charity]. I liked how the sisters carried themselves and the things they did for other people in the community, and I wanted to do something like that. Going to Aquinas, I met another group of sisters [Dominican nuns], but they were all doing the same things, and they had that quietness about them that I liked," she said.

But she believes the technological advances of the world and the opportunities that now exist have pulled women away from the sisterhood. In the 60s and 70s when she showed an interest in the religious order, she was required to complete high school and work at least one year. But today she said things are simply not the same.

While the life has stipulations and a lot of discipline, she said the sisters are not missing what most people think they are -- freedom. She said everything they have is in common and they all go to prayers three times per day -- at 6:30 a.m., at noon and at 5:15 p.m. After evening prayers they go to dinner, and those who have evening meetings attend them and then return home.

"The misconception is what they think they will be missing, and they think they will be missing freedom. But, you have your freedom," she said. "When I decided to go into the convent, I knew there were going to be rules and regulations and that everyone would not be doing their own thing, but we do have something to say about what we do, and we are out to do our tasks, which is our ministry."

Sister Clare Rolle works with the Samaritan Ministry; Sister Annie Thompson (prioress), Sister Agnes Johnson and Sister Vernice Wilson and Sister Janice Coakley bake the cookies and tarts the monastery is famous for; Sister Ena Albury crochets her angels for the gift shop, works at the hospital and does visiting; Sister Cecilia Albury takes care of the elderly at St. Joseph's Daycare Center; Sister Mary Benedict is in charge of liturgy and The Retreat Centre/Guest House; and Sister Agatha Hunt is retired and most times can be found in the chapel in quiet prayer to ensure her sisters all stay safe.

The vows
As a member of the order, they all take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

"Our community is a group of women seeking a deeper awareness of God's presence in our lives and in our community. Everyone works hand-in-hand, sharing meals, prayer, work and conversion," she said.

All of their needs are met. They can go and have their hair styled; they can purchase shoes and clothes or anything they want, because they all get an equal allowance -- no matter what job they hold. If they have a special need, they can make a request of their superior.

"We are our own women and we do our own thing. I manage my own money and if we want something special we can save up for whatever we want," she said. "None of our nuns step out looking shabby. We all look good."

Young women wanting to join the sisterhood have to have finished high school and have worked for at least a year. Training is done at Saint Martin Monastery.

Coakley said she has no regrets about going into monastic life. She said over the years some people tried the lifestyle but did not stay. Even though they left, she said she respected them for it.

"I prefer them to leave even though they may have had years of training at the expense of the convent. I prefer them to leave rather than to be miserable here, because it's not a jail, nor is it a house of refuge. It's freedom," she said.

Prospective sisters, she said, should have a love of God and others, and an openness to be spirit-led and having an interest in serving the church.

There motto is Ora et Laboura, which means to work and pray.

Saint Martin Monastery will celebrate 79 years in October as a religious community. Coakley said God has brought them this far and their fate will depend on what he has planned for them.

"As much as we think we have control, and are doing all we think we can do, God is still in control," she said.

While her counterparts around the world are making use of technology to reach young women, Coakley said she wants to use technology more in fostering vocation, but she said it has been a challenge for her. It's her goal to have the monastery's lay group members (women and men) who have the expertise assist her in using the media. There are approximately 50 lay members. They do the same things that the sisters do except the lay members live with their families.

About the sisters
The sisters' way of life is not restricted to any one ministry. The Rule of Benedict affirms both manual and intellectual work as essential to a balanced life. Their small community of members are educators, administrators, pastoral workers, healthcare givers, homemakers, mentors and spiritual guiders.

History
On October 3, 1937, a new possibility opened up for young Catholic women in The Bahamas when three local young women of New Providence answered the call to enter religious life.

The women were formed and guided by the Sisters of Charity from Mount St. Vincent, New York and the Benedictine priests from St. John's Abbey in Minnesota.

In 1962, the Sisters of St. Martin joined the Benedictine Community of St. Benedict's Convent of St. Joseph, Minnesota. They became a part of a great monastic community with a tradition that dates back to the 16th century following the rule and customs of its founder, St. Benedict and his twin sister Scholastica, in the Caves of Subiaco, Italy. It became an independent monastery in 1994.

Philosophy
The Benedictine Sisters of St. Martin Monastery are a monastic community of women, seeking to follow Christ through a vowed life of stability, fidelity to the monastic way of life and obedience. They strive to be rooted in Jesus Christ, their Benedictine heritage and the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mission statement

The grace of preferring nothing to Christ impels them to contemplate and hear God's call, evident in the needs of the local church and the world. Inspired and formed by the Gospel, the rule of Benedict and the Benedictine tradition, the sisters offer hope and ministry as freely as their gifts and vows allow.

The Sisters
Sister Mary Benedict Pratt, OSB -- prioress
Sister Jacintha Neely, OSB
Sister Marva Coakley, OSB
Sister Clare Rolle, OSB - director of the Samaritan Ministry
Sister Cecilia Albury, OSB
Sister Vernice Wilson, OSB
Sister Agatha Hunt, OSB
Sister Ena Albury, OSB
Sister Janis Coakley, OSB
Sister Annie Thompson, OSB
Sister Agnes Johnson, OSB

By Shavaughn Moss, Guardian Lifestyles Editor

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