The terms Nun and Sister are two terms often used interchangeably to describe ‘women religious’ in the Catholic church. They are considered to have the same meaning.
Key Takeaways
- Nuns live in monastic communities and take solemn vows, while sisters belong to apostolic communities and take simple vows.
- Nuns focus on contemplative prayer and spiritual work, while sisters engage in active ministry and service.
- Both nuns and sisters are part of religious congregations and dedicate their lives to the Catholic Church.
Nun vs Sister
A Nun is a catholic woman who lives in silence and spends her entire life focusing on prayers and work. They choose to renounce all the properties they own to focus on God. A sister is a catholic woman who lives a normal life, actively trying to help humanity, and they own their belongings.
A Nun is a Catholic woman who takes solemn, perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, committing their life to prayer and work, living in silence in a closed or semi-cloistered monastery.
A Sister is a Catholic woman or ‘women religious’ in a Catholic church who takes simple/temporary or perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Nun | Sister |
|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle | Nuns live and pray in silence in a cloistered or semi-cloistered convent or monastery. | Sisters spend an active life praying and serving in health or educational institutions. |
| Vows | Nuns take solemn, perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. | Sisters take simple/temporary or perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. |
| Habit | Nuns choose to wear the habit. | Sisters may or may choose not to wear habits. |
| Ownership | Nuns choose to renounce all their ownership of the property to dedicate their entire life to serving God. | Sisters can retain their ownership over inheritance or trusts. However, they are not allowed to use the income from those assets. |
| Life | Live a contemplative life. | Live an active life. |
What is Nun?
A Nun is a Catholic woman or ‘women religious’ in a Catholic church who takes solemn, perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, committing their lives to prayer and work.
A Nun chooses to renounce the ownership of all their property to devote their lives to God. They do not live an active life and prefer to pray in the cloistered walls of a monastery or convent.
A Nun chooses to wear a habit. Hence, Nuns are religious women who profess vows and are a powerful and more extreme part of ‘women religious’ in the Catholic church.
What is Sister?
A Sister is a Catholic woman or ‘women religious’ in a Catholic church who takes simple/temporary or perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
Sisters are known to spend an active life trying to serve in educational or health institutions. They work towards helping humankind.
Sisters may or may not choose to wear habits. Therefore, Sisters are the less extreme part of ‘women religious’ in a Catholic church.
Main Differences Between Nun and Sister
- Nuns choose to live a contemplative life, whereas Sisters are known to live an active life.
- A Nun chooses to renounce the ownership of all their property to devote their lives to God. On the other hand, Sisters can retain their authority over inheritance or trusts. However, they are not allowed to use the income from those assets.
- https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2001-17232-009
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110596717-039/html
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
