A nun is a woman who has taken special vows and dedicated her life to the service of the church and its people. Nuns lead a totally religious life. Becoming a nun calls for chastity, poverty and obedience. Catholic nuns must be Catholic and unmarried virgins. Many years ago parents hoped that their daughter would choose a celibate life and become a nun. That's changed drastically over the years. Today very few women are willing to live a nun's life, hence the current crisis in the Catholic Church. Becoming a nun involves an intense training period, as well as lots of personal sacrifice. You must take a deep look inside yourself to know if you're cut out to be a nun. If you feel a strong calling of faith and would like to learn how to become a nun, then keep on reading.
- Get an education. Most religious communities require their applicants to have at least a bachelor's degree, preferably from a religious college.
- Join an order that suits you. Nuns have groups or communities called orders. Each order has its own set of rules that mandates how the nuns should act and dress. Some orders require their nuns to wear a habit at all times, while others require a vow of poverty. Choose an order that fits your commitment.
- Complete your training. After joining an order you will have to undergo a period of training. This is when you will learn about the order from the inside. The training period is a time of introspection when you decide that you really want to be a nun.
- Take your temporary vows. Once your training period ends and you're sure you want to become a nun, you'll take temporary vows of chastity, celibacy and obedience. These temporary vows last for up to nine years.
- Take your final vows. After fulfilling your temporary vows, you'll take your final vows and be ready to lead a totally religious life.[sources: Learn a Little, A Nun's Life]