{"id":254987,"date":"2017-11-21T05:05:55","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T10:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aleteia.org\/?post_type=post&p=254987"},"modified":"2017-11-21T05:05:55","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T10:05:55","slug":"meet-the-journalist-and-the-lawyer-who-are-living-the-dream-as-nuns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2017\/11\/meet-the-journalist-and-the-lawyer-who-are-living-the-dream-as-nuns\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the journalist and the lawyer who are ‘living the dream’ as nuns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Great vocation story:<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

A former journalist and an ex-barrister have said they are \u201cliving the dream\u201d after taking the next step in their new lives as nuns.<\/p>\n

Martina Purdy [shown in the video above, offering a reflection last year on mercy] previously a political correspondent at the BBC and reporter with The Irish News, and one-time lawyer Elaine Kelly were speaking after making their first profession of vows, more than three years after joining the Adoration Sisters.<\/p>\n

The two women joined the community based in the Falls Road within weeks of each other in 2014, both wanting to embark on a life dedicated to their faith.<\/p>\n

In a special ceremony held in St Peter\u2019s Cathedral in west Belfast on Saturday, the pair reached the next formal stage in their journey.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Irish News, Sister Elaine said it was the best day of her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a beautiful ceremony. The church was packed. They were standing at the back, it was absolutely amazing. For me personally it was the best day of my life so far,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such a joyful occasion that we got to share with our family and friends.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read it all and see pictures here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Two years ago, Martina Purdy talked about her vocation with the BBC:<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTo be honest with you, there\u2019s no way that I conceived of a Sister Martina of the Blessed Sacrament.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martina Purdy\u2019s decision to quit her job as one of BBC Northern Ireland\u2019s best known journalists and become a nun<\/a> was a shock to many people last year.<\/p>\n

Now, over a year on, she has returned briefly to the BBC to speak about her vocation and her new way of life.<\/p>\n

She told BBC Radio Ulster\u2019s Talkback programme that her transformation still seems a bit strange, even to herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m going up the stairs in the convent, I catch my shadow \u2013 the shadow of a nun \u2013 and that kind of sometimes surprises me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2026A self-proclaimed \u201cchatterbox\u201d, she admitted that she has been described as an \u201c\u00e0 la carte Catholic\u201d and had envisioned foreign aid work as a glamorous role.<\/p>\n

So her decision to enter a west Belfast convent, where her order are expected to spend most of their day in silence, was all the more unexpected.<\/p>\n

She gave up all her possessions, including her house and car, to join the Adoration Sisters on the Falls Road.<\/p>\n

Sr Martina explained that her vocation was a \u201cslow burn\u201d that began about eight years ago when she visited a church during a holiday to Peru.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read what happened.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Great vocation story: A former journalist and an ex-barrister have said they are \u201cliving the dream\u201d after taking the next step in their new lives as nuns. Martina Purdy [shown in the video above, offering a reflection last year on mercy] previously a political correspondent at the BBC and reporter with The Irish News, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":254998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-mind"],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the journalist and the lawyer who are 'living the dream' as nuns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Great vocation story: A former journalist and an ex-barrister have said they are "living the dream" after taking the next step in their new lives as nuns.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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