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What's in a name?

We are sometimes asked what various monastic words mean, especially those we use on this web site. The next section to go up will give a little information about St Benedict, his Rule and kindred subjects, but we can clarify some of the basic jargon here (with apologies for some of the simplifications adopted). Nuns (Latin = moniales) live in monasteries and do not physically undertake work outside their monasteries, such as teaching or nursing. They are usually called "contemplative" or "enclosed", because the main focus of their lives is prayer and work within the environs of the monastery, which is known as the enclosure. In the U.S. such nuns are usually called "cloistered", and the enclosure is called "cloister". This is probably much easier to understand as the word "enclosed" tends to suggest everyone is imprisoned or, as one young enquirer suggested, caged like dangerous animals! There are various types of enclosure. Here at Hendred we have monastic enclosure, which means we are able to welcome guests and visitors into our library and other ground-floor areas. The rest of the house is private and can be entered only by the bishop of the diocese, the Head of State and what canon law calls a "qualified layperson" — the doctor, the plumber and suchlike. Note for the curious: we are still waiting for a visit from H.M. the Queen.