Lutheran nun living in silence of Vartiosaari off Helsinki

"Helsinki residents are enthusiastic searchers after silence"

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By Riikka Haikarainen
     
      A nun wearing a long brown habit is standing waiting on the jetty of the Tammisalo Boat Club in Eastern Helsinki.
      Sister Hannele or Hannele Kivinen de Fau is the first Lutheran nun belonging to the ecumenical Carmelite Order.
      At her initiative, an ecumenical Carmelite convent moved to the island of Vartiosaari off Helsinki.
      The only means of transport to the island is a boat.
      ”In the winter it was admittedly a little different to row alone in pitch-black darkness”, Sister Hannele says laughing and grabbing the oars.
     
The Carmelites are a Roman Catholic monastic order that was founded at Mount Carmel in Israel in the 12th century. In Lutheran terms, the monastic order could be regarded as a revivalist movement.
      A traditional catholic Carmelite convent can be found in Espoo, inhabited by six nuns. Dozens of nuns and monks belonging to other catholic orders are also living in the Greater Helsinki area.
      The Mass at the Vartiosaari convent follows the liturgical forms of the Lutheran Church, while also members of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches can join the ecumenical community. For the time being, Sister Hannele is the only resident in the convent who has taken the monastic vows, while the other two inhabitants are lay persons.
     
Even men would be welcome to the Vartiosaari convent. In Sister Hannele’s view, the two genders could live together in the monastic community ”perfectly well”.
      ”Even non-religious people could be accepted as guests. We do not convert or teach people, but we offer them an environment in which they can experience holiness”, notes Sister Hannele, while tying the boat up to the Vartiosaari jetty.
      Apparently, there is a demand for such activities. The finances of the convent are managed by arranging retreats and courses on spiritual life that are open to all.
      ”In the summer we have a major influx of people coming to enjoy the silence. The most enthusiastic searchers after silence come from Helsinki”, Sister Hannele notes.
     
In the yard of the convent a woodpecker is drumming on a tree, while mini daffodils are pushing through the ground.
      The convent lives in a rental villa that was built at the beginning of the 20th century.
      The members of the monastic community leave for the mainland only when they have to go to work or when they go shopping once every two weeks.
     
”Living in a convent has always been a kind of protest. If one has chosen this way of life, it is a major sacrifice to leave the convent”, says Sister Hannele.
      The nun, just under 60 years of age, is not willing to speak much about her own past. She made a career as a civil servant, until she became interested in retreats into silence some 15 years ago. Moreover, she lived in Spain for more than ten years.
      Sister Hannele’s three children and her grandchildren have been christened Roman Catholic.
      ”When my granddaughter comes to visit she is free to do what she wants. Sometimes she prefers to surf on the internet instead of attending religious services”, Sister Hannele explains.
     
She notes further that it is sensible to enter a convent no sooner than at a mature age, when one has already made a career and maybe started a family.
      ”Then one knows what is available and what are the things one could do without”, she concludes.
      A day in the convent is characterized by four services or moments of prayer. In the morning, the members of the convent take care of day-to-day matters and cooking, while afternoons are dedicated for silence. Daily news are provided by the evening television news bulletin, but the convent does not subscribe to any newspapers.
      Catering services for the summer courses of the monastic community are provided by an outside company run by a former cook for Hotel Kämp.
     
The Carmelites say that their spiritual focus is on contemplative prayer. In Latin the word ”contemplation” means an act of regarding steadily.
      Sister Hannele thinks that Finns are a contemplative people. Here nobody raises so much as an eyebrow if one goes to the summer cottage alone in order to enjoy the silence.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 4.5.2008


Links:
  Carmelites (Wikipedia)
  The Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Espoo
  Discalced Carmelite Order - OCD Missions in Finland: Ecumenical Carmel

RIIKKA HAIKARAINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
riikka.haikarainen@hs.fi