SISTER or MOTHER? what should it be??????????????

I am sure that addressing a nun you say sister and only when the nun is of higher rank (so to speak) and looks after say, the nunnery then you call her 'mother'. But the reasoning behind it is not something I am aware of - let's see what other people say.

Good discussion subject, by the way!

No I don't think so. We call monks brother - so it is only natural nuns are called sisters. Nuns are not priests or bishops.

Ahh, hmmm.. I never have thought of this until you asked.

Well, in my own point of view, because they stand as a sister to Mary the mother of our so called brother Jesus. That is how I understand it. A priest is regarded as father because they embody as leaders of the church like shepherds to lead us all to the heavenly father. But nuns are like our big sisters to serve as helping hand to the priests and to serve as models of the heavenly mother who gave birth to our savior.

Just my thoughts..

Actually, there is the case of referring to a high ranking nun as mother.
I personally can't be bothered with that kind of formality.
I have attended many pentecostal denominations where the guy in charge wants to be called Pastor George or Pastor Bob.
I don't refer to anybody by their job description.
I don't refer to anyone as Garbageman Jim, or Barber John, or Policelady Christine for that matter.
I'm sure not going to do it to someone who wears a big poofy robe with toilet paper hanging down from his neck.
But, you can address a senior nun as mother if she has attained such a title within the orthodox catholic demonation.

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.(Matt. 23:9). So I don't call any man Father and so I would say that this also applies to calling such a person Mother. I don't believe that any one person should be put up above any other in religion.

The title of "Mother Superior" is only used in the convent. She is the senior nun appointed to the post to care for the other nuns in the convent. Only the nuns call her Mother. If a layman were to speak to her, it would still be Sister, not Mother.

The sisters are in an "order" and they live together in a group setting and they are sisters to one another. Each "order" was designed for a specific purpose. The teaching nuns are usually from the order of St. Francis, Dominican or Notre Dame. The Poor Clares are like monks, they live their lives in a sequestered environment to pray and do good works. When nuns take their vows, they are considered "Brides of Christ" and are devoted to God as a bride would be to her husband.

Priests are supposed to be Father/Confessor and are designed to help guide us to the Heavenly Father and reenact the words of the Last Supper at Mass and to carry out the sacraments of the Church. Jesus gave the apostles these appointments at the Last Supper and appointed Peter as their leader (the first Pope). These are Catholic traditions and are a part of how the church was designed. They are not supposed to be thought of as God, but as his earthly representatives. When a priest takes his vows, his fingers are "consecrated" in order to be allowed to touch the "body and blood of Christ" in communion.

These are the roles of the priests and nuns in the church structure. That is how the Roman Catholic Church is designed. They feel that God has given them these positions and duties through their "calling" to the Lord. It may seem mysterious to outsiders, but they are just workers for God with titles that match their responsibilities.

Oh..i didn't thought about that. But i guess i will asked the priest..

Hmmm...I'm not Catholic, so I wouldn't know. But evangelical Christians often refer to each other as either 'Sister' or 'Brother.' Perhaps a priest is seen as 'over' both of those, thus the term 'Father.'

Is it because the head of the nuns is called Mother Superior?

Yes. I think we should call a nun a mother since we call a priest a father. We should only call the nun a sister if we are in the same organization that she is, I believe.