Forever and Ever, Amen: Becoming a Nun in the Sixties

A unique coming-of-age story, this entertaining memoir recounts a young woman’s experience becoming a nun in the '60s, a decade of serious change not only for America but also for the Roman Catholic Church.   In 1964, 18-year-old Karol Jackowski joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Indiana, beginning what would be a seven-year journey towards her final vows. In that time, the Second Vatican Council decided to change liturgy to allow sisters to preside with priests at the altar, permit young nuns to keep their birth names, and modify the traditional black habit, among other advancements meant to put women on equal footing with men. Alongside this, Jackowski writes of her appreciation of the more traditional aspects of her vocation, such as silence, contemplative prayer, and the three-fold vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She mixes these lessons with humorous anecdotes—such as the time her high school friends unsuccessfully attempted to smuggle a bag of vodka-laced oranges to her—to craft a memoir marked by both spiritual enlightenment and hilarious candor.