Photography graduate Monica Defendi (above) documented a day in the life of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata to shatter popular preconceptions about Religious life and to show the beauty of a life of love and prayer in poverty, chastity and obedience.
By Anthony Barich
MONICA Defendi is a busy young woman. Between working four part-time jobs, she’s just completed a Bachelor of Design at Curtin University, majoring in Photography for which, as a major project, she documented the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculata.
Having attended Divine Mercy College in the Swan Valley where she was taught by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculata, she was not unfamiliar with their habits – pardon the pun.
She wanted to show the world that a life devoted to God in prayer is fulfilling and joyful.
“I wanted show people in my class (at university) the daily life of (the Sisters); that it’s not completely foreign – they live quite a productive life,” Monica, 22, said. “Many people presume they know what goes on but they have no idea as they’ve had no exposure to it.”
While she admits the Sisters’ life of prayer is “not normal” in today’s society, she wanted to show that Religious life is not just for the more mature, as evidenced by the youth of the Sisters.
Two of the three Sisters who made their final Profession on 22 February are in their early 30s; the other is 41. Another who renewed her vows that day is 33.
“They’re not old nuns who maybe people think their parents were taught by, and have scary stories of strict, authoritarian rule. It’s not like that at all. They’re young, easy going and they love to laugh,” said Monica, who is off to Europe later this month to pursue a photography career and reconnect with her Italian heritage.
The Sisters’ life, she said, is “not like a cold, boring, living-by-rules thing. They do everything out of love for God.
“That’s not to say other Orders aren’t like that, but I did this project to bust people’s preconceived notions of what it might be like to live in a convent.”
She also did it to show lives totally devoted to God through Our Lady; from the Sisters’ blue habits to their professed first names all being Maria to statues and paintings of Mary that adorn every room and hallway. Even when they work in the garden or laminate cards with Miraculous Medals and a prayer of reparation written by Auchwitz martyr St Maximilian Kolbe whose Marian apostolate they strive to imitate, they pray the Rosary.
When she was 10, Monica visited the Sisters with her own sister and former Record journalist, Sylvia Defendi, spending almost a week with them and was struck by how they covered all their mirrors with paper – an act of humility so that, like the Virgin Mary herself, they never get to see their reflection.
Monica described this as being in total opposition to the outside world where image is everything, reflecting how deeply the Sisters live their lives in imitation of Mary. It continued to inspire her when she visited the Sisters again for her project in September last year.
“Even when they have time out or free time, they’re always in the presence of Mary. There’s never time out from religion, as it’s part of everything they do,” Monica said.
But the Franciscans are not a cloistered Order. They attend many religious events around the Archdiocese and spend their days praying, crafting cloths for priests’ vestments for their Friars and for priests overseas, and for cloths used in churches. “They’re all so lovely, friendly, quiet and humble,” she said.
The continuity that marks Religious life is held together by prayer, which is done “before and after everything they do.”
“They have a schedule for the day and it all flows smoothly. There’s never any arguments or yelling,” she added.
“It’s relaxing to get away from a stressful day. I’m always running around worried about how I’m going to get everything done in my day, yet they get so much done with total calm.”
The fact that the Immaculata are only in WA made Monica feel lucky, or more appropriately, “blessed”, to have met them.