Hannah Vanorny is a Benedictine sister at Annunciation Monastery in Bismarck, North Dakota. She joined her community in 2006 and made her final monastic profession in 2013. She has served as the assistant director of Campus Ministry at the University of Mary in Bismarck and as the vocation director of her community. Currently, she is Annunciation Monastery's volunteer director and works as a reference associate at the Bismarck Public Library.
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Gas stations, garage sales and God
Horizons - I love wandering around convenience stores. Garage sale signs beckon me. I really enjoy seeing what interesting or oddball items I can find. Choices, diversity and variety are not bad things — even in religion.
Love and baseball
The stories behind "A League of Their Own" and "A Secret Love" show that sometimes injustices drag on, but there is strength in hope, as Isaiah promises.
Searching for SHE
Is God a woman? Some people would find this simple question blasphemous. But the question has been on my mind lately as I contemplate the related issue of the role of women in the Roman Catholic Church.
Nun love
"Wow, he's hot!" I exclaimed recently as I gazed at a good-looking guy in a television commercial.
The young woman standing next to me looked at me in shock.
"You can't like guys, you're a nun!" she said indignantly.
My immediate reaction was: "Yes, I can!" I proceeded to explain to her that a woman does not shut off her sex drive when she joins a monastery or convent, even if that might make life a bit easier.