Good Habits Leave Young Nuns The Wiser

By NIAMH HORANSunday February 24 2008

WITH so many young people obsessed with the accumulation of material wealth, the perfect body image and nabbing their dream man or woman, those who have broken ranks and decided to give it all up for life in a convent are a rare sight these days.

But two young professionals -- 26-year-old Teresa Dunphy and 31-year-old Niamh Galvin -- have done just that.

And, despite missing the odd trip to the cinema along with the obligatory popcorn, they couldn't be happier.

Teresa Dunphy gave up her job as a qualified chartered accountant, while Niamh Galvin traded in her post as a primary school teacher for life at the Monastery of St Catherine of Siena in Drogheda, Co Louth -- where silence and prayer now fill their days.

The Dominican nuns -- associated with "holy preaching", through a hidden life of prayer and sacrifice, and their motto Veritas (Latin for truth) -- continue to attract young women to their ranks. MORE