Faith

At the top of Cordier Hill, near Vauvert in St Peter Port stands St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and next to that stands the Cordier Hill convent, originally established in the late 1800s by the Sisters of Mercy.

A statue of the Virgin Mary at Cordier Hill

In early 2009 there was talk in the UK of monasteries and convents opening their doors for weekend long 'tasters' of religious life and while the Cordier Hill convent has no plans to do this, BBC Guernsey's Gareth Owen went along to find out what is involved in the life of a nun.

As would be expected much of their day is taken up with religious duties and "prayer activities".

Mother Bernadette detailed these as involving prayer, meditation and mass in the mornings, recitation of the Angelus and prayer at noon and, in the evening, spiritual reading, rosary and prayer.

She said the time between these is taken up with "active duties" which are shared among the nuns including teaching, cooking, shopping and other domestic tasks.

When asked why such devotion to religious endeavour was becoming less popular Mother Bernadette said that compared to "the many attractions of the world it might seem a little bit too dull".

A cross at the Cordier Hill convent

However, she said this was not the case as "religious life has a lot of fulfillment, commitment and happiness" but that the Church "fails to explain this to people, which is a mistake".

Sister Anne-Marie, who describe being a nun as "her vocation", said that "everyday is a challenge in religious life" with the challenges involving "prayer life, sanctification of the self and living with the community".

But Sister Anne-Marie did also admit that "they may have to change some aspects" of the religious life to attract more people.

After speaking to the nuns at the convent Gareth Owen headed into town to ask some shoppers if any of them would ever consider becoming monks or nuns, while reactions were mixed some said they would consider it, if for nothing more than "the peace and quiet".