The Ultimate Leap Of Faith Sister Monica Clare Releases The Book Change Of Habit Podcast By cover art

The Ultimate Leap Of Faith Sister Monica Clare Releases The Book Change Of Habit

The Ultimate Leap Of Faith Sister Monica Clare Releases The Book Change Of Habit

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 In 2021, Sister Monica Clare went viral on TikTok. From the account @nunsenseforthepeople, her video about a wild turkey that was menacing the grounds of the convent struck a chord and unexpectedly launched a following more than 200k people eager to learn more about the practical and spiritual lives of contemporary nuns. #NunTok was born, spurring both sincere conversations about prayer and a relentless, tongue-in-cheek campaign for Sister Monica Clare to unveil her skincare routine.
Today, Sister Monica Clare is an Episcopal nun and the sister Superior at the Community of St. John the Baptist in Mendham, New Jersey; but as she relates in her forthcoming memoir, A CHANGE OF HABIT: Leaving Behind My Husband, Career, and Everything I Owned to Become a Nun (Crown & Sugar23; April 29, 2025), her path to the spiritual life was long, winding, and entirely relatable.
Growing up in a chaotic and impoverished home in Georgia, Claudette Powell's (Sister Monica's lay name) childhood was spent escaping bill collectors and her unreliable father's abuse. As a little girl, she saw Audrey Hepburn in A Nun's Story and thought, that's me. She found herself drawn to the beauty and ritual of the church, wishing that her life could be filled with such orderliness and belonging.
Yet for most of her life, Claudette pushed this spiritual calling away. Instead, she poured her energy into her many talents, trying to become someone worthy of the acceptance she longed for deeply: from acting school at NYU, to performing comedy with The Groundlings Sunday Company and a Hollywood career in film advertising, to her marriage. And yet, she never could seem to find someplace she felt she belonged.
In the wake of a devastating divorce, Claudette found herself seriously considering a life in the church. After a decade of therapy, discernment, and paying off her debts, Sister Monica Clare finally stood nervously straightening her habit as she walked into an Episcopal convent, preparing to live alongside eleven other sisters who'd taken the same vow of poverty and celibacy.
But joining the community was only the first step, thriving in monastic life would be another challenge altogether. Whether it was getting lost in the maze-like convent, speaking at the wrong time, or messing up the intricate rituals in service, Sister Monica Clare couldn't shake the anxiety and imposter syndrome that had dogged her whole life. In fact, she discovered that the learning curve can be extra steep when doing something you love. Yet through faith and patience, Sister Monica began to feel at home at the convent, first clumsily and then more easily, finding family within her fellow sisters and eventually rising to the head role of Sister Superior.
Equally funny and inspiring, A CHANGE OF HABIT reveals how much better life can be when we stop trying to prove our worth to ourselves and others, and instead embrace ourselves for who truly are. A meditation on hope and belonging, A CHANGE OF HABIT is a beautiful encapsulation of faith in the modern world and the tangible ways in which we can embrace spirituality and connection in our lives.


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