FINAL VOWS – Review by Lynn Venhaus
One might think a cloistered life is a solitary one, but the documentary Final Vows portrays a Cistercians order of nuns whose livelihood derives from community.
At the Santa Rita Abbey, a Catholic monastery in Sonoita, Arizona, a dozen nuns share their joys and struggles of devoting their lives to this community through prayer and work.
Director Victoria Westover filmed over a four-year period and gained the nuns’ trust so they could be candid about the modern challenges a religious order faces. Most of the nuns are aging, and there aren’t as many young women answering the call. (One mentions women today have “broad choices.’)
But one woman interested in joining comments on how she feels as she goes through each phase – observant, postulant and novice – before her final vows.
Through astute observations, Westover captures their unadorned daily lives and their individual journeys as they care for each other and follow the teachings of St. Benedict for spiritual growth and self-sufficiency.
The Cistercians branched off from the Benedictines to follow more strictly the Rule of St. Benedictine: a focus on a simple, austere life of prayer, work, and self-denial.
Westover deftly conveyed their orderly existence – their prayer time, the sparse living quarters, daily chores and duties, liturgies, meals at individual tables in silence, and interaction with nature and each other.
She also includes their 50th anniversary celebration, in which they invited people to their jubilee Mass in the chapel, gave tours, and socialized.
The most surprising aspect of the film is how joyous the women are about their faith, their acceptance of serenity, and their resolute commitment to this way of life.
While the Sisters discuss the hardships involved in a contemplative life, they have made peace with their choices. They appreciate their peaceful surroundings, and the natural beauty of the high desert, where deer and antelope roam.
The Mother Abbess, Victoria, aka Vicky, was elected to be the head in 2018, and then re-elected after six years. She oversees not only their spiritual well-being, but their physical health care and temporal concerns, for keeping tabs on the business end.
She seems to be a kind and thoughtful leader, but frets that the order may require her to step down from her post at age 75, which would be next year. It is a decision up to the nuns.
This monastery sustains itself by making Communion wafers, which they refer to as altar bread, in a commercial kitchen. At the time of filming, they sold the product to 360 customers located throughout the country.
It’s humbling and touching watching these nuns so devoted to praying for others and living so purely. Their goal is to deepen the relationship with God that they have through prayer, work, and community life. The first prayers of the day are at 4 a.m., when they all rise.
Does this lifestyle offer any wisdom for our society? You decide after watching their dedication to the greater good and their fervent belief about the goodwill they foster.
The 2024 documentary will be released on April 15 through streaming on Amazon and available for purchase on DVD.
