What is the difference between a sister and a nun?

Cassidy.: What is the difference between a sister and a nun?
I have always thought that a sister was just another term for a nun. When I went to CCD last night some sisters came in to talk to us. They told us that sisters and nuns were completely different. They explained the difference to us, but I stopped listening at that point. So, what IS the difference between a sister and a nun?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Paul M
nun

Answer by Rico JPA
A nun is a bride of Christ and a sister is my mother’s daughter?

Answer by jesus.sparks
Nuns are not biblical. Don’t believe me. Look it up in the Bible. You will never find the word nun in the Bible.

Answer by Tapestry6
The nuns stay in a convent and pray, they do gardening raising their own food, some make the bread for Holy Communion,they don’t have too much contact with the outside world.
Sisters are the teachers at the schools or work in places that help the poor and needy, they also live in community but they drive to various places and show up at parish events.

Answer by Jesus, I trust in You!
Sisters are in open active orders nuns are strictly speaking enclosed. You will not see nuns in public walking down the street.

Answer by Celtic Latino
Nuns usually teach and work for the church and live pious lives according to the Catholic faith.

A sister’s got a hell of a lot more attitude….and they’re usually working at Burger King/McDonald’s and whatever other job that requires bad customer service, and its called “sista” not “sister” (also replace head coverings with badly done weaves and instead of “bless you” its snapping the fingers, rolling the eyes, and having a loud mouth) ; )

(Just kidding, actually)

Nuns live in a convent and stay within the monastery usually, whereas sisters are nuns who go out and teach, baptize, and actively work for the Catholic Church.

Answer by ignatz
A sister is generally a pain in the a$ $ $ $ until you both grow up.
A nun isn’t supposed to get none.

Answer by skepsis
Technically, nuns live in monasteries, usually observe a vow of silence, avoid contact with the outside world and spend most of their time in chapel, praying. Sisters live in convents, and work in the secular world as teachers, nurses, social workers, etc. But people do mix the terms constantly.

Answer by troy j
First you need to find a bible teaching church,then customs such as the catholics have will be of no concern to you.There is no difference.Either you are or you are not a child of God!

Answer by biro206
I asked my mum a similar qu a few weeks ago, she is Catholic and went to a Catholic school were nuns taught them. And I think it goes like this:
-Nuns stay within one particular abbey/convent and Sisters are often moved around to do things like missionary work etc
-Nuns make eternal vows to God whereas Sisters make vows which aren’t quite the same and they renew them annually usually.

It’s quite complicated.