What Happens When a Nun Leaves the Church?

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Exit Interview, a series of conversations about leaving one’s career.

In 1966, Nancy Bancroft changed not just her career, but her name. After joining a convent, “I went from Nancy to Sister Dorothy, which was my mother’s name. Dorothy means ‘gift of God.’” While there, she wanted to continue to pursue a meaningful career, but was also curious about what it might be like to experience marriage and have children. Seven years after taking the habit, she took it off—and entered the dramatically changing world of the 1970s.

I spoke with Bancroft for The Atlantic’s series Exit Interview to understand what happens when leaving a career means not just a change in job description but in one’s core identity. The conversation that follows has been edited for length and clarity.

Catie Lazarus: What propelled you to become a nun?

: To really