FORMER BBC political correspondent Martina Purdy has taken another step towards becoming a nun after formally receiving her veil.
Sister Martina - as she can now be described - received her habit alongside Elaine Kelly at a ceremony at the Adoration Convent in west Belfast.
The subsequent Mass was a packed affair, with many well-wishers in attendance.
The Novitiate ceremony means that both women have moved from postulant to novices.
This is a period of training and preparation before taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to religious life.
It often includes times of intense study, prayer and studying the vowed life.
Sister Martina spent more than 20 years working as a journalist before being called to the Church, while Sister Elaine was a lawyer.
The Adoration Sisters observe silence at breakfast and during most of their meals, and members also work in silence.
