pathways, August 2009
Diversity looms large in religious vocations trends
US women religious encouraged to "be proud" of their achievements
Diversity looms large in religious vocations trends
The most striking findings in an August-released study on recent vocations to religious life in the United States focus on what the next generation of religious men and women will be like, according to the National Catholic Reporter's senior correspondent John L. Allen.
While religious life is becoming more ethnically diverse in line with the demographic breakdown of the broader American Catholic community, the study found clear differences between the "Millennial Generation," meaning religious born after 1982, and the "Vatican II Generation," meaning religious men and women born between 1943 and 1960, he wrote in the article 'High tension' and 'low tension' religious life.
"Millennials are far more likely to say they entered religious life out of a desire for commitment to the church, and that they entered their specific community because of its reputation for fidelity to the church," he wrote.
"They're more likely to wear habits, more likely to say that devotions such as Eucharistic adoration and the Liturgy of the Hours are 'very important', less eager to do ministry in non-Catholic or non-confessional settings, and more positive in their attitudes about authority.
"The corollary is that religious orders which foster a more traditional ethos tend to have better luck attracting younger members.
"One sign of which way the winds are blowing: Just one percent of women's communities belonging to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, known for having a more liberal outlook, currently have more than 10 new members in initial formation, whereas a robust 28 percent of communities belonging to the Conference of Major Superiors of Women, known for being more conservative, have 10 or more members in the early stages of membership.
"To put all this into a sound-bite, the next generation of religious will be more ethnically diverse and more traditional."
Allen puts forward three ways of interpreting the findings: arising from an ideological position, from a generational standpoint and from the view point of sociology of religion.
He concludes:
"These results deserve to be studied carefully and dispassionately, without leaping to conclusions about which political or theological agenda, if any, they support.
"The one seemingly inescapable conclusion is that the Catholic future, inside religious life and out, promises accelerating diversity in terms of ethnicity, life experience, and worldviews. How the church copes with that diversity looms as a defining challenge … and my bet is that the future belongs to those forces that best resist the lure of a "zero-sum" logic always wanting to think in terms of winners and losers."
The study was undertaken by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University on behalf of the National Religious Vocations Conference which is based in Chicago. It surveyed 4000 new members of religious communities.
full text of the National Religious Vocations Conference study
related articles (links to come)
New vocations in U.S. ethnically, culturally diverse
CARA Study given wrong twist
US women religious encouraged to "be proud" of their achievements
Facing an apostolic visitation by the Vatican, women religious in the United States have been told to point proudly to their history of service in schools, hospitals and other ministries as signs of their vibrant "quality of life".
The news analyst for National Public Radio and political commentator for ABC News Cokie Roberts was a keynote speaker during the Aug. 11-14 gathering of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in New Orleans.
"Point to your works," said Roberts, who was educated in elementary school and high school by the Religious of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans and Washington. She is the daughter of Lindy Boggs, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
In her keynote address, Roberts said the vitality of women religious extended beyond their numbers and could best be seen in the lasting effects they have had on students and others whom they serve.
Women who had been educated by sisters in Catholic schools may not have entered religious life but had become church and community leaders, she said.
"The official number of women religious in this country might have fallen, but I feel it is safe to say that the number of religious women who are acting out of their faith to serve society is higher than ever before," Roberts said.
"You wonderful, holy, awe-inspiring women - you women of spirit - have taught us well. Your teaching will go on, constantly creating a better world for the people of God, corralling the chaos to create a better quality of life for others that you can be proud of."
Roberts later told the newspaper for the New Orleans Diocese, the Clarion Herald, that there was a lot of concern among the 1000 women religious gathered for the four day meeting — over both the apostolic visitation of all US women religious and the doc trinal assessment by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
According to a National Catholic Reporter article, Roberts said the sisters she spoke with at the conference did not really understand why the Vatican had requested the apostolic visitation.
"Puzzlement is the word," Roberts said. "Here they are, all day, every day, trying to serve the people of God, and suddenly they feel like they're under investigation. Sure, there's concern."
According to the article, communities of women religious have been asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire that examines several areas of religious life: identity, governance, vocation promotion, admission and formation policies, spiritual life and common life, mission and ministry, and finances.
The topics were outlined in a working document distributed on July 28 to the 341 leaders of the religious congregations. Members of the orders were asked to reflect on the working document. A separate questionnaire based on the working document will be distributed to superiors general on September 1.
The superiors will have until November 1 to complete the questionnaire and return it to the apostolic visitation office. Once the office has all the questionnaires, a decision will be made on which communities will be visited.
The apostolic visits are scheduled to begin in January and continue throughout 2010.
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