Newly professed Sisters come from more traditional backgrounds!
From Catholic Culture:
Typical new US nun: 43-year-old who prays Rosary, comes from large family
The typical newly-professed woman religious is a 43-year-old cradle Catholic who prayed the Rosary and participated in retreats and Eucharistic adoration before entering religious life, according to a survey released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
583 major superiors of US women religious responded to the survey, which was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. 79% of superiors who belong to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (which is under Vatican investigation) responded to the survey, while 58% of superiors who belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious (which emphasizes fidelity to the Magisterium and the wearing of a habit) responded. Only 31% of superiors of contemplative communities responded to the survey.
Among the survey’s findings:
# 84% of superiors reported no new religious professions in 2010, while 13% reported only one
# 64% of newly-professed women religious came from families with four or more siblings
# 13% of the newly professed are converts, typically from Protestantism
# 62% are white, while 19% are Asian and 10% are Hispanic
# 71% were born in the US, while 14% were born in Mexico, the Philippines, or Nigeria; the typical foreign-born newly-professed religious entered the US in 1993
# 51% attended a Catholic elementary school, while only 26% attended a Catholic college; 7% were home schooled
# 59% have at least a bachelor’s degree
# 20% participated in one of the World Youth Days, and 6% participated in a Franciscan University of Steubenville conference as a high school student
# 74% had attended a retreat before entering religious life, 65% regularly prayed the Rosary, and 64% regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration
# the typical newly professed woman religious began to consider a religious vocation at the age of 20, was familiar with her institute for six years before entrance, and made her profession at the age of 43
# 51% reported that a parent or family member discouraged them from entering religious life; only 26% said their mother encouraged them to consider a religious vocation, and an even smaller 16% said their father encouraged them to consider a vocation
# 52% say they were encouraged by a religious sister to consider religious life, 44% by a friend, and 39% by a parish priest
4 comments:
It is a shame that only 31% of superiors of contemplative communities responded to the survey. This makes this survey inaccurrate b/c the contemplative orders are the ones that are growing. And so these innacurrate results about growth in vocations are going to be presented to the public and people are then going to say "see, there is a crisis in vocations", when in reality there is not a crisis.
Interestingly, it seems the communitites that responded to the survey the most were the ones most opposed to the Apostolic Visitation.
I'm sure there's a reason for the others' poor response rate, but we just don't know what it is.
I dearly wish that my four daughters had more exposure to nuns. And by nuns, I mean those like in the bottom photo, not the social workers in the photo with the unnamed bishop.
Dear Sisters, Nuns of The Catholic Church,
I write to you!
The world wants you and your sacrifice!
Dear spouses of Jesus,
I love you more and more.
If I were birth as a girl, I surely had come with you. But God selected me as a "Monk". I am like you! Please pray for the holiness of servants of God! I thank to you for your true love, holiness, sacrifice. I can not speak with you but In Heaven, I will speak with your all sisters like brother and sisters! Pray for the world to give place to our Loving Jesus!
My name is Margaret Prabhu of India.
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