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Vocation study reveals changing face and habits of new entrants

16 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's psalm seems ready-made for those who in recent years have chosen to "taste and see" for themselves what Catholic religious life is like. In keeping with the psalmist's desire to bless and praise the Lord at all times, a landmark vocations study reveals that newer recruits place a high priority on shared prayer and worship, communal living, and Catholic identity. The newest generation of religious priests, brothers, sisters, and nuns are more ethnically diverse than their predecessors and also drawn to more traditional expressions of piety, according to the "Study of Recent Vocations to Religious Life" conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) for the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). "We've heard anecdotally that the youngest people coming to religious life are distinctive, and they really are," said Sister Mary Bendyna, executive director of CARA. "They're more attracted to a traditional style of religious life, where there is community living, common prayer, having Mass together, praying the Liturgy of the Hours together. They are much more likely to say fidelity to the church is important to them. And they really are looking for communities where members wear habits," said Bendyna. "This younger generation is seeking an identity, a religious identity as well as a Catholic identity," said Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the Chicago-based NRVC, a professional organization of Catholic religious vocation directors. "Symbolism, images, and ritual are all very important to this generation, and they want to give witness to their faith." The study also found that non-Hispanic whites account for 94 percent of current nuns and priests but only 58 percent of those in the process of joining orders, including 21 percent who are Hispanic, 14 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, and 6 percent African or African American. In addition, the study revealed that the graying of American religious is more pronounced than many Catholics might have realized. Ninety-one percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older, and most of the rest are at least 50. And finding new members remains a struggle for many orders. Thirty-four percent of women's orders and 22 percent of men's orders surveyed had no candidates. Almost half the orders that do have someone on the early path toward his or her vows have no more than one or two in the pipeline. Bednarczyk drew reason to hope from the fact that 43 percent of those in the early stages of joining an order are under 30. "Younger people are re-looking at religious life as a viable life option," he said. "It does speak of a future." A full summary and review of study results, as well as a list of best practices that foster vocations, can be found at the NRVC's website, www.nrvc.net. Source: Articles by Eric Gorksi for the Associated Press and Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times

vocations cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc mary bendyna religious orders study of recent vocations to religious life paul bednarczyk religious life center for applied research in the apostolate

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Lively Catholic debate over health-care bill abortion provisions

21 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Differences over complex questions is nothing new to religious groups, as we see in the Sunday gospel's debate between Jesus and Jewish religious leaders about the woman caught in adultery. Leaders of Catholic women's orders representing 59,000 nuns sent lawmakers a letter Wednesday urging them to pass the Senate health-care bill. The measure contains abortion funding restrictions that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said don't go far enough."Despite false claims to the contrary, the Senate bill will not provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions," said the letter signed by 60 leaders of women's religious orders. "It will uphold longstanding conscience protections and it will make historic new investments . . . in support of pregnant women. This is the real pro-life stance, and we as Catholics are all for it."The USCCB and the National Right to Life Committee have denounced the bill as containing a backdoor subsidy for abortion. But the nuns and the Catholic Health Association--representing some 600 hospitals--said restrictions in the Senate bill would still prevent taxpayer funding for abortion, although the legal mechanism for doing so is different from what the bishops prefer."This is politics; this isn't a question of faith and morals," said Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, a national Catholic social activism lobby. "We are the ones who work every day with people who are suffering because they don't have health care. We cannot turn our backs on them, so for us, health care reform is a faith-based response to human need." Source: An article by Erica Werner for the Associated Press

abortion funding usccb national right to life committee catholic health association simone campbell network united states conference of catholic bishops religious orders health care reform abortion nuns

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Too much in debt to take a vow of poverty

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus announces in this Sunday’s gospel when he embarks on his public ministry. Many of those who would like to embark on a fulfilling ministry as members of religious communities are stymied because they are carrying an average of $28,000 in student debt. A new study on Catholic vocations has revealed that educational debt is derailing the dreams these young people have to become religious sisters, brothers, or priests. And the problem is likely to get worse: Religious institutes report an increase in the number of inquirers with large educational debt, and national averages show record levels of student debt continuing to rise. The 2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), finds that seven in ten institutes (69 percent) turned away at least one person because of student loans. In addition, many religious communities ask young people to delay their applications to enter because of educational debt. “For those entering religious life, the expectation is that they be debt-free,” said Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the NRVC, “but for graduates in today’s economy, where education costs have risen by 900 percent since 1978, paying off loans can take years to accomplish. The burden of student debt has become a serious problem for religious communities desirous of welcoming younger members.” “Because religious sisters, brothers, and priests are vital to the life of the church and provide great service to society,” Bednarczyk said, “we plan to bring together key stakeholders to develop strategies to ease this significant and growing barrier to religious vocations.” Complete study results are available at nrvc.net. Sources: A news release by the National Religious Vocation Conference (nrvc.net) and a SpiritCitings blog post

vocations educational debt debt center for applied research in the apostolate cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc religious orders student debt

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