A new study of Roman Catholic nuns and priests in the United States shows that an aging, predominantly white generation is being succeeded by a smaller group of more racially and ethnically diverse recruits who are attracted to the religious orders that practice traditional prayer rituals and wear habits. [Yes, you read that correctly: the orders that have spent decades shoving their leftist versions of diversity, difference, and tolerance down the throat of the Church aren't attracting the majority of minority vocations. . .oh the irony!]
They are the generation defined by the Second Vatican Council, of the 1960s, which modernized the church and many of its religious orders [of course, VC2 did nothing of the sort]. Many nuns gave up their habits, moved out of convents, earned higher educational degrees and went to work in the professions and in community service [and some of them chose to become radical Earth-worshiping neo-pagan feminists]. The study confirms what has long been suspected: that these more modern religious orders are attracting the fewest new members.
[. . .]
“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 the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. “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.” [Of course! Who wants to spend the time, energy, and money joining a football team that refuses to wear football uniforms and never plays the game?]
Of the new priests and nuns who recently joined religious orders, two-thirds chose orders that wear a habit all the time or regularly during prayer or ministry, the study found. [This is all fine by me, so long as these new recruits understand that the habit will not magically transform them into holy people.]
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This is a remarkably well-written article from the NYT. Not one snide remark from the writer. Not one lonely bellow from a dying dinosaur assuring us that the Spirit of Vatican Two will bring a "New Church" into being. Nothing really negative about the Church at all. . .not even a closing question about how many of these recruits will turn into child-molsters! Truly, truly remarkable.
They are the generation defined by the Second Vatican Council, of the 1960s, which modernized the church and many of its religious orders [of course, VC2 did nothing of the sort]. Many nuns gave up their habits, moved out of convents, earned higher educational degrees and went to work in the professions and in community service [and some of them chose to become radical Earth-worshiping neo-pagan feminists]. The study confirms what has long been suspected: that these more modern religious orders are attracting the fewest new members.
[. . .]
“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 the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. “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.” [Of course! Who wants to spend the time, energy, and money joining a football team that refuses to wear football uniforms and never plays the game?]
Of the new priests and nuns who recently joined religious orders, two-thirds chose orders that wear a habit all the time or regularly during prayer or ministry, the study found. [This is all fine by me, so long as these new recruits understand that the habit will not magically transform them into holy people.]
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This is a remarkably well-written article from the NYT. Not one snide remark from the writer. Not one lonely bellow from a dying dinosaur assuring us that the Spirit of Vatican Two will bring a "New Church" into being. Nothing really negative about the Church at all. . .not even a closing question about how many of these recruits will turn into child-molsters! Truly, truly remarkable.
"Of the new priests and nuns who recently joined religious orders, two-thirds chose orders that wear a habit all the time or regularly during prayer or ministry, the study found. [This is all fine by me, so long as these new recruits understand that the habit will not magically transform them into holy people.]"
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in saying that a habit does not magically transform someone into a holy person. However, clothes can influence a person's behavior. When one tends to dress with the distinction of wearing a habit, this can cause them to "stop and think before acting" just as those in positions of leadership, if they are wise, are quicker to stop and think before acting. Although this is an imperfect way to begin moderating behavior, it is a start and a good start as consecrated life gives one additional graces necessary to live the path they are on.
I actually read an article recently too that pointed out that while orders that wear habits and are more traditional may get more initial vocations, they also have extremely high drop-out rates, so that in the end there is no real difference between membership numbers. One order had 18 postulants, and 7 years later only 3 were left. The habits might make people more curious to try religious life, but the vocation itself always transcends incidentals and must be deeper than an attraction to habits, or even to tradition.
ReplyDeleteAnnie
1) whoa...the MSM is nice to the Church?? did you write that on the calendar?
ReplyDelete2) WHAT??!! you mean you haven't been magically transformed into a holy person??? geez. what a rip off.
;-)
The Catholic "News" Service article did NOT mention 'habits' at all, and only mentioned 'traditional' once:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0903603.htm
Those interested in authenitc religious life should visit the websites of the Institute on Religious Life, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Annie, the religious life is a merciless filtering process and few people are equipped to see it through and drop out. The point here is that people discerning a call aren't even considering finding that out in the tradition-shedding orders. Why would anyone?
ReplyDelete