Are devotions mostly practiced by older women? How much true?

[RCIAGraduate]

1. How much truth is there any way to the stereotype that mainly older women practice devotion?
2. What do you think the future holds for catholic devotions; are they making a comeback and revitalizing?

 

[midori]

I’d say that older women tend to practice more devotions as a group than other groups. (ie, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the Holy Face, scapulars, etc, etc, etc.) But then again, looking around at Sunday Mass, I don’t see an even 50/50 gender split. There’s definitely a skew towards women. Again, looking at the active parish members (Sunday school teachers, sacristans, readers, Eucharistic ministers, etc), while there are a number of couples who participate, there are very few men who participate as individuals, in comparison with the women who participate as individuals. (The one exception is that it’s always the men who handle the donation baskets!)

I think perhaps part of it is that, as a group, women tend to be the caregivers in their families, and as a group, men are not as open/comfortable/visible with their faith. So in the process of making sure to model good behavior for their children, in order to pass on the faith unbroken— yes, I think older women are more visible across the entire strata.

And by “older women”, I mean women who are old enough to have married and/or started a family, but they’re not necessarily grannies. But they maintain those practices throughout their lives, so that what they did in their 20’s and 30’s and 40’s is what they continue to practice into their 70’s and 80’s and 90’s.

But on a similar note, look at any list of mystics or stigmatics. (Which has a significant amount of overlap.) Apart from St. Francis and St. Pio— name three male stigmatics, or three male mystics, or three male victim souls, or whatever. It’s not so easy!

 

[SadPotato]

• How much truth is there any way to the stereotype that mainly older women practice devotion?

There’s a lot of truth to it, at least when it comes to Novus Ordo parishes (can’t speak for TLM communities, since I’ve never been part of that scene).

• What do you think the future holds for catholic devotions; are they making a comeback and revitalizing?

Maybe among those who remain Catholic into their elderly years, but probably not in younger populations. Devotions tend to be something you get into 1) when you’re raised in a very devout family to begin with, or 2) once you’ve retired, and you have more time to explore different trappings of the faith.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Devotions already made a huge comeback since the 1970s when they were practically non-existent.

 

[OddBird]

Mostly feminine devotions are nothing new. St Therese of Lisieux was already writing about women that “they love the Good Lord in greater numbers than men” (my approximate translation).

I don’t know about older though. Where I go to mass, adoration is mostly attended by women, but there are all ages and all walks of life, from students to 40-something businesswomen to young moms to elderly ladies.

 

[OKComputer]

Generally speaking, I think women tend to be more religious then men. Also older women without children and jobs simply have more time to devote to the faith. I’ve noticed the same thing you have.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

Yes.

Is there anything wrong with that?

Does religious practice only have legitimacy if practiced by males 18-35?

 

[SadPotato]

Yes.

Is there anything wrong with that?

Does religious practice only have legitimacy if practiced by males 18-35?

Thank you. It’s appalling how often threads like this take a misogynistic turn (though this one has been pleasantly civil thus far).

 

[stpurl]

And thank God for it!

 

[stpurl]

I love men, and of course Catholic teachings are full of stories of saintly men (I was just re-reading a history of the Rosary yesterday and thinking of great men like St. Dominick)

but I have often thought that a possible reason for God making the Catholic priesthood male only was that women ARE more naturally devotional. The priesthood gives men the opportunity to practice and to model devotion for all, but it’s especially good for men to have the example of ‘other men’ instead of their mom, their grandma, or the ‘ladies of the church’. Especially when today the ladies are more like Susan from the Parish Council than little old Auntie Mary Theresa Agnes with her home altar, lots of rosaries, and her collection of holy cards which she shared with all the children!!

 

[vsedriver]

How much truth is there any way to the stereotype that mainly older women practice devotion?

if you consider ‘older’ women to be women whose children have grown and left the nest and women who are retired. I’d say that is true at our parish. Women also outlive their husbands and many remain widows who have the time to attend devotions. My children are grown, my husband is gone. I have time to go to adoration, stations, and rosaries that I didn’t have when I had so many other responsiblities.

What do you think the future holds for catholic devotions; are they making a comeback and revitalizing?

my parish has brought back devotions. We have daily adoration, rosaries, etc. Mostly attended by older women who aren’t working. I can only make the Sat adoration because I work during the week. I do believe that devotions are making a huge come back.

 

[humbleseeker]

but I have often thought that a possible reason for God making the Catholic priesthood male only was that women ARE more naturally devotional

I’ve basically told my wife the same thing. She thinks I’m nuts. Not about this statement in particular, just in general.

 

[s.cono]

How much truth is there any way to the stereotype that mainly older women practice devotion?

I think there’s a lot of truth in that. I pray the rosary with a group before weekday mass, and for the past year, I am the only male, at least the only one in a lead position. There are about a half dozen regular ladies. The youngest I estimate to be in her early 50s. The oldest in her late 70s. My wife attends with me when she can. I am late 50s my wife mid 50s.

1. What do you think the future holds for catholic devotions; are they making a comeback and revitalizing?

I think devotions are becoming a big thing again. In this parish we have Legion of Mary Tessera, of which I was made an auxiliary member, we have Divine Mercy Wednesdays, we have the Angelus before noon mass, we have First Friday, and First Saturday devotion with Miraculous Medal Novena. It seems like were adding stuff all the time. It’s definitely a great time. Tis_Bearself is right. I don’t recall there being much going on at all in the 70s. Even Adoration was pretty scarce. At least for people of my age at the time. Folk mass was big, however.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

In my experience, men who do devotions are often private about it. My dad said a Rosary just about every day for the last few decades of his life. He said it by himself in the evening while my mom was making dinner or running grocery errands or whatever. He never joined a rosary group or advertised the fact that he said it so nobody knew this but his immediate family. I suspect there are lots of men like him out there.

It’s also somewhat cultural whether men go out and participate in public devotions. Latino men and Italian men do, big time. Some other groups not so much.

 

[Dan_Defender]

He never joined a rosary group or advertised the fact that he said it so nobody knew this but his immediate family. I suspect there are lots of men like him out there.

I suspect the same. Even when I went to Fatima and did the Rosary procession, it just didn’t feel right. Too many distractions, people constantly whispering or taking pictures, and the like. I went back to the hotel and did my private Scriptural Rosary and felt much better.