What's happening with convents?

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We are obsessed with what’s happening this week, we ignore the larger trends of the decade. One sad trend is the drastic reduction in sisters, (other than in some orthodox orders).
Where I live, religious orders from Europe started huge motherhouses, often with attached Academy and/or college, as well as sisters teaching at parish or diocesan high schools. Other convents started hospitals and other institutions.

Since Vatican II most of these orders (except the contemplatives) became much more “liberal”. They were skeptical position towards Church authority, and accepting towards the secular culture. Soon after, there was a flurry of sisters leaving, followed by a decades long drought of vocations. Today many sisters die in my diocese each year, but few or no new sisters (except to a tiny new conservative community).

Some orders sold motherhouses and moved into smaller facilities built to be a nursing home. Others merged with local communities in the same “family”, such as Franciscans. A few merged all American provinces, which caused sisters to move out, or into our diocese. There are still a limited number of sisters still working, most close to retirement.

But the diocesan newspaper, and the orders’ own websites, show everybody smiling, no problems, hunky-dory, denial to an extreme. They see the conservative communities flourishing, yet see no reason to change their own direction - to oblivion.

What’s it like in your neck of the woods?
 
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@(name removed by moderator) would you mind telling me the name of that Carmelite monastery that is doing well?

@commenter In my area (New York) most of the communities of women religious are aging. The Sisters of Life and the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal are exceptions; both seem doing quite well.

The reason (my own opinion) some of the less conservative groups aren’t changing despite the greater success of other groups, is because they just don’t want to. It would mean more than just bringing back the habit and other outward signs; they’d have to change much of their worldview. That would be much easier if they didn’t genuinely believe they’re in the right.

That being said, I do know of a few nearby conservative groups that are equally hard pressed for vocations. I don’t think many young women in my area are going for religious life. That could just be my area, though.
 
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The worst decision ever made was the wearing of regular street clothes.
Just as some people go for the smells and bells, young women tend to want to be “set apart” and look different.
Also not living in a community (not having “sisters in faith” to share life with) have made it less attractive. I mean, anyone can live a chaste life, volunteer, do good workds, catechize young people and you’d have to join a community But when that community drops all of it’s the outward sign of dedication to Christ, there’s not a lot of reason to jump in.
Case in point: MOther Angelicas Monastery is near us. Full, About 100-200 applicants per year. No openings becuase one of the cloistered sisters have to pass away too open up a place. But the draw is there. They WANT to be different. They yearn for the life.
Not many places offer this. The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne thrive as well. Fabulous charism.
Not sure VATII is to be blamed. It didn’t speak to the consecrated life in terms of methods. It was the tone of the times.
Just my 2 cents.
 
The Nun who is the Pastoral Associate at our Parish still wears her habit. She is also the former principal of the elementary school. All of the Nuns in our Catholic High schools on the island still wear their habits as well. They are attached to convents.
 
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Back in the day, you needed a lot more nuns- schools and hospitals needed staffing.

The work was there, the orders had a need to recruit and train young ladies for the work and did it.

Most of this work has really disappeared. The work is now in the private sector, young ladies have different opportunities to become teachers or nurses they didn’t have a hundred or two hundred years ago. A young woman who wants to be a nurse nowadays has other options.
 
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