Women vocations seem to be growing fast

[IronHammer]

Saw this recently on romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com

romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-consecrated-virgin-in-diocese-of.html

Most interesting is the statement by Judith Stegman, President of the US Association of Consecrated Virgins – “Most of those consecrations have come in the last decade.”

I have lately become convinced (with no real proof) that we have reached a watershed in vocations that has only just begun blooming within the last few years and it seems to be gaining momentum. This story just another indication. I have also read of other women religious orders (usually the ones who still wear some form of habit) that say they are growing by leaps and bounds. There was a segment on ABC about a dominican order that had so many young women devoting their lives to Christ. It was quite a beautiful thing to see. I pray my daughters may consider it some day when they are old enough.

 

[colorful]

what good news indeed!

 

[1234]

They 're not growing ‘by leaps and bounds’. Some are growing in some orders. The orders with habits and lots of PR and good marketing, vocation directors with Blackberries and professional videos are growing, such as the Nashville Dominicans, Srs. Mary Mo eucharist in Ann Arbor, Poor Clares Perp Adoration Hanceville AL, and to a lesser degree Sr. St Francis St George Martyr (The Martyrs)–and a few others are growing. The national networks love to concentrate on videos of young nuns in full habits playing soccer and at the altar, which describes only 2-3 orders in the US. There are a few others with some growth. The non-habited orders are growing to here and there, but they remain shrinking as they used to be very large, and still are top-heavy with older members. Nevertheless there does seem to be a resurgence.

The brothers continue to shrink. Venerated orders like the Trappists continue to decline, tho’ their nuns are growing somewhat. Some cloistered habited nuns are growing, but it totally depends on the house. habited large Benedicine orders are shrinking, mainly as their older members are dying off and not being replaced, but they are attracting new members.

…but the total story is at this link, at CARA, center of researchi n the apostolate, based at Georgetown, a sociology research center, the most reliable source of data in the church:

cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/index.htm

The only group growing is the permanent deacons, and a few more ordinations than in previous years.

 

[grandfather]

Saw this recently on romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com

romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-consecrated-virgin-in-diocese-of.html

Most interesting is the statement by Judith Stegman, President of the US Association of Consecrated Virgins – “Most of those consecrations have come in the last decade.”
.

I think I did not even hear of a new female vocation for maybe thirty years. In the last four or five years I know seven or eight personally and that is out of a very small circle, two parishes, one very small. They are almost all young women, the oldest in her thirties. Change is afoot.