125 Percent Increase in the Number of Inquirers Contacting Religious
Communities
19 Percent Increase in Those Entering Religious Life in the Past Three
Years
CHICAGO, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reversing a decades'-long
decline, Catholic religious communities have enjoyed a 19 percent jump in
the number of candidates preparing for religious life in the past three
years, according to the VocationMatch.com Report on Trends in Religious
Life, sponsored by Vision Vocation Guide. That upward trend promises to
continue with fully 71 percent of communities polled reporting an increase
in the number of people inquiring about entering religious life and Vision
Vocation Guide reporting through VocationMatch.com a 125 percent increase
in the past year in the number of unique readers creating online profiles
and requesting information from specific religious communities.
This increased interest in vowed religious life is found primarily
among younger Catholics, with over 50 percent of those considering a
religious vocation under 30. Catholic Vocation directors polled expressed
particular delight at the number of inquiries they are receiving from
people between 25 and 29 years. But a growing number of Catholics over
50-nearly 18 percent of VocationMatch.com's survey respondents-are also
seeking formal affiliation with religious communities, a trend that
vocation directors admit surprises and challenges them.
Those considering religious life value Catholic traditions
Those considering religious life (discerners) identify strongly with
the teachings of the Catholic Church, with 66 percent of all respondents
saying they are most drawn to religious life by a "desire to live a life of
faithfulness to the church and its teachings."
A preference for wearing distinctively religious clothing has also
found favor among current discerners. Fifty percent of respondents feel
that dressing in a habit is "very important" or "essential" to their
vocation. At the same time, 85 percent of those potential habit-wearing
priests, brothers, and sisters want to be involved in active ministry in
such fields as education, social service, campus ministry, parish work,
preaching, healthcare, and prison ministry.
Aware of the challenges
Those considering religious life are very aware of the challenges any
life commitment poses. Forty-five percent rate restrictions on personal
freedom and the discipline of prayer as challenging or the most challenging
aspects of religious life. A slightly fewer 43 percent rate simple living
among the most significant challenges they face and 41 percent rate
celibacy as a significant struggle. Discerners also express concern that
with so many communities and vocation options available, it is hard to find
which community is the "right fit for me."
Some vocation directors note that inquirers seem to have limited
knowledge of the Catholic faith and "less exposure to people in religious
life than they did in the past." "Inability to make a commitment" is
another area of concern for vocation directors. Indeed, 31 percent of the
discerners say they have been considering religious life for six years or
more. However, today's religious vocation discerners are generally
well-educated-the majority have college degrees and 10 percent have
advanced degrees-and they have diverse work experiences, with backgrounds
in business, education, healthcare, social service, nonprofits, and other
professions.
Prayer, communal life attract vocation seekers
Vocation discerners report "devotional prayer" and "praying with
members of a community" as two of the qualities that most draw them to
religious life. Forty-two percent believe living in community to be
"essential" to their vocation, which may present a challenge for
communities with thinning ranks and members spread far and wide. But in
what surely will be favorable news for vocation directors of aging
communities, 53 percent of discerners say they do not consider it important
that they live with people their own age.
Discerners admire those in religious life: Priests, sisters, monks are
"cool"
Vocation discerners express surprise at "how normal" and "how happy"
those in religious life are and express admiration for the "profound sense
of joy" of nuns, priests, and brothers and "their heroic generosity."
Discerners are struck by the fact that so many "young people (like me) are
interested in religious life," and how "difficult it is to discern." Other
comments from discerns include: "Communities and their ministries are very
diverse"; "There is no typical religious or religious community"; "Priests
and sisters are cool"; and "Monks are cool" too.
Online services give discerners new tools
What Patrice Tuohy, executive editor of Vision Vocation Guide and
VocationMatch.com, finds most encouraging in recent trends is that
religious communities and young adults are finding it much easier and
quicker to make connections through the internet and e-mail. "Discerners
have so much more information at their fingertips than they did in the
past, yet they also have better ways to sift through the information with
online services, such as VocationMatch.com, and religious community
websites, which they can visit in an instant."
Religious life is most often a "satisfying, grace-filled path"
For Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the National
Religious Vocation Conference, through which Vision Vocation Guide is
published, the most promising trend is that positive information about
religious life is reaching the media. "The joy and wholesomeness of
religious life has not been a story much covered in recent years. Religious
life is not for everyone, but for those who choose it, it is most often a
satisfying, grace-filled path."
Statistics for the Vision VocationMatch.com Report on Trends in
Religious Life were compiled from the following sources:
VocationMatch.com
Total candidate profiles completed, August 15, 2006 - February 23, 2007:
3,201 http://vocation-network.org/articles/read/105
Vision Vocation Match Discerners Online Survey, Feb. 16-28, 2007
Total unique respondents: 207 out of 874 polled
http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=333166079821
Vision Vocation Match Vocation Directors Online Survey, Feb. 16-28, 2007
Total unique respondents: 165 out of 458 polled
http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=333150843255
Vision Vocation Guide, in print and online at
http://www.vocationguide.org, is published by TrueQuest Communications, LLC
on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference,
http://www.nrvc.net. With its unique multimedia and interactive features,
including http://www.VocationMatch.com, it is one of the most comprehensive
resources available for those pursuing a religious vocation in the Catholic
Church or interested in learning more about religious orders, religious
life, or vocation-related opportunities.
SOURCE Vision VocationMatch.com
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Related links:
http://www.VocationMatch.com
CONTACT:
Patrice Tuohy of Vision VocationMatch.com,
+1-312-829-7200 or +1-800-942-2811, pjtuohy@truequest.biz
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