Catholic religious orders of women have been in decline for half a century. Finally, and not a moment too soon, the Vatican has decided to look into the matter. The Holy See will be conducting an "Apostolic Visitation" of Apostolic Religious Institutes in the United States. Not only will the Vatican examine the roots of the collapse in vocations, it also plans to report on the positive trends in religious vocations that remain a well kept secret from many Catholics.
Once upon a time, the luminous, courageous example of women religious inspired the average Catholic girl to ponder a religious vocation. Many did become nuns, commandeering parish schools, and Catholic hospitals, praying and serving as if the salvation of the world depended upon it. Today, few Catholic girls ever see a nun in the classroom, or know a nun as a friend. Most of our European-based orders that survived civil wars and world wars will not survive the crisis of faith that has produced a precipitous decline in vocations--documented by the Holy See.
Though one cousin of mine joined the Religious of the Sacred Heart that educated many family members on both sides of our family over several generations, I only briefly considered such a momentous step. in the early 1980s, I was asked to write a story on the first contemplative house for the Missionaries of Charity. Based in the South Bronx, it was a wonderfully joyful place led by Sister Nimala, the remarkable Nepalese Hindu convert who was later elected by members of the order to replace Mother Teresa, the founder. Sister Nimala was so thin, she appeared almost transparent, so light, she seemed to walk on air. But she was a gifted leader and advisor. Like most MIssionaries of Charity, she was enthusiastic about the order and encouraged every single woman to at least consider the possibility of making an extended visit. I enjoyed my five days at the South Bronx convent that seemed filled with hope and humor and so many different kinds of women who had found a time together, despite their diverse backgrounds and spiritual paths.
Looking back, I see that the Missionaries made a impression precisely because they were different, joyfully sacrificial and happy in their chosen life. They possessed two saris--one they wore, the other they washed and hung out to dry. They ate donated food, punctuated their day with prayer in the convent and with the poor they met on their travels. They laughed and told stories during recreation. After I returned to my Manhattan apartment, I slept for two days, but retained the sense of joy that pervaded the convent under Sister Nirmala's guidance. Recently, I thought of my visit to the order's South Bronx convent as I began the recently published "Mother Teresa's Secret Fire: The Encournter that Changed Her Life, and How it Can Transform Your Own" by Joseph Langford, co-founder of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.
I have visited many other religious orders, and come to know a handful of nuns quite well. The example of most of their members easily claims my respect and affection. But I have also confronted the dark side of religious life: the nuns who made radical choices in the heady days of post-Vatican II Catholicism and now would rather preside at their order's demise than admit that mistakes were made. Such nuns speak, sometimes grimly, sometimes indifferently, of their order -- like a doomed train that has left the station and cannot be recalled. Perhaps they are right--some orders will die. But some can still be turned around, if only spiritual pride was put aside and the former radicals could spend some time examining the truly radical orders, like the Missionaries of Charity or the Nashville Dominicans, that continue to attract new vocations. This, I believe, is the mission of the Apostolic Visitation: by celebrating the successful orders, they may inspire others to reassess the choices that still claim their determined defense.
Young women I know who have chosen religious life said they were especially concerned with the order's commitment to community life and prayer. This must be a difficult challenge for orders in decline. I looked online at some vocations websites and was struck by the difference in approaches:
Here is the Nashville Dominicans Vocations Page.
Here is the Sisters of Mercy page.
Pope Benedict XVI described the authentic call to religious life thus:
"Belonging to the Lord: this is the mission of the men and women who have chosen to follow
Christ – chaste, poor and obedient – so that the world may believe and be saved. To belong
completely to Christ so as to become a permanent confession of faith, an unequivocal
proclamation of truth that frees us from the seduction of the false idols that deceive the world."
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