What's old is new again

We’ve all heard sayings like, “What’s old is new again.” Or, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” Well, it seems that among those deciding to follow their hearts and pursue a vocation to religious life today, a majority are looking for a joyful community environment that is grounded in prayer and a solid understanding of the Church’s teachings, liturgy, and spirituality. So says a new study released by the Center for the Applied Research in the Apostolate on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

The study shows a wonderful ethnic diversity among its respondents, men and women who for the most part are entering religious life with at least a bachelor’s degree (70%) or a having recently held a full time job (90%). An encouraging trend is that 43% of those applying to join religious communities are under the age of 30. The study also noted that “Men’s communities and women’s communities following more traditional practices have better success attracting younger members today.”

Among the study’s findings were these:

• Most new members want to live, work, and pray with other members of their community.
• Younger new entrants look for an institute’s fidelity to the church; older new entrants are drawn to its mission.
• New entrants prefer to live in large communities (8 or more). Institutes in which members live alone face challenges attracting new members.
• Many younger members seek to wear a religious habit, a practice that has diminished in most religious institutes in the past 40 years.

What this all seems to indicate is that there is a growing appreciation for stronger community ties within religious life, together with a desire to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church and bear witness to this important calling by wearing a habit.

If the study shows that these are all things that are attracting more people to religious life today, then we can hope and pray that this trend continues. For, God knows the Church needs holy men and women to answer this important call.