Declining Numbers of Catholic Sisters and Nuns

Speaking as a layperson who grew up during the 60’s, when religious sisters still wore their habits, it seems, at least to me and to my childhood girlfriends who had looked to these Sisters to explain to us what this mystical union they had with the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was, well, it seems the religious orders of Sisters today have lost their ability to sufficiently communicate what this relationship/union/marriage with Christ is to the young women of today.

At the time, we understood how the holy habit, which was blessed, represented how they were separated from the world, set apart for Jesus Christ himself. We understood the three knots represented the holy vows they took. We understood they were the brides of Christ and that they stood apart as a visual representation that Jesus himself was still here among us. Their hearts were eternally united to His. And just as an earthly wife is concerned with what concerns her earthly husband, the Sisters explained and represented to us that the concerns of Jesus, their spouse, were their concerns, as well. We saw visually the consecration of their whole lives to Christ, we saw this by their holy habits, and by their vows, which both separated them from us and at the same time allowed them to give themselves to us more fully. We saw their lives as not just a very sacred lifestyle, but also as a tangible representation of Jesus’ love for us – his children here on earth. He gave us, they told us, His very spouses to care for us in hospital, to teach us in school, and to pray for us continuallywith in enclosure.

The sisters represented Jesus Christ‘ tangible and real love for us as fully and completely as the Priest did at Holy Mass.

This seems to be lost today. When I talk to my niece, who is fourteen, she has little understanding of what it means to be a nun. Even though she goes to Catholic school. She doesn’t seem to grasp what the difference is between the Sister who is principal of her school and her Mom who has a job. The special relationship of the Sister with Jesus is lost on her. To her the Sister is just a single woman who rose to a high position within the teaching profession just as her Mom has done within her own. She sees nothing special about it. I find this to be sad.

I think it is not enough to say simply a nun is a woman who is passionately in love with God. I believe you have to show young women what exactly this means. They know what it means to be passionately in love with an earthly man. They know what marriage and motherhood means – the depth of love the sacrifices. But what words explain what happens when Jesus captures your heart? No words can. As St. Therese once said, “some things are so delicate that if you speak of them they will disappear as the mist does before the morning sun.” You have to show them.

I think many young women would like to see a return to a more stricter discipline and more visual way of being set-apart for Christ. We have an order in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is rather strict, they wear their habits and are preparing to become teaching nun and they are overflowing with young women wanting to give all for Christ. I think young women want to give themselves to a life that they see as really meaning something – something very different from a secular life.

I think some of the changes the Church has allowed have contributed to the empty convents because young women don’t see or understand the difference between the Sisters of these orders and laypersons.

I get the impression from the one person mentioned that he’d rather we go back to the days when women weren’t emancipated. Not that there’s anything wrong with having children or joining an order, but I’m glad women have other options, too. Both are too important for people to consider as a vocation because it’s the socially acceptable thing to do, rather than out of a sincere love.

I tend to bristle at the notion that only the cloistered orders survive because they wear habits. When I was thinking about such things, I could’ve cared less about what an order wore, and more that their focus and way of life was more towards the contemplative end of things. They could’ve gone naked, as far as I was concerned.

I wonder if part of the problem is rooted in the fact that there’s still a segment of the Church that doesn’t value the gifts and talents of women, unless they conform to a small, rigidly circumscribed, male-defined notion of femininity. A woman who sits on your particular pedestal isn’t a threat. A woman who bears witness to what God is calling her to be may be scary. Lord knows it’s scary to follow that calling, whatever it is.

Thank you for posting this article, and your comments on it. I was glad to see you respond that this “decline” is really only relative to the great numbers of Catholic nuns in the immediate past–it really has little to do with the great history of the church.

In regard to habits, I think what most people don’t realize is that the oldest of orders (Benedictines and others) did not begin in habits at all, but simply in the clothing of the poor. They wore practical clothing that was not that much different from what others in society wore. Jen’s comment reflects my belief too: the garments don’t matter, but rather what is most important is an individual’s love of God. If a woman gives herself over to God, then it should be obvious by how she lives out that call–the clothing can only make it more obvious, but it does not (and should not) be the deciding factor in determining that she is a religious.

I take some offense when laypeople think they know what is right for women religious in general. Women religious, and religious orders, are as varied as the individuals that make up the Church. Just as in the Church itself, there is room for all, room for women in habits and room for religious women in “street garb.”

More than anything, I simply hope that readers recognize the great gift of religious life, the gift of one’s whole self to Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine anything more beautiful than this. Even in today’s complicated world, with its secularist values, this gift remains a beautiful expression of an individual’s love of God, and God’s love for the world. I firmly believe that declining numbers do not matter–it is a way of life that will continue to enlighten our world, to show us how much God loves us.

The habit is not bad. In fact, it is a sacramental which can help sisters pray and live life. On the other hand, it causes attention. Maybe some people are called to that–to be a symbol to others of faith and their vows of charity. But to those who are not called to this, it can be bad. They want to blend in and serve amongst the people, so they can relate to them. Both are good. Neither is bad. People need to realize this with discernment. For the habit does not really matter. It is more about the sister who dwells under it.

I have read a number of comments on this site and have been wondering why there is a decline of nuns today. I grew up in a Catholic home and I have done some research on nuns and found out where the nuns and monks started. I found that monasteries that housed monks and nuns started during the years of the Middle Ages or some may know it as the Medevil Period at which time there was a low point to which religious life in the Chruch had fallen and this gave men and women added reasons to seek spiritual satisfaction. During this time there seemed to be a revival of religion. Unfortunately it was not a healthy revival. People did not return to the pure teachings of Scripture. Instead they turned to asceticism which means extreme self-denial. In practicing asceticism the Christians denied themselves the comforts and pleasures of life and turned to religious meditations and the performance of riligious forms and rituals. During this time nuns practiced asceticism. All monks and nuns abstained from marriage and the monks and nuns devoted their time to praying, reading religious books, and meditating on what they had read. During this time if one wished to be a Christian in a higher sense one would become a monk or nun. Monks and nuns were called “the religious.” However, the differentiation between a higher and lower morality is a false distinction. Even today Roman Catholic priests who serve in regular churches, that is in the world, are called secular priests and those who enter a monastery are called religious preists.

Maybe people in the world today are learning that there is an error in this method which is called ,”monasticism.” The monks and nuns of the past tried to attain holiness by thinking that their sinful heart was cleansed by fleeing from this world.

Women of today can dedicate their life to Christ and live solely for him without wearing the garb as someone had said. Dedicating one’s life to Christ and His Church comes from a willingness to surrender your life to Jesus. Anyone can do this whether they are married, single or working in the world. Read your Bible, it’s all there, the truth and Scripture says the Truth will set you free.

I have read the Book of Galatians, it talks about “Liberty and Legalism”. If we are children of God then we are “liberated by the Gospel, we don’t need legalistic traditions and rituals. I encourage you to read and study scripture. It’s all there. Take care and God Bless.

Hello Annie, I believe you are right in that point. A habit is just an object and without the spiritual person under it–is nothing. The point of this post is to determine why there is a decrease of religous life. And although there are many new religous that are heading towards the habitted orders, I don’t think that the habits are the reason for the decrease in un-habbited orders. Personally, I think that it is the stereotype that caused this. Many people who were raised with a stereotype about nuns will not oversome it unlesss they hear otherwise. Perhaps more can be done in Parishes and schools about this. Also many people believe that they will be losing something when they enter an order, but really they are gaining the many blessings of religous life.

Just a thought to consider, which someone pointed out to me recently:

People often point to the few Congregations that wear a habit and are receiving large numbers of postulants/novices.

But what if you were to add up all one or two candidates/novices entering the more numerous American Congregations that don’t wear a habit. For example, my own community had two sisters make first profession this year (including me) and two novices. And we are a small Congregation.

The person who posed this question guessed that most likely, there would be many more vocations in the communities that don’t wear a habit than the ones who do. Who knows if this is true, but it is an interesting thought that was new to me.

I’m just offering this thought to the discussion.

I’m not arguing for or against the habit. I the end, God is calling and people are answering. That’s what really matters. Some feel called to wear a habit – and I think that there is a ministerial need for that as pointed out by some above. Others are called not to wear a habit – and I also think there is a ministerial need for that as well.

Re Marie: ‘I think it is not enough to say simply a nun is a woman who is passionately in love with God. I believe you have to show young women what exactly this means.’

Simply wearing a habit will not convey that sentiment. As a matter of fact, I attended 2 catholic schools in the 60′s ( Hawaii and Virginia) and I have very few fond memories of the nuns in habits. (And I was a very compliant child!). I left the church for about 5 years but God would not give up on me. I think back on the people that he put in my path to lead me back to him. None of them were in religious garb. But their love for Christ and their relationship with Him were very real. All that to say, whether God is using you as a conduit to bring someone closer to Him or you are on the receiving end of His message, He will burden both of you until you make a decision to obey Him or not, regardless of what either one of you are wearing.

My aunt was a nun, who entered in the mid-1930′s. Her order gave up the habit after Vatican II. When I went to her funeral a few years ago I saw on top of her casket her profession cross and the vows which she had written in her own hand, pledging poverty, obedience and celibacy for life. Of course I knew a lot about nuns, but seeing those vows gave me the realization of what being a religous really means. It’s not what you wear but where your heart is.

I also think that since Vatican II there have been many more options for lay people to give their hearts in the same way vowed religious do.
These people, both men and women, can be as radical and counter-cultural as any vowed religious. They are the true seekers, and only One Person can satisfy them. As long as we have people like this in the Church, whether they are vowed or not, we will have the Spirit in our midst.

i think that people make the diffrence between religion and faith !! i hope that institutionlized religion will vanish.