Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate Georgetown University Washington, DC New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2016 A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations United States Conference of Catholic Bishops January 2017 Mary L. Gautier, Ph.D. Thu T. Do, LHC Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1  Major Findings ................................................................................................................................ 2  Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5  Institutes Reporting Perpetual Professions ..................................................................................... 6  Age of Professed ............................................................................................................................. 7  Race and Ethnic Background .......................................................................................................... 8  Country of Birth and Age at Entry to United States ....................................................................... 9  Family Background ....................................................................................................................... 10  Education ...................................................................................................................................... 13  Educational Debt ........................................................................................................................... 15  Work Experience .......................................................................................................................... 16  Participation in Religious Programs, Activities, or Ministries ..................................................... 17  Private Prayer Practices and Prayer Groups ................................................................................. 19  Consideration of a Vocation to Religious Life ............................................................................. 21  Initial Acquaintance with the Religious Institute .......................................................................... 24  Vocation/Discernment Programs and Experiences ....................................................................... 26 Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate Georgetown University Washington, DC New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2016 Executive Summary This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2016 in a religious congregation, province, or monastery based in the United States. To obtain the names and contact information for these women and men, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) contacted all major superiors of all religious institutes that belong to either the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) or the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), the two leadership conferences of women religious in the United States. CARA also contacted the major superior of all religious institutes who belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM). Finally, CARA contacted the major superiors of 138 contemplative communities of women in the United States that were identified by the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. Each major superior was asked to provide contact information for every member of the institute who was scheduled to profess perpetual vows in 2016. CARA then contacted these men and women religious by e-mail or mail to explain the project and ask them to complete a brief online survey. After repeated follow-ups, CARA received a response from 610 of 759 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 80 percent among religious institutes. In all, 93 percent of LCWR superiors, 84 percent of CMSWR superiors, 76 percent of CMSM superiors, and 60 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 216 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2016. Of these 216 identified women and men religious, a total of 81 sisters and nuns and 96 brothers and priests responded to the survey by January 13, 2017. These 96 men include brothers, priests, and those pursuing studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 82 percent of the 216 potential members of the Profession Class of 2016 that were reported to CARA by major superiors. 1 Major Findings  Eight in ten responding religious institutes had no one professing perpetual vows in religious life in 2016. More than one in ten institutes had one perpetual profession and nearly in one in ten reported two or more.  The average age of responding religious of the Profession Class of 2016 is 39. Half of the responding religious are age 36 or younger. The youngest is 26 and the oldest is 86.  Two in three responding religious (66 percent) report their primary race or ethnicity as white, more than one in six (16 percent) identifies as Asian, and more than one in ten (11 percent) identifies as Hispanic.  Most responding religious (67 percent) were born in the United States. Of those born outside the United States, the most common country of origin is Vietnam.  Among those identifying as Hispanic/Latino(a) six in ten (58 percent) are U.S. born. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian are predominantly (96 percent) foreign born. Nearly all identifying as Caucasian/white (91 percent) are U.S. born.  On average, the respondents who were born outside the United States were 24 years old when they first came to the United States and lived here for 15 years before perpetual profession. Family Background  Nearly nine in ten responding religious (89 percent) have been Catholic since birth. More than three-quarters (81 percent) come from families in which both parents are Catholic. Among the 9 percent of respondents who became Catholic later in life, the average age at which they converted was 23.  Three-quarters of responding religious (75 percent) of the Profession Class of 2016 have more than one sibling. More than one in five (21 percent) have one brother or sister and one-third (33 percent) report having two or three. More than a quarter (27 percent) have four or more siblings. Education, Work, and Ministry Experience  Almost half of the responding religious (46 percent) attended a Catholic elementary school, which is a little higher than that for all Catholic adults in the United States (39 percent). These respondents are also more likely than other U.S. Catholics to have attended a Catholic high school (38 percent of responding religious, compared to 19 percent of U.S. adult Catholics) and much more likely to have attended a Catholic college (37 percent of responding religious, compared to 10 percent of U.S. adult Catholics). 2 Responding women religious are less likely than responding men religious to have attended a Catholic college (31 percent for women compared to 42 percent for men).  The Profession Class of 2016 is highly educated. Twenty-five percent of responding religious earned a graduate degree before entering their religious institute. Three-quarters (74 percent) entered their religious institute with at least a bachelor’s degree (59 percent for women and 86 percent for men).  Most religious did not report that educational debt delayed their application for entrance to their institute. Among the 4 percent who did report educational debt, however, they averaged about four years of delay while they paid down an average of $29,100 in educational debt. Family members and friends/co-workers are the most common source of assistance for paying down educational debt.  Nearly all responding religious (85 percent) had work experience prior to entering their religious institute. Of those who were employed, a fifth (20 percent) were employed part- time and almost two-thirds (65 percent) were employed full-time before entering the institute. Women religious are more likely than men to have been employed in education or health care, while men religious are more likely than women to have been employed in business.  Eight in ten (82 percent) had ministry experience before entering their religious institute, most commonly as a lector (46 percent) or as an altar server (41 percent). About two in five served in music ministry (39 percent), as an Extraordinary Minister of Communion (37 percent), or in faith formation, catechetical ministry, or RCIA (36 percent). One in four ministered in a social services setting. One in six taught in a Catholic school. Less than a tenth served in hospital or prison ministry.  Just under three-quarters (70 percent) participated in one or more religious programs or activities before entering before entering their religious institute. Nearly four in ten (36 percent) participated in youth ministry or youth group (36 percent), or in Catholic campus ministry or a Newman Center (33 percent). A quarter (26 percent) participated in a young adult ministry or group. Nearly one in five participated in World Youth Day. One in ten participated in the Franciscan University of Steubenville High School Youth Conference or served in a volunteer program through a religious institute.  Nearly nine in ten responding religious (86 percent) regularly participated in some type of private prayer activity before they entered their religious institute. About two-thirds participated in Eucharistic Adoration, prayed the rosary, or attended retreats before entering. Nearly six in ten participated in spiritual direction before entering. Consideration of Religious Life and Choice of Community  On average, responding religious report that they were 19 years old when they first considered a vocation to religious life, but half were 18 or younger when they first did so. 3  More than half say that a parish priest (53 percent) encouraged their vocation.  Over four in ten report that they were encouraged to consider a vocation by their friends. Four in ten report being encouraged to consider a vocation by a religious sister or brother. Women religious were more likely than men religious to do so.  Nearly nine in ten (87 percent) responding religious report that someone encouraged them to consider a vocation to religious life. Respondents are less likely to report that they received encouragement from their family members than from other religious, friends, or a parish priest. They were more likely to receive encouragement from their mother than from their father.  Half of respondents (49 percent) report that they were discouraged from considering a vocation by one or more persons. Women and men are equally likely to report that someone discouraged them from considering a vocation.  On average, responding religious report that they knew the members of their religious institute for four years before they entered. Responding religious were asked to indicate how they first became acquainted with their religious institute. About a quarter (26 percent) report that they first became acquainted with their institute through the recommendation of a priest or advisor. Women were more likely than men to report being recommended to their religious institute by a priest or advisor.  Nearly all of the religious of the Profession Class of 2016 (88 percent) participated in some type of vocation program or experience prior to entering their religious institute. “Come and See” experiences are a popular vocation program, experienced by about two- thirds of the respondents (65 percent) before they entered their religious institute. About half of responding religious (49 percent) participated in a vocation retreat before entering their religious institute. 4 Introduction Since 2010, the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has commissioned the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University to conduct a survey of women and men religious who profess perpetual vows each year in a religious congregation, province, or monastery based in the United States. For this project, CARA was asked to gather information about the characteristics and experiences of these religious and report the findings to the Secretariat for use with the World Day of Consecrated Life in February. CARA then programmed the questionnaires into an online survey to give respondents the option of completing the survey either online or on paper. This report presents results of this survey of women and men religious of the Profession Class of 2016. To obtain the names and contact information for the religious professing perpetual vows in 2016, CARA contacted all major superiors of all religious institutes that belong to either the Leadership Conference of Women Religious or the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the two leadership conferences of women religious in the United States. CARA also contacted the major superior of all religious institutes who belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM). Finally, CARA contacted the major superiors of 138 contemplative communities of women in the United States that were identified by the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. Each major superior was asked to provide contact information for every sister, nun, or brother in the institute who was scheduled to profess perpetual vows in 2016. CARA then contacted these sisters, nuns, or brothers by e-mail or mail to explain the project and ask them to complete a brief online survey. After repeated follow-ups, CARA received a response from 610 of 759 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 80 percent among religious institutes. In all, 93 percent of LCWR superiors, 84 percent of CMSWR superiors, 76 percent of CMSM superiors, and 60 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 216 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2016. Of these 216 identified women and men religious, a total of 81 sisters and nuns and 96 brothers and priests responded to the survey by January 13, 2017. These 96 men include brothers, priests, and those pursuing studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 82 percent of the 216 potential members of the Profession Class of 2016 that were reported to CARA by major superiors. The questionnaire asked these religious about their demographic and religious background, education and work experience, previous ministry or service and other formative experiences, encouragement and discouragement to consider religious life, initial acquaintance with their institutes, and vocation/discernment programs and experiences. This report presents analyses of each question from all responding religious. 5 Institutes Reporting Perpetual Professions CARA asked the 759 religious congregations, provinces, or monasteries in the United States that were identified by the two leadership conferences of women religious, the CMSM, or the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations to provide the names of women religious or brothers who professed or were planning to profess perpetual vows in 2016. A total of 610 major superiors responded (80 percent) with 216 names of women religious and brothers. Institutes Reporting Perpetual Professions in 2016 Two or More 8% One Profession 12% No Professions 80% A total of 484 major superiors (80 percent of those responding) report that they had no one professing perpetual vows in 2016, another 72 major superiors (12 percent) report one member professing perpetual vows, and 54 major superiors (8 percent) report from two to twelve members professing perpetual vows in 2016. The sisters and nuns who responded to the survey represent 40 religious congregations, provinces, or monasteries. Similarly, the brothers who responded come from 42 different religious congregations, provinces, or monasteries of men religious. 6 Age of Professed The average age of responding religious of the Profession Class of 2016 is 39. Half of the responding religious are age 36 or younger. Age of Professed Women and Men Percentage in each age category Both Women Men 29 and younger 13% 10% 16% Age 30-39 48 58 39 Age 40-49 22 20 23 Age 50-59 12 6 18 Age 60 and older 5 5 4 Average age 39 38 40 Median age 36 35 38 Range in years 26-86 26-86 26-69 The youngest responding sister or nun of the Profession Class of 2016 is 26 and the oldest is 86 years of age. Eight women respondents are professing perpetual vows at age 60 or older. More than two-thirds of the responding sisters are 39 or younger. Among brothers, the youngest is 26 and the oldest is 69. A little more than half of the responding men religious are 39 or younger. 7 Race and Ethnic Background Two in three responding religious (66 percent) report their primary race or ethnicity as Caucasian, European American, or white. Race and Ethnic Background Percentage in each category Both Women Men Caucasian/European American/white 66% 68% 64% Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 16 17 15 Hispanic/Latino(a) 11 10 12 African/African American/black 4 4 4 Other 3 1 4 Native American 0 0 0 One in six (16 percent) of the Profession Class of 2016 identifies as Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian. One in nine (11 percent) identifies as Hispanic/Latino(a). In general, religious of the Profession Class of 2016 are more likely than other adult Catholics nationally to be Asian and less likely to be Hispanic. Differences by country of birth Responding religious who identify themselves as Caucasian/European American/white are almost all (91 percent) U.S. born. Just 9 percent were born outside the United States. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian are predominantly (96 percent) foreign born. Only 4 percent are U.S. born. Among those identifying as Hispanic/Latino(a) about six in ten (58 percent) are U.S. born and about four in ten (40 percent) are foreign born. 8