Report
CARA Report: New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life (2013)
New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, by Mary L. Gautier, Ph.D. and Carolyne Saunders, M.S., Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, January 2013
This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2012 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 174 contemplative communities in the United States that were identified by the USCCB Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (145 communities of nuns and 29 contemplative communities of men). Each major superior was asked to provide contact information for every sister, nun or brother in her/his institute who was scheduled to profess perpetual vows in 2012. 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 508 of 813 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 62 percent among religious institutes. In all, 78 percent of LCWR superiors, 68 percent of CMSM superiors, 57 percent of CMSWR superiors, and 33 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 156 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2012.
Of these 156 identified women and men religious, a total of 108 sisters and nuns and 24 brothers responded to the survey by December15, 2012. These 24 brothers may include some brothers who intend to pursue studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 85 percent of the 156 potential members of the Profession Class of 2012 that were reported to CARA by major superiors.