Report
New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2014
CARA Report: New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2014 by Mary L. Gautier, Ph.D. and Thomas P. Gaunt, S.J., Ph.D., Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, January 2015
A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, USCCB
This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2014 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 142 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 her/his institute who was scheduled to profess perpetual vows in 2014. 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 454 of 799 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 57 percent among religious institutes. In all, 75 percent of LCWR superiors, 49 percent of CMSM superiors, 66 percent of CMSWR superiors, and 27 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 190 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2014.
Of these 190 identified women and men religious, a total of 77 sisters and nuns and 41 brothers responded to the survey by December 21, 2014. These 41 brothers may include some brothers who intend to pursue studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 62 percent of the 190 potential members of the Profession Class of 2014 that were reported to CARA by major superiors.