Report
CARA Report New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2017
CARA Report: New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life
The Profession Class of 2017, A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, by Thu T. Do, LHC, Ph.D. and Mary L. Gautier, Ph.D., January 2018
This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2017 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 136 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 2017. 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 600 of 768 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 78 percent among religious institutes. Five religious institutes were not interested in participating in the studies. In all, 93 percent of LCWR superiors, 76 percent of CMSWR superiors, 77 percent of CMSM superiors, and 53 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 208 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2017.
Of these 208 identified women and men religious, a total of 100 sisters and nuns and 51 brothers and priests responded to the survey by January 13, 2017. These 51 men include brothers, priests, and those pursuing studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 73 percent of the 208 potential members of the Profession Class of 2017 that were reported to CARA by major superiors.