Report
CARA Report: Women and Men Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2019
CARA Report: Women and Men Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2019, by Thu T. Do, LHC, Ph.D. and Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, Ph.D., Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University Washington, DC, January 2019
This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2019 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 133 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 2019. CARA then contacted these men and women religious by e-mail or mail to explain the project and ask them to complete a brief survey.
After repeated follow-ups, CARA received a response from 558 of 747 major superiors, for an overall response rate of 75 percent among religious institutes. Two religious institutes were not interested in participating in the studies. In all, 87 percent of LCWR superiors, 70 percent of CMSWR superiors, 69 percent of CMSM superiors, and 61 percent of superiors of contemplative communities provided contact information for 186 members that professed perpetual vows in religious life in 2019.
Of these 186 identified women and men religious, a total of 62 sisters and nuns and 48 brothers and priests responded to the survey by January 12, 2020. These 48 men include brothers, priests, and those pursuing studies leading to priestly ordination. This represents a response rate of 59 percent of the 186 potential members of the Profession Class of 2019 that were reported to CARA by major superiors.