An interesting trend

Baby boomers heading back to seminary

"One benefit, unseen a decade ago when boomers began returning to seminaries, was the impact they would have on shrinking mainline denominations. "

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Incredible!

"For the last 84 years she has spent every day of her life behind the cloistered walls of a convent to the north of Madrid but on Friday Sister Teresita, aged 103, will venture into the world outside – to meet the Pope. "

God bless her - a living example of faithfulness to her vows and to the love of God!

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God bless them


Irish priests reject suggestion that they break seal of confession

The Irish Church has had its share of troubles now too, but I'm glad to see the priests taking their vows and promises seriously.

I still wish someone would start a look into the scandal of sexual abuse by teachers. It would help people realize that there are groups that have been even worse than Catholic priests for percentage of abusers.

Ehhh, how would people sue the disparate school entities, though? It's really all about the money now anyway...

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Oh, no!

Nuns dance to get recruits in Baguio City

I think it has been pretty well disproven that if you try to be trendy you'll get vocations. The religious orders that seem to be doing well are those, mostly new orders, that have gone back to their original charisms and moved away from the 'do your own thing' 'liturgical dance' type behaviours.

On another note - touched on in the article - we watched 'Sister Act' just the other night...

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Radical-ness


For These Young Nuns, Habits Are The New Radical

In searching for meaning and a way to love God and serve God, I think the radical nature of the more traditional religious orders have come back into vogue. The traditional habits and cloister require someone to make a radical commitment. I think that's why these orders of men and women are finding more success in vocations than the orders that have 'changed with the times'. And I think this is a very good thing...

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Formation

in a Seminary context...

The Seminary as Nazareth: Formation in a School of Prayer

How it is, or how it should be...

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You see?

It's a new religious order responding to the desire for a more traditional Catholic response to vocations to the religious life.

Ann Arbor sisters can't build fast enough to house new members

They've grown from 4 members to 99 in just over 12 years, while other orders are dying out. No matter what one's feelings about the whole conservative/liberal issue in the Catholic Church is, no one can deny that there is a work of the Holy Spirit here...

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Livin' in the real world

Back from Vocation

"How I decided not to become a priest"

Ah! Youthful idealism and hope! There are so many stories, and so many of us Catholics have them...

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Not to run from

but to run to...


A Great Silence

Media, marketing,

and the priesthood.


Issues behind the collar

GetReligion ('The press ... just doesn't get religion.') looks at one example...

Interesting thought


I can muster some agreement for his position.

Spanish bishop: Lack of radical dedication amongst religious explains vocations crisis

The groups that seem to be successful are newer orders that require a really radical decision to serve the poor, feed the hungry, etc. in strict obedience to the Church and their order, and not necessarily 'do what feels good to them'. The older orders seem to be having vocation trouble, while the newer ones have relatively high numbers of vocations. The decision to serve Christ in His people, while strictly living one's vows, has always been a radical decision...

This is becoming more frequent

Men becoming priests at mid-life

I certainly welcome this. I think that mature individuals, widowers or not married, may well be the best thing that has happened to the Church in many years. As the Church refuses to look at other people who could well be a help to settle the vocation crisis (women and married priests) this may be a stop-gap measure to help the shortage of priests. These men seem to come to the later vocation not only with a certainty of decision but with a wealth of personal experience in the world that many young people right out of university could never have. This could be the wave of the future for vocations. And that wouldn't be a bad thing at all...

Interesting vocation field

Priest to recruit soldiers for new kind of service

He's the National Vocations director for the Diocese of the Military. It's odd, but I've never thought of the military as a diocese. Interesting...