CARA

CARA was commissioned by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to conduct a study about cultural diversity in vocations to religious life in the United States. In spring 2020, CARA identified and sent a questionnaire to 3,196 current candidates/postulants, novices, and those in temporary vows or commitment as well as those who had professed final vows or commitment within the last 15 years. We received a total of 1,163 usable responses. Recent cohorts of women and men religious in the United States is more culturally and ethnically diverse than their older cohorts. Complete report of findings:

This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who professed perpetual vows in 2020 in a religious congregation, province, or monastery based in the United States. One in ten institutes (9%) had one perpetual profession and just over one in twenty (6 percent) reported two or more. In total, the religious institutes report 172 newly perpetually professed members (75 women and 97 men) in 2020. The average age of responding religious of the Profession Class of 2020 is 38.

In September 2016 CARA and the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) initiated a collaborative project of Visiting Scholars at CARA thanks to the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. ASEC assists in identifying Catholic Sisters from among ten nations of Africa as candidates for the Visiting Scholar program at CARA. The selected Sister Visiting Scholar comes to the CARA offices in Washington, DC for six months where she joins the CARA research team and develop her skills in applied research. For more about the program and their work:

New Report on the "Satisfaction and Challenges among Recently Ordained Priests." The National Association of Catholic Theological Schools (NACTS) commissioned CARA to conduct a survey of recently ordained Catholic priests in the United States regarding how well U.S. Catholic seminaries are preparing men for their priestly life and ministry and in what areas of their priestly life and ministry the newly ordained priests are most and least satisfied. This report details the results of this study.

Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Boston

CARA and the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) recently hosted a gathering of representatives from Catholic research centers around the world that have interest and experience in studying religious life to initiate an international network to share research and collaborate on future projects.  The proceeding are available here online.

Just how badly has the Covid-19 pandemic hit the Catholic Church in the United States? After taking such a hard hit financially, how can U.S. bishops help parishes be “field hospitals” for the sick during a time of so much need? We asked the bishops and here is what they said:

Photo courtesy of Eneas De Troya.