CARA

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.

This report presents findings from a national survey of women and men religious who formally entered a religious congregation, province, or monastery based in the United States during 2019. Nearly four in five (77%) responding religious institutes had no one entering religious life in 2019.  Eleven percent reported one entrant and 12% reported two or more. The average age of respondents of the Entrance Class of 2019 is 28.  Half of the respondents are age 25 or younger.

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. Eight in ten responding religious institutes (83percent) had no one professing perpetual vows in religious life in 2019. One in ten institutes (11percent) had one perpetual profession and just over one in twenty (6 percent) reported two or more. The average age of responding religious of the Profession Class of 2019is 39. Half of the responding religious are age 34 or younger. The youngest is 24and the oldest is 71.

CARA and the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) are partnering on a Visiting Scholars program thanks to the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. ASEC identifies Catholic Sisters from among ten nations of Africa as candidates.  The selected sisters come to CARA for six months where they joins the CARA research team and develops their skills in applied research. On their return home, each sister initiates and completes several applied research projects that serve the needs of her Religious Institute or the national conference of Sisters in her nation. CARA continues to mentor the Visiting Scholars after their return home. A new section of our website is dedicated to this program and more generally the Church in Africa.

Whether in Boston in 2002, Pennsylvania in 2018, or McCarrick, the same pattern emerges. Clergy born in the 1930s, ordained in the 1960s accused of abuse during the 1960s to the 1980s. News about allegations is new but incidence of abuse today is rare. Cases in news fit historical pattern. For more analysis: