Unmitigated Disaster: Religious Life Killed Since Vatican II
Davids-Ruminations-Blogspot.com (March 18) looked at the top dozen religious orders since Vatican II (1962-65). • The Jesuits are down 60% (14,439) from their all-time high in 1966 (36,038). • …More
Davids-Ruminations-Blogspot.com (March 18) looked at the top dozen religious orders since Vatican II (1962-65).
• The Jesuits are down 60% (14,439) from their all-time high in 1966 (36,038).
• Franciscans (-54%), Oblates of Mary Immaculate (-53%), Redemptorists (-50%), Vincentians (-51%), Benedictines (-54%).
• Only the Divine Word Missionaries reached their peak in 2009 (6,131) and, for priests, the Discalced Carmelites in 2016 (2,937).
• Taking the top 12 orders together, the all-time high was in 1966 (160,926) which dropped in 2022 to 88,407 (-45%).
• The Salesians will overtake the Jesuits as the largest order in two years' time.
Picture: © Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA, #newsAhrsezsfkt
• The Jesuits are down 60% (14,439) from their all-time high in 1966 (36,038).
• Franciscans (-54%), Oblates of Mary Immaculate (-53%), Redemptorists (-50%), Vincentians (-51%), Benedictines (-54%).
• Only the Divine Word Missionaries reached their peak in 2009 (6,131) and, for priests, the Discalced Carmelites in 2016 (2,937).
• Taking the top 12 orders together, the all-time high was in 1966 (160,926) which dropped in 2022 to 88,407 (-45%).
• The Salesians will overtake the Jesuits as the largest order in two years' time.
Picture: © Quinn Dombrowski, CC BY-SA, #newsAhrsezsfkt
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alfred dunn
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FSSP and like orders are way up. Too bad we have Francis.
Kenjiro M. Yoshimori
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"The Salesians will overtake the Jesuits as the largest order in two years' time.' This is outstanding news. Personally, I'd love to see the Jesuits at below 10,000 in 10 years. This post doesn't touch on the female Orders, especially the most famous and historically the largest, but some of those declines are even worse.
Keep in mind that these were once great Orders of traditional nuns, but now …More
"The Salesians will overtake the Jesuits as the largest order in two years' time.' This is outstanding news. Personally, I'd love to see the Jesuits at below 10,000 in 10 years. This post doesn't touch on the female Orders, especially the most famous and historically the largest, but some of those declines are even worse.
Keep in mind that these were once great Orders of traditional nuns, but now all lay-clothes radical feminists which have pushed a radical agenda including women priests and homo rights for 50 years. The Daughters of Charity, at over 50,000 nuns before Vatican II are down to 12,000+, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary had over 10,000, now 5,100. The School Sisters of Notre Dame had over 12,000 pre-Vatican II, today 1,811......the Religious of the Good Shepherd also had over 12,000 sisters before Vatican II, 2,827 today.
Vatican II is a disease in the Catholic Church. The only cure is a new Catholic pope who recognizes it as such. Let us hope we get one soon......before all these Orders are gone.
Some Order like the Jesuits might still exist for another 10-15 years....and the same for nuns. But their median age is also against them....in the mid 70's for the Jesuits...and for the Orders of nuns I mentioned....in the 80's.
So for all intents and purposes, they are already extinct.
Keep in mind that these were once great Orders of traditional nuns, but now all lay-clothes radical feminists which have pushed a radical agenda including women priests and homo rights for 50 years. The Daughters of Charity, at over 50,000 nuns before Vatican II are down to 12,000+, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary had over 10,000, now 5,100. The School Sisters of Notre Dame had over 12,000 pre-Vatican II, today 1,811......the Religious of the Good Shepherd also had over 12,000 sisters before Vatican II, 2,827 today.
Vatican II is a disease in the Catholic Church. The only cure is a new Catholic pope who recognizes it as such. Let us hope we get one soon......before all these Orders are gone.
Some Order like the Jesuits might still exist for another 10-15 years....and the same for nuns. But their median age is also against them....in the mid 70's for the Jesuits...and for the Orders of nuns I mentioned....in the 80's.
So for all intents and purposes, they are already extinct.
John A Cassani
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That’s interesting about the Divine Word Missionaries. They must have been pretty successful in Africa. I can’t imagine they’ve had many vocations in the US in a very long time. Every SVD I’ve ever met was a crazy liberal, who promoted retreats at places that had Buddha statues and zen gardens.