How Catholic religious communities are trying to attract young people again.


http://www.slate.com/id/2201421/pagenum/2/

WOW! what a shock! it's the conservative traditional orders that are growing, NOT the kumbayah buffoons of the 1960's. liberalism is bankrupt, no one wants it. I'm sick of seeing nuns in secular outfits, even if they festoon themselves with Crosses. I recall in 1975 a dinner was held at STS.Peter &Paul in Chattanooga in honor of the canonization of Mother Seton. the local contingent of Nuns from Memorial Hospital attended. they were for the most part in secular dress. one was even in a red dress reminiscent of Jezebel (Bette Davis). true, these Nuns are dedicated to their calling, but let me know who you are on the street so I can thank you for your work.look what you are. true, there are those who dress in Religious garb who perhaps have no business doing so,but my concern is those whose dress and walk match their talk. it's encouraging to see young women in Religious garb of the Dominican Order, they are growing in numbers, folks. it's also encouraging to see Mother Angelica in traditional habit, she is indeed a role model for the younger generation. the same what I have said through out this post goes for Monks and Priests.
in a related note, did you know that many young Priests who are conservative have few if any mentors, that they are bullied by liberal superiors? pray for them.
yes, Tradition is winning out folks, liberalism only lasts a brief season,popping up out of the ground as a noxious weed, but Tradition is there for the duration. thanks, Alice.
Much Love,
Jonn

Archbishop Fulton Sheen of holy memory addressed a large gathering of nuns and the priests who work with them. He began with these words:

Reverend Fathers,
Distinguishable Sisters

...!

Fr. Serge

Dear Alice,

Actually it's no great cause for surprise that authentic monasticism still draws vocations, while "active" communities are having much more difficulty.

The "active" communities were particularly attractive, quite understandably, when otherwise many sorts of work were closed, especially to women. Paramonastic Sisters did magnificent, necessary work for God and the people which they would not have been allowed to do if they had remained simple laywomen. Their example will always be powerful. But there is no need to lose sight of the centuries of history of Christian monasticism - it began with authentic monastic life, and turned to the "active" option only under at least one of two conditions: either there was a need which no one else would meet (this was the case, for example, in Constantinople, where the monastics organized hospitals - and in parts of Eastern Europe during the Communist yoke, when even the Communists discovered that there were some necessary forms of work that only consecrated paramonastics would do), or it was necessary to open these possibilities to those who had vocations to do such work but who were blocked without the support of paramonastic consecration.

Of their nature, these two conditions do not last forever. But the need for authentic monasticism does not stop - at least not in this world.

Fr. Serge

I remember hearing several times, that those oders who remain 'authentic' to their charisms of their order, or 'return' to them, those are the ones that are growing. That makes sence.