Photo by James A. McBride
From March 8-14, the vital contributions of women religious will be honored around the country, as National Catholic Sisters Week takes place.
Whether living cloistered lives in contemplative prayer, working on the frontlines of global change, and striving to improve society, Catholic sisters devote their lives to serving God.
In the Diocese of Camden, there are currently 236 women religious, representing 27 communities, in the fields of education, healthcare, social services, religious education and spiritual direction.
It’s well known that the number of women religious has decreased dramatically in recent decades. In the United States, the number has dropped from 705,529 in 1970 to 49,883 in 2014.
Nonetheless, nearly 1,000 U.S. women are currently in formation preparing to become sisters. And members of the millennial generation (those born after 1982) say they are more likely to consider a religious vocation than members of Gen X (those born between early 1960s and the early 1980s), according to the National Catholic Sisters Week homepage.
The week is an opportunity “to recognize all they have done for us,” said a press release announcing the week. “It’s also our hope that as more young women learn about women religious, more will choose to follow their example.”
For more information, visit www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org
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