Page 13 - Unity Edn 44
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UNITY
I
Myth #6: Younger religious are Myth #9: New members would
not interested in traditional prefer to live alone.
devotional practices. Fact: Newer members are coming to
Fact: Newer members have ranked religious life not just for ministry, but
highly daily Mass as very important also for common prayer and community
to them.Their prayer style also living as well. Respondents were much
expresses a strong preference for more likely to indicate a preference for
Liturgy of the Hours, faith-sharing, living in a large (8 or more) or medium-
nonliturgical common prayer, sized (4 to 7) community than living
Eucharistic adoration, and common in a small community and especially
rosary and meditation. living alone. This is especially true of
younger members.
Myth #7: There are fewer
religious communities. Myth #10: New members want to
Fact: The rise and diminishment of live with younger members.
religious institutes has always been Fact: Although having a peer group of
part of the continuum of religious their age cohort is extremely important
life. Once a need is met, unless to younger members, the evidence
a community adapts its founding shows an extremely high percentage
charism to addressing the changing (93) of newer members who prefer
needs in the Church, it is not to live in community with people of
uncommon for the community to different ages. In addition, newer
end. Many congregations today that members also show a preference for
share a same charism are either living with people of different cultures
consolidating or merging into new and who do different ministries.
religious institutes. One little known
fact is that since the end of Vatican Bonus:
II in 1965, approximately 175 newer
religious communities have been
founded in the United States alone. Myth #11: New members are
Some were only short-lived, but drawn to the ministries of a
others are canonically recognized community.
as religious institutes by the Church Fact: Newer members indicate
today. that they are drawn to religious
life because of the example of the
members, the spirituality, prayer life,
Myth #8: Religious communities community life, and mission of the
are homogeneous and lacking in institute. In fact, more than half of
ethnic and cultural diversity. the newer members surveyed indicate
Fact: This may have been the case that they were previously involved
previously, but newer members are in either some liturgical ministry or
definitely changing the face of religious other volunteer work in a parish or
life in this country. Fifty eight percent other setting. Since newer members
of newer religious are white Anglo, were already previously involved in
compared to 94 percent of the finally some type of ministry, clearly, they
professed men and women religious are coming to religious life not just for
in the US. Nearly 20 percent of newer ministry—they are coming for a way
entrants were born in a country other of life that is different from what they
than the United States. Hispanic/ were living before.
Latino vocations make up 21 per cent
of the newer religious while 14 per Fr. Peter Hendriks MSC
cent are Asian/Pacific and 6 per cent Vocations Director
are African or African American.
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