Nun Explains How the Sisterhood’s Changed
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Updated: 11:57 PM Jan 10, 2009
Nun Explains How the Sisterhood’s Changed
A nun in Wausau says fewer girls are joining the sisterhood and fears it may be because people view nun's lifestyle as too strict.
Posted: 9:18 PM Jan 10, 2009
Reporter: WSAW Staff
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Overtime, everything is bound to change – even things once thought to be bound by tradition.

Sometimes, however, people fail to see exactly how much things change.

That’s why NewsChannel 7 recently sat down with Sister Mary Barbara Cherek.

This September she will have been a nun for sixty years. In that time, she says she’s seen innumerable changes in the sisterhood, but still fewer women joining.

“Here in the United States vocations are very scarce,” Sister Barbara said. “We do not get the girls we used to.”

In fact, Sister Barbara says when she entered the sisterhood, her province in Chicago had more than 800 nuns. Right now she says they barely have a hundred and most are in their nineties. Less than fifty are working and bringing in a salary.

Sister Barbara says she’s not sure why fewer girls are choosing vocation, only that she has a few ideas.

“My opinion is that there’s no commitment,” she said. “They probably feel that we have a very strict life, which is all wrong today.”

“Sixty years ago we did not have that many types of work to do so most of us became teachers,” said Sister Barbara.

Now, the sisterhood has a wide variety of work nuns can do – virtually any job a woman could dream of.

But Sister Barbara also feels some young women may fear joining a sisterhood will mean limited amounts of fun as well.

"We have a good time,” she said. “We go bowling, swimming - we do whatever."

But she realizes everyone believes they are meant to do something, and sisterhood may just not be for everyone.

"We believe God gives us a calling,” she said. "I had an aunt who was religious and she inspired me to join the sisterhood. I just wanted to that type of work. So at the age of 13, I already knew the sisterhood was going to be my life."

"I say listen to the Lord. He does not tap you on the shoulder - a vocation is a feeling. ‘This is what I want to do.’"

To learn more vocations, click on the link below.

www.vocationmatch.com.


Latest Comments

Posted by: Sister Julie Location: Chicago, IL on Jan 16, 2009 at 08:50 AM

Sister Mary Barbara raises some good points about why there may be fewer vocations. It's important to keep in mind that religious life has never been about having high numbers of vocations. The days of 70 people entering each year was a unique phenomenon in the history of religious life. My concern is that we are not always where young people are. We have to be online, interacting in social networks, meeting them in their space. It's not so much that people can't see us but that they don't know enough about our life -- if people think religious life is only about being "super holy" or only about habits or only about teaching, then they may not be able to envision themselves as living this life. It's important that Sisters help others see what it's like to be a Catholic nun or sister today. That's one of the key messages of my blog, ANunsLife.org.
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Posted by: Sister Patricia Location: St. Paul, MN on Jan 13, 2009 at 08:54 AM

I think the reason that woman are not becoming sisters today is mainly that they do not see or know sisters. Many sisters do not wear habits and the fact they are sisters is not known. Certainly God is calling many woman today but if they do not have personal knowledge of sisters the choice is almost impossible. My community does wear a habit and we are getting vocations.
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