In this article, the USA Today comments on the CARA report earlier this month on women religious who took their final vows in 2010. The article focuses on the disappointing statistic that more than half of the sisters were discouraged by a family member in pursuing their vocation.
In most families that I’ve encountered, the problem is that religious vocations are not adequately valued. Contraception, the natural but at times inordinate desire for grandchildren, lukewarm faith, poor formation, and secular values are but a few of the factors that come into play, along with the normal emotions that go with having a loved one more away, potentially forever.
Maybe in the cases in which the family isn’t on board with the decision, the young woman’s vocation may be a catalyst for the conversion of the family . . .
Sad they would focus on this aspect of the otherwise positive study. I wonder exactly the extent and intensity of “discouragement” from family members. When my sister entered religious life, an elderly aunt “discouraged” her, appealing to the argument that “You can no longer wear makeup.” This is a far cry from forbidding one’s child to enter religious life. I’m sure each of the sisters’ experiences fall at varying points on the spectrum of “discouragement.”