Plenty of valuable data exists about who has been entering religious life recently and why. The National Religious Vocation Conference has made this information available in a highly visual “storymap” online.
That research, and other data, also appear in written form at “Studies” at nrvc.net.
Some highlights:
• Newer members express hope about the future, even as they acknowledge that the demographics of religious life are changing fast.
• Newer members are diverse, ethnically and in terms of age, although most are young. The newest research shows the median age for those entering religious life in 2020 was 26.
• What draws new people into religious life are a desire for prayer, spiritual growth, charism, the joy of community life, a sense of call, and mission.