Survey reveals common threads behind final vows of 2024’s professed religious

Religious sisters gather at SEEK25 in Salt Lake City, Jan. 3, 2025. / Credit: Kate Quiñones/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 3, 2025 / 15:40 pm (CNA).

A newly released survey is pulling back the curtain on the men and women who professed perpetual vows this past year. 

Here’s a snapshot of those who made their final vows in 2024:

Once again, nearly all respondents to the annual study conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) reported being raised by their biological parents during the most formative part of their childhood, with at least one Catholic parent.

The survey report released on Monday polled a total of 140 religious who professed perpetual vows in 2024, including 73 sisters and nuns and 67 brothers and priests ranging from 25 to 69 years old. 

Traditional family upbringing again prevailed as a shared trait among survey respondents, with 97% saying they were raised by their biological parents during their most formative years, and 90% reported being raised by a married couple living together.

Almost 9 in 10, 87%, reported both of their parents were Catholic, while 92% reported having at least one parent practicing the faith.

A look at demographics

According to the survey, about 7 in 10 responding religious were born in the U.S. Those born outside the U.S. were represented as follows:

• Asia (12%)

• Latin America (10%)

• Africa (6%)

• Canada (3%)

• Europe (1%)

The average age of foreign-born religious respondents when they came to the U.S. was 24, with the youngest arriving stateside at 1 year old and the oldest at 50. 

On average, respondents made their perpetual vows this year at age 37, with half of respondents making vows at 34 years or younger. The eldest sister to make her final profession was 69, while the eldest brother was 66. The youngest of both men and women was 25. 

A deeper dive: family dynamics 

While most of those who professed religious vows last year reported coming from stable two-parent homes, about 9% said they had been raised by grandparents “during the most formative part of their childhood.” 

In terms of family size, the report found that of the profession class of 2024, 96% had at least one sibling, with nearly 40% reporting having four or more. About a quarter, 27%, had just one sibling, while 32% reported having two to three. 

Only seven respondents were the only child in their family. 

About a third of respondents were the eldest siblings, while the same percentage reported being born somewhere in the middle of their families. Thirty-five respondents were the youngest. 

Faith and reason: educational background

Catholic education may have played a significant role in driving vocations among this year’s respondents. 

According to the survey, 43% reported attending Catholic elementary or middle school, 38% attended Catholic high school, and 41% attended a Catholic college or university. Regardless of religious affiliation, the majority of those who professed vows, 73%, completed an undergraduate or graduate degree before entering their religious institute. 

Women face more discouragement

The majority of respondents, almost 9 in 10, reported having served in some form of ministry before entering their religious institute. 

The “most common ministry experiences” were the following:

• Lector (55%)

• Altar server (54%)

• Youth/campus ministry (45%)

• Extraordinary minister (42%)

• Youth group (49%)

When discerning, almost 60% of respondents said they were “discouraged from considering a vocation to religious life by one or more persons.” 

The survey found that women were more likely to experience this discouragement than men, with 61% of women reporting negative reactions to their discernment compared with 43% of men. 

Nonetheless, most respondents on average reported knowing their respective orders for five years before entering. Ninety-three percent said they participated in a discernment program before entering, with 73% saying they attended a “come and see” experience.