New Faces, New Possibilities

Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ, PhD,is a Jesuit of the USA East Province. He has a PhD in city planning from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. Previously he was the executive secretary of the Jesuit Conference—USA, and director of formation and studies for the Jesuits of the Maryland and New York Provinces. Among his publications are: Catholic Parishes of the 21st Century, Pathways to Religious Life, and Catholic Bishops in the United States: Church Leadership in the Third Millennium.Sister Thu T. Do, LHC, PhD, is a Sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hanoi and a CARA research associate. She received her PhD in higher education at St. Louis University. Her dissertation focused on understanding the scholarship initiative for international religious sisters in Catholic higher education institutions. She coauthored Migration for Mission: International Catholic Sisters in the United States. At CARA, she is involved in various survey research projects, specializing in the area of religious life.

"This book offers a comprehensive and insightful contribution to understanding transformations experienced in the institutes of consecrated life in the United States and globally. It is unique in that most of the chapters articulate the realities of aging members and the cultural and ethnic diversity of the emerging religious institutes. The book documents thoughtful reflections, learnings, and innovative ways religious institutes are reimaging new structures for mission and charism, including discernment processes and new governance and collaborative models. This book invites us into the emerging creative field of research on consecrated life. Regardless of the challenges facing religious life today, this book affirms the core tenet of consecrated women's fidelity to God and pragmatic listening to contemporary challenges as an opportunity to learn and respond to new realities with new possibilities, hope, wisdom, and grace."Sister Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Associate Vice President of Programs Operations and Head Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

• ContentsList of Figures viiList of Tables ixList of Contributors xiIntroduction. Why Are Catholic Sisters Important Today?Thomas P. Gaunt xvPart I: New Waves of Women ReligiousChapter 1. New Members in Religious Life in the United StatesMary L. Gautier and Thu T. Do 3Chapter 2. Cultural Diversity in Vocations to Religious Life in the United StatesThu T. Do and Jonathon L. Wiggins 27Chapter 3. International Religious Institutes in the United StatesPatricia Wittberg and Thu T. Do 51Chapter 4. Challenges of Newer Members in Communities of Women ReligiousJuliet Mousseau and Mumbi Kigutha 75Part II: Changes in Governance and CollaborationChapter 5. The Evolution of Leadership in Religious LifeMichal Kramarek and Patricia Wittberg 89Chapter 6. Restructuring Governance in Religious LifeJonathon L. Wiggins and Thomas P. Gaunt 111 Chapter 7. Fidelity to the Journey:Options for Canonical Restructuring and CollaborationSharon Euart 131Chapter 8. Experiences of Restructuring, Growth, Culture, and EthnicityPatricia Cormack and Maria Theotokos Adams 147Conclusion. What Are We Learning?Thomas P. Gaunt 167Appendix. Research Studies Used in This Book 171References 181Index 185