Indianapolis, USA - The shrinking number of women called to Roman Catholic religious vocations has caught up with the Carmelite Sisters of Indianapolis. They're giving up their monastery and moving in with another order 60 miles away.
The Carmelites, who've maintained a presence on Indianapolis' northwest side for 75 years, are moving this summer to the southeastern Indiana town of Oldenburg to live alongside the Sisters of St. Francis.
The Carmelites' numbers have fallen off to just nine sisters from 12 four years ago, and their average age has grown to the mid-70s. Meanwhile, efforts in recent years to recruit new members have produced few takers.
"We feel we will have quite a few more years to live our life the way it is supposed to be lived. Then we will die out. There is no question about that," said Sister Jean Alice McGoff, prioress of the monastery and a resident for 59 years.
It's a fate other religious orders for women also face, said Patricia Ann Wittberg, a sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The Sisters of Providence based at St. Mary-of-the-Woods in western Indiana have declined from 1,000 sisters in the 1960s to about 450 today. The Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, where the Carmelites are headed, have dropped from a peak of 850 to about 290.
Social forces have worked against religious communities, Wittberg said.
Catholic neighborhoods of the early 20th century were more "encapsulated" than they are now, she said. Nuns were highly visible in schools, and their service was revered. Life as a nun also offered women education and career opportunities unavailable elsewhere. Women today have broader opportunities.