Typical newly-professed US religious: 35-year-old cradle Catholic devoted to Rosary, Eucharistic adoration

January 30, 2026

The typical religious who professed perpetual vows in 2025 is a 35-year-old cradle Catholic who has three or more siblings and who regularly prayed the Rosary and took part in Eucharistic adoration before entering religious life, according to a survey released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A disproportionately high number attended Catholic schools or were home schooled. Relatively high numbers entered religious life despite familial attempts to discourage them: 40% reported they were discouraged from entering religious life by their mother, 33% by their father, and 47% by another relative.

520 of the 723 major superiors of US religious institutes responded to the survey, which was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. These 520 superiors provided contact information for 105 men and 74 women who professed perpetual vows in 2025. Of the 179, 71 newly-professed brothers and priests and 59 newly-professed nuns and sisters responded to the survey.

82% of the institutes reported no professions of perpetual vows (down from 87% two years ago), while 8% reported two or more newly-professed religious (up from 4% two years ago).

Among the survey’s findings:

• the median age of newly-professed religious is 35; the mean age, 38
• 26% of newly-professed men and women religious came from families with five or more siblings; 13% have four siblings, 20% have three siblings, 18% have two siblings, 21% have one sibling, and 1% have no siblings
• 35% are the eldest child in their family, while 23% are the youngest child
• 8% of the newly professed religious are converts, typically at age 20
• 85% of the newly professed religious reported that both parents were Catholic during their childhood
• 95% were raised by both biological parents during the most formative part of their childhood, 9% by grandparents, 5% by other relatives, and 3% by adoptive parents (respondents were asked to check all that apply)
• 85% were raised during the most formative part of their childhood by a married couple who lived together, 5% were raised by a separated or divorced parent, 3% by a widowed parent, and 2% by an unmarried couple living together
• 35% say they have a relative who is a priest or religious
• 57% are white, while 16% are Asian-American, 16% are Hispanic, and 9% are black
• 69% were born in the US; the median year of entry into the US of newly professed foreign-born religious was 2014
• 47% attended a Catholic elementary or middle school, 35% attended a Catholic high school, and 39% attended a Catholic college
• there was a stark difference in Catholic college attendance between the male religious (56% of whom attended a Catholic college) and the women religious (18% of whom attended a Catholic college), even though the women had higher rates of overall college attendance
• 13% were home schooled, for an average of eight years—at a time when only 2% of American children were home schooled
• 60% participated in parish religious education programs as a child
• 24% of newly professed religious had earned a graduate degree before they entered religious life, while an additional 49% had earned an undergraduate degree
• 61% had been employed full-time, and 23% part-time, before entering religious life
• 8% of newly professed religious report that their entry into religious life was delayed by college debt
• 21% participated in one of the World Youth Days, 18% participated in a Franciscan University of Steubenville high school conference, 13% were involved in FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), and 11% took part in a National Catholic Youth Conference
• 63% took part in a youth ministry program, while 55% took part in a young adult ministry program; 56% served as faith formation teachers, 57% as readers, and 41% in music programs
• 76% of the newly-professed male religious, and 40% of the newly-professed women religious, had been altar servers
• 79% of the newly professed regularly attended retreats before entering religious life, 77% regularly prayed the Rosary, and 71% regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration; 67% said they had regularly received spiritual direction, and 54% took part in a faith-sharing or Bible study group
• 52% regularly prayed the Liturgy of the Hours before entering religious life
• the typical newly professed religious began to consider a religious vocation at the age of 18 and was familiar with his or her institute for three years before entering religious life
• 10% reported that a priest or deacon discouraged them from entering religious life; 40% reported they were discouraged from entering religious life by their mother (up from 17% two years ago), 33% were discouraged from doing so by their father (up from 19%), and 47% were discouraged from doing so by another relative (up from 27%)
• 52% said they were encouraged by a religious to consider religious life, 48% by a friend, and 46% by a parish priest; 33% said their mother encouraged them to consider a religious vocation (up from 26% two years ago), and 19% said their father encouraged them to consider a vocation (down from 23% two years ago)
• 26% said a teacher or catechist encourage them to consider religious life; 6% say a bishop encouraged them

 

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Further information:

• 30th World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life and Profiles of Most Recent Profession Class (USCCB, 1/27/26)
• A Report to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (CARA, January 2026)