Number of women religious in US falls below 50,000
October 16, 2014
The number of women religious in the United States has fallen below 50,000, according to a new report from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
The number of religious sisters grew from 147,310 in 1950 to 181,421 in 1966 before suffering a steep decline to 126,517 in 1980, 79,814 in 2000, and 49,883 in 2014.
Some religious institutes are countering the trend: the Nashville Dominicans have grown by 76% since 2000, and the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma (Michigan) have grown from nine in 1973 to nearly 100, according to the report.
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