Do not lose heart amid declining vocations, Pope tells contemplative Dominican nuns

October 01, 2026

Pope Leo XIV encouraged contemplative Dominican nuns not to lose heart amid declining vocations and the closing of monasteries.

After paying tribute to the contemplative vocation and reflecting on the importance of silence, Pope Leo spoke with members of the International Commission of Contemplative Dominican Nuns during a September 30 audience about “situations of difficulty: aging communities, deaths outnumbering new vocations, a decline in working capacity with consequent financial problems, the management of large and costly properties, and challenges such as shared formation, interculturalism and the organization of structures for communion.”

“The temptation of a ‘spirit of survival’ starts to creep in, leading to isolation and a scaling back of commitments, under the illusion that the few remaining resources will suffice, so as not to depend on others or have to close monasteries,” the Pope commented. “In the face of this, I invite you not to ask yourselves so much how to maintain structures that are becoming empty. Rather, listen to what the Spirit is asking of the Dominican contemplative life today, mindful that, before the works to be managed, there is a call to which we must respond, a fire that burns and which must not be allowed to die out, as Saint Catherine of Siena said.”

The Pope added:

Dear Sisters, even amidst the problems of the moment, never lose heart. Your service to the Church is precious: continue it with confidence, in communion and with discernment, united without uniformity, faithful to tradition and open to new things, contemplatives because you are capable of bringing the world before God.

May the Virgin Mary, invoked through the Holy Rosary, teach you to see the Lord’s invisible work each day and, with the help of her grace, to pour the oil of consolation and the wine of hope upon the wounds of humanity in our time.

 

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Further information:

• To the Members of the International Commission of Contemplative Dominican Nuns (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 9/30/26)
• Audience with the International Commission of Contemplative Dominican Nuns (Holy See Press Office, 9/30/26)
• Pope to contemplative nuns: The importance of silence in a world marked by speed (Vatican News, 9/30/26)