Thomas P. GAUNT, SJ (ed). Pathways to Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. 192. $24.95 hb. ISBN 978-0-19-087815-3. Reviewed by Francis BERNA, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA 19141.

What is a vocation director for religious life or the priesthood to do?  As with undergraduate university admissions, administrators will emphasize the importance of quality over numbers.  However, the bottom line for leadership in most every venue ultimately comes down to numbers.  But, what should those numbers be?  And what sort of “quality” should the clerical or religious vocation director be seeking?

              With the precipitous decline in vocations to the religious life and priesthood, community members and directors have invested themselves in all sorts of discussion and engaged in various activities hoping to attract new members.  Pathways to Religious Life provides a resource to move beyond speculation and conjecture.  This volume, edited by Tomas Gaunt, provides both data and explanation from ten years of research on vocations in the United States conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

              The opening chapter gives a perspective that should color the reader’s approach to the subsequent findings.  With Patricia Wittberg the editor outlines the history of religious life in the United States.  The heroic work, particularly of the women religious early in the country’s history, strikes this reviewer as creative and bold with the women responding to “whatever need presents itself.”  The Twentieth Century transformed the lives of these women in “simple vows” into “real religious” simultaneously imposing greater restrictions and partial cloister.  The communities gave greater emphasis to identifiable garb as well as traditional apostolates of education and hospital nursing.  With a small membership religious did great work.  Large numbers came with the 1940’s and 1950’s.  Male religious engaged in pastoral ministry or the specific work of their community’s apostolate.

              What perspective does this opening chapter suggest?  First, communities and vocation directors should keep realistic expectations.  Second, they should also appreciate the cultural dynamics of a largely lower economic class of immigrants with large families who entered religious communities.  Finally, while other chapters will attempt to show some of the factors that attract individuals to the priesthood and religious life, no one program or community lifestyle works across the board.

              Statistics point out the mistaken opinion that traditional communities attract far greater numbers.  In fact, research shows “One of the most striking findings regarding new entrants is that almost equal numbers of women have been attracted to institutes in both conferences (LCWR and CMSRW) in recent years) (p. 17).  At the same time, more traditional devotional practices do find repeated reference as a positive influence.  Regular Mass attendance, daily prayer, and the Rosary are important to younger priests and religious while Eucharist Adoration finds even more frequent mention in the text.  Here some more seasoned members of religious communities may need to re-welcome these devotional practices if they want to welcome new members.

              What are some other practical steps communities and vocations directors might take?  Based on the studies religious and priests need to be present to young people with particular attention given to the college years.  The presence needs to be one of listening and encouragement.  Survey respondents repeatedly stated that personal knowledge of a sister, brother, or priest was very influential in their own vocational decision. Herein lies a challenge of how religious and priests wish to be recognized in a largely secular culture. Volunteer and service programs also rank high.  One area of recommended improvement calls for continued contact with volunteers after their time of service.  Taking young adults seriously includes incorporating them into liturgical ministry and engaging them with faith formation, even at younger ages.  Student debt keeps some people from considering religious life or the priesthood.  It also prevents some dioceses and communities from accepting candidates.  Some communities have addressed this issue by extending the time and nature of candidacy.  Candidates can live with the community for several years while maintaining their professional work to decrease their debt.  This keeps them engaged with community members and engages them in a process of ongoing discernment.

              Discernment, however, remains an important key.  The discernment should not concern only the individual considering the priesthood or religious life.  Nor should discernment include only vocation directors.  It should be a matter for the whole church. How do we welcome new immigrants?  How do we welcome international religious and priests coming as missionaries?  Can we see in lay associates to religious communities a genuine expression of the founder’s charism?  What of new and emerging expressions of the consecrated life?

              The studies make clear that vocations to the priesthood and religious life go through cycles of growth, decline, and rebirth (p. 158).  As with the individual discerning her or his vocation, so too, the faithful need to keep attentive to the movements of the Spirit in this time and place.