engleski

Hope in the Dance of Light and Shadow. Sociodemographic Charachteristics of Women's Religious Communities in Croatia

Looking for signs of hope in apostolic women’s religious communities, the article presents some sociodemographic characteristics of women’s religious communities in Croatia. Regarding women religious in Croatia, a very limited amount of sociological research has been carried out so far. Th ere are only fragmentary bits of information collected by the Croatian Religious Conference. The sociodemographic characteristics presented in this article (the number and age of community members entering and leaving a community) are the results of research for the doctoral thesis “Understanding and Fulfi lment of the Mission of Women Religious in Croatia Today” interpreted in the light of hope and vitality. The statistical data are not very encouraging. Over a period of ten years (2008-2017), the total number of members of women’s religious communities has diminished by 14%. The average age in religious communities is 65. There is a small number of girls in the initial formation for religious life. All the indicators considered together do not suggest a flourishing of religious life in the near future. However, the sociodemographic characteristics of women’s religious communities in Croatia needs to be interpreted within the context of the total population of Croatia, which is also aging. When one compares the sociodemographic characteristics of women’s religious communities in Croatia with women’s religious communities in some other European countries, in which the majority of communities have not had any young candidates joining the community for decades, then one can conclude that religious communities in Croatia are still showing significant signs of hope and vitality.

Croatia ; hope ; number and age of women religious ; entering and leaving apostolic women's religious communities

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