CM's Get Vocation Coverage in Reuters
Catholic Orders Seek Recruits in Cyberspace
Wed November 12, 2003 12:24 PM ET By Deborah Scoblionkov
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Some Catholic religious orders, shaken by church sex scandals and a drop in priesthood volunteers, are turning to cyberspace to attract new vocations, church officials said this week.
Among those taking to the Internet for new recruits are the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentian order of priests and monks who follow the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul.
“Like most religious communities, we’ve gotten smaller and grayer,” said the Rev. John Maher, director of the Vincentian vocation ministry for the Philadelphia-based Eastern Province USA, which has seen its membership shrink from 400 in 1976 to fewer than 200 today.
Tags: Youth