Over the past 50 years, the Church has experienced a steady decline in the number of consecrated persons. According to the Statistical Yearbook of the Holy See, between 1970 and 2024 the number of consecrated women decreased by 41%; non-ordained religious men by 39%; and priestly religious men by 14%. While there were 1,232,500 consecrated persons in 1970, by 2024 that number had fallen to 766,000 (-38%).
Although Africa and Asia (India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia) offer growth and young communities, they do not compensate for the losses elsewhere. And in the coming decades, three factors will increase these losses: the decline in new vocations; the aging in religious life; and global changes in terms of personal decision-making.
Contemporary culture prioritizes flexibility and the continuous review of decisions; although many consider definitive commitments an ideal, in practice they remain open to reversing decisions. “Until death” or a lifelong religious profession are not attractive. Keeping future possibilities open is preferred. Faced with the choice between “continuous choice” or “stable fidelity,” new generations adhere to the former.
In perspective, the losses in consecrated life are even more striking: in 2024 there were 118.5% more Catholics than in 1970, but 40% fewer consecrated persons. In 1970 there were 650 million Catholics, and 0.19% (1,232,500) were consecrated; in 2024 there were 1.42 billion Catholics, and 0.05% (766,000) were consecrated.
Faced with the temptations of resignation or withdrawal, history teaches that not every ending is sterility. The fundamental question is not how many of us there are, but what kind of life we bear witness to. Do we interpret this reality through fear or through faith?
The Gospel says, “Whoever remains in me, and I in him, bears fruit” (John 15:5). To bear fruit, one must remain, that is, create bonds and shared life. The decisive factor is not quantity, but permanence; not survival, but fruitfulness.
Jesus refers to is not an individual achievement. The consecrated community loses its purpose if it is seen as a legal framework, a space for control, or a refuge of stability. It is called to be a charismatic place of shared discernment, of self-giving with and for others. Whether many or few, do we spur each other on to self-giving, or do we merely tolerate each other without conviction? Does the community help us remain in Christ, or is it simply a functional space?
Let us take a view on History. The liberal confiscations of Church properties in the 19th century led to the near disappearance of the Recollection in Spain (1835) and Colombia (1861). Expelled, dispersed, or converted into diocesan priests, many friars succumbed.
But then the missions were their lifeline, a survival option that proved fruitful. The conventual model opened itself more to mission work, to new fields of activity (geographical expansion, education, frontier ministries, local vocations)…
Naturally, there were tensions regarding charismatic identity and community life. But there was never a shortage of sincere Recollects, faithful to their formation, who saw in the Constitutions not a set of rules, but a vital project. They combined mission, prayer, and common life, just as Saint Augustine did, who never wanted communities closed in on themselves, but rather open to the needs of the Church. This allowed the charism not only to survive, but to be purified and strengthened.
And today, how do we reinvent ourselves ? Rupture or memory? Individual solutions or community processes? Anxiety for results or faithful perseverance in Christ? The gospel doesn’t promise an absence of crisis, but rather fruitfulness to those who remain. No history is a linear one of successes; rather, it contains crises, deaths, and resurrections.
- Are we willing to be pruned in order to bear more fruit?
- A future with fewer, but more meaningful communities?
- Do we trust in the evangelizing power of a consistent common life?
- Are we seeking the fruits of the Spirit or do we prefer functional results?
