Three things surprised me about the study of nuns (by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the National Religious Vocation Conference) reported on by Laurie Goodstein in today’s New York Times (MSM):
–I knew the population of Catholic clergy was aging but this is truly amazing: “Ninety-one percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older.”

–I knew a lot of the new priests were non-white but figured most were Hispanic. Many are Hispanic but a) almost three times as many are white and b) there’s a very significant minority (14%) of new recruits are Asian and Pacific Islanders
–Those called now actually prefer some of the most traditional aspects of Catholic clerical life — communal living and wearing habits.