ARTICLES

Random Samples

About 40 orders were called in the San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco dioceses. Eleven were reached and asked:

How many sisters have you?
How many living and praying together?
How many doing apostolic work of order?
How many wearing habit?

Two declined to comment. The following are the responses.


SAN DIEGO DIOCESE
School Sisters of Notre Dame
5 in diocese
2 live and pray together daily in a parish convent, the other 3 live alone in various parish assignments
Of the 2 in community, 1 is teaching (at parish school), the other retired
1 wears a veil.


Missionaries of Charity
(contemplative branch)
5 in cloistered convent
all live and pray together daily
all pray in church and visit homes in parish
all wearing habit


Sisters of the Precious Blood
4 in diocese
2 live and pray together daily in one parish house,
2 in another
All 4 pray together about once a month
0 are teaching, 1 is doing pastoral ministry
unable to ascertain


LOS ANGELES ARCHDIOCESE:
Maryknoll Sisters
(Ossining, N.Y.-based)
40 in retirement house
all live and pray together
not applicable
unable to ascertain


Sisters of the Holy Cross
38 in retirement house
all live and pray together
not applicable
3 wear habit


Anonymous
102 sisters and 6 novices
all live and pray together in convents
all work in education, health care and retreat houses
all wear habit


Anonymous
20 sisters in Calif. and other western states
most live in pairs
all work with people of other cultures, especially immigrants
unable to ascertain


SAN FRANCISCO ARCHDIOCESE
Missionaries of Charity
4 sisters and 45 novices in novitiate house
all live and pray together daily
all do various works of charity
all wear habit


Anonymous
150 sisters in Calif.
120 of whom live in convents, the rest in pairs or alone
Those in convents live and pray together daily
about 40 wear habit