RESEARCH, EVALUATION & OUTCOMES

Surveys conducted by the Saint Ann Foundation in 2001 found congregations of women religious facing common challenges due to aging memberships and decreasing resources. The study involved women religious in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee ― Region VI of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization representing more than 400 congregations of Catholic sisters living and working in the United States. Research was also performed in South Carolina.

Common challenges facing the surveyed congregations included:

• Aging. A steady decline in the number of women religious threatens the congregations’ ability to carry on the work of their ministries.
• Decreasing resources. Many congregations are providing needed services while transitioning the ministries to others, and looking for new ways to use individual and collective resources.
• Critical decisions to be made. Ramifications of the choices congregations make regarding their ministries will significantly impact the populations they serve, now and in the future.

Diocese of Cleveland

Sustaining the Future of Shared Ministry is a project of the Conference of Religious Leaders funded in part by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland. The effort explores collaborative strategies for congregations of women religious in the Diocese of Cleveland and includes a mapping project to track the Sisters and their ministries.

Key findings culled from surveys of 13 Northeast Ohio congregations and 751 individual, active women religious are below. The data shows that the next 15 years (2007-2022) are critical for strategic planning & implementation. For more information, contact Sr. Ruthmary Powers, HM, Program Director, Religious Communities.

Catholic Women Religious in Northeast Ohio by Age

Catholic Women Religious in Northeast Ohio by County

Catholic Women Religious in Northeast Ohio By Ministry