Anne M. Butler
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807835654
- eISBN:
- 9781469601618
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807837542_butler
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
Roman Catholic sisters first traveled to the American West as providers of social services, education, and medical assistance. This book traces the ways in which sisters challenged and reconfigured ...
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Roman Catholic sisters first traveled to the American West as providers of social services, education, and medical assistance. This book traces the ways in which sisters challenged and reconfigured contemporary ideas about women, work, religion, and the West; moreover, it demonstrates how religious life became a vehicle for increasing women's agency and power. Moving to the West introduced significant changes for these women, including public employment and thoroughly unconventional monastic lives. As nuns and sisters adjusted to new circumstances and immersed themselves in rugged environments, the author argues, the West shaped them; and through their labors and charities, the sisters in turn shaped the West. These female religious pioneers built institutions, brokered relationships between Indigenous peoples and encroaching settlers, and undertook varied occupations, often without organized funding or direct support from the church hierarchy. A comprehensive history of Roman Catholic nuns and sisters in the American West, the book reveals Catholic sisters as dynamic and creative architects of civic and religious institutions in western communities.Less
Roman Catholic sisters first traveled to the American West as providers of social services, education, and medical assistance. This book traces the ways in which sisters challenged and reconfigured contemporary ideas about women, work, religion, and the West; moreover, it demonstrates how religious life became a vehicle for increasing women's agency and power. Moving to the West introduced significant changes for these women, including public employment and thoroughly unconventional monastic lives. As nuns and sisters adjusted to new circumstances and immersed themselves in rugged environments, the author argues, the West shaped them; and through their labors and charities, the sisters in turn shaped the West. These female religious pioneers built institutions, brokered relationships between Indigenous peoples and encroaching settlers, and undertook varied occupations, often without organized funding or direct support from the church hierarchy. A comprehensive history of Roman Catholic nuns and sisters in the American West, the book reveals Catholic sisters as dynamic and creative architects of civic and religious institutions in western communities.
Mary L. Gautier
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- August 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190878153
- eISBN:
- 9780190878184
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190878153.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter explores population trends among religious institutes since Vatican II. While the overall trend, for both institutes of men and institutes of women, has been one of overall decline, ...
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This chapter explores population trends among religious institutes since Vatican II. While the overall trend, for both institutes of men and institutes of women, has been one of overall decline, examination of patterns within individual institutes provides a more nuanced narrative. The chapter begins by exploring six patterns of change and innovation within institutes of women. Some institutes declined during this period, some broke away or merged to form new institutes, and some grew by attracting new members or by incorporating members from outside the United States. The chapter next explores patterns within institutes of men and finds patterns of decline, innovation, and growth within these institutes as well. The chapter ends with a composite overview of the general characteristics of men and women in religious institutes today.Less
This chapter explores population trends among religious institutes since Vatican II. While the overall trend, for both institutes of men and institutes of women, has been one of overall decline, examination of patterns within individual institutes provides a more nuanced narrative. The chapter begins by exploring six patterns of change and innovation within institutes of women. Some institutes declined during this period, some broke away or merged to form new institutes, and some grew by attracting new members or by incorporating members from outside the United States. The chapter next explores patterns within institutes of men and finds patterns of decline, innovation, and growth within these institutes as well. The chapter ends with a composite overview of the general characteristics of men and women in religious institutes today.
