I USA har antaller nonner\/s\u00f8stre g\u00e5tt ned fra 180 000 i 1965 til 59 000 i 2009 – og gjennomsnittsalderen deres er 75 \u00e5r! I USA er de ogs\u00e5 organisert i to store grupper, de mer tradisjonelle (the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious) og de mer moderne (the Leadership Conference of Women Religious ) – det er disse siste som mister flest medlemmer. En av de «moderne» skriver her om sin forst\u00e5else av situasjonen – noks\u00e5 sjokkerende m\u00e5 jeg si; det virker som om de som har valgt et liv innviet til Herren, likevel ikke skal leve slik:<\/p>\n
«… the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious was formed with membership based on wearing the habit, communal prayer, eucharistic adoration and fidelity to the church. Meanwhile, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious continued in the spirit of Vatican II to be open to the world, exploring avenues of liberation theology, feminist theology and the plight of the poor, among others.<\/p>\n Members of the Leadership Conference embrace modernity and the work of the council as the Holy Spirit breathing new life in the church. They fall under what Father Radcliffe identifies as the Concilium group, who focus on the Incarnation as the central point of renewal. Members of the Conference of Major Superiors, by contrast, are Communio Catholics, who emphasize communion through proclamation of the faith, a clear Catholic identity and the centrality of the cross. (Concilium and Communio are the names of two periodicals founded in the postconciliar era. The first stressed conciliar reforms; the second stressed the continuity of the council documents with the community of the faithful through past centuries.) Thus, one group focuses on doxology and adoration (Communio), the other on practice and experience (Concilium). One sees Christ as gathering people into community (Communio); the other sees Christ as traversing boundaries (Concilium). The C.M.S.W.R. recently held its eucharistic congress under the title \u201cSacrifice of Enduring Love,\u201d while the L.C.W.R. continues to work on systemic change. The former sees religious life as divine espousal with Christ; the latter sees Christ in solidarity with the poor and justice for the oppressed. … »<\/p>\n