None too happy with 30% drop

Vocations to women's religious orders have fallen sharply in Poland, while the number of priestly vocations has remained stable.

Bishop Wojciech Polak of Gniezno has called attention to a 30% drop in female religious vocations over the past 20 years. The decrease is particularly acute in rural areas, the bishop notes, in part because 90% of the vocations are being fostered by lay movements, which are most active in Poland's cities.


When the corporate world has trouble recruiting enough candidates to fill positions, often times companies use ad campaigns, hire P.R. firms or send out a spokesperson to visit schools.

In the instant case, perhaps the best solution would be for Polish television to secure the syndication rights for the 1960's program "The Flying Nun" starring Sally Fields. The reruns could be dubbed in Polish and would present the vocation as a fun and fulfilling commitment.

The statistics cited by Bishop Polak show another interesting trend: a rise in the number of men over the age of 50 who are pursuing religious vocations. Maybe that's due to a not so swell pension system in Poland.