Towards an Anthropology of Vocation: From Crisis to Purpose in the Contemporary Catholic Church

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My doctoral project starts with an examination the social and religious implication of the vocations crisis. The current decrease in religious seminaries is particularly affecting Western Catholicism. The latest entrant figures for England and Wales alone show an 80% decrease of seminaries. In 1985, 162 novices entered religious orders, which is now down to 32 in 2017 (National Office for Vocation, 2018). The universal call to holiness was first articulated in 1963 during The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). It refers to the inclusive religious belief that vocation, as a universal theological tenet, is applicable to all human beings. It was recently re-emphasised in the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod of Bishops in October 2018 as a theological response to the social and structural challenges associated with the vocations crisis. Against the backdrop of the vocations crisis, the ecumenical Catholic community, Chemin Neuf, are working according to a non-traditional model of religious vocation. Through fieldwork, my doctoral research will follow the religious and missionary activity of Chemin Neuf as they continue to grow as a religious community. My aim is to determine whether there is a correlation between an inclusive and community focused approach to religious life, and sentiments of purpose and meaning that make for a successful vocation. This will allow me to make a novel contribution to social scientific thought regarding vocation, wellbeing and happiness within a religious context.