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Jesuitical

Best of Jesuitical: How a religious order decides it’s time to close up shop

Jesuitical

America Media

News, News Commentary, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.71K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, Jesuitical is bringing back a poignant yet hopeful conversation with Sister Donna Dodge, the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York, which recently decided to embark on a “path to completion.” That means the over 200-year-old congregation will no longer accept new vocations (though their ministry continues). We discuss: - How religious life has changed since Sister Donna joined in 1966 - How the sisters discerned that it was time to let go—and how their charism of charity will live on in the work of lay collaborators - Why the church needs to change the way it talks about “vocation” with young people You can follow us on ⁠X⁠ and on ⁠Instagram:⁠ @jesuiticalshow You can find us on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/jesuitical⁠⁠⁠ Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a ⁠digital subscriber⁠ to America magazine at⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:05.1

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0:07.2

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0:18.0

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0:23.6

HelloVet.

0:36.3

Hello and welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast from American Media for saints and sinners.

0:41.3

You can join us each week for honest conversations about the Catholic Church in our world today,

0:45.9

sometimes over drinks. I'm Ashley McKinless, and I'm joined by Zach Davis.

0:49.4

It's great to be with you, Ashley.

0:50.4

Good to be here.

0:51.0

So a story that we see all the time in the church is the dwindling number of vowed religious.

0:57.6

And that means that there are a dwindling number of religious orders.

1:01.6

You have the heavy hitters like the Franciscans, the Jesuits, the Dominicans, now the Augustinians

1:07.1

had a new light.

1:08.1

Got a boost.

1:09.1

Yeah, from our Populia the 14th.

1:10.7

But there are all kinds of these religious orders who have made huge contributions to the

1:14.2

church over the centuries that find themselves with fewer and fewer members.

1:17.9

The people who are left are asking the question, what do we do if we're the last ones?

1:22.7

So we got to talk to Sister Donna Dodge about just that.

1:25.6

Yeah, Sister Donna is the president of the Sisters of Charity

...

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