Italian religious look at positive side of generational, ethnic mix

Published: 2004-04-14

ROME (CNS) -- The combination of declining numbers, aging membership and growing ethnic diversity is old news for Italian congregations of women religious. Statistics were not offered at the April 13-16 national assembly of the Italian Union of Major Superiors; the 500 women superiors general and provincial superiors decided to look at new possibilities rather than old problems. Sister Giuseppina Alberghina, superior general of the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, said, "We are not lamenting anything." The assembly's theme was "Making Hope Visible in a Changing World," with several presentations focused particularly on promoting sharing among people of different generations and different ethnic backgrounds. Sister Alberghina said the challenge of dealing with generational and cultural mixes applied to the internal life of Italian religious orders just as much as it applied to social life in modern Europe.

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