The Second Vatican Council

Major changes in religious life began to take effect in the 1960’s as a result of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). It helped to form the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which called the Church to communicate more with the world at large. “It is based on the premise that the meaning of the Church ought to shift from an institutional, hierarchical concept to the understanding that it is composed of the ‘people of God.’¹

Some of the major changes that resulted from Vatican II were in regards to the habit, regulations, and prayer life. Rules became less rigid; Sisters were allowed to leave the convent more easily and frequently. In regards to the changes in common prayer life, the Congregation was free to experiment with different styles of prayers, such as group, partner, and centering prayers. Eventually, the Rochester Franciscans selected the Franciscan Prayer Book. One major change in the prayers was the translation from Latin to English in the early years of Vatican II. Previously, when the prayers were in Latin, those who had never studied the language did not fully understand what they were praying; “They were just reading words.”² Yet now with the translations, all of the Sisters are not only able to understand the prayers, but also find greater meaning in them.

“It is based on the premise that the meaning of the Church ought to shift from an institutional, hierarchical concept to the understanding that it is composed of the ‘people of God.’"-Sister Ingrid Peterson

Some people in religious life had extreme opinions about the changes. There were others who supported them and could not wait for them to take place. Such people approved of the loosening of rules and regulations. On the other hand, there were those who were upset by the changes and decided to leave religious life. Sister Mary Lonan speculated on some reasons for leaving: "It used to be in the church that the priest and religious were kind of special compared to laypeople... I think Vatican II made it plain that you don’t have to have these vocations to be good or to gain sainthood. You could live a very good religious life doing other things, and some felt that they could have it all. You could have a husband; you could have a family; plus, you still were doing God’s work, so you still were going to be a good Christian."³ Therefore, such people realized that “religious life wasn’t what they wanted after all because there were other ways to serve God that were just as fruitful.”⁴

While these voices were oftentimes the loudest, most people did not share either of these beliefs. Instead, they formed “this big group in between that prayed over it for a while, and then made a decision to stay or leave.”⁵