Student loan debt will follow you everywhere – even to a convent
Religious orders have long been struggling with dwindling numbers of people who want to become nuns and priests. But even those interested in spending their lives in service to God are facing a dilemma: it is challenging to enroll in a religious order if they have student debt.
Alida Taylor hopes to become a nun in the fall at Sisters of Life Convent in New York City, but the order told her she must first pay off her loans.
"That financial debt, having that be resolved allows her to freely enter into her vocation," Sr. Mariae Agnus Dei of the Sisters of Life told CBS2.
Potential religious have increasingly been turning to family, friends and strangers on the internet to help them pay off debt.
Taylor has debt from her education at University of Louisiana, so she started a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise $12,000 to pay it off. Nuns don’t earn a salary and take a vow of poverty, so taking care of financial obligations is impossible for many.
Some religious institutions can take on the debt of those who wish to join, but many are unable to do so. According to a study from Georgetown University, two-thirds of religious institutions that received interest from potential applicants had to turn people away because they had too much debt.
Women used to join religious life before getting a higher education, but according to a survey, in 2014, 61 percent of women who took vows already had a bachelor’s degree. That survey also found women averaged a year of delay in entering a religious order while they paid down an average of $15,750 in educational debt.
Some Catholic universities pledge to forgive a portion of student loans for anyone seeking to join a religious order.
On Thursday, the Lord answered Taylor’s prayers: She announced on GoFundMe she met her goal.
“I am deeply moved by your generosity,” Taylor wrote on her fundraising page, which had donations from 121 people. “I will enter with the Sisters of Life this September 10th. Thank you for all your support, in prayers, liking, sharing, and donating. Be assured of my prayers!!!”
Even after reaching her goal, Taylor continued to receive donations, raising $14,611 as of Friday morning. She said donations exceeding her goal will go towards a vocation fund for future generations of women who hope to join religious life but have debt burdens.
This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Student loan debt will follow you everywhere – even to a convent."