In the past fifteen years, the most traditional, cloistered orders have found themselves awash in interest. New monasteries are being built; more land is being bought. Ancient forms of religious life, such as those for canonical hermits and consecrated virgins, are once more on the rise. Though it is true that most sisters today are active, the orders attracting younger members are contemplative: they pray the full office, wear traditional habits, and seek lives of worship and devotion away from the world, renouncing family, comfort, and travel.

Why are so many young Catholic women choosing radical seclusion as cloistered nuns?