Decision For Happiness

Decision for Happiness, a video of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes created during their centennial in 1958. The film has been remastered and digitized with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. (36:47 min.)
Life as a sister changed dramatically after Vatican II. A class at Marian University crafted a follow-up video in the spring of 2019 to illustrate some of the changes - • Breaking the Habit 2019
About The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA), founded in 1858, is based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Today, CSA has more than 150 sisters across the United States and Nicaragua who strive to minister with simplicity and hospitality in the fields of education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, and social service.
For additional information, please visit www.csasisters...

[@afriend621]

"To learn His truth, to find His way, to be enflamed with His own love, and then to bear His message to a starving world."

[@marialourdesnavidad2137]

True, mine was an actualization to witness why we will be punished by God, not His annoited children, but to explain to those sinners who dont understand, like the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi!!!

[@PeterGonsalves-mf1st]

​@@marialourdesnavidad2137❤❤

[@lyndawilliams4570]

@@marialourdesnavidad2137so you wanted to feel superior to others and tell “them” that they will be punished 🙄. Be careful, your lust for power and your vanity is showing. Worry about your own soul.

[@erlijnvillarin1365]

A true happiness, eternal happiness . Beautiful life with God.

[@erlijnvillarin1365]

Very impressive, so inspiring lots of hope and happiness. God is love God is so good. Bride of Christ. I hope many are chosen. God bless everyone.🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤

[@cynthialardiere7938]

Thank you for sharing your life as a sister of st. agnes.

[@lauradahlus]

Thank you! Very beautiful! 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

[@cindyhuynh1282]

it is meant everything to us- so pretty flower band on the THE HEADS

[@beantoes9627]

Gotta admit it though: those habits ROCK!

[@optimusprime6539]

Pax et bonum Lindíssimo Saudações do Brasil

[@joefranks4235]

The majority of people do not understand the religious life. It should also be remembered that the religious life is not for everyone. Society today is so selfish that the thought of giving up everything to devote one's life to Christ is abhorrent. "Take up your cross and follow me."

[@lynda6074]

🙏👰❤🕯🙏

[@kennethbjorkmann8517]

This film is not fiction. In 1958 this is exactly what convents in the United States were like. Religious orders of sisters regularly received two or three dozen new candidates each year, beginning with the postulancy. However, once the changes implemented by Vatican II arrived (mid 1960s), religious orders of women saw a mass exodus. Reasons for this exodus vary with each order, but most of it was due to the secularization of religious life in general. Religious names, the habit, living in convents, having a single focused apostolate.....all of this vanished in just a few quick years. As of 2023, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes (the sisters featured in this film) have a total of 123 sisters....in the entire order. Average age in the the 70s. New vocations are virtually non-existent. Very sad.

[@cindyhuynh1282]

laughter and goodbye-

[@johngraham1785]

Please bear in mind while watching that these are actors, and that the young woman is not actually becoming a nun. It is a fictional highly idealized story whereas the reality could be very different, unhappily so. I have been a practising Catholic all my life, but saw many frustrated unhappy religious

[@606464]

If you love the Lord with all your ❤ and have a true call and enter a true Catholic Community, you will never regret it. Consecrated to Jesus for all eternity, the faithful and loving true God. Blessings to all!

[@johngraham1785]

I am not trying to deceive anyone. I was a boarder at a religious order school and I saw much unhappiness and frustration in the Augustinian friars whom I lived beside

[@beantoes9627]

The Bishop looks like he's just phoning it in

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

They let you keep your cap and gown after you graduate?? New one on me.

[@rosewhite9415]

I kept mine...

[@kennethbjorkmann8517]

@@rosewhite9415 I had the exact same thought. After our graduation, certain faculty were assigned to get everything back from us immediately after the ceremony: cap, gown, hoods, etc. We were allowed. however, to keep the cap tassel.

[@MichaelReilly-r7h]

what a pity this has been almost completely lost.

[@beantoes9627]

The Bells of Saint Mary (1945) and The Nun's Story (1959): The Catholic Church and Her nunneries couldn't have asked for better propaganda films. Ten percent of my mother's HS graduation class of 1959, Little Flower in Philadelphia, joined the convent. Yikes.

[@myleshagar9722]

Wonder what worthy pursuits 10% of the graduates are following now?

[@bobholmes65]

I wonder if S. Mary Margaret remained in religious life? The video was beautiful and informative.

[@JohnPatterson-kz8jr]

And you gave it all up to be a nun.😮

[@חנהסיגל]

"Unrealistic" doesn't even begin to cover it.

[@lucindaryan806]

Oh, the stilted language! And the poor girl sounds unenthusiastic.

[@marychimera4592]

This fictional account does not serve the Church or women considering this way of life