text: The number of women in Britain becoming nuns is at a 25-year high. Figures from the Catholic Church show the number of women taking Holy Vows has trebled from 15 in 2009 to 45 last year. From a low of only seven in 2004, the figure has been rising for the past decade. Theodora Hawksley, 29, was until recently a post-doctoral researcher in theology at the University of Edinburgh. But at the beginning of the year she decided to become a nun. Figures from the Catholic Church show the number of women becoming nuns in Britain has trebled from 15 in 2009 to 45 last year. From a low of seven in 2004, the figure has been rising for the past decade (file image) She joined the Congregation of Jesus in January and is now living in their house in Willesden, North London, while taking the first steps towards making vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Miss Hawksley, from Hertfordshire, said: ‘In one sense, it is a bit like trying to explain to somebody why you are marrying the person you are. You can list their qualities, but in the end it is a relationship of love. ‘But on the other hand, I was drawn to it by wanting a greater freedom in being able to give myself to God and the world. 'I don’t have to worry now about practical things like making a career for myself. I’m free to go where I’m needed and meet people at the margins.’ She is not the only young woman choosing the religious life. According to Church figures, 14 of the 45 women who entered convents last year were aged 30 or under. The next moderator of the Free Church has claimed the Church of Scotland is ‘literally dying’ because of falling congregation numbers. The Rev David Robertson said the departure of ministers and ‘concerns’ over issues such as same-sex marriage are linked to a ‘theological and moral decline’ in the Kirk. The Dundee minister, who will become Moderator next month, made the remarks on his blog site The Wee Flea as the Church of Scotland prepares to hold the General Assembly 2015 in May. The Free Church has seen modest growth over six years, with about 13,000 people currently attending services. Mr Robertson said the Kirk is losing ‘around 16,000 members per year’. But the Church of Scotland yesterday hit back, saying it remains one of the country’s ‘largest and most robust organisations’. Miss Hawksley said: ‘There is another person in an order in London and she is 27 and we meet to chat. You are not on your own. It is an unusual life choice, but you are not the only one making it. There are plenty of people asking themselves the same questions.’ She admitted some of her friends were ‘a bit bewildered’, but most had been very supportive. Far from being trapped in traditional habits, Miss Hawksley said her order tends to dress down in T-shirts and jeans. Father Christopher Jamison, director of the National Office for Vocation of England and Wales, said: ‘There is a gap in the market for meaning in our culture. One of the ways women may find that meaning is through religious life.’ Sister Cathy Jones, religious life vocations promoter at the office, said: ‘We are never going to be at the place we were at 50 years ago, Catholic culture was at a very different place. ‘But the fact that more women are becoming nuns than in the past 25 years shows that as a generation we have turned a corner.’ Last year, BBC Northern Ireland political reporter Martina Purdy quit her 25-year career in journalism to become a nun. She said: ‘I know many people will not understand this decision. It is a decision I have not come to lightly, but it is one I make with love and great joy.’
target: Figures from the Catholic Church show more and more becoming nuns .
  The number of women taking Holy Vows stood at just seven back in 2004 .
  But that figure had risen to 15 in 2009 and increased further to 45 last year .
  One father said a 'gap in the market for meaning' led people toward religion .