And then there were nun

Folowing the demand for Polish nannies, dentists and plumbers, the time has come for Polish nuns to make use of their potential abroad.

Foreign convents suffering from a deficit of sisters are looking for potential candidates in Poland, with some putting announcements in the catholic press and others promoting their convents in the country.

It is estimated that in the last 20 years the number of nuns worldwide has dropped by some 150,000. The greatest decline is recorded in Europe where the total amount of sisters is 340,000. Although the number of nuns in Poland is decreasing as well - 15 years ago there were 2,800 more than today - the country is still considered to be in a better situation, at least as far as nun supply is concerned, than the West.

The exact number of sisters leaving the country to work abroad is not known. "It is a grey area of calling, we do not know the exact number," Mother Jolanta Olech told Rzeczpospolita. It is estimated that since 1990, 50 new convents from Western Europe, the US or Japan have been established in Poland. They count 350 sisters, 200 of whom are Polish. Research show that Polish nuns are in fact a desired labor force.