Doug Winiarski

Well, I mean, it's often the knock against Shakerism that it's difficult to sustain a movement based on celibacy, but ask the Catholic Church and its monastic communities how well they've fared over the last 2,000 years, and you'll probably see that it can be done.

Today, Shakerism survives at Sabbath Day Lake in southern Maine, one of the original Shaker villages that was formed during the 1790s, where Brother Arnold Hodd

And Sister June Carpenter and Sister April is a brand new novitiate member, still maintain the traditions.

And what Brother Arnold often says is that Shakerism is a living tradition.

He actually doesn't see the tradition as being in decline.

It continues to do its work in some ways regardless of the numbers.

And if you look at Sabbath Day Lake, if you were to go and visit Sabbath Day Lake today, you would see dozens and dozens of non-Shaker members who are fascinated by the Shakers, want to devote their time and volunteer, help on the farm, worship every Sunday with Brother Arnold.

They love singing the music.

So in some ways, Shakerism is very much alive and well in our world today.

Just last year marked the 250th anniversary of Ann Lee's arrival.

In North America, Saturday Lake sponsored a conference in which both Maine senators were there.

The Postal Service issued a series of stamps.

There were three days of lectures and discussions, really well attended.

And Brother Arnold held forth on what's next for Shakerism.

He sees it as an ongoing and a living tradition.

So he pushes back really hard against that narrative that the Shakers are in decline.

And point of fact, Shakerism owns pride of place as being the oldest and longest lived

sectarian movement in American history.

And the only one that's really, I think we could say, has done better than the Shakers has been the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.

But of course, Mormonism has morphed into something that they're no longer.