Beautifully written. Heart wrenching. Loved the gardening interludes. 
Church closed due to "fewer priests". There are solutions for that, but I won't go there. (!!!).
 
"In the past parents were happy to give one of their children to the Church". In the 50's there was much prestige connected with having a child become a member of a religious community. My mother was ecstatic when my brother decided to go into Jesuit seminary... my Dad less so. He attended our once a month visiting Sundays with a jaundiced eye and, as a Republican, was furious when my brother mentioned being pressured to vote Democrat. After 10 years, two years short of ordination, my brother (like many of that era) chose to leave it all behind and follow a different call. Dad was ecstatic....Mom less so.