sentences:  With the changes in the life and structures of Roman Catholic religious institutes in the 1960s mandated by the Second Vatican Council, the Ursulines began to shed many of the monastic practices which had been imposed on them in the 16th century.They began to explore living in small, non-institutional settings and non-traditional ministries.In addition to these changes, a sharp decrease in the number of applicants to the Order led to the numbers of nuns in their communities to decline sharply during that period.