What is Religious Life?
Religious life is a vocation known and respected in the church from its beginnings in the Egyptian desert to the present moment when we find large concentrations of priests, sisters. and brothers in urban deserts. The same call of Jesus to "come and follow me" grasps a person's whole being so that one leaves whatever would hinder a positive response.
Since Vatican II, the term consecrated life has been used for this call to give oneself totally to God and His people because it embraces all forms of this vocation.
Besides enclosed congregations of contemplative religious and institutes of men and women engaged in active apostolates, consecrated life also includes members of secular institutes, consecrated virgins living in the world, hermits, widows and widowers.
Women Religious
A woman religious is a lay person who commits herself to Christ and to the Church by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She lives in a religious community that follows a constantly renewed tradition, patterned on the life and teaching of the founder / foundress of the community. The work she generally does will depend upon the ministries of that community as influenced by the needs of the Church and its people in areas such as teaching, social work, administration, technical skills, nursing, etc. The role of women in the Church is constantly developing and expanding. A significant part of that renewal is occurring in the faith communities of women religious. Prayer and work are part of the tradition of all communities but they are accented differently so that some communities are primarily contemplative while others are more active.
National Religious Vocation Conference
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Religious Brothers
As a man religious, a Brother is a lay Christian who commits himself to Christ and the Christian community by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Not only is he in service to the community, he himself lives in a religious community which centers his life. It is from this root and from his own interior life that he is able to meet the needs of the Church in ministries, such as teaching, social work, technical skills, etc. The ministries of religious Brothers are varied and reflect the traditions of a given community. Flexibility to meet current needs is one of the main characteristics of the Brother's lifestyle. National Religious Vocation Conference
Religious Priests
Some religious communities are "clerical". They include priests. What was said immediately above about religious life applies equally to priests living in religious communities. The religious priest takes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the spirit of his own congregation. Being a priest, he is a minister for the Church of the sacraments. His work generally depends upon the ministry appropriate to his community and may include. teaching, overseas ministry, social work, pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, etc. A person who feels called to this life may contact any member of a community with which he is familiar. National Religious Vocation Conference
Associate Membership
Many religious congregations have associate programs. Associate members are men and women who feel called to the mission and charism of a particular congregation but not to the vowed life. Associate members participate in the spiritual life and some time in the ministry of a particular congregation. The requirements of associate membership are different in each congregation.
Diocesean Priest
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