Questions About Religious Communities
What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a priest who belongs to an order?
A diocesan priest commits himself to a specific geographical location and promises obedience to the bishop of the (arch)diocese. He will most likely be involved in parish ministry and ultimately become a pastor of a parish. A priest who belongs to an order, on the other hand, commits himself to the special charism of the Religious Order. For example it may be teaching or preaching or ministering to youth or doing missionary work. He takes the formal vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience and lives in community with his brothers in the order. He also learns and practices the spirituality of the founder of the Religious Order.
What is the difference between an active order and a contemplative order?
Both active and contemplative religious have daily prayer lives. However, the contemplative's main focus in ministry is to pray for the needs of the Church and the world. The active religious goes out to serve the world through some sort of ministry. The active religious continues to pray through the ministry and contact with people. The contemplative may often be enclosed within a monastery or convent.
How do I know which religious order will be right for me?
It's like trying on a sweater. All of the sweaters may be beautifully made. You try them on and discover one particular sweater suits you, fits you better than the others. You need to ask yourself, Where is home? Where can you be challenged to grow and yet be accepted for who you are?
What is the difference between a brother and a priest?
A priest is ordained and can administer the sacraments. A brother takes vows, lives in community and has a ministry but is not ordained.
What is the difference between vows and Holy Orders?
Holy Orders is a sacrament in which a priest is ordained by the Bishop. A religious takes vows publicly in the presence of his or her Superiors. Both commitments are binding.
Why is it that some priests and religious dress in clerical garb or habits and others don't?
Those who maintain habits or clerical garb today do so for various reasons. One of the primary reasons is that religious dress is a sign. The garb is an instantly recognized symbol of faith in God and commitment to Christianity.
Another frequent rationale for religious garb is that it is simple dress and therefore a way to live out the vow of poverty. A sister, brother, or priest who wears religious garb can own just two or three changes of dress and be free of the expense that may be involved in a more extensive contemporary wardrobe. Other communities say the habit is an important sign of penitence for them.
Some communities have opted to wear street clothes, saying that the most valid sign of Christian faith is lifestyle, rather then garb. They contend that religious dress creates an undesirable barrier between them and laity with whom they work. Some Catholics and non-Catholics distance themselves from people in traditional religious dress.
Furthermore, those who have discontinued wearing habits often say the original reason for it was to wear the dress of the common people; therefore, street clothes are the common people's clothes nowadays.
