About Religious Life

What is a "religious" vocation? What is "religious life"?

A Religious Vocation

All Christians have a 'vocation' in life. The word 'vocation' comes from the Latin word 'vocare', which means "to call". Some people God calls through marriage, others as single people. There is the same mystery about religious life as there is about falling in love. It is something in our hearts that we cannot explain.

The realization of this call will come at different times of life and in different ways - from something you have read, an event in your life, a person you have met or known. The call from God can only be heard when you are in tune with God, it's a growing realization that to spend your life as a Sister dedicated to Christ and his people is what would make you happy. Not everyone will be drawn to Religious Life. If you think you are, it is at least worth exploring. And you may want to look at the questions in the section About how to know one's calling in life if you haven't already done so.

Religious Life

Many people use the term "religious life" as a general term for persons they regard as being "a religious" but there is a broader term, "Consecrated Life." This is the term found in the new Code of Canon Law. The term "Consecrated Life" is used to describe the various styles of life that the Church recognizes as playing a special role in her life. Persons living a consecrated life seek to live a life totally dedicated to God, and to grow in the virtue of love exercised for the sake of service to God's people. They make vows or promises of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience as signs of their consecration. Their life style is meant to be a witness to the world of God's infinite love.

In general there are two main types of religious life: Apostolic and Contemplative . Apostolic Congregations are those whose mission includes ministry such as social work, health care, teaching and pastoral work. Contemplative Congregations are those for whom prayer is the heart of their daily life.

What's it like to be a Sister? What's your day like?

Actually what sisters do with their day is so varied and complex that only a very generalized answer can be given here. As a rule each day includes time for liturgy and prayer both private and with one's community. There is also time for ministry or other work and time for leisure. All of these are necessary for a healthy life. We try to make sure we have a balance of all these, but we don't always succeed.

For apostolic communities, many of us have one main ministry, such as teaching, parish ministry, social work, or hospital work, all of which have somewhat regular hours and predictable demands. There are also unpredictables which can be both interesting and challenging. Depending on our ministry, we reach out to meet the needs of people: the sick, old, angry, hurt, hungry, imprisoned, excited, happy in order to share with them our understanding, encouragement and support.

Those who are in contemplative communities spend much of their day at prayer but also engage in some form of labor to maintain a healthy mind and body. This might involve baking, gardening, or some other handiwork. Such work often helps them to provide the food and shelter they need. They too plan some time for leisure.

What is a religious vow and do the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience mean today?

A vow is a solemn promise made freely as an individual gives her life to God. Many communities make vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience, some have other vows relating to their own charism.

These three vows are also called the "evangelical counsels" and describe a radical way to live out the Gospel. In each age, they can provide a strong witness to Gospel values in the face of competing or even contrary values in the prevailing culture.

Poverty

By her vow of poverty a religious chooses to share all in common rather than have personal ownership of material goods. In the face of a materialistic, consumer culture where one's value is often determined by earning power or the acquisition of wealth, poverty testifies to our dependence upon God as the source of all gifts and our solidarity with one another, especially the poor. When so many are ignoring people who are on the fringes of society, religious with a vow of poverty can connect with the poor, those materially poor and those spiritually poor, work with them and speak about their needs and concerns.

Chastity or Consecrated Celibacy

A religious chooses a celibate way of loving. She seeks to love with an undivided heart rather than entering into a conjugal relationship. Sex is used in our society for so many purposes, including the selling of products and recreation, and the prevailing message is that one must be sexually active to be fully human ... even if that means promiscuity. Chastity reminds us of the deeper meaning of sexuality. A genuine witness of chastity expresses a unique way to love, a way to serve others, and invites others to consider that there is more to life than meets the eye, that our relationship with God is indeed primary.

Obedience

Obedience actually means the practice of listening. It is a vow by which a religious seeks to listen to God through the mediation of her religious community. She chooses obedience to indicate a preference for the common good over personal desire. The contemporary definition of freedom is to be able to do whatever one wants to do as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others - freedom from responsibility. Obedience demonstrates that the most perfect form of freedom is that which makes a commitment to another person, divine or human, or a cause. Obedience enables her to put her life at the service of the Church.

How does one become a religious? A Pallottine Sister?

In all religious communities, the process involves several stages. While these vary from community to community in name, length of time, and format, the following outline gives a general overview.

Initial Contact : This is usually a very flexible program whereby the person meets with a sister on a regular basis and shares in experiences of prayer and community life with the congregation in which she is interested.

Candidate : This is a more formal relationship with the community. For a year or more, candidates live with the community while continuing their education or work experience. They can observe and participate in religious life from the inside and the community can see if the candidate shows promise of living the life of the community.

Novice : The novitiate is a special one-to-two-year period which marks the person's official entrance into the community. Novices spend time in study and prayer, learning more about themselves, the community, and their relationship with the Lord. At the end of the novitiate, they prepare for temporary promises or vows.

Vows : The profession of vows may be made for one, two, or three years and are renewable up to nine years. The individual and the community make the decision regarding length of time. Final vows could be made after three years of temporary vows depending on a community's particular constitutions or practices.

For specific information about our Pallottine formation program see " How do I become a Sister? "

Why are there different religious orders? How do they differ from one another?

Each religious order has a founder who was inspired to meet a certain need or respond to a specific situation in the history of the Church. Those orders whose mission or charism addresses ongoing concerns, tend to survive, but many religious orders have gone into and out of existence in the Church's long history. New religious orders are even beginning in our day and age as women and men strive to apply and live the Gospel in these circumstances.

What qualities would you look for in someone considering religious life?

According to the National Religious Vocations Conference, the following are mentioned: generally good health; adequate intellectual ability; healthy relationships, including good friends; sense of humor; ability to make a positive choice for celibacy; member of the Catholic Church; faith and sense of integrity; relationship with God; responsiveness to others; capacity to serve a variety of people; leadership ability; collaborative worker; ability to live simply, sharing a common life; can compromise for the common good.

Most religious communities would agree but they would look to see if the woman had a natural attraction, to the charism of the particular community, a special gift to live it. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, for example, looked for those with a spirit of joy because that was necessary for anyone who would work with the poorest of the poor. 

What is the average age of women entering a religious order?

The National Catholic Bishops Conference reports that according to a study in 1994-95, the average age for those entering the first stage, the pre-novitiate, is 29.5, and for temporary profession, 33.6. This is older than in the past.

What impact does one's sexual orientation have on becoming a religious?

Religious communities are seeking people who have a strong sense of self as a woman and understand their own emotional needs. Candidates to religious life should also have the gifts and talents to live celibately. They should understand what are appropriate expressions of love in a celibate context. Living a celibate life requires abstinence from sexual activity. In working with candidates, communities look for behavioral evidence that celibacy is a possible lifestyle for a woman.

Why do some religious dress in habits and others do not? What do you do?

General Observations

Those who maintain habits today do so for various reasons. One of the primary reasons is that religious dress is a sign. The habit is an instantly recognized symbol of faith in God and commitment to Christianity.

Another frequent rationale for religious garb is that it is a way to dress simply 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, how one lives, not how one dresses. They have noted that among certain populations religious dress creates an undesirable barrier between them and those with whom they work. Some Catholics and non-Catholics distance themselves from people in traditional religious dress.

There is also an historic reason. Many have discontinued wearing habits noting that the dress worn in times past was that of the common people. When styles changed, religious continued to wear what they had been wearing. Lay or street clothes are the clothes of common people today.

Our Community

Our Sisters are permitted to make a choice. It often depends on the particular ministry a Sister exercises. Among our older Sisters you will find some who wear a religious habit. Many of our Sisters have chosen to retain the veil as the distinctive sign that they are a religious and wear professional clothes for ministry; others do not. There is a tendency among many to distinguish professional dress for ministry and casual dress when they are in the convent or at recreational events. We recognize that these are changing times for religious life in general and we respect each Sister's choice.

Why aren't there as many Sisters today?

Simply put, this trend is a reflection of changes in both world culture and church culture. It is also true that in our immediate past, the numbers of persons entering religious life was much higher than in former times. While a more definitive answer seems impossible because of the variety of factors involved, there are some observations that can be made.

*Men and women can minister in today's Church without choosing the life style of priesthood or religious life

*Dramatic changes have taken place both in society and the Catholic Church in the last thirty years, many of which mitigate against vocations, e.g., increased consumerism, decreased family size

*People do not respect and trust institutions and authority as much as they once did

*The family system has been weakened to an extent most never dreamed possible

*Success has become more narrowly defined in terms of earning power

*Within the Church, the role of the laity has changed substantially, and there has been some confusion about the identity of priests, sisters, and brothers

*The perceived value of consecrated life has decreased

*People are more afraid to make lifetime commitments

This is not a complete list but it should give you some sense of why the total number of Sisters had declined and fewer women are seeking admission. Religious life remains a gift to the Church and the Holy Spirit continues to call. As it has in the past, religious life is adjusting to the changes in society and in the Church.

What kind of commitment would someone be expected to make?

In as much as religious life is a life totally dedicated to God it is a life that requires a whole-hearted commitment. Most communities require life-long commitment following a period of temporary commitment. There are a few communities, such as the Daughters of St. Vincent de Paul, whose members renew their vows annually though most remain in their communities for life.

The reason the question is so often raised has to do with fear. Any choice for how to live one's life has a certain amount of insecurity and fear at first. Fear of commitment is not a reason to avoid looking at the possibility that you are called to make a life-long commitment to religious life. The peace of God always accompanies those who make their choice in prayer and seek the grace of God to live it.

Many of the above answers were adapted from materials published by the Vocations Department of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, The National Coalition for Church Vocations and National Religious Vocation Conference.