Comparing religious orders

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EphelDuath

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Is there a site that has a back-to-back comparison of the different monastic orders (particularly Dominicans, Franciscans and Carmelites) in terms of philosophy and living conditions?
 
Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition is a good book. It’s by Jordan Aumann.

Not a website but interesting nonetheless.
 
You really can not compare religious orders. Each of them has their own Charism which is as valid as each other one.

Added to that some of what you are looking for would be subjective, that is two people could look at it and think differently about it and it may vary between provinces in an order and even between houses in a province.

The best you can do is try to learn about each one and form your own opinion.
 
I agree with Brother David, O. Carm.

You really can’t compare religious communities. There are many religious families, with different charisms. It’s not a matter of which is better, but which shoe size fits you. Just an example, there are Franciscans, Benedictines, Augustinians, Dominicans, Vincentians, Carmelites, Jesuits, Josephites and many more.

Then there are different lifestyles, even within the religious families. There are monks and nuns who live cloistered lives. There are mendicants, who are friars, such as Dominicans, Carmelites, Franciscans, Augustinians and Trinitarians. Then there are apostolic congregations and societies such as Jesuits, Josephites, Maryknoll, and Vincentians. You also have secular institutes which are not religious, but often make private vows, live in community and work in the active apostolate. Let’s not forget the secular orders, which are real religious orders, such as the Secular Franciscans who have a rule of life and a community, but live in their homes with their families. There are communities such as the sisters who taught us, who work in parishes, hospitals and social service, such as Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. They are not nuns, even though most people call Mother Teresa and her sisters nuns. They are not, they are sisters. There is a big difference.

I was spoon-fed by Capuchin Franciscans from K – PhD. Most people think of them as an order of priests. As I grew older I became more attentive and learned that they are not an order of priests. They are an order of brothers and that some of their brothers are also priests, but they are still brothers. What makes them brother is the fact that they joined a fraternity. Francis did not begin an order of priests, he founded a fraternity and among his brothers some were ordained, such as Brother Elias who was his vicar. Francis himself was a layman and later a deacon, but never a priest. Yet, the brothers called him Father and they called Elias, Brother

Then there are religious communities such as the Brothers of Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) who have no priests and the Society of Mary (Marianists Brothers) who allow only some brothers to be ordained to meet the needs of the brotherhood, but not for the purpose of running parishes or traditional priestly work. The same happens in most cloistered monasteries of men.

So you see, the mystique of each religious community is unique and often very practical. The Holy Spirit has given the Church these many different communities as a gift so that men and women can find a space where they can serve God, seek God and find God.

If you want to know what each is about you can Google Catholic Religious Orders or Catholic Religious Congregations. You will find lists that have links to the home pages of some of these communities. Do not try to compare them, because it would be unfair. Try to see if any are for you. If you’re not looking to enter a community and simply wish to learn about their charism and their role in the Church, that’s good too.
 
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