J
JReducation
Guest
Whoah! There are a lot of misunderstandings here.
Let’s start with nuns.
A nun is a woman religious who is a monastic. She makes solemn vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. She may live either in a community or as a hermit, but always physically separated from the world. As to having pets, that’s a community decision. There is no universal rule for or against it. The only rule is charity. If it’s an inconvenience to the community, charity commands that you not have pet, other than goldfish, because they don’t bark or shed.
Let’s move to sisters.
A sister is a women religious who is active. She makes simple vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. The degree of consecration is not as grave as solemn vows. They live according to the mind of their founder. Some are more involved with the secular world and some are less. For example, Vincent de Paul wanted his sisters to be secular in every sense. The Daughters of charity do not make a novitiate, they never make perpetual vows. Every year on Mar 25, they renew their vows for one year. They have no superior. They have no rule of life. Vincent gave them statutes that direct their work. The rest is up to them to decide. There are other sisters whose lives as similar to that of nuns. They have more structure, a novitiate, superiors and live in convents. However, they never make solemn vows. They make simple vows, which they make for life.
Sisters and nuns are consecrated religious.
Now let’s go to priests.
First myth is that priests are consecrated. Priests are not consecrated men. They are ordained men. The priesthood is the second order of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The hands of the priest are consecrated for the purpose of consecrating the Eucharist. The life of the priest is not a consecrated life. Those priests who want to live a consecrated life, become religious. Those who do not, which is over 80%, are secular priests and are usually tied to a diocese. Some belong to societies of secular priests such as the FSSP, Maryknoll, Missionhurst, Vincentians, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and even the SSPX.
Now let’s go to male religious.
Male religious may be monks, lay brothers, or friars. It is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE that brothers strive to be priests in their community. A man joins a religious community to be a Franciscan, Benedictine, Carmelite, Jesuit, Salesian, etc. He does not join to be a priest.
Some religious communities are communities for priests, such as the Passionists or the Fathers of Mercy. Communities of Friars, Brothers and Monks are not communities of priests. Many Friars, Brothers and Monks are priests, but they DO NOT CEASE to be friar, monk or brother. This is their identity. The priesthood is a vocation within a vocation.
The religious life of these men is a consecrated life, be they priests or not. The consecration happens because of the vows, not because of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. There are two kinds of religious communities of men: orders and congregations.
Orders would be: Carmelites, Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Bendictines, Trappists, and Jesuits. These men, ordained or not, make solemn vows, which is great degree of consecration than that of other religious.
Congregations would be: Salesians, Passionists, Fathers of Mercy, Christian Brothers, Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers, Marianist Brothers, Franciscans of the Renewal. These men make simple vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. This means that the Church looks at their vows with a lesser degree of consecration.
Let’s start with nuns.
A nun is a woman religious who is a monastic. She makes solemn vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. She may live either in a community or as a hermit, but always physically separated from the world. As to having pets, that’s a community decision. There is no universal rule for or against it. The only rule is charity. If it’s an inconvenience to the community, charity commands that you not have pet, other than goldfish, because they don’t bark or shed.
Let’s move to sisters.
A sister is a women religious who is active. She makes simple vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. The degree of consecration is not as grave as solemn vows. They live according to the mind of their founder. Some are more involved with the secular world and some are less. For example, Vincent de Paul wanted his sisters to be secular in every sense. The Daughters of charity do not make a novitiate, they never make perpetual vows. Every year on Mar 25, they renew their vows for one year. They have no superior. They have no rule of life. Vincent gave them statutes that direct their work. The rest is up to them to decide. There are other sisters whose lives as similar to that of nuns. They have more structure, a novitiate, superiors and live in convents. However, they never make solemn vows. They make simple vows, which they make for life.
Sisters and nuns are consecrated religious.
Now let’s go to priests.
First myth is that priests are consecrated. Priests are not consecrated men. They are ordained men. The priesthood is the second order of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The hands of the priest are consecrated for the purpose of consecrating the Eucharist. The life of the priest is not a consecrated life. Those priests who want to live a consecrated life, become religious. Those who do not, which is over 80%, are secular priests and are usually tied to a diocese. Some belong to societies of secular priests such as the FSSP, Maryknoll, Missionhurst, Vincentians, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and even the SSPX.
Now let’s go to male religious.
Male religious may be monks, lay brothers, or friars. It is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE that brothers strive to be priests in their community. A man joins a religious community to be a Franciscan, Benedictine, Carmelite, Jesuit, Salesian, etc. He does not join to be a priest.
Some religious communities are communities for priests, such as the Passionists or the Fathers of Mercy. Communities of Friars, Brothers and Monks are not communities of priests. Many Friars, Brothers and Monks are priests, but they DO NOT CEASE to be friar, monk or brother. This is their identity. The priesthood is a vocation within a vocation.
The religious life of these men is a consecrated life, be they priests or not. The consecration happens because of the vows, not because of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. There are two kinds of religious communities of men: orders and congregations.
Orders would be: Carmelites, Augustinians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Bendictines, Trappists, and Jesuits. These men, ordained or not, make solemn vows, which is great degree of consecration than that of other religious.
Congregations would be: Salesians, Passionists, Fathers of Mercy, Christian Brothers, Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers, Marianist Brothers, Franciscans of the Renewal. These men make simple vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. This means that the Church looks at their vows with a lesser degree of consecration.
