On Rites:
The term, as currently used, has a different meaning in the Eastern Churches and the Western Church.
In the East, it revers to a specific liturgical tradition coupled to a particular body of theology evolved with those liturgies. The Alexandrian (Coptic), Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean (Syriac) and Constantinopolitan (Byzantine) Rites. There is argument that the Maronites constitute a separate Rite from the Chaldeans, but Canon law does not agree at this time. Within each rite are separate particular churches (groups of eparchies/dioceses under a presidential bishop, some of whom are patriarchs).
In the west, it refers to specific branches within the Latin tradition, each with separate missals, instructions, and even lectionaries and sets of propers. It includes the Roman (in two forms, the EF and OF), Mozarabic, Ambrosian, Dominican, Carmelite, Anglican (suppressed), Gallican (I’m not sure if this one is currently suppressed, but I think so), and a few more. If you don’t know the differences, you’d be hard pressed to tell them apart, except for the OF.
The term rite (note the lower case, except when part of a title) is used to refer to a specific sacramental ritual or set of related rituals of the Latin Church. Rite of Christian Initiation, Rite of Funerals, the penitential rite, etc. are specific sets of ritual involving sacraments and/or sacramentals.
Orders are groups of laymen and/or clerics (note that pre 1983, non-ordained monastics and friars were in fact considered clerics… but not any more) professing vows, sometimes temporary, sometimes perpetual, of obedience to their order and the church. Typically, these are celibates. A few (3rd Order of St. Dominic, 3rd Order of St. Francis) are of non-monastics professing simple vows and living in the general population, and are open to married laymen of both genders.
Fraternal Societies are groups of (usually) clerics bonding together for some common purpose. Some are also organizations which train clerics for special purposes, such as the ICRS and FSSP, training the EF mass. The ICRS and FSSP border on being Orders.
The letters after a religious’ name are likely to be their order. Some examples:
OFM: Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
OFMCap: Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Capuchin Franciscans)
OFMCon: Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Conventual Franciscans)
DSP: Daughters of St. Paul
OP: Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
SJ: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
OSB: Order of St Benedict (Benedictines)
SSMI: Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate
OCR: Order of Cistercians Reformed; Trappists
OSBM: Order of Saint Basil the Great; Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat
Others indicate certain church issued degrees:
STB: Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; Bachelor of Sacred Theology
STL: Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; Licentiate of Sacred Theology
STD: Sacred Theologiae Doctor; Doctor of Sacred Theology
Still others are civil educational degrees or professional licensures:
PhD, EdD, MA, ThD, MTh, MDiv, DDiv, RN, MD, MAT, LCSW. (I’ve met one MD in church holy orders… but it was YEARS ago. A few of the Sisters of Providence I’ve met have been RN’s…)
Each order or fraternity is chartered by the Pope, an Eastern Catholic primatial bishop (Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Governing Metropolitan), or a local bishop. Such a group is considered in schism if they ever elect a non-catholic or one under an anathema (excommunicated) as their head. The head of such orders has considerable authority over the members, in some cases for male orders, equivalent to a bishop.
A good source (but a bit dated) for the various orders abbreviations is the 1910 Catholic Dictionary, which can be found online at
catholic-forum.com/saints/indexncd.htm
