Lay Orders? Sparkle It Up

[FossilResin]

I have heard of such a thing as lay orders, like married people who are Lay Dominicans, for example, but I don’t know much more. Could somebody explain this more to me? It sounds like such an amazing idea to be both married and involved in some sort of special order to sparkle up the Church Militant. We need more sparkles.

 

[Minks]

Welcome to CAF, @FossilResin! I noticed that you’ve been here a short time. Do examine all the features of the site, in order to gain the most from it.

Perhaps a 3rd order CAFer whom I think of as our 3rd order walking encyclopedia, @Cloisters, can give you a good breakdown.

Essentially, orders for the laity (for men and for women) encourage members in their endeavors to fulfill the prayer and/or works requirements of the order, while maintaining their personal roles in their secular lives, and within their families.

 

[rom]

I am a lay Dominican, so I can tell you a little about the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, which is a branch of the Order of Preachers (otherwise known as the Dominican Order). Actually, you don’t have to be married to be a member. You can be single or married, man or woman, as long as you are in good standing with the Church and are willing to live your life according to the spirituality of the Order. As a member of the Lay Fraternity, you share in the mission of the Order, which is to defend and preach the Word of God and the Catholic Faith for the salvation of souls. You do this while you continue to do your career and secular job, and live your life as a family man, a professional, or an ordinary worker in the world.

As a lay member you are not required to make any vows, but you will need to make a promise to live according to the rules of the fraternity and the spirit of the Order. You will also have special duties. For example, you need to say at least the Morning and Evening Prayers found in the Liturgy of the Hours every day, at least 5 decades of the Holy Rosary daily, attend the fraternity meetings monthly, and a few more. You must also have some kind of apostolate that is aligned with the mission of the Order. You don’t need to be an ordained deacon in order to preach the Faith. You may have a blog in the Internet, teach CCD in schools, be a counselor in your Parish or assist in the RCIA program, etc.

As a lay member of the Order, we don’t wear any habit. We dress with our regular clothes, or work clothes. However, we wear a small scapular that is placed inside our clothing, so it is not visible to others. Also, we don’t live in a priory, convent, or monastery. We live in our own homes and with our families.

Unlike vows which bind under pain of sin, the promise does not bind under pain of sin. However, it is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Because the promise is serious, a period of formation is required before you are allowed to make your promise. After a period of postulancy (6 months at least), you will be received in the order as a novice. Then you have to undergo another period of formation before you are allowed to make your temporary promise (generally for three years). Your formation (or training) continues during this time. Only after the duration of your temporary promise has passed will you be allowed to make a perpetual promise. This is pretty much like the temporary and permanent profession made by the sisters and brothers in the religious Order.

Being a lay Dominican is not the same as being a member of just any religious society, like the Legion of Mary, the Holy Name Society, etc. As a lay Dominican, you are canonically a part of a religious Order, the Order of Preachers.

I described the lay branch of the Dominican Order for you. But the Franciscans, the Carmelites, the Augustinians, etc. also have their own lay branches. You need to discern your vocation, and pray much, to find out where God is leading you to go. To learn more about the fraternities, or to find a fraternity near you, just google “Lay Fraternities of…” say the Dominican Order, Franciscan Order, etc.

 

[Minks]

@rom

Thank you for your informative post. I’ve oftened wondered about the Dominican 3rd Order. It had never occurred to me to use “fraternity” in an Internet search.

 

[rom]

I’ve oftened wondered about the Dominican 3rd Order. It had never occurred to me to use “fraternity” in an Internet search.

Up until 2007 the lay Dominicans used to be called “Tertiaries,” which is part of the Dominican Third Order. So, you were not wrong in using the “Dominican Third Order” in your internet search. But, you see, the Third Order has two branches – the regular third Order (which are the sisters who have vows, wear a religious habit, and live in convents) and the secular third Order (which are lay people, men and women who live in the world). In 2007 it was decided in an International Lay Congress to change the name “Tertiaries” to “Fraternities,” to distinguish the lay Dominicans more clearly from the sisters.

Also, you need to distinguish the sisters from the nuns. The nuns are also addressed as “Sisters,” such as Sister Ana, Sister Margareta, etc. However, the nuns belong to the Dominican Second Order. You seldom see them around because they are cloistered. They devote all their time to prayer and contemplation. In contrast, the Third Order Dominicans - the sisters - live an active-contemplative life, not a purely contemplative life. While they also spend time in prayer and contemplation, they normally work in the world – in hospitals, schools, or other charitable institution.

 

[Cloisters]

Perhaps a 3rd order CAFer whom I think of as our 3rd order walking encyclopedia, @Cloisters, can give you a good breakdown

Thanks for the complement, but I think @Rom has it covered.

I’d start with whatever is local, because it’s more difficult – not impossible – but more difficult to develop your spirituality in isolation.

I believe St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, PA, works with isolated Benedictine Oblates.

I run a Yahoo (soon to be Groups.io) group called Holy Angels Internet TOP, which uses the old post-nomials for Third Order of Preachers. I started it primarily to give an old friend and disabled Lay Dominican a place to keep up with the Order. My emerging Vincentian congregation will have some ministries that are in the Dominican spiritual tradition (yes, that can be done), and those in formation for those ministries are also on the group.

Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
http://cloisters.tripod.com/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyangels/id9.html/

 

[Minks]

@rom ~ Thank you for the additional information. I wish all laity orders were more well-known to our high schoolers and adult parishioners. I believe that such commitment to ongoing participation would help to eliminate or minimize the doubts and subsequent second-guessing that assail most of us at one time or another, and to a lesser degree if it should occur while being a member.

We frequently see active threads wherein the OP is a cradle, revert, or convert experiencing such anguish from doubts that possibly might be assuaged by the prayer, works, and interaction with other Catholics who are serving in the same fraternal order.

I hope other CAFers who participate in other orders will share information about them.

@FossilResin ~ Thank you for starting this thread!

 

[Cloisters]

Third Order Dominicans - the sisters - live an active-contemplative life, not a purely contemplative life. While they also spend time in prayer and contemplation, they normally work in the world – in hospitals, schools, or other charitable institution

These sisters’ congregations were known as “Third Order Regular,” but the Order said all branches were one big family, and the term has fallen out of use. Not all congregations still wear the habit, either.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

These sisters’ congregations were known as “Third Order Regular,” but the Order said all branches were one big family, and the term has fallen out of use. Not all congregations still wear the habit, either.

Indeed. Although the sisters who educated me were still in their habits while I was in school, their community only has the habit as a option now. I follow them on social media. Interestingly enough, some of the only sisters you see in their habit now were school teachers . They are few and far between.

 

[rom]

Not all congregations still wear the habit, either.

Yes. However, some religious communities merely have the option to wear modest secular clothes when they are out in the world (outside their convents). Many would still wear their habits when they return to their convents, or when they attend a special function, such as the temporary or perpetual profession of a sister. They have the right to wear their traditional habits all the time.

Personally, I like seeing the sisters in their traditional habits. They speak to me of their special consecration. But that is just me. There are also many sisters who like wearing their habits. See this: For These Young Nuns, Habits Are The New Radical : NPR

 

[Minks]

Guess they’ve gotten . . . out of the habit.

 

[rom]

The bottom line is you need to discern your vocation. Where is God leading you? If you are a young, unmarried man who wants to carry on the work of St. Dominic, the work of spreading the gospel and combating heresies (Oh, there is so much of that in the present world!), then you might want to consider joining the First Order as a clerical brother. Then you will also be trained for the priesthood as a preaching Friar. If you are a woman (at least 18 years of age), and want a simple life of prayer and contemplation, then you may want to be a nun, like St. Therese of the Child Jesus. You don’t have to be a Dominican; you can also be a Franciscan nun, or a Carmelite (like St. Therese), etc. If you are the active kind of woman, and you feel that you can serve God better by interacting with other people in the world, then you might want to be a sister (a Third Order Regular). On the other hand, if you are a man or woman who wants to pursue a career in the world (as a doctor, lawyer, businessman, etc.), and you want to have a family, and yet feel that you want to live a deeper spiritual life in the service of God, then you should look at one of the Lay Fraternities. As far as I know, there is no age limit to being a lay member of a Fraternity. St. Catherine of Siena was a lay Dominican. Many statues and pictures of St. Catherine show her dressed like a sister, but she wasn’t a sister. She was a lay Dominican and she lived in her own home, not in a convent. You can enter the Lay Fraternities when you are older, as long as you feel that you still have the stamina and the fervor to carry on the duties and mission of the Order that you wish to join. It isn’t easy, but is IMO worth the effort. Actually, the Church also needs dedicated lay men and women to continue her mission. Secular people often have the experience and expertise not possessed by those who are in the religious life. They can give valuable service to the Church. Choosing the married state does not mean you will serve God less. Married people can also pursue a vocation to be a servant of the Lord while living a life in the world.

 

[Fauken]

Actually, the Church also needs dedicated lay men and women to continue her mission. Secular people often have the experience and expertise not possessed by those who are in the religious life. They can give valuable service to the Church. Choosing the married state does not mean you will serve God less. Married people can also pursue a vocation to be a servant of the Lord while living a life in the world.

Certainly. Actually at the lay Dominican chapter I’m a part of, two of our members are married to each other. You can certainly be a lay Dominican and married!

 

[Cloisters]

This is similar to what we will be doing concerning the habit. Right now, the pre-novitiate sisters are in either low garb, civvies (our crucifix included with lay clothes) or incognito (no external signs of membership). Any combination of Royal blue and white with our crucifix constitutes “low garb”.

In these days before the Bishop’s approval, we will give “high garb” to those entering the Seminary (Novitiate). High garb is a royal blue skirt and hooded vest with white mock turtleneck. The colors are reversed in the summer.

We use the Garlands of Grace Kendall triangle headcover, and designate formation level by color. The hand rosary is similar in color until Seminary. If able to find one, a six-decade cord rosary can be used. Washi tape on the cord can be used to designate formation level.

After approval, the habit will be received when entering Seminary. Like St Catherine Laboure, the new Seminary sisters will line up at a closet, and receive their habits. Home-bound personnel will have a family member, or someone special, hand their habit to them from a closet.