M
mmlj4u
Guest
If a monastic would fall in love and decide to follow his/her heart to marriage, despite having taken vows, would he/she be disciplined/punished? Would he/she be allowed to remain an RC but as a lay member?
- Status
C
Catholic1954
Guest
Joining a religious community is voluntary. If one wished to leave, it is possible; each order would have it’s own procedure.
C
CarmeliteGirl25
Guest
It’s difficult to have solemn or perpetual vows broken. Solemn vows have to be dispensed by the Pope (they are taken by cloistered and monastic orders). Perpetual vows, though not solemn, are meant to be lifelong just like solemn vows. There are those who have broken their vows in the past and its a very difficult ordeal. Breaking vows does not mean you will no longer be allowed to be Catholic, though.
M
mmlj4u
Guest
Thank you!
J
JReducation
Guest
Violating your vows does not do away with the vows except in one case. If a religious in simple vows attempts a Catholic marriage, the marriage vows trump the religious vows, because marriage vows are solemn vows.
If a religious in solemn vows attempts a Catholic marriage, the marriage is null and void, because one solemn vow cannot trump another solemn vow.
Religious in solemn vows are monks, nuns (not sisters), friars, and religious brothers who belong to mendicant orders. Religious brothers, priests and sistes who belong to congregations do not make solemn vows. They make simple vows.
Simple vows can be dispensed by the Superior General if it is a male community or in the case of a female community by the Sacred Congregation for religioius institutes and societies of apostolic life. For religious in solemn vows, the vows can only be dispensed by the Sacred congregation for religious institutes and societies of apostolic life, with the approval of the Holy See and a letter of recommendation from the Superior Genral, the Abbot or the Abbess.
Vows can also be suspended. This is not the same as dispensed. The person is free to take up his place among the faithful, but must return to the religious life when the circumstances permit it.
You cannot dismiss a religious in solemn vows: monk, friar or cloistered nun, even if they violate the vows. They are still bound to the vows until such time as the Holy See dismisses the person. This is a lengthy and complicated process.
That being said, monastics are not the only ones who make solemn vows. Other religious families that make solemn vows and are not monastic are: Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Augustinians, Trinitarians, Jesuits, Mercederians and Basilians. But only the men and the cloistered nuns in these orders. The members of the congregations associated with these orders make simple vows, such as the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, the Franciscans of the Renewal, the Caremilite and Franciscans sisters who teach, nurse or do any apostolate outside the religious house, and the extern sisters in some monastic communities.
Suffice it to say that everyone who makes a vow, solemn or simple, has given his or her word to God and to the Church to live according to a specific way of life. Regardless of how easy or difficult the vow may be to dispense, the real issue is the fact that one has a moral obligation to fulfill one’s commitment and consecration to God.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
If a religious in solemn vows attempts a Catholic marriage, the marriage is null and void, because one solemn vow cannot trump another solemn vow.
Religious in solemn vows are monks, nuns (not sisters), friars, and religious brothers who belong to mendicant orders. Religious brothers, priests and sistes who belong to congregations do not make solemn vows. They make simple vows.
Simple vows can be dispensed by the Superior General if it is a male community or in the case of a female community by the Sacred Congregation for religioius institutes and societies of apostolic life. For religious in solemn vows, the vows can only be dispensed by the Sacred congregation for religious institutes and societies of apostolic life, with the approval of the Holy See and a letter of recommendation from the Superior Genral, the Abbot or the Abbess.
Vows can also be suspended. This is not the same as dispensed. The person is free to take up his place among the faithful, but must return to the religious life when the circumstances permit it.
You cannot dismiss a religious in solemn vows: monk, friar or cloistered nun, even if they violate the vows. They are still bound to the vows until such time as the Holy See dismisses the person. This is a lengthy and complicated process.
That being said, monastics are not the only ones who make solemn vows. Other religious families that make solemn vows and are not monastic are: Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Augustinians, Trinitarians, Jesuits, Mercederians and Basilians. But only the men and the cloistered nuns in these orders. The members of the congregations associated with these orders make simple vows, such as the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, the Franciscans of the Renewal, the Caremilite and Franciscans sisters who teach, nurse or do any apostolate outside the religious house, and the extern sisters in some monastic communities.
Suffice it to say that everyone who makes a vow, solemn or simple, has given his or her word to God and to the Church to live according to a specific way of life. Regardless of how easy or difficult the vow may be to dispense, the real issue is the fact that one has a moral obligation to fulfill one’s commitment and consecration to God.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
O
OKCatholic
Guest
Another way to look at the vows a religious takes is to simply compare them to the vows one makes in matrimony. Should someone who is in a marriage but falls in love with another person be allowed to “follow their heart” and walk away from their spouse with no ramifications?
In a world swept up by change and “improvement” many simple things have been disgarded. Trust, commitment and loyalty have been replaced by pessimism, indifference and infidelity. The Church, however, sees the error in this and (rightly so) expects better from her members.
This rejection of the false notion that progress is always forward and upward is summed up best by a rather famous convert, “It is of the new things that men tire - of fashions and proposals and improvements and change. It is the old things that startle and intoxicate. It is the old things that are young.”
In a world swept up by change and “improvement” many simple things have been disgarded. Trust, commitment and loyalty have been replaced by pessimism, indifference and infidelity. The Church, however, sees the error in this and (rightly so) expects better from her members.
This rejection of the false notion that progress is always forward and upward is summed up best by a rather famous convert, “It is of the new things that men tire - of fashions and proposals and improvements and change. It is the old things that startle and intoxicate. It is the old things that are young.”
J
JReducation
Guest
Your underlying thesis statement is 100% consistent with the Catholic Church’s moral position. Not everything in this life is disposable.
All too often people believe one of two errors or both: 1) everything is disposable or 2) everything is microwaveable. Just push touch the pad and get instant _____________ .
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
- Status