Not Diocesan Priest, but ____ Priest?

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I was talking to my brother recently, who is currently discerning vocation, and we were talking about the different types of priestly vocation. He is considering Diocesan priesthood, which is wonderful, but I brought up the type where a priest belongs to an order, not diocesan. What is the broad term for this? I’m sure there is one, and said “Ordinariate” as the first thing that popped into my head, but later thought this was wrong.

As in, What is the umbrella term ( ______ Priest) you can place Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, etc Priests in as opposed to Diocesan Priests?
 
cwrinn said:
I was talking to my brother recently, who is currently discerning vocation, and we were talking about the different types of priestly vocation. He is considering Diocesan priesthood, which is wonderful, but I brought up the type where a priest belongs to an order, not diocesan. What is the broad term for this? I’m sure there is one, and said “Ordinariate” as the first thing that popped into my head, but later thought this was wrong.

As in, What is the umbrella term ( ______ Priest) you can place Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, etc Priests in as opposed to Diocesan Priests?
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Secular priest or religious priest.

That’s all.

The secular priest lives ‘in the world.’ The religious priest takes the religious vows.

It goes without saying that religious life is the higher path. 😃
 
There are actually three different types of priests. The secular (diocesan) the religious and the orders of apostolic life. The franciscans would be an example of religious, and the jesuits an example of order of apostolic life. The apostolic life priest lives in community because it helps him with live his apostolate or ministry. Does it help.
 
The legal terms used within the Church are:
  1. Secular priest: for a priest who is not a consecrated religious. This includes diocesan priests, priests who belong to priestly fraternities such as the SSPX, FSSP and priests who belong to priestly societies such as Maryknoll, Vincentians et al.
  2. Regular priest: for a priest who is also a consecrated religious bound by vows to follow a rule of life. These men are priests who are also members of any of these: orders, congregations, and societies of apostolic life. These are friars, monks, hermits or clerks regular.
Each of these priests has a different superior. The most commonly known priests are those who are diocesan. These are secular priests who are incardinated into a specific diocese and the local bishop is their major superior. This is usually your parish priest.

Priests who belong to other groups do not answer to the bishop, but to the superior of their specific institute.

If a priest is a either a monk or a friar he is canonically a religious brother, but he is an ordained brother. There are many friars and monks who are not ordained brothers. They are called lay brothers. But both, the ordained and the lay in a friary or monastery have equal rights and the same vocation, that is the call to achieve the perfection of charity in the manner prescribed by the rule of the order.

If a priest is a religious, but is not a monk, friar or hermit, he is called a clerk regular. For example, Jesuits, Salesians, Redepmptorists, Passionists, Fathers of Mercy, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, etc, these are all clerks regular. They are religious, but are not monks, friars or hermits.

It can be confusing until you get used to the differences.

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
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