Question regarding religious life

[total_Catholic]

I’m just a regular Catholic joe with no college degree or any education past high school? Are there any Catholic men’s groups I can join a be a part of BESIDES the KOC? I’m speaking from a religious life experience or am I just left to praying on my own? Thanks.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

I’m just a regular Catholic joe with no college degree or any education past high school? Are there any Catholic men’s groups I can join a be a part of BESIDES the KOC? I’m speaking from a religious life experience or am I just left to praying on my own? Thanks.

I am not sure the specificity of your question exactly.

If your question regards religious life…yes, there are religious communities that admit men who have a high school education. The vocation path would be that of a Brother since the priesthood would require both college and then several years of theology.

I have worked with Brothers who were great blessings for their communities doing all sorts of work.

This would be a question best answered by your diocese’s vocation director in conjunction with identifying your particular interests and aptitudes or, for example, by reaching out to a Benedictine abbey.

If your question is oriented more toward men’s groups, beyond the Knights of Columbus, those can be more parish-based and I would not be the best one to advise you in such matters – least of all regarding the United States.

If your question is not about joining Religious Life but rather about other associations, you might look into Religious Communities of men in your area…with whom you could make retreats or days of recollection or otherwise join them for their rounds of prayer. Most monasteries of monks, for example, have oblates (which sometimes have other names, particularly among the Trappists) and they have varying degrees of association and participation in the community’s prayer life.

 

[total_Catholic]

I am not sure the specificity of your question exactly.

If your question regards religious life…yes, there are religious communities that admit men who have a high school education. The vocation path would be that of a Brother since the priesthood would require both college and then several years of theology.

I have worked with Brothers who were great blessings for their communities doing all sorts of work.

This would be a question best answered by your diocese’s vocation director in conjunction with identifying your particular interests and aptitudes or, for example, by reaching out to a Benedictine abbey.

If your question is oriented more toward men’s groups, beyond the Knights of Columbus, those can be more parish-based and I would not be the best one to advise you in such matters – least of all regarding the United States.

If your question is not about joining Religious Life but rather about other associations, you might look into Religious Communities of men in your area…with whom you could make retreats or days of recollection or otherwise join them for their rounds of prayer. Most monasteries of monks, for example, have oblates (which sometimes have other names, particularly among the Trappists) and they have varying degrees of association and participation in the community’s prayer life.

Thanks. I struggle being a good lay catholic but just asked to see what else is out there. Again, thanks.

 

[OraLabora]

Thanks. I struggle being a good lay catholic but just asked to see what else is out there. Again, thanks.

As a Benedictine oblate myself, I can affirm what Fr. Ruggero says and it has been a life-changing (and dare I say life-saving) experience for me. One of the main reasons I became an oblate is that I didn’t know how to pray. It certainly was a great help for me in that respect, but I also learned many other virtues (some of which I still have to actively work on to even hope to achieve…) and a new way of living my faith.

But keep in mind, like monastic life itself, oblation is not a destination, it’s a beginning of a slow inner conversion process.

 

[nr1985]

I think you should look at the religious orders and see what their ‘charisms’ are and see if any fit your mode of spirituality.

Very broadly speaking- for example, the Franciscans might go out an operate soup kitchens and care for the needy. The Carmelites are more contemplative.

Both of these, as well as many others, have secular third orders which you could potentially join, if you’re able to make a modest commitment. This is one way of propelling you foward!

 

[Thomas_Casey]

NOTICE

Questions on religious life are best in the vocation forum, especially when asking about brothers. There are mixed communities, such as Dominicans, who have priests and lay brothers. There are fraternal communities, such as Franciscans, where everyone is a brother and some brothers are also deacons or priests. There are apostolic congregations such as the De la Salle Brothers. There are no priests in such a community, but they do require at least a Master’s Degree. There are other apostolic communities, such as the Missionaries of Charity Brothers that don’t require a college education. Several Franciscan communities and provinces require the lay brothers to have a Master’s Degree in theology, even if they’re not going to be ordained. Some of the Jesuit provinces require their brothers have a college degree or higher in one of the sciences or the arts.

Brothers involved in outreach ministries and brothers who are monks, generally don’t need more than high school and work experience. They require maturity and good health more than education.

The apostolate of the brother and the education of the brother is determined by the mission of the community. That determines how much education is required and what kind of education.

The experience that we had on CAF with JReducation was that a brother is one who is called TO BE not necessarily TO DO. If I understood him correctly, a Third Order member or an oblate is not a canonical religious. He remains part of the laity. A brother is lay because he is not a cleric, but St. John Paul II placed him outside of the laity in Vita Consecrata.