What religious orders are "confined"?

[EphelDuath]

This might sound strange, but I suffer from anxiety when doing new things: I just want to have the same schedule every day. Do you know what religious orders involve “confinement” to the monastery or HQ or what have you, and have a consistent day-to-day schedule?

 

[Cluny]

I think the word you’re looking for is “enclosed.”

Many are, but they are mostly nuns.

Among them are Mother Angelica’s community in Hanceville and Second Order Carmelites.

These are hardly all of them.

BTW–the enclosed life is NOT supposed to be a prop or refuge for people who don’t like new things or changes in routine. Trust me, religious enclosure will just make such anxieties worse.

 

[EphelDuath]

BTW–the enclosed life is NOT supposed to be a prop or refuge for people who don’t like new things or changes in routine. Trust me, religious enclosure will just make such anxieties worse.

Could you clarify on this?

 

[Mintaka]

If you were enclosed and doing the same thing every day, you would probably notice tiny deviations more and be really bugged or distracted by them. This happens to folks all the time who join orders, one hears; and judging from saints’ biographies, some nuns and brothers get really snotty about it.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not cut out for the religious life, or even the enclosed life. But you should have other reasons for doing what you do than using the religious life as some kind of psychological cure-all. It’s supposed to help you work on your sins, not your head.

 

[JReducation]

It must be stated that Canon Law requires that religious superiors require that every candidate entering a religious or secular order also have good mental health. A person with anxiety disorder may be disqualified as a candidate for both religious and secular orders, depending on the severity of the disorder.

Most communities now depend a great deal on psychological testing.

JR