UNDERSTANDING THE 6 TYPES
OF RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS
By Life Teen | JULY 19, 2010
Did you know there are 6 types of religous vocations? If you are considering a religious vocation, take a closer
look at the different ways you can serve God:
1.
Diocesan Priesthood: To be a priest is to live a life of service, bringing Christ to others in word and
sacrament.
2.
Religious Priesthood: To be a religious priest is to live according to a particular form of life united to
others in your community and faithful to the charism of your founder(s).
3.
Contemplative Life: To be a contemplative religious is to live a life of constant prayer for the Church
as you seek intimacy with God.
4.
Religious Brothers: To be a religious brother is to live according to a particular form of life with
others in your community, dedicated to service, especially to the poor.
5.
Religious Sisters: To be a religious sister is to live according to a particular form of life with others in
your community, dedicated to service, especially to the poor.
6.
Secular Institutes: To be a member of an institute for lay people is to strive for holiness and to bring
the Gospel message to others by living and working alongside them.
1. DIOCESAN PRIESTHOOD
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Mt 4:19
Who they are
Priests are called to be men of personal prayer who proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The heart of the
priesthood is the celebration of the Eucharist and the teaching, sanctifying, and leading of those in their spiritual
care. Priests proclaim, celebrate, and live the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. They bear witness that new life
and hope are more powerful than sin and death. Priests remind others of the dignity and sanctity of all human life
and have a special love for the poor.
Fr. Matt Lawry celebrates Mass at Life Teen Steubenville West. Fr. Matt is a diocesan priest.
How they live
As Jesus made the journey with his disciples on the road to Emmaus, so too, does the priest journey with his
people. Most diocesan priests serve in parishes, ministering to the day-to-day needs of their people. Others serve
in specialized ministries and are chaplains in prisons, hospitals, high schools, and colleges, or serve in diocesan
administration.
What they do
No two days are alike in a priest’s life: it often includes many diverse experiences. Much time is spent in the
preparation and celebration of the Sacraments. Time is spent counseling, teaching, preparing homilies, visiting
the sick, the elderly, and the imprisoned, or assisting an immigrant or poor family.
In addition, priests attend wakes and funerals, and coordinate parish organizations and youth activities. As with
anyone else, a priest must balance his time among family, friends, exercise, rest, and, most of all, prayer.
2. RELIGIOUS PRIESTHOOD
“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me” Mt 19:21.
Fr. Stan Fortuna is a religious priest with the Capuchin Friars of the Renewal in New York.
Who they are
A diocesan priest is ordained to serve the local church in which he is ordained. For example, a priest who is
ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn is ordained to serve within Brooklyn and Queens, most likely in a parish.
By contrast, a religious priest is not ordained for a specific diocese. Because he comes from a religious
community he is called to serve wherever his community serves in the universal Church. He expresses his service
according to the charism of his community in the context of the great gift of being a priest.
How they live
Members of religious communities profess vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live together in
community. After someone studying for the priesthood professes his final or solemn vows, he is ordained a
deacon and a priest.
What they do
A religious priest comes from a group that has a specific charism or special inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the
building up of the Church. A religious priest carries out his ministry within the broader context of his
community’s charism or mission.
The ministries of religious priests vary greatly. Some priests work in parishes, schools, universities, or hospitals.
Others preach, do missionary work abroad, operate retreat houses, or do outreach work, such as running soup
kitchens and taking care of the poor. Some priests even serve as lawyers, webmasters, radio producers, or medical
doctors.
3. CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE
Who they are
Life in the Monastery is quiet and prayerful.
Members of a contemplative religious community focus on prayer as their main ministry, giving themselves to
God as fully as possible.They cultivate a climate of silence and solitude with a spirit of loving reparation for the
weaknesses and frailties of a fallen humanity. Through intercession and abandonment to the love of God,
contemplative monks and nuns are a source of life for the whole Church.
How they live
The contemplative life is usually lived within a monastic, cloistered setting. The day is structured with specific
times for prayer, work, recreation, and silence. The prayer life of a contemplative community includes daily
celebration of the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours recited or sung in choir five or more times a day, as well as
private meditation inspired by the Gospels and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
What they do:
The work of each community varies. It includes, but is not restricted to, manual work, and may be focused around
a limited apostolate, such as creating religious works of art, evangelizing through various media, doing computer
work, or baking altar breads or even special delicacies. The cloistered contemplative remains present within the
monastic environment most of the time, being continually attentive to the presence of the Lord Jesus.
4. RELIGIOUS BROTHERS
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink” Mt 25:35.
Who they are
The religious brother is a lay Christian who commits himself to Christ and the Christian community by vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience. He lives in community, prays with community, and is of service to the Church
community in a variety of ministries that reflect the tradition and charism of a given religious congregation.
What they do
Religious brothers, bonded together by a common vision and common goals, strive to meet the current needs of
the Church by serving in such ministries as teaching, social work, pastoral ministry, vocation ministry, and
technical occupations.
5. RELIGIOUS SISTERS
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee
Who they are
A religious sister is a woman who has answered a call from God to live her life dedicated to spreading the Gospel
message of love of God, love of self, and love of one another. She does this through the particular charism or gift
of her religious community.
Are all sisters alike? No. Yet there are some common elements. While the specifics may differ from congregation
to congregation, a sister is about building community, deepening her relationship with God, and ministering to
others through her work. She does this through her efforts to listen to God’s continual call in obedience, to live
life in a simple manner, and to be a loving presence as expressed through her commitment to celibacy.
What they do
A sister may work in a variety of ministries, depending on her community’s mission and charism. Or, if she
belongs to an enclosed community, she may work within her monastery providing necessary services there. Being
a sister is not about what one does, however. Rather, it is a way of life, a way of being.
A sister is a woman who continues to respond to God’s call, a call to become more like God by dedicating herself
to prayer, her sisters, and the work of her community. A sister is a woman who loves deeply, caring for the needs
of those around her–her family, her community members, those to whom and with whom she ministers, and the
world at large. Through the specific charism of her community, a sister brings to those she serves another view of
the face of Christ. She strives to be that presence of Christ in all she does and in all she is.
6. SECULAR INSTITUTES
“Your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly
Father” Mt 5:16.
“A Secular Institute is an institute of consecrated life in which the faithful, living in this world, strive for the
perfection of charity and endeavor to work for the sanctification of the world from within.” (Code of Canon Law,
1983)
Who they are
A vocation to a Secular Institute involves a form of life relatively new in the Roman Catholic Church. It is open
to single lay women and men or diocesan clerics who feel called by the Holy Spirit to consecrate their lives to
God more intensely through vows or promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
What they do
Like a Third Order Franciscan, members of Secular Institutes witness to Christ and spread the Good News of the
Gospel by striving to live as a transforming presence, or “leaven,” in contemporary society, endeavoring to
restore all things in Christ while living in their own residence and engaging in the employment of their choice.
Their entire lifestyle of prayer, work, and social activities becomes their apostolate.