176. Religious Communities

"The harvest indeed is abundant, but the labourers are few!" Jesus calls to his special service, for workers in His harvest. A boy and a girl hear the call. The boy (1) says to his parents: "See the stole I'll wear some day!" And the girl (3) dreams of the day when she will be teaching school as a religious Sister. If one feels, as these two young people do, that he should like to serve God fully, let him hasten to consecrate himself to God in the priestly or religious state.

How may religious communities be classified?

— Religious communities may be classified as orders or congregations.

1. Religious orders are those institutes in which the members take solemn vows; they are chiefly the old orders of monks and nuns. Among the religious orders for men are: Augustinians, Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscans, Trappists, etc.

2. Religious congregations are those in which the members take only simple vows; most religious communities are of this kind. The Jesuits, after a number of years in simple vows, may also take solemn vows.

For men among the largest communities are: Divine Word Fathers, Jesuits, Passionists, Redemptorists, Salesians, Salvatorians, etc. For women we have the Benedictines, Dominicans, Felician Sisters, Heart of Mary Sisters, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame Sisters, Sisters of Charity, and Sisters of St. Joseph, among numerous others.

3. Religious institutes may also be classified as clerical or lay. The clerical communities are those in which a great proportion of the members are priests. The lay communities are those with the great majority of their members not ordained priests.

For men, these last are what we term brotherhoods such as the: De la Salle Brothers, Marist Brothers, St. Francis Xavier Brothers, Sacred Heart Brothers.

4. Some communities follow the manner of life of religious, living together under the government of superiors and with approved constitutions. But they are not bound by the usual three vows of religious, and are therefore not properly classified as religious institutions, nor are their members properly called "religious".

Among the most well-known of such societies we have the Lazarists (St. Vincent de Paul Missionaries), Maryknoll Fathers, Oratorians of St. Philip Neri, and Fathers of the Precious Blood.

In what kinds of work are the religious communities engaged?

— They are engaged in all kinds of work, ranging from the purely contemplative life of prayer to the active life of missionaries.

1. Members of contemplative orders are strictly cloistered, and devote their life chiefly to prayer and penance. This prayer is not for the individual alone, but for the greater honour and glory of God, the well-being of the Mystical Body of Christ, the reclaiming of all into the Fold of the Good Shepherd.

Among contemplative orders we may mention the Carthusian and Cistercian monks, and the Carmelite, Poor Clare and Perpetual Adoration nuns.

2. Members of semi-contemplative communities observe the "mixed life"; they superimpose the active on the contemplative life. They seldom leave their houses, and engage themselves in teaching, caring for penitents and orphans, etc.

Among semi-contemplative congregations we may mention: the Assumption Sisters, Dominican Sisters, and Good Shepherd Sisters.

3. The religious communities of active life are dedicated to teaching, hospital work, mission work, etc. Active life does not refer to mere bodily activity, but to external activities carried on outside the religious house.

Thus Cistercians who farm their land do not pursue an active life. Most of the religious institutes in the United States are engaged in the active life. Among them we may mention: Jesuits, Franciscan Tertiaries, Lazarists, Passionists, Redemptorists, Salesians, and the Christian Brothers.

Which religious community should one choose who wishes to dedicate his life entirely to God?

— One who wishes to dedicate his life entirely to God should choose the religious community best suited to his inclination and ability.

If one is interested in teaching, one should choose a teaching congregation. If a girl likes teaching, but is very retiring, and prefers not to be too much in the work, she should choose a semi-contemplative congregation. If she wants to be totally separated from the world and devote her time to prayer and penance, she should join a contemplative order. Those who are active, healthy, and willing to do anything and suffer anything for Christ should join a missionary congregation.

Besides priests, religious are needed, both men and women, for the schools, the hospitals, the teaching of religion, care of the poor, and of churches.

Women cannot become priests, but they can be very useful as religious Sisters. Many a soul has been converted to the Faith because of the example, the prayers, or the influence of a Sister. Sisters are most useful too in the missions; they are the auxiliaries of the missionary priests in their difficult work of winning souls for Christ.

All who volunteer can be used: "The harvest indeed is abundant, but the labourers are few."

How can one help increase the number of priests and religious?

— One can help increase the number by prayer, by helping support poor seminarians, or by consecrating himself in the priestly or religious state.

1. Every one should pray steadfastly and sincerely for priests and religious.

Christ said: "Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:38).

2. Those who are financially able should support poor students in the seminaries.

Many otherwise qualified young people are prevented from consecrating themselves to God in the priestly state for lack of means.

3. Lastly, he who is earnest about the service of God should decide whether he is willing to consecrate himself entirely to that service. Such as have the will and necessary qualifications should either enter the priesthood or one of the religious congregations.

There would be many more vocations to the priestly or religious life if young people would pay less attention to their worldly amusements, pleasures, and ease, and more to God and their salvation. If they would only ponder over the fact that they have just one life to live, and that all their eternity depends upon the way they spend that life, they would surely try to make the most of it. How many are willing to make sacrifices for wealth or honour! Yet these will have to be left behind at death; the only lasting riches come from the loyal service of God.