February 2015
The Elements of Religious Life

How does one go about discerning Religious Life? Let’s look at five elements of religious communities which make good starting points for discernment: charism, the founder or notable members of the community, rule of life, apostolate, and community.

The Particular Communities

There are a huge variety of types of religious communities. The term "community" usually refers to a particular group of religious who reside and work together. This might be an autonomous house which is loosely associated with a larger community, such as the Poor Clares; it could be a house which is more directly under the hierarchy of a general superior of the order, like the Dominicans. There are many orders which are so small that the entire order is only one particular community. And there are various other hierarchical structures.

Some communities have ancient origins like the Benedictines, while others are new, like the Missionaries of Charity, or even newer. There are new religious communities being formed all the time.

A religious community is a family. The manner in which its members live, together and as individuals, gives the community a distinctive family characteristic. As with any family, there are little things which make living in it a joy for its members, as well as quirks and things which bother its members. No community is perfect! But that is part of what helps the members to become holy, as they work out their differences and learn to forgive annoyances. St. Therese endured one of her community’s sisters splashing her face with dirty wash water, how she responded to that sister in charity and love shows her saintly virtue. There are many joys and challenges in community life.

Apostolate

Once you get to know a particular community of religious, the next question is usually What do they do?

The apostolate is the mission of the community, the work it has been “sent” to do in the world. It is one of the main things to consider when discerning religious life, though not the most important. The religious life is not a career, but it is important to consider the work a community does, and whether you are interested in it!

The apostolate may be some sort of work directly with people. It could be concerned with basic physical needs like food, shelter, or healing. It could be more spiritual or intellectual, like teaching or preaching, counseling, spiritual direction, or public prayer and liturgy. It could also be a hidden apostolate, such as prayer or penance for the conversion of the world or reparations for sins.

In addition to the apostolate, some communities will have work that they do which is primarily for their livelihood, such as a monastic community which produces a product for sale. But even this work is usually linked to their apostolate.

Rule of Life

The next important question is  How do they live? Every religious community has a rule, which helps to define what the community is and how it lives. The rule gives guidelines on every aspect of community life, from their habit, spirituality, and apostolate to even such things as how meals should be taken. The rule shapes the daily lives of a community's members, and is important to understand when seriously considering any community.

Founder and Notable Members

Getting to know how a community came into existence can help to understand better what its purpose is, its place in the Church and in history. Inspiring founders or members - possibly even saints - are a tremendous source of inspiration for religious communities. Members are able to emulate the virtues of these members, pray for their guidance, and receive personal and community direction from their lives. Find out about inspirational community members as you consider any religious community, and consider imitating their lives and even praying to them for help discerning.

Charism

The ultimate question to ask is  Who are they? To understand "who" a community is, we have to look at the charism, what makes them distinctly who they are in comparison to any other community.

In a general sense, a charism is a gift from God which helps build up the Church. For religious communities a charism is the soul of the community, that which gives it purpose, motivation, and animates its action. A community’s charism is an enculturation of the Gospel for a particular time and place, a way that a need is met for furthering the Kingdom of God.

The charism is given to the community to help lead its members to holiness, to a close relationship with the Holy Trinity, and more generally, to help them be a sign of God’s presence and love in the world for the work of evangelization by a particular manner of living the evangelical counsels.

In a sense, the charism is the personality of the community. Just as each person is distinct, and can be identified by his personality, a religious community is identified by its charism. Even communities which are part of a larger order (such as various types of Franciscans) can be distinguished by their charisms.

Charism involves the community’s spirituality, the character of its liturgical and devotional prayer as a community. Spirituality includes traditions handed down by a founder or influential member of the community, or other practices which developed in their history.

The charism also influences whether the community is contemplative, semi-contemplative, or active. All religious communities will have some active and contemplative characteristics: work must be done and the foundation of the spiritual life is prayer. Considering these and the many other parts of a community's heritage which make up its charism, are ultimately what will help you to discern a vocation to a particular community.

Considering these and the many other parts of a community's heritage which make up its charism, are ultimately what will help you to discern a vocation to a particular community.

Discerning

The most important question for anyone discerning a religious vocation is this: Who am I or Who have I been created to be? This is admittedly a complex question. One of the ways to figure this out is to explore religious orders and see how well you connect with these 5 criteria (the particular community, the apostolate, the Rule of Life, the founders and other saintly members and the Charism. Ask yourself, “Do I fit?” It necessitates a close look at your life - your experiences, gifts, personality, inclinations, and interests - as well as all the elements of particular religious communities. Just as a couple who are discerning marriage spend time together to get to know each other, and to determine whether their lives “fit” together, discerning the religious life requires that you “get to know” some communities, and that they get to know you.

Where do you start? Start where you are attracted. Find out as much as you can about some communities, and then make contact. Get to know them - visit, experience their spirituality, their community life, their apostolate. As you get to know a few communities, and with good self reflection, prayer and a good spiritual director, God will make it apparent whether, and where, He is calling you.


Thank you for taking the time to consider your vocation. Be open with God, and He will bless you greatly!

If you would like to talk about your vocation, give me a call or send me an email.

Rev. J.D. Jaffe
Vocation Director
Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Office of Vocations
(703) 841-2514
vocations@arlingtondiocese.org
www.ArlingtonVocations.org





Share this