In Depth Study Religious Life

To enhance your presentation of the religious life, plan to focus on the lives of two of the
Church's most beloved saints, both of whom had a great desire to live their call to
Christian discipleship in a religious community.
St. Francis of Assisi's humility kept him from petitioning the pope that his band of
followers be an "official" religious congregation. Nevertheless, by 1217 the Franciscan
order had grown to such proportions that Francis had to propose some groundwork for
organization.
St. Thrse of Lisieux sought religious life from her early childhood. While on a town
pilgrimage to Rome, she made her way to the front of the group and blurted out her
request to the Pope to enter the convent at age fifteen. While the Pope was surprised and
hesitant, she was soon able to live at her beloved Carmel.
These two models of religious life-one man, one woman-are interesting and worthy
subjects to include in a course on vocations.
The Ave Maria Press Saints & Virtues Series features two booklets on Francis and
Thrse perfect for this study. Each booklet is also a lesson on one virtue. You can learn
more about these booklets on our website at www.avemariapress.com. Also included online
are sample pages from the Francis book and a leaders guide. Each booklet also includes
25 project ideas for students to work on several of which involve in-depth studies of
religious orders.
These booklets are available from Ave Maria Press for $5.50 each or for the school price
of $4.40 with any $300 order.
ISBN: 1-59471-060-0 Francis
1-59471-059-7 - Thrse