RELIGIOUS LIFE IS

10.1.6
A VOCATION

This chapter presents the following key learning points:

• People called to religious life seek to imitate Jesus by
taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
• Religious sisters, brothers, and priests work in many
different apostolates.

People called to religious life seek to imitate Jesus

by taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
The origins of religious life can be traced back to the earliest centuries of the Church. During
these centuries, some were called to live the Gospel of Jesus in radical ways. They took up the
call of Jesus to:

‘... come, follow me ...’ (Matthew 19:21)

They also took up lives of celibate love,

living Christ-like total self-dedication to
God and to serving others. Their goals
were to meditate and to have deep
mystical experiences of God. Before
long, these people moved away from
society out into deserts, for they found
it difficult to grow closer to God in the
ways they desired in urban society.

In the deserts, they tended to

gather into communities and to vow
themselves to obedience within the
community, imitating Jesus who was
always obedient to God the Father.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, one of the oldest continuously functioning

Christian monasteries in the world, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

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The history of the development of the religious life within the Church is rich and varied. The
common characteristic of the religious life is the calling to imitate Jesus himself by following
certain principles Jesus demonstrated in his life called ‘the evangelical counsels’ (Gospel
advice):

• chastity, imitating Christ who loved God the Father and people in a celibate way that is
totally available to everyone

Then Peter answered and said, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What
are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to them, ‘In truth I tell you … everyone who has left
houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will
receive a hundred times as much, and also inherit eternal life.’ (Matthew 19:27, 29)

• poverty, owning nothing personally in imitation of the poverty of Christ. Surrendering all
goods and earnings to the Church and depending on the Church for support

One of the scribes then came up and said to him, ‘Master, I will follow you wherever
you go.’ Jesus said, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son
of man has nowhere to lay his head.’ (Matthew 8:18b-19)

Jesus said (to the rich young man), ‘... Go and sell what you own and give the money
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ (Mark 10:21)

• obedience, imitating Christ who gave his entire life to obeying God the Father, by placing
one’s talents, and even one’s choice of how best to use those talents, at the complete
disposal of the Church.

Jesus said, ‘I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him
who sent me.’ (John 6:38)

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned
you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last ... (John 15:16)

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Women and men who follow these evangelical counsels are referred to as ‘consecrated
religious.’ They publicly promise, or make a profession of vows, to live a life of gospel chastity,
poverty and obedience in the service of God’s people. These consecrated religious include
sisters, nuns, brothers and priests.

For your information...

To be consecrated means to be set apart as sacred, to be devoted to God. Consecrated
religious by their lives dedicated to God give witness to the holiness of the Church.

About one third of priests are consecrated religious. They are the ‘religious’ or ‘order’ priests
who belong to a religious community and serve the Church as that community directs. They
take the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the community provides for their
needs. The rest of the world’s priests are ‘diocesan’ or ‘secular’ priests who serve in a variety of
ways in a diocese. They promise obedience to the local bishop and live a life of celibacy, but do
not make a vow of poverty; they earn a salary or receive a stipend which provides for their needs.

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Monastic life
Some religious live in community in
a monastery. They withdraw from For your information...
society in order to live ascetical lives of
community prayer and work. The men Not all religious sisters are ‘nuns’. Those who
in a monastery are called ‘monks’ (from live in enclosed communities, such as the
the Greek word monos, ‘alone’), while Carmelites in Nedlands, are ‘nuns’. Those
women who live the monastic life are women who belong to non-enclosed orders
called ‘nuns’ (from the Latin word nonna, e.g. Mercy or Loreto Sisters are not nuns,
even though many people refer to them by
‘elderly woman’). Monasteries are also
that name, rather they are religious sisters.
sometimes called ‘convents’ (from the
Latin conventus, ‘coming together’).

The monastic life revolves around the regular celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours. This
daily liturgy is celebrated in community several times a day, from early morning until night. It
includes hymns, psalms, readings and prayers offered on behalf of the entire Church.

Monks and nuns also devote time each day to reading spiritual material and meditation in
silence. This systematic reading which leads to personal prayer is called lectio divina, (Latin for
‘divine reading’).

The monastic life includes work for the service of the Church. This work may range from
normal household tasks and gardening to conducting retreats and offering spiritual direction
for visitors to the monastery. Sometimes the monastic community will be involved in the wider
work of education or parish ministry. However, the ideal of monastic life is ‘life alone with God’.
To this end, many monasteries are ‘enclosed’ or ‘cloistered’, and their religious members are
called ‘contemplatives’. The members rarely leave the monastery and its grounds, except for
medical needs or some special reason. Likewise, visitors are not allowed access to the entire
monastery, but only the church and some ‘visiting parlours’. In this way, the quiet and regular
life of the monastery is preserved and prayer is continually offered on behalf of the Church and
the world.

Western Australians can find Benedictine monks at New Norcia, and Carmelite nuns in
Nedlands and Bunbury. These monks and nuns are happy for people to join in their liturgical
services. The monks also offer spiritual guidance upon request.

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Religious sisters, brothers, and priests work in
many different apostolates
Communities of apostolic life
Besides monastic communities which are usually found in more rural areas there are
communities of apostolic life. The members pray daily, both in community and in private.
These communities were usually founded to meet specific needs found in more populated
areas. They are sometimes called ‘active-contemplative communities’. They work:
• among the poor
• caring for the sick
• helping migrants and refugees
• educating people in the light of the Gospel
• praying on behalf of humanity in general, and for the specific needs of particular people
and groups.

Through consecrated religious, Jesus seeks to:

• keep before all people his own special dedication for the poor, the sick and those religious
are called to serve
• reach out to those they serve in a special spiritual way
• encourage other Christians and people of good will who also work in these areas.

In Western Australia, there are apostolic consecrated religious Orders and Congregations in
many areas of the Church’s work. For example:
• various works among Aboriginal people (e.g. Pallottine Fathers, Christian Brothers, Sisters of
St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Presentation Sisters, St John of God Sisters)
• schools (e.g. Sisters of Mercy, Josephite and Presentation Sisters, Marist Brothers, Oblate
Fathers, Norbertine Canons, Christian Brothers)
• medical care (e.g. Camillans, St John of God Sisters,
Little Sisters of the Poor, Daughters of Charity)
• services to migrants (e.g. Scalabrinian Fathers, Sisters of
St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Salvatorian Fathers,
Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions)
• outreach to those in society with special needs
(e.g. Little Sisters of the Poor – aged, poor; Good
Shepherd Sisters – family and community support;
Daughters of Charity – emergency accommodation
for women and children; Marist Brothers – summer
camps for disadvantaged children; Christian
Brothers – legal advocacy service for youth)
• tertiary students (e.g. Jesuit Fathers, Redemptorist
Fathers, Oblate Fathers)
• people with disabilities (e.g. Sisters of Mercy, Servite Sisters,
Brigidine Sisters)
• adult education (e.g. Carmelite Brothers, Servite Sisters,
Jesuit Fathers, Marist Brothers)
• parish life (e.g. Franciscan Fathers, Redemptorist Fathers,
Dominican Sisters, Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart).

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 In Class Work
Using the internet and any other resources available to you, research one of the
religious orders/institutes working in Western Australia to answer the following
questions:
1. Who founded the Order or Congregation?
2. In what year was it founded?
3. In what country was it founded?
4. What was the pressing need in society that motivated the founder to
start the work of the order/institute?
5. What is the full (official) name of the order/institute?
6. By what name are they commonly known?
7. When did this order/institute first arrive in Australia? In Western Australia?
8. What was the first work they went into on their arrival?
9. What apostolate is the order/institute involved in today?

Asking for guidance on callings

No one can be truly happy unless they follow their vocation (Luke 9:25): All Christians need to
pray and ask for God’s help to discover their vocations. As they do so, they discern the specific
answer to the question ‘What is the meaning and purpose of my life?’

In Class Work
Use the information from Chapters 5 and 6 to answer the following questions:
1. Define ‘Apostle’.
2. Name two of the specific spiritual gifts Jesus gave his Apostles.
3. What is the name of the first pope – John, Paul, Peter or Benedict?
4. What are the three roles of a deacon in assisting a priest or a bishop?
5. Name three ways in which a priest exercises his role as a teacher.
6. People called to religious life seek to imitate Jesus by taking vows of _______
and _______.
7. Chastity means giving money to the poor – true or false?
8. Name two orders of religious women active in Western Australia.
9. Name two orders of religious men active in Western Australia.
10. To which religious order did the first group of monks to arrive in
Western Australia belong?

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