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> Vocation: Calling > Consecrated Life
> What Consecrated Life is About
The Umbrella term: Consecrated Life First, a word about some 'words'. The word 'consecrated' comes from the word, 'sacred' which means 'holy'. By our baptism we are consecrated to the Lord and called to holiness, which can be defined simply as the following of Christ. The Church uses the term 'Consecrated life' to signify those people who go public in their following of Jesus- poor, chaste and obedient. In a letter titled Vita Consecrata Pope John Paul II acknowledges and describes the various types of consecrated life. Monastic life was instituted in the very early days of Christianity, and is still existing today. Monastic men and women dedicate themselves to prayer and work, either communities that reside in monasteries, or in the solitude of hermitages. The most well known monastic communities follow the example of St. Benedict. Contemplative institutes are dedicated wholly to contemplation, in communities characterized by silence, prayer, and asceticism. There are contemplative communities that follow the example of Benedict and Clare of Assisi; the Sisters of the Precious Blood are a contemplative institute in our diocese. Apostolic religious life are the religious communities with which most people are familiar. The first apostolic institutes were established in the Middle Ages. They were, and are characterized by their work in the towns and villages as teachers, preachers and missionaries. Some familiar apostolic communities include the Franciscans, Jesuits, Loretto Sisters, Presentation Sisters and Christian Brothers. Secular Institutes follow the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience while living in their own homes and working in the same types of professions that many of our parishioners are familiar with. They fulfill their mission by bringing the Gospel to the cultural, economic and political life of their cities and communities. The 50th anniversary of the creation of this way of consecrated life was observed in 1997. Some secular institutes are the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate (lay women) and the Regnum Christi Movement. Societies of Apostolic Life. It is a fine distinction that exists between the apostolic religious life that grew up in the Middle Ages and more modern societies of apostolic life. These groups were often founded for a specific missionary or apostolic purpose. The Daughters of Charity, and the Vincentians are some of the societies of apostolic life. In addition there are other expressions of consecrated life - both old and new, which continue to witness to the constant attraction of giving oneself to the Lord. E.g. consecrated virgins, and Associations of the Faithful such as Madonna House. (Origins. April 4, 1996. Vol. 25, no. 41.) | |||||||||||||
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