1. Religious Life in the Catholic Church

2. There are 2 ways to live the religious lifestyle: 1-“ordained” life for men, as priests and/or deacons and 2-“vowed” religious life for men and women, as nuns (sisters) or brothers.

3. The Religious Lifestyle involves... 1.Committing yourself to a specific religious community 2.Making and respecting vows 3.“Living in community” – living with others who have chosen to live a religious lifestyle 4.Committing your life to God and the service of God’s people

4. Religious Communities Each religious community has its own unique spirituality and guidelines for service and prayer. These differences reflect the spirituality of the community’s founder.

5. For example... For example, St. Francis of Assisi is the founder of the Franciscan orders of priests and sisters. Based on what you know about St. Francis, what do you think about the nature of the spirituality and service of the Franciscans?

6. Religious Communities Serving Little Flower Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ) Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters of Mercy (RSM) (Religious Sisters of Mercy)

7. “Name the Nuns” – The LF Sisters SSJ:IHM: Sr. JuliaSr. Donna Sr. RosemarieSr. Ellen Anne Sr. Marie O’HaganSr. Noelle Sr. FranSr. Michael Sr. Joan Ames RSM:Sr. Regina Flanigan Sr. KathleenSr. Marie O’Malley Sr. Mary Dooley Sr. Kim

8. HW Assignment #2 – 4 th Quarter Due: Monday, May 2 Visit the following websites representing the 3 religious orders that serve the Little Flower community: IHM: www.ihmimmaculata.org SSJ: www.ssjphila.org RSM: www.sistersofmercy.org

9. Read about each community as you explore each website. List 3 interesting facts/ideas about each community. This must be typed, but does not need to be in paragraph form. Create a citation for each website (in MLA format) using your NoodleTools account. Conclude with a reflective paragraph answering: Which community is most attractive to you? Why?

10. Vows – “Evangelical Counsels” Those who choose the Religious Lifestyle make 3 vows – sacred, public promises to follow the example of Jesus. Vow #1 – Poverty The vow of poverty is the promise to live simply, without attachment to material things, and to value and seek goodness and happiness that can not be bought.

11. Vow #2 - Chastity The vow of chastity is a commitment to a unique way of loving – one that does not focus on a particular other person, but is, rather, open to loving all of God’s children as an extension of a focused, prayerful, love of God. This vow includes a commitment to celibacy, which is the promise to never marry or engage in a sexual relationship with anyone.

12. Vow #3 - Obedience The vow of obedience is a promise to give oneself completely and unselfishly to the service of God and others.

13. “Living in Community” “Living in Community” is living with other people who try, as a group, to be of service to God, others, and each other. It involves (among many other things) the sharing of faith, time, prayer, meals, resources, responsibilities, and work.

14. Commitment to Service In Religious life, there are 2 kinds of service: Active Service involves direct contact with those being served. Examples: Contemplative Service involves full-time prayer for the needs and intentions of the world.

15. What about “Ordained Life?” The sacrament of Holy Orders (ordination) is received when men become deacons, priests, and bishops. As a priest, ordained life is lived in 1 of 2 ways: as a diocesan priest or as a religious order priest.

16. Diocesan Priests A diocesan priest works directly for a local bishop and diocese (such as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia). What kind of work does a priest do in the Church?

17. Religious Order Priests Similar to the “vowed religious life” of sisters and brothers, religious order priests choose to belong to a particular community. Examples: Religious order priests take the same 3 vows that vowed religious take. Diocesan priests take 2 vows: chastity & obedience

18. Test #1 – 4 th Quarter The Religious Lifestyle Wednesday, April 21