Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Simplicity of Life
• Purity of Life
• Following of the Gospel
The Vows
• Poverty
• Chastity
• Obedience
The Evangelical Counsels and
the Vows
To Follow Christ More Perfectly
• Prayer
• Common Life
• Vows
• Rule
Prayer
Liturgy of the Hours
• Matins
• Lauds
• Prime
• Terce
• Sext
• Nones
• Vespers
• Compline
Common Life
• Living,
• working,
• recreating
• together
• in a community.
Vows
• Commitment
• Lifetime
• Before God
Rule
• Augustine
• John Cassian
• Basil
• Benedict
“Second Orders” - Nuns
• A rule similar to
Benedict’s was developed
for women.
• St. Scholastica is
considered their
foundress.
• Their rule was similar to
that of the male “first
order.”
• Other orders followed a
similar pattern.
Finance, Support, Work,
Apostolate
• Farming
• Education
• Medicine
Farming
• Rotation of Crops
• Fish Farms
• Irrigation
• Breeding
Education
• Philosophy
• Theology
• Mathematics
• Rhetoric
• Manuscripts
• Calligraphy
• Agriculture
• Medicine
• Translation of Jewish,
Greek, Arab scholars
Medicine
• Digestive aids
• Herbal remedies
• Research
• Translation of Jewish
and Arab scholars
“Ideal and Perfect” Christian
Life
• The monastery, which • Laity, and subsequent
tried to perfect the religious communities,
evangelical counsels, strived to imitate the
came to be viewed as monastic way of life.
the ideal Christian way • Third Orders
of life and the gateway • Rosary
to heaven.
Medieval Period
• Canon law develops and Christians are divided into
“states” of life
– Clergy
– Religious – consecrated life
– Laity
• Religious life seen as closest to the perfect following of
Christ
• Laity, whose state in life is implicitly “imperfect,” seek to
“participate” in perfect following of Christ as exemplified
in religious orders
Rosary and the Monastic Office
“The People’s Psalter”
The People’s Participation in the Prayer Life of the
Religious
Rosary and Monastic Office
The People’s Psalter
• 150 Psalms • 15 decades of ten Ave
Marias
• Gloria • Gloria after each
decade
• Pater Noster • Pater Noster between
decades
• Salve Regina • Salve Regina
Third Orders – Tertiaries -
Oblates
• Medieval Period • Associations whose
• Founders and benefactors members share in the
of monasteries were spirit of some religious
received in life into institute while in secular
spiritual fellowship, and life, lead an apostolic life,
were clothed in death in and strive for Christian
some religious habit. perfection under the
• Participate in indulgences higher direction of the
granted to the first and same institute are called
second orders. third orders or some other
appropriate name. - Canon
303
Third Orders – Tertiaries
Development
• Promises, not vows
• Simplicity of life
• Commitment to prayer
• Commitment to good works
• Support of First and Second Orders
• NB – Always related to religious orders and
their spirit.
• “Lay spirituality” means imitation of
religious orders’ spirituality
Reform
• Wealth
• Laxity
– Observance of vows
– Observance of Rule
• Prayer
• Common Life
• Enclosure/Cloister
Reforms – New Orders
• 6th Century - Rule of
St. Benedict
• 1098 - Citeaux
(Cistercians)
• 1664 - La Trappe
(Trappists)
Cycles of Reform
• Francis of Assisi
(c.1181 – 1226)
– Order of Friars Minor
(O.F.M.)
Order of Preachers
• Traditional three vows
• Live in community but not
enclosure
• Preach and convert
• Educators
• Scholars
• Liturgy of Hours
• Second Order of Nuns
• Third Order
Order of Friars Minor
• Traditional three vows
• Ideal is to be a wandering
beggar
• Strict Poverty
• No Possessions
• Controversy immediately
after Francis’ death
• Three Orders
– Friars Minor
– Poor Clares
– Third Order
Cycles of Reform
• Each order goes through
cycles of reform.
• Re-foundation – return to
origins
• New branches
• Both phenomena are signs
of health
• “Capuchin Friars
Reformed” – “Franciscan
Friars of the Renewal”
Forms of Religious Life
Monastery Friars Post-Trent
• Education – Men/Women
• Education and Care of Youth
• Health Care
• “Overseas” Missions
• European Missions
• Specific Devotion, e.g., Passion of Christ
• Social Services, Care of Poor, etc.
• Preaching, “Missions”
Life Cycles
• Women’s Movement
– Options for women increase
• Civil Rights Movement
• “Sexual Revolution”
• Challenges to civil authority
– Anti – Vietnam War Movement
– Watergate
Post Vatican II
Transformation of Religious Communities
Ecclesiastical Developments
In
Manibus
Dei