"Solet Annuere"). But in view of the law of the Church — canon law — there are differences, but I will limit myself to only a broad description of the differences. * The Franciscans are the most numerous as far as different branches go. Christianity seems to be divided into the Eastern and Western churches that are referred to as Orthodox and Catholics respectively. The oldest order is that of St. Benedict, but other well-known orders are the Carthusians, Cistercians, Carmelites, Franciscans and Norbertines. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. So far so good. If not, what does this term mean, then? She founded this website to provide clear answers to canonical questions asked by ordinary Catholics, without employing all the mysterious legalese that canon lawyers know and love. In the past Cathy has published articles both in scholarly journals and on various popular Catholic websites, including Real Presence Communications and Catholic Exchange. Follow him on his, Novena in preparation for the Beatification of Fr. (5). This third order was devised by St. Francis as a sort of middle state between the cloister and the world for those who, wishing to follow in the saint's footsteps, were debarred by marriage or other ties from entering either the first or second order. Please check the Archives first–it’s likely your question was already addressed. And while this analogy may not be perfect, a nun is more like “Mary” while a sister is more like “Martha.”. I think the religious order most of my advice comes from have long since made the decision that repentance is sufficient and don’t understand why it isn’t in this specific circumstance, despite theology. They worship the same God, but the principles of their faith are different. This is why the current (1983) Code of Canon Law contains a specific reference to consecrated virgins, as an order distinct from the communal religious life of sisters and nuns: The order of virgins is also to be added to these forms of consecrated life. There is no contradiction here: the vow of chastity involves abstinence from sexual activity from now on, when the person is a member of a religious institute, and does not pertain to the person’s previous life. The aim of the present article is to indicate briefly the origin and relationship of these different foundations. Both fulfill essential tasks in the Church, but the first is focused on the contemplative life of prayer, while the other is dedicated to the active life of work sustained by prayer. Franciscan Order. While an Institute of Consecrated Life or a Society of Apostolic Life might refer to itself as an order or a congregation, such as the Benedictine order or the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, canon law does not use that terminology. Why is Google hiding the posts on this website in its search results? Orders can be contemplative or active. Q2: I have been discerning consecrated virginity for several years now but I am not sure if I am qualified. Transcription. The Catholic Encyclopedia. The Sisters of the Annunciation and the Conceptionists are in some sense offshoots of the second order, but they now follow different rules from that of the Poor Ladies. According to canon law, there are Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life today, commonly known as orders or congregations. Theol., XI, 743 sqq; MANDONNET, Les regles et le gouvernement de l Ordo de Paeniltentia au XIII siccle in Opuscules de critique historique, vol.