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Religious Life -
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“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28
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What is the Religious Life?
The religious (or consecrated) life is devoting yourself to the life to the service of the Church. There are several forms of religious life, and it takes discernment to determine the right form for you. Some communities are active, which means they have an apostolate within a local community to aid or assist the people with physical or spiritual necessities (teaching, missionary work, care for the poor, etc.) Some communities are contemplative, meaning their primary work is praying for the Church and the world. Many communities mix aspects of both active and contemplative life.
The Diocese of Worcester website has a list of religious communities within our diocese.
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Steps to Religious Life
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Postulancy
This period lasts about one year. You will live with the religious community and experience their day-to-day life.
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Novice
This period lasts one to two years and you'll learn more information about the order and what taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience mean.
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Temporary Professed
After the novice period, you will take temporary vows. At this point you're still discerning whether or not this is the community God is calling you to join. You will grow deeper in prayer and have all the rights and responsibility of membership. Every community is different, but you will renew your vows about every 1-3 years during this period.
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Perpetual Vows
Congratulations! You have completed your discernment period! You will make your perpetual vows, which (just like marriage vows) are for life. While perpetual vows are not a sacrament in the way Marriage and Holy Orders are, they are no less profound
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I'm ready to explore my options! Who do I contact?
Sr. Rosa Maria is a religious, and will be happy to speak with you to help you discern if you're being called to the religious life. We also encourage you to reach out to the Diocese of Worcester or the community you are interested in joining for more information.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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The Call to the religious life looks different for every person, but these are some common signs that you may be called to the religious life.
- God has placed a desire in your heart to be a religious. It may be a passing thought, or it might be an idea you can't stop thinking about, but it's there.
- You want to grow closer to Christ and His Church.
- People tell you that you would make a good sister/brother/nun/monk.
- You want to help others grow closer to Christ.
- If you feel a strong desire to spend your days in prayer, you may be called to the contemplative life.
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This is something only discernment can answer. The Diocese of Worcester recommends learning more about each of the communities available in our diocese and using prayerful discernment, and spiritual direction, to help decide which community God is calling you to join.
To help you determine if you're being called to the more contemplative life or active life, discern whether you're being called to spend your days in prayer or actively helping in the community.
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Religious communities require vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
The vow of poverty allows you to place complete trust in your needs to God. It also frees you from the distraction of worldly goods so you can put your focus on Christ and His mission here on Earth.
The vow of chastity is modeled after the life of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. You are married to Christ and His Church and are more able to devote your heart to His service.
The vow of obedience is submitting to God for His will to be done. It is also a vow of obedience to those who are representatives of God's will here on Earth, such as bishops and/or the superior of your order.
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Many communities allow you to visit. Offering your life to God's service must be a free will decision and proper discernment is important to that process. Most communities also have a period of postulancy, where you will live within the community to continue discerning if it is the community God is calling you to join.
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