Sister Mary Gemma professed her final vows on July 6, 2019, with the Franciscan Sisters T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother in Toronto, Ohio. They are a contemplative-active community with a full prayer life and ministries that make known God’s merciful
They may not wear habits or live in community, but the lay Catholics who have been formed in the spirituality of a religious order look to embody the evangelical counsels as best they can in the secular world. By committing themselves to
The religious priests, brothers and sisters who live the evangelical counsel of poverty did not vow to be destitute, to live in squalor or dress in rags. They also never promised to forego the occasional glass of wine or fine meal. Instead,
In our culture, obedience is largely thought to be the opposite of freedom — something to escape through adulthood, no longer being under the authority of parents and school. The Catholic Church, however, teaches that obedience is a good and holy thing.
The spirit of selfless service is part of a deacon’s vocation, but it sometimes gets him in trouble, especially if he’s married, writes Brian Fraga. Balancing one’s responsibilities to his wife, children and a full-time job is not something the celibate priests
The whole time they went to high school together in the early 2000s, Matt Fase and Amanda Vernon were best friends with strong romantic feelings for one another. They just never told each other how they felt — not until Matt was
Sister Frances Marie, a Passionist Sister of St. Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, Kentucky, expected contemplative life to be ‘boring’ when she first heard about it in high school. Now as a professed sister, she sees the beauty and joy of the vocation.
While all priests receive a stipend or a salary, it depends on whether they are a part of a religious order or a diocese. Religious priests take a vow of poverty, so their stipend is used to cover basic needs. On the
For married deacons, his vocation impacts not only his life but the lives of his wife and kids. In fact, a family man called the diaconate must be clear (and so must his pastor) that his calling as a husband and/or father
In her testimony about living in a religious community, Sister Lucia Christi with the Sisters of Life shares how she was surprised at the range of personalities found in her community. Far from the common assumption of the “cookie cutter” sister, the