What are Religious Orders? June 1, 2025

Pope Leo XIV is the 35th person from a religious order elected to the Chair of Peter.  Though you likely have heard the names of religious orders before, you may not know what they mean or how they differ from a diocesan priest at a parish.  There are four broad categories of priests in the Catholic Church.  The four categories are: diocesan priests, and the religious orders: monastics, mendicants, and orders of clerics regular.  Pope Francis was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), an order of clerics regular. Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian, which is a mendicant order.  These orders vary in their charisms and missions.  Diocesan priests are very involved in active ministry, followed by orders of clerics, then mendicants and finally monastics which are often more isolated from the outside world and contemplative.   All priests take vows or promises which are called the evangelical counsels. Every priest takes vows of obedience and chastity.  Diocesan priests (eg., Fr. Mowery) must obey the Diocesan hierarchy under the authority of the bishop.  Religious Orders obey their individual order’s hierarchy.  All obey the Magisterium of the Church and the Pope.  As an example, our own Fr. Andrew had to ask permission to leave Diocesan priesthood to discern becoming a Benedictine Monk (monastic order).  If Bishop Senior refused his request,  he would have remained a Diocesan priest.  Religious orders also take a vow of poverty (many orders add additional vows).  Diocesan priests take a vow to live simply, Jesuits vow to live simply and share resources, and Augustinians vow to rely on the generosity of others.  Augustinians also renounce personal wealth to focus on spiritual riches.  Jesuits take an additional vow of “worldwide mission.”  Pope Francis lived this additional vow promoting a world vision. Pope Leo indicated his Augustinian roots in stressing unity and charity. Next week we will concentrate on the Augustinian Order.