The Inner Question
A question arises: “What if God were calling me to give everything to Him?” This initial impulse, often subtle, is the seed of a vocation that should be embraced without haste and in prayer.
The Call to Consecrated Life
What is consecrated life ?
Together, we are members of the Church. From the very first day, the Church has been sent on mission by the Risen Lord, and she will continue to be sent by Him through the power of His Spirit.
Within the People of God, called to bring the Gospel to all people, consecrated persons have a special role, which flows from the particular gift they have received — a gift that gives their witness a special character and value.
« Being “entirely dedicated to God and to his Kingdom, in poverty, virginity and obedience […] While in the Church everyone is a mission, each and every one of you” is even more so “as a consecrated person » — Pope Francis
In addition to this fundamental gift and their personal charisms, the mission of each consecrated person is enriched by those of their institute or religious family —t he charisms of the founders and foundresses. In their astonishing variety, they are all given for the edification of the Church and for its mission.
What does it means to be consecrated ?
Contemplative
Prayer is the lifeblood of consecrated life, which is a freely given response of love to the Absolute Love (dure à traduire celle là)
Witness to God
Consecrated persons offer a foretaste of the Kingdom to come and remind everyone that life on earth is a journey toward eternal life.
Member of a Religious Family
The communal dimension is at the heart of consecrated life as a sign of unity for the world: living by a common rule, being integrated into dioceses, and leading a communal life (sharing in prayer, meals, work, etc.).
Bearers of Charisms
Charisms enrich the Church with a variety of forms of love: contemplation, teaching, caring for the sick, welcoming the poor…
Sent on Mission
Every consecrated person is a living mission, sent to bring the Gospel wherever they are, in every situation of life.
Servant of the Poor
Like Jesus, the consecrated person reaches out to those whom the world forgets—the sick, the marginalized, abandoned children—making their life a free gift.
« People of our time want to see in consecrated persons the joy they themselves feel in being with the Lord »
— Saint John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, no. 109
The Three Evangelical Counsels
Consecrated life is distinct within the Church by the profession of the three evangelical counsels, which shape one’s entire existence in the following of Christ.
Chastity
The whole heart offered to God: consecrated virginity is an eschatological sign of the coming Kingdom, a total and exclusive love for Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church.
Poverty
Free from any attachment to material possessions, consecrated persons bear witness to the fact that God alone is enough. Evangelical poverty is a path to inner freedom and solidarity with the most vulnerable.
Obedience
To follow God’s will through our superiors and the community, following the example of Christ, who was obedient even unto death. Consecrated obedience is a school of trust and surrender.
« It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. »
John 15, 16
The Diversity of Communities
The Church has thousands of religious institutes, societies of apostolic life, and secular institutes, each with its own charism. Here are some of the major families.
Monasticism
Benedictines, Cistercians, Trappists, Carthusians…
Mendicant Orders
Dominicans, Franciscans, Friars Minor, Capuchins, Carmelites, Trinitarians…
Canons Regular
Canons of St. Augustine, Premonstratensians…
Religious Clergy
Jesuits, Redemptorists, Marists, Spiritans, Montfortians, Salesians…
Apostolic Religious Orders
Oratorians, Lazarists, Sulpicians...
Women's Religious Orders
Little Sisters of the Poor, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny, Daughters of Charity, Missionaries of Charity…
New Communities
The Beatitudes, Chemin Neuf, Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Lamb, Iesu Communio, Emmanuel Community…
Secular Institutes
Saint Dominic, the Prado Women’s Institute, the Missionaries of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Life Institute, the Saint John Institute...
Consecrated Virgins
The Stages Discernment
No one becomes a consecrated person overnight. The path of consecrated life is a gradual one, guided by others, and full of enlightening surprises.
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