A Brotherly Fact
Did you know that over 200 religious brothers work in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles? They serve in diverse ministries such as Administration, Detention Ministry, Evangelism, Liturgy, Mechanics, Missions, Parishes, Retreats, Social Work, Spiritual Direction, Teaching, etc.
An Overview
Religious brothers take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live in community. There are two types of religious orders for brothers. Some communities are composed solely of brothers, like the Christian Brothers de La Salle, the Irish Christian Brothers, or the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Other religious orders accept men who wish to be brothers or priests, like the Jesuits, Franciscans, Holy Cross Brothers, or Benedictines. Brothers are not ordained.
Life
Religious brothers take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live in community. There are two types of religious orders for brothers. Some communities are composed solely of brothers, like the Christian Brothers de La Salle, the Irish Christian Brothers, or the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Other religious orders accept men who wish to be brothers or priests, like the Jesuits, Franciscans, Holy Cross Brothers, or Benedictines. Brothers are not ordained.
Brothers are involved in various ministries in ways similar to religious women. A brother ministers through a particular profession or trade. Usually, the particular ministry of the brother depends on his talents and educational background as well as the charism of the order. The lifestyle of a brother depends on the community to which he belongs. The different orders of brothers vary in mission, focus, and lifestyle. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Brothers minister directly to the poor and live simple lives in the community. Brothers in other communities may teach at a university, run the pharmacy at the Vatican, or counsel troubled youth. There is as rich a variety of ministries as the diverse gifts and talents of the brothers.
Brothers live in communities where they pray together and support each other. Having time to relax and enjoy leisure is also part of community life. Brothers gather for retreats together meetings, and to plan their future contribution to the Church.
Prayer is an integral part of the brothers’ life. Both private and communal prayer are part of the religious life. The way the community prays together is part of the spirit of the order and differs from one community to the next.
What is the special gift of brothers to the Church? Here is the perspective of one brother:
“The ability of brothers to bond with all peoples, the solidarity and fraternity they have nourished in their ranks, the purification they have experienced in the fires of change, their dream of participating in the refashioning of a broken world into a global family where justice and compassion reign instead of oppression and racism — here may be found the seeds of brotherhood for tomorrow.”
– Blessed Ambiguity, Michael F. Meister, FSC, St. Mary’s Press, Winona
Religious Order Sisters
Is it for me?
Do you want to live with women who share a common vision and have a joint mission?
Do you want to live in a community with women who share the same Gospel values?
All Sisters, regardless of the religious order or community, have three main aspects to their lives. All Sisters are nourished by a prayer life, supported by a community, and energized by ministry.
Prayer and the Vows
Each Sister’s prayer life is both personal (private prayer time) and communal. This life of prayer challenges sisters to personal growth and spiritual depth.
Every Sister takes at least three vows.
The vow of obedience is aimed at listening as Jesus did in openness to God’s will. Obedience demands openness to the leaders of a community in sharing one’s sense of what God is asking and listening to the community’s needs.
The vow of Chastity or celibacy requires loving wholeheartedly and inclusively all God’s people. Sisters are called to be warm, loving, and vibrant women. Celibacy is another way of loving. It does not allow for genital activity with another person.
The vow of poverty means living simply in joyful dependency on God. Sisters are called to stand in solidarity with the poor, challenging structures that oppress.
Supported by a Community
Sisters live or are attached to local communities in which they share faith together and support one another. Sandra Schneiders, I.H.M. defined the goal of community when she wrote in New Wineskins, “Religious should be on the cutting edge in the development of new forms of community life and organization structured by and for justice…Religious should offer a prophetic witness that it is possible for a group of people to live together in love and justice celebrating their own freedom and equality in the very act of celebrating God’s absolute and respectful reign in their lives.”
There are different types of communites:
Monastic sisters live in communities in which they pray the Liturgy of the Hours several times each day together and often share a common timetable. They live in a monastery.
Active Apostolic communities are usually involved in diverse ministries with varying schedules and meet to share faith as the community determines. The mission or ministry usually shapes the community life. Cloistered Contemplative nuns usually live in the same convent for life. Their ministry is to pray for the needs of the Church and the world. These sisters do this ministry within the convent grounds and often make altar breads, engage in art and music as well.
Missionary Sisters are involved in bringing the Gospel to people in inner cities, reservations, to people in various needy situations and to the ends of the earth. Their community life is defined by the culture and mission in which they live.
Ministry
Sisters are called to diverse ministries. Not only are sisters teachers, nurses and social workers. There are sisters involved in the arts as sculptors, painters, graphic artists, web site artists. Some sisters are composers, concert pianists, music directors and teachers, choir directors and liturgists. Some sisters are writers, educators, school principals and university administrators.
There are sisters who are doctors, gerontologists, hospital chaplains, lab technicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychiatrists, counselors and nurses. Sisters work in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Other sisters minister as advocates for the poor, lobbyists, social workers, work with gangs, in street ministry and in shelters for the homeless, the battered and abused. Sisters are community organizers. Sisters are parish ministers, Directors of Religious Education, associate pastors and in some dioceses where the parish has no priests, Sisters actually run the parish. Some sisters are Diocesan Directors of Ministry Programs and administrators. There are Sisters who are lawyers and those who are prison chaplains and work in some form of detention ministry. Sisters work in retreat houses and some are spiritual directors. Some Sisters do retreat work full time. Others are campus ministers on high school and university campuses. The lucky ones are vocation directors! Sisters are engineers, agriculturalists, and architects. Sisters are on the cutting edge of ecological spirituality and its implementation on farms and community property.
Whatever talent a sister has, it can be used for ministry. Whatever ministry a sister does, all sisters are treated with the same dignity and respect. The money earned by a Sister goes into the community account.