Vocations - Articles of Interest

• What does the word Friar mean?

• What is the difference between a priest or brother?

• Why Saint Francis is so admired

• 8 Myths about religious life.

• Eucharist and Vocations.

• Poem "The Priest" by Bishop Thomas Grady

Friar (Latin frater,"brother") is a term applied to members of certain religious orders who practice the principles of monastic life and devote themselves to the service of humanity in the secular world. Originally, their regulations forbade the holding either of community or personal property, and the resulting dependence of friars on voluntary contributions in order to live caused them to be known as mendicant orders. The founders of the orders used the term friar to designate members; Saint Francis of Assisi called his followers Friars Minor, and Saint Dominic used the name Friars Preachers. The larger orders were given popular names, derived usually from the color or other distinguishing marks of their habits, such as Black Friars (Dominicans), Gray Friars (Franciscans), and White Friars (Carmelites). Friars differed from monks in that the monk was attached to a specific community within which he led a cloistered life, having no direct contact with the secular world. The friar, on the other hand, belonged to no particular monastic house but to a general order, and worked as an individual in the secular world. Thus, friar and monk are not synonymous terms, even though in popular usage monk is often used as a generic term for all members of religious orders.

Mendicant Friars (Latin mendicare,"to beg") are members of religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church, who take a vow of poverty by which they renounce all personal and communal property.

They live chiefly by charity. After overcoming the initial opposition of the established clergy, the chief societies were authorized in the 13th century. They include:

Friars Minor, or Franciscans
(received papal approval in 1209);

Friars Preachers, or Dominicans (1216);
Carmelites (1245);

and Augustinians (1256).

A fifth order, the Servites, founded in 1233, was acknowledged as a mendicant order in 1424.

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What is the difference between a priest and a brother?

       First, all Franciscans Friars are brothers.  We are a community of brothers, men who join together to share a common life, a common mission, and a common destiny.  We are drawn to this life by God and by a love for God that seeks expression in concrete ways.  Second, the "work" of Franciscans is often  called "ministry."   "Ministry" is work given from the heart, not the result of any financial compensation or desire for recognition; this distinguishes it in some ways from "work" that is engaged in to make a living.  Third, God calls some within the Franciscan community to what is known as ordained ministry.  This is the ministry of priesthood.  As a Franciscan priest a person has the ability to preside at and administer some of the sacraments in the Church, like the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick.  This ability to perform sacramental ministry is the most significant difference between a priest and a brother within the Franciscan Order.   Above all, however, all Franciscans, whether priest or not, are brothers.  So it is perfectly appropriate to refer a Franciscan by the title, "Brother."

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by: Father John Catoir A COLUMNIST WITH THE CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE. WHY ST. FRANCIS IS SO ADMIRED   "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace" Use back arrow to return

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8 Myths about Religious Life
By David Nantais, S.J. and Scott Opperman, S.J.
(With permission)

In our fast-paced, media-driven culture, public opinion can become skewed if popular film, television, and periodicals promote an outdated stereotype of religious life. With few exceptions, the familiar media-inspired model of a person in religious life is either a bitter woman in a full habit rattling knuckles with a ruler, or an obtuse old man in a robe walking hunched over and mumbling something in a language that is long dead.

As young men excited about being in religious life, we find these portraits, along with many others, not only inaccurate but also potentially damaging to the future of religious life. Many young people do not consider such a life because of mistaken notions they pick up from various sources, including Catholics. We would like to debunk eight common myths of religious life and illustrate the beauty, contentment, and psychological health one could potentially find in this unique lifestyle.

MYTH 1
Religious orders are dying out

Hearing this myth, we can't help but reminisce about the scene from The Empire Strikes Back when the ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi comments to the sage Yoda that young Luke Skywalker is their only hope, the last of a once powerful and illustrious group. Although the number of people in religious life is down from when it peaked in the mid-twentieth century, most orders are doing better than the Jedi Knights! There are hundreds of men's and women's religious orders. Each of these has its own distinctive charism--or spirituality--and many still welcome new members annually. Although some religious congregations are dying, others are thriving. Religious life has been around for centuries, through periods of both growth and decline, and it will continue to survive as it faithfully adapt to the needs of the church and world.

MYTH 2
Nuns teach and priests say Mass

Religious orders recognize that human beings are born with many gifts from God. One of the goals in religious life is to determine how an individual's gifts can be used to serve God and the church. Attempting to fit people into positions for which they aren't prepared or for which they have no talent is not a way to glorify God. While teaching and presiding at the Eucharist are two important ministries carried out by men and women in religious life, there are hundreds of other ways to serve. Within the ranks of religious life are doctors, lawyers, economists, writers, administrators, architects, engineers, scientists, artists, and actors. Religious life is a way to live, not a line of work.

MYTH 3
Taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience is strange

Granted, poverty, chastity, and obedience would probably not make the cut for a David Letterman Top Ten list on ways to have a good time. But there is a richness to these vows that is usually lost in common misunderstandings. Religious vows, like vows of marriage, are taken as a means to a greater end. The three most common vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience allow us to minister to a wide variety of people. The vows provide a freedom that allows us to engage the world in a special way, less restrained by material pursuits, by family commitments, and even by our own individual interests. In addition, the vows serve as a countercultural witness, especially in a world that overemphasizes money, sex, and power. The vows serve as a reminder that the idols we sometimes pursue are weak substitutes for the love of God, who continually calls all people to live their vocations authentically.

MYTH 4
Religious life is a life of suffering

If this were the case, neither of us would have joined! Realistically, whatever vocation a person pursues is going to bring some suffering; this is the reality of being human. The important question to reflect upon is, does the suffering or sacrificing I do serve a greater purpose and make me happy? A life vocation, whether married life, single life, or religious life, should be chosen because one feels called to live a certain way. To expect a life without suffering is unrealistic, but one can expect a life with a foundation in love and happiness. Just as parents sacrifice many things for their children, men and women in religious life sacrifice for the people of God. Sometimes this sacrificing can involve suffering, but it is done in love for others and not for its own sake. Men and women in religious life, like most healthy people, do not hope to suffer, but if their lives are lived authentically in love, suffering is going to be present at times. Thankfully God is often most present to us when we suffer.

Myth 5
Religious are superholy

We're human, and that means there's a spectrum of religious temperaments in religious communities, from those who experience Christ in a mystical, immediate way to those who discover him through service, from those who prefer the rosary and eucharistic adoration to those who prefer more experimental forms of prayer. The unifying factor is what's important: all are disciples of Jesus, uniquely called to share the spirituality of their communities with each other, the larger church, and the world. The people mix keeps religious life fun and interesting, while it also creates challenges. But that's true of life in general, isn't it?

Myth 6
Religious are docile

Religious take vows of obedience, not of submissiveness and abuse. Most religious sisters, brothers, and priests we know have more in common with the Lone Ranger than with Tonto. Orders hope for mature, well-balanced, interdependent, highly motivated, creative candidates, not for weak, submissive, dependent drones.
Rather than blind submissiveness, obedience means to listen. Like all people, religious women and men are called to listen to God and to the needs of their order and the church. Obedience requires mature listening and dialogue between a religious and her or his superiors. Religious are invited to share their prayer, desires, talents, fears, and joys so that superiors may make knowledgeable decisions that are best for that person, a particular community, the order, and the church. Celibate chastity and simple living are requisites for living religious life, but the vow of obedience is most directly linked to carrying out the actual purpose of a religious community.

Myth 7
Religious give up their families and friends

Upon entering religious life, relationships with family and friends change, but they never end. Just as people's relationships change after they marry, a shift takes place for religious, too. The quality of the change is different depending on the type of community people enter. Strict cloistered congregations will mean fewer visits with outside friends and family. But the majority of U.S. religious communities are apostolic--that is, focused on service, and members are encouraged to have healthy, lasting relationships with their loved ones. These relationships are never replaced by the community, even though we sometimes might wish they could be, at least for a little while.

Myth 8
Religious are asexual

Question: What do you call a person who is asexual? Answer: Not a person. Asexual people do not exist. Sexuality is a gift from God and thus a fundamental part of our human identity. Those who repress their sexuality are not living as God created them to be: fully alive and well. As such, they're most likely unhappy.
All people are called by God to live chastely, meaning being respectful of the gift of their sexuality. Religious men and women vow celibate chastity, which means they live out their sexuality without engaging in sexual behavior. A vow of chastity does not mean one represses his manhood or her womanhood. Sexuality and the act of sex are two very different things. While people in religious life abstain from the act of sex, they do not become asexual beings, but rather need to be in touch with what it means to be a man or a woman. A vow of chastity also does not mean one will not have close, loving relationships with women and men. In fact, such relationships are a sign of living the vow in a healthy way. Living a religious vow of chastity is not always easy, but it can be a very beautiful expression of love for God and others.

Religious women and men aren't oddities; they mirror the rest of the church they serve: there are introverts and extroverts, tall and short, old and young, straight and gay, obese and skinny, crass and pious, humorous and serious, and everything in between. They attempt to live the same primary vocation as all other Christians do: proclaiming and living the gospel. However, religious do this as members of an order that serve the church and world in a particular way. Like marriage and the single life, religious life can be wonderful, fulfilling, exciting, and, yes, normal. Yet, it also can be countercultural and positively challenging. It's that for us and many others.

If you thought religious life was outdated, dysfunctional, or dead, we hope you can now look beyond the stereotypes and see the gift it is to the church and world.

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Vocations and Eucharist

by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ
(Reprinted courtesy of the Institute on Religious Life).

It is impossible to exaggerate the close relation between the Holy Eucharist and vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
This is only to be expected once we realize that every vocation is a special grace from God, and the greatest source of grace we have is the Eucharist as Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion.

Faith tells us that Christ is really present on our altars, that He really offers Himself in the Mass, and that we really receive Him in Holy Communion. In each case, the Living Christ is now inspiring men and women to give themselves to Him with all their hearts and follow Him in the extension of His Kingdom.

The Eucharist, therefore, is the best way to foster vocations. This means that persons who attend Mass, receive Communion and invoke Christ in the Blessed Sacrament obtain light and strength that no one else has a claim to.

The Eucharist is also the best way to recognize vocations. Show me a man or woman devoted to the Eucharist and I will show you a person who is an apt subject for the priesthood or the religious life.

The Eucharist is finally the infallible way of preserving one's vocation. This is especially true of devotion to the Real Presence. Is it any wonder that saintly priests and religious over the centuries have been uncommonly devoted to the Blessed Sacrament? They know where to obtain the help they need to remain faithful to their vocations. It is from the same Christ Who called them and Who continues to sustain them in His consecrated service.

Vocations begin with the Eucharist; they are developed through the Eucharist; and they are preserved by the Eucharist. All of this is true because the Eucharist is Jesus Christ, still on earth, working through men and women whom He calls to share His Plan for salvation.
(Reprinted courtesy of the Institute on Religious Life)

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THE PRIEST By: Bishop Thomas J. Grady

Like Jonah, by God’s will, spilled up on the shore from the belly of the whale to convert Nineveh. By the Providence of God, the priest is spilled up from the bosom of the community to preach the truth of repentance. Like Jonah, an imperfect messenger, a mere man with a message of infinite authority. To govern with humility and gentleness. To walk with his fellow pilgrims on the journey of life, feeding them bread and wine.

A celibate life, lonely, needing a friend like Jesus, a mother like Mary, the response and affirmation of the people. At the altar, conscious of his unworthiness, he stands in the person of Christ, the head of the mystical body, gathering around him the great choirs of heaven, the souls from purgatory, the people present, and all the people of the world with their tears and cries, leading and joining their worship, giving voice to all of creation: to the silent mountains, to the restless sea, to elephants and mice, to flowers and birds, and all of God’s creatures.

By Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity with the Holy Spirit, he says Amen to the glory of God, the Father. Chosen, not choosing, forged a priest in the infinite fires of the Holy Spirit. An ordinary man, walking ordinary streets, among ordinary people, bemused and strengthened by the call he has heard, "Follow me!"

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