What is the Religious Life?
The Episcopal Church has a canon regulating the Religious Life. It has two parts. The first part recognizes Religious Orders, which are societies of Christians in communion with the See of Canterbury who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years : to hold their possessions in common or in trust; to a celibate life in community; and obedience to their Rule and Constitution. The second part of the Canon recognizes Christian Communities, which are societies of Christians (in communion with the See of Canterbury) who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, in obedience to their Rule and Constitution.
The Third Order of the Society of St. Francis is an example of a Christian Community, while the Community of St. Francis is a Religious Order. For women called to the Religious Life, religion becomes the dominant concern around which life is organized. Through the centuries many Christians have found that the quest for God takes place best in the setting of a covenant community.
Religious, like all Christians, are called to live out their baptismal commitment. For women called to the Religious Life in a Religious Order, the call involves living with others in a covenant community. It is generally seen as a permanent life commitment, entered into through public profession of vows. The traditional vows are poverty, chastity, and obedience. By means of these vows, the Religious assumes a certain prophetic stance toward the world—a critical one, but not one of rejection or withdrawal.
The Religious Life is by its very nature an “alternative” lifestyle. Most people envision their lifestyle choices as being married or staying single (possibly as celibates). However, the other possibility is a communal lifestyle based on a permanent commitment to a group of women. It is a road less traveled, and often misunderstood. The three vows are reinterpreted each generation and are lived very personally. But there are some things we can say about the vows in general as most contemporary Religious look on them.
Poverty
Religious poverty is voluntary poverty. It does not mean a glorification of involuntary poverty or an imitation of the life of the truly materially poor. It does mean living with an ever-present awareness of human economic and spiritual poverty. On the personal level, this means living a life of simplicity characterized by hospitality and generosity of both material goods and our selves. It means the cultivation of a sense of the gift of life and an attitude of trust and thanksgiving toward God. On the level of society, poverty means responsible stewardship of our resources of time, money and personnel to work directly with the materially poor, including the exercise of our civic responsibility in pursuit of economic justice.
Obedience
Our obedience, like that of all Christians, is to God. Our knowledge of God and of God’s will comes to us through the scriptures and the Church and especially through the life of Jesus. This requires that we live a life of listening. Through our prayer we come to know our God in a personal way. For those vowed to life in community, obedience to God involves a faithfulness to the process of corporate community decision-making on a day-to-day basis.
Chastity
For the Religious, chastity means consecrated celibacy. As such, it is a witness to the all-consuming and fully satisfying nature of a personal relationship with God. It is a commitment to become an ever more loving human being, able to share that love with many people. Some Religious choose a life of consecrated celibacy because they find that the relationship with God takes up all the energy needed for a commitment to another person, as in marriage. Others are more pragmatic and look on celibate community life as a way to be fully free to work for the sake of God’s commonwealth.
For more information about Religious Life in the Episcopal Church, check out The Conference of Religious Orders in the Americas:
and The National Association of Episcopal Christian Communities: