Religious order

For the Roman Catholic communities, seeReligious order (Catholic).

ThePriory of St. Wigbertis aLutheranmonasteryin theBenedictine tradition

Areligious orderis a lineage ofcommunitiesandorganizationsof people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. It is usually composed of laypeople and, in some orders,clergy.Such orders exist in many of the world'sreligions.

Buddhism

Main article:Buddhist monasticism

InBuddhistsocieties, a religious order is one of the number ofmonasticorders of monks and nuns, many of which follow a certain school of teaching—such as Thailand'sDhammayuttika order,a monastic order founded byKing Mongkut(Rama IV). A well-knownChineseBuddhist order is the ancientShaolinorder in Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism; and in modern times, the Order of Hsu Yun.

Christianity

Main articles:Christian monasticismandConsecrated life

Catholic tradition

Main articles:Institute of consecrated life,Religious order (Catholic),andReligious sister (Catholic)

A Catholic religious institute is a society whose members (referred to as "religious") pronounce vows that are accepted by a superior in the name of the Catholic Church,who wear areligious habitand who live a life of brothers or sisters in common.Catholic religious ordersandcongregationsare their two historical categories. Religious institutes are distinct fromsecular institutes,another kind ofinstitute of consecrated life,and fromlay ecclesial movements.

In the Catholic Church, members of religious institutes, unless they are alsodeaconsorpriestsinHoly Orders,are notclergybut belong to thelaity.While the state of consecrated life is neither clerical nor lay, institutes themselves are classified as one or the other, a clerical institute being one that "by reason of the purpose or design intended by the founder or by virtue of legitimate tradition, is under the direction of clerics, assumes the exercise of sacred orders, and is recognized as such by the authority of the Church".

Well-known Roman Catholic religious institutes, not all of which were classified as "orders" rather than "congregations", includeAugustinians,Basilians,Benedictines,Bethlehemites,Bridgettines,Camaldolese,Carmelites,Carthusians,Cistercians,Conceptionists,Crosiers,Dominicans,Franciscans,Hieronymites,Jesuits,Minims,Piarists,Salesians,Olivetans,Theatines,Trappistsand theVisitandines.

Francisco de Zurbarán's painting of aMercedarian Friar,Fra Pedro Machado

Several religious orders evolved during theCrusadesto incorporate a military mission becoming "religiousmilitary orders",such as theKnights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem,theKnights of the Order of the Templeand theKnights of the Holy Sepulchre.

Non-monastic religious institutes typically have a motherhouse or generalate with jurisdiction over any number of dependent religious communities, whose members may be moved by their superior general to its other communities as the institute's needs require.

In accordance with the concept of independent communities in theRule of Saint Benedict,theBenedictineshave autonomous abbeys (so-called "independent houses" ). Their members profess "stability" to the abbeys where they make theirreligious vows;hence their abbots or abbesses may not move them to other abbeys. An "independent house" may occasionally make a new foundation which remains a "dependent house" (identified by the name "priory" ) until it is granted independence by Rome and itself becomes an abbey. Each house's autonomy does not prevent it being affiliated into acongregation—whether national or based on some other joint characteristic—and these, in turn, form the supra-nationalBenedictine Confederation.

Orthodox tradition

Main article:Eastern Christian monasticism

In theEastern Orthodox Church,there is only one type of monasticism. The profession of monastics is known astonsure(referring to the ritual cutting of the monastic's hair which takes place during the service)and is considered by monks to be aSacred Mystery(Sacrament).The Rite of Tonsure is printed in theEuchologion(Church Slavonic:Trebnik), the same book as the other Sacred Mysteries and services performed according to need.

Lutheran tradition

Ebstorf Abbeycontinued as a Lutheran convent in the Benedictine tradition since 1529

Martin Luther had concerns with the spiritual value of monastic life at the time of the Reformation.After the foundation of theLutheran Churches,some monasteries in Lutheran lands (such asAmelungsborn AbbeynearNegenbornandLoccum AbbeyinRehburg-Loccum) and convents (such asEbstorf Abbeynear the town ofUelzenandBursfelde AbbeyinBursfelde) adopted the Lutheran Christian faith.

Other examples of Lutheran religious orders include the "Order of Lutheran Franciscans"in the United States. Also, aLutheranreligious order following the Rule of St. Benedict, "The Congregation of the Servants of Christ", was established at St. Augustine's House in Oxford, Michigan, in 1958 when some other men joined FatherArthur Kreinhederin observing the monastic life and offices of prayer.This order has strong ties to Lutheran Benedictine orders in Sweden (Östanbäck Monastery) and in Germany (Priory of St. Wigbert).

Anglican tradition

Main article:Anglican religious order

Religious orders in England were dissolved byKing Henry VIIIupon the separation of the English church from Roman primacy. For three hundred years, there were no formal religious orders in Anglicanism, although some informal communities – such as theLittle Gidding community– occasionally sprang into being. With the advent of theOxford Movementin theChurch of Englandand worldwideAnglicanismin the middle of the 19th century, several orders appeared. In 1841, the first order for women was established. The first order for men was founded 25 years later.

Anglican religious voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, to holding their possessions in common or in trust; to a celibate life in community; and obedience to their Rule and Constitution.

There are presently thirteen active religious orders for men, fifty-three for women, and eight mixed gender.

Methodist tradition

TheMethodist Church of Great Britain,and its ancestors, have established a number of orders ofDeaconesses,who are now ordained as clergy and are Ministers in equal standing alongside their presbyteral colleagues.TheMethodist Diaconal Order(MDO) currently admits both men and women to the Order and all are now known as Deacons. Since the functions of a deacon are primarilypastoral,the MDO may therefore be regarded as an order ofRegular clerics.

The Order of Saint Lukeis a religious order in theUnited Methodist Churchdedicated to sacramental and liturgical scholarship, education, and practice.

Anabaptist tradition

Some Protestant religious orders follow Anabaptist theology. These would include theHutteritesandBruderhof,who live in full community of goodsand living as a peace church.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Among their corporations, theReligious Order of Jehovah's Witnessescares for matters specific toJehovah's Witnessesspecial full-time servants. In a particular branch,traveling overseers,special pioneers,andbranch staffare considered members of theOrder of Special Full-time Servants and the Bethel Family.Globally, their order is theWorldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.Male and female members of such religious orders typically make a formalvow of povertyand are granted certain status and exemptions by many governments. While Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider members of their religious orders to be aclergyseparate from other Witnesses, who are also ordained ministers, they do recognize that a government may consider them such for administrative purposes.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a separate clergy class, but consider an adherent's qualifiedbaptismto constitute hisordinationas aminister.Governments have generally recognized that Jehovah's Witnesses' full-time appointees qualify as ministersregardless of sex or appointment as anelderordeacon ( "ministerial servant" );the religion itself asserts what is sometimes termed "ecclesiastical privilege"only for its appointed elders.

Islam

Sufis

Main article:Tariqa

Further information:List of Sufi orders

Atariqahis how a religious order is described inSufism.It especially refers to the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seekingḥaqīqah"ultimate truth". Such tariqas typically have amurshid(guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director. Members and followers of a tariqa are known asmurīdīn(singularmurīd), meaning "desirous", viz. "desiring the knowledge of knowing God and loving God" (also called afaqīrفقير). Tariqas havesilsilas(Arabic:سلسلة) which is the spiritual lineage of the Shaikhs of that order. Almost all orders trace their silsila back to the Islamic prophetMuhammad.Tariqas are spread all over the Muslim world.

Shia

AmongShias,Noorbakshia Islamis an order that blends Sufi principles with Shia doctrine. It claims to trace its direct spiritual lineage and chain (silsilah) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Ali, the first imam of Shia Islam.

Salafi

There is some historical connection between certain schools of Sufism and the development ofWahhabismandSalafismdue to the history of these denominations.

Ibn Abd al-Wahhabwas inspired byIbn Taymiyyah,a 14th-century scholar and dedicated Sufi, who is however remembered mainly as an outspoken critic of the excesses of certain schools of Sufism during his time.

Judaism

Main article:Jewish leadership

Other traditions

A form of ordered religious living is common also in many tribes and religions ofAfricaandSouth America,though on a smaller scale, and some parts of England.Due to the unorganized character of these small religious groups, orders are not as visible as in other well-organised religions.

Cultsand coercive groups such asScientologyandMooniesoften rely heavily on devout religious orders as a tactic to indoctrinate and control their followers.Scientology'sSea Org,for example, are required to sign a one billion year contractand pledge allegiance to founderL. Ron Hubbardand are responsible for senior management positions within the Organization.

See also

• Asceticism
• Enclosed religious orders
• Monasticism
• Mendicancy
• Religion-supporting organization
• Third order

External links

• Media related toReligious ordersat Wikimedia Commons
• List of Contemplative Men's Monasteries in the United States
• List of Contemplative Women's Monasteries in the United States
• VocationNetwork.orginformation about Catholic religious communities and life as a sister, brother, or priest.
• DigitalVocationGuide.orgdigital edition of VISION, the annual Catholic religious vocation discernment guide.
• Abbot Gasquet, Full Text + Illustrations, Religious Orders of England.