‘Religious’ are men and women who belong to a Religious Order.
They make life-long vows to follow the three Evangelical Counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and generally live together in community. The Religious life is sometimes called the ‘most perfect’ vocation because these vows and their community life most closely resembles the Apostolic life lived by Jesus’ first disciples.
The biggest distinction between different Religious orders is between the Contemplative Orders, who live enclosed or semi-enclosed lives of prayer and common work, and the Active Orders, whose community life is lived in service to the active mission of the Church.
The life of every Religious order is a public witness to a particular way of following Christ, whether that is in prayer and contemplation, in works of mercy, in preaching, or in a radical commitment to poverty. This special witness is called a Charism.
Our Diocese is blessed to be home to many different religious houses, who may be contacted by individual discerners who feel called to their way of life. It is possible to find a full list of the religious houses in the Diocese of Portsmouth, with their info here.
Discerning the Religious Life
It is a difficult but joyful life of service to God and the world in prayer, self-sacrifice, and work for the good of the Kingdom. If you feel like you might be called to the Religious life, it is important to pray and think very hard about whether that life is for you. There are some great online resources to help you with this discernment, but nothing is better than finding out about it in-person. Get to know the different Religious Orders, and speak to the Vocations Directors or Novice Masters of the different orders for their advice.
