Catholic religious order

Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the mendicant Order of Friars Minor, as painted by El Greco.

Religious orders ('Religious Institutes', cf. canons 573–746) are the major form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church. They are organizations of laity and/or clergy who live a common life following a religious rule under the leadership of a religious superior. Two of these are enclosed monastic orders, others are not.

Their intention is to imitate Jesus more closely, mainly, but not exclusively by observing evangelical chastity, poverty and obedience, which are the three evangelical counsels of perfection (cf. canons 599–601^[1]). They bind themselves to this form of living by taking public vows in accordance with the norms of church law. They may additionally profess to obey certain guidelines for living, since each order has its peculiar charism. Religious vows are to be distinguished from Holy Orders, the sacrament which bishops, priests, and deacons receive. Hence members of religious orders are not part of the hierarchy, unless they are also ordained priests or deacons (sometimes referred to as "priest-monks" or "hieromonks" - a term more commonly found among the Orthodox than among Roman Catholics).

Religious rules

Religious orders generally follow one of the four great religious rules: Rule of St Basil, Rule of St. Benedict, Rule of St. Augustine, and the Rule of St. Francis.^[2]

For example, a large number of the religious orders in the Catholic Church ( Benedictines, Trappists, Cistercians, etc.) observe the Rule of St Benedict, a collection of precepts for what is called contemplative religious life; others follow the Rule of St Augustine that stress self-denial, moderation, and care for those in need, whereas the Rule of St Basil, one of the earliest rules for Christian religious living, tends to be followed by monastic communities of the Orthodox Church. In addition, the individual Orders have their own regulations for the practical living out of their chosen Rule so as to be able to serve their own Order's charism more fully.

Authority structure

A Religious Order is characterized by an authority structure where a superior general has jurisdiction over the order's dependent communities. An exception is the Order of St Benedict which is not a religious order in this technical sense, because it has a system of "independent houses", meaning that each abbey is autonomous. However, the Constitutions governing the order's global "independent houses" were approved by the pope. Likewise, according to rank and authority, the abbot primate's "position with regard to the other abbots [throughout the world] is to be understood rather from the analogy of a primate in a hierarchy than from that of the general of an order like the Dominicans and Jesuits." ^[3]

There are two principal types of Catholic religious orders. Members of congregations (such as the Congregation of Holy Cross) take simple vows, while members of orders proper (such as the Society of Jesus) take solemn vows. The term congregation sometimes also applies to branches of an order which historically united several ones or was extended with one or more branches of a different kind, such as for women in addition to the pre-existing one for men, or tertiaries. Additionally, a number of generic terms, which are not always exclusively defined, exist to define groups of orders and congregations, such as mendicant orders or canons regular. As well particular or familiar names exist for religious such as Brother and Sister, whereas older terms including Monk and Nun are now more infrequently used. Technically Nuns are religious women who profess solemn vows rather than simple vows.

History

The roots in Egypt and the Syriac and Greek speaking East

From the earliest times there were probably individual hermits who lived a life in isolation in imitation of Jesus' 40 days in the desert. They have left no confirmed archaeological traces and only hints in the written record. Communities of virgins who had consecrated themselves to Christ are found at least as far back as the 2nd century. There were also individual ascetics, known as the "devout", who usually lived not in the deserts but on the edge of inhabited places, still remaining in the world but practicing asceticism and striving for union with God, although extreme ascetism such as encratism was regarded as suspect by the Church.^[4]

Paul of Thebes (fl. 3rd cent.), commemorated in the writings of St Jerome, is regarded as the first Christian hermit in Egypt, his withdrawal into the desert apparently having been prompted by the persecution of the Christians at the time. Saint Anthony was the first to leave the world specifically to live in the desert as a monk; St Athanasius speaks of him as an anchorite. In upper Egypt, sometime around 323 AD, Saint Pachomius decided to organize his disciples into a form of community in which they lived in individual huts or rooms (cellula in Latin), but worked, ate, and worshipped in shared space. Guidelines for daily life were drawn up (a monastic 'rule'); and several monasteries were founded, nine for men and two for women. This method of monastic organization is called cenobitic or "community-based". Towards the end of his life St Pachomius was therefore not only the abbot of a monastery but also the head of an entire order of monasteries.

The Greeks (e.g. St Basil the Great of Cappadocian Caesarea) and the Syriac-speaking east have their own monastic traditions (e.g. St Ephrem of Nisibis and Edessa).

Gaul

The earliest forms of monasticism in Western Europe involved figures such as Martin of Tours, who after serving in the Roman legions converted to Christianity and established a hermitage near Milan. He then moved on to Poitiers where he gathered a community around his hermitage. In 372 he was called to become Bishop of Tours, where he established a monastery at Marmoutiers on the opposite bank of the Loire River. His monastery was laid out as a colony of hermits rather than as a single integrated community.

John Cassian began his monastic career at a monastery in Palestine and Egypt around 385 to study monastic practice there. In Egypt he had been attracted to the isolated life of hermits, which he considered the highest form of monasticism, yet the monasteries he founded were all organized monastic communities. About 410 he established two monasteries near Marseilles, one for men, one for women. In time these attracted a total of 5,000 monks and nuns. Most significant for the future development of monasticism were Cassian's Institutes, which provided a guide for monastic life and his Conferences, a collection of spiritual reflections.

Honoratus of Marseilles was a wealthy Gallo-Roman aristocrat, who after a pilgrimage to Egypt, founded the Monastery of Lérins, on an island lying off the modern city of Cannes. Lérins became, in time, a center of monastic culture and learning, and many later monks and bishops would pass through Lérins in the early stages of their career.

Italy

The anonymous Rule of the Master (Regula magistri), was written somewhere south of Rome around 500. The rule adds administrative elements not found in earlier rules, defining the activities of the monastery, its officers, and their responsibilities in great detail.

Benedict of Nursia was the most influential early Western monk. He was educated in Rome but soon sought the life of a hermit in a cave at Subiaco, outside the city. He then attracted followers with whom he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino around 520, between Rome and Naples. His Rule is shorter than the Master's, and somewhat less legalistic. By the 9th century, largely under the inspiration of the Emperor Charlemagne, Benedict's Rule became the basic guide for Western monasticism.

Ireland

The earliest Monastic settlements in Ireland emerged at the end of the 5th century. The first identifiable founder of a monastery was Saint Brigit, a saint who ranked with Saint Patrick as a major figure of the Irish church. The monastery at Kildare was a double monastery, with both men and women ruled by the Abbess, a pattern found in many other monastic foundations.

Commonly Irish monasteries were established by grants of land to an abbot or abbess, who came from a local noble family. The monastery became the spiritual focus of the tribe or kin group. Irish monastic rules specify a stern life of prayer and discipline in which prayer, poverty, and obedience are the central themes. However Irish monks read Latin texts, both spiritual and secular, with an enthusiasm that their contemporaries on the continent lacked. By the end of the 7th century, Irish monastic schools were attracting students from England and from Europe.

Irish monasticism spread widely, first to Scotland and Northern England, then to Gaul and Italy. Columba and his followers established monasteries at Bangor, on the northeastern coast of Ireland, at Iona in Scotland, and at Lindisfarne, in Northumbria. Columbanus, an abbot from a Leinster noble family, traveled to Gaul in the late 6th century with twelve companions. Columbanus and his followers spread the Irish model of monastic institutions established by noble families to the continent. A whole series of new rural monastic foundations on great rural estates under Irish influence sprang up, starting with Columbanus's foundations of Fontaines and Luxeuil, sponsored by the Frankish King Childebert II. After Childebert's death Columbanus traveled east to Metz, where Theudebert II allowed him to establish a new monastery among the semi-pagan Alemanni in what is now Switzerland. One of Columbanus's followers founded the monastery of St. Gall on the shores of Lake Constance, while Columbanus continued onward across the Alps to the kingdom of the Lombards in Italy. There King Agilulf and his wife Theodolinda granted Columbanus land in the mountains between Genoa and Milan, where he established the monastery of Bobbio.

List of Catholic religious institutes

The 2000 Annuario Pontificio lists about 1 million persons in religious orders worldwide. This included 139,397 religious priests (and excluded 265,781 diocesan priests), 55,057 religious brothers, and 801,185 religious sisters.

The following list refers to some of the major religious institutes of the Catholic Church, both orders and others; it should be understood that communities using the same name may exist in the Anglican tradition as well, as well as more than one Catholic order with the same name. Each is accompanied by its official name in English as well as the acronym (or "post-nominal initials") commonly used to identify its members. In many cases name variations and/or alternative names are also in use. In parentheses is the year it was established.

Some organizations in the following list are not Religious Institutes because they are Associations of the Faithful and have not yet received a decree of erection to become an Institute of Consecrated Life. For this reason, this list does not verify the canonical status of an organization.:

1. Adorers (Adorers of the Blood of Christ) - A.S.C. (1834)
2. Adornos (Clerics Regular Minor) - C.R.M. (1563)
3. Adrian Dominican Sisters (1233/1853)
4. Albertines (1888)
5. Alexians - C.F.A. (1469)
6. Angelic Sisters of St. Paul - A.S.S.P. (1535)
7. Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - A.S.C.J. (1894)
8. Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate - A. S. M. I. - Green Gardens, Shertallay, Kerala, India (1949)
9. Assumptionists - A.A. (1845)
10. Little Sisters of the Assumption (1865)
11. Religious of the Assumption (1839)
12. Atonement, Society of the (Atonement Friars/Graymoor Friars/Sisters) - S.A. (1909)
13. Augustinian Recollects - (Order of the Augustinians Recollects) - O.A.R. (1912)
14. Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary - A.S.J.M. (1827)
15. Augustinians (Order of Saint Augustine) - O.S.A. (1244)
16. Augustinians of Kansas: Society of Saint Augustine - S.S.A. (1981)
17. Baladites (Order of Lebanese Maronite) - O.L.M. (1694)
18. Barnabites (Clerics Regular of Saint Paul) - B., C.R.S.P. (1530)
19. Benedictines (Rule of St. Benedict) - R.S.B. (529)
20. Benedictine Oblates of St Scholastica
21. Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (1874)
22. Bernardine Cistercian Sisters of Esquiermes
23. Bernardines (also see Cistercians) (1098)
24. Bon Secours Sisters - C.B.S. (1824)
25. Brigidine Sisters (1807)
26. Bridgettines (Order of Our Savior) - O.Ss.S. (1350)
27. Brotherhood of Hope - B.H. (1980)
28. Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God (Order of Hospitallers) - O.H. (1572)
29. Brothers of Charity - F.C. (Ghent, 1807)
30. Brothers of Christian Instruction of St Gabriel - F.S.G. (1711)
31. Brothers of Mercy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help - f.m.m. (1839)
32. Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasallian Brothers or Christian Brothers) - F.S.C. (1680)
33. Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis of Assisi (Brothers CFP located in the United States, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Brazil, Regular Third Order) (1861)
34. Brothers of the Sacred Heart - S.C. (1821)
35. FIC Brothers-FIC
36. Camaldolese (Camaldolese Benedictines) - O.S.B. Cam. (13th century)
37. Camaldolese Hermits of the Congregation of Monte Corona - Er.Cam.
38. Camillians (Ordo Clericorum Regolarium Ministrantium Infirmis)- M.I. (1591)
39. Canonesses of St. Augustine - C.R.O.S.A.
40. Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius - S.J.C. (2006)
41. Canons Regular of the Holy Cross OSC (1131)
42. Canons Regular Canons Regular of St. Augustine CRSA (1100)
43. Canons Regular of the Immaculate Conception (1871)
44. Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem - C.R.N.J. (2002)
45. Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers) (1210)
46. Canons Regular of Premontre (Norbertines) (1121)
47. Canossians (Canossian Daughters and Sons of Charity) - F.D.D.C. (1808)
48. Capuchins (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin) - O.F.M. Cap. (1520)
49. Capuchin Poor Clares (1538)
50. Carmelitae Sancti Eliae, Carmelites of Saint Elijah - CSE (1986)
51. Carmelites (Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) - O.Carm., O.C.D., O.C.D.S. (1209)
52. Carmelites of Mary Immaculate - C.M.I. (1831)
53. Carmelite Daughters of the Divine Heart of Jesus - D.C.J. (1891)
54. Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm (1929)
55. Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles (1904)
56. Carthusians - O.Cart. (1084)
57. Celestines (defunct) (1244)
58. Cistercians (Cistercians of the Ancient Observance)- O.Cist./S.O.Cist (1098)
59. Claretians (Claretian Missionaries) - C.M.F. (1849)
60. Claretian Sisters (1876)
61. Comboni Missionaries (1867)
62. Community of Betania
63. Companions of the Cross - C.C. (1988)
64. Company of Mary Our Lady - O.D.N. (1607)
65. Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae - C.I.C.M. (1862)
66. Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament - S.S.S. (1659)
67. Congregation of Christian Brothers (Christian Brothers of Ireland) - C.F.C. (1802)
68. Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord - C.D.D. (1931)
69. Congregation of Divine Providence - C.D.P. (1827)
70. Congregation of Holy Cross - C.S.C. (1837)
71. Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries - M.L.[kreimists.org] (1865)
72. Congregation of the Mission - C.M. (1624)
73. Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix - C.M.C. (1909)
74. Congregation of Notre Dame - C.N.D. (1653)
75. Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions (1861)
76. Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth - C. S. N. - Paduapuram, Edakkunnu, Kerala, India (1948)
77. Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection (1891)
78. Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary - SS.CC. (1800)
79. Congregation of St. Basil - C.S.B. (1822)
80. Congregation of St. Joseph - C.S.J. (1873)
81. Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Mookkannur, Kerala, India (CST brothers: 1931; CST fathers: 1945)
82. Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sisters) - O.L.M. (1862)
83. Conventual Franciscans (Conventuals or Order of Friars Minor Conventual) - O.F.M. Conv. (1209)
84. Daughters of Charity - D.C. (1633)
85. Daughters of Divine Charity - F.D.C. (1868)
86. Daughters of Divine Love (1969)
87. Daughters of the Holy Spirit - D.H.S. (1706)
88. Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception (1904)
89. Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion - D.O.L.C (1892)
90. Daughters of St. Francis of Assisi - Lacon, Illinois (1894)
91. Daughters of St. Paul - F.S.P. (1915)
92. Daughters of Wisdom (1707)
93. Dehonians (Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) - S.C.J. (1878)
94. Discalced Augustinians - O.A.D. (1592)
95. Discalced Carmelites - O.C.D. (1593)
96. Disciples of the Lord - C.D.D. (1931)
97. Divine Word Missionaries - S.V.D. (1875)
98. Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate - O.P. Miss. (2004)
99. Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary (1880)
100. Dominicans (Order of Friars Preachers) - O.P. (1216)
101. Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (1856)
102. Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne (1900)
103. Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - O.P. (1861)
104. Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia - O.P. (1860)
105. Dottrinari (Congregazione dei Preti della Dottrina Cristiana) - D.C. (1592)
106. Eudists (Congregation of Jesus and Mary) - C.I.M. (1643)
107. English Benedictine Congregation - O.S.B. (1216)
108. Fathers of Mercy - (Congregatio Presbyterorum a Misericordia) - C.P.M. (1808)
109. Felician Sisters (Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice) - C.S.S.F. (1855)
110. Franciscan Apostolic Sisters - F.A.S. (1954)
111. Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn - O.S.F. (1858)
112. Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist - F.B.E. (2004)
113. Franciscan Brothers of Peace - F.B.P. (1982)
114. Franciscan Clarist Congregation
115. Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor) - O.F.M. (1209)
116. Franciscan Friars of the Renewal - C.F.R. (1987)
117. Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular - T.O.R. (1447)
118. Franciscan Handmaids of Mary (1915)
119. Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - F.H.I.C. (1876)
120. Franciscan Minims of the Perpetual Help of Mary - f.m. (1942)
121. Franciscans of the Immaculate - F.I.
122. Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood - F.M.D.M. (1887)
123. Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word - M.F.V.A. (1987)
124. Franciscan Missionaries of Mary - F.M.M. (1877)
125. Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1859)
126. Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus (1879)
127. Franciscan Servants of Jesus (1997)
128. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity - O.S.F. (1869)
129. Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist - F.S.E. (1973)
130. Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary
131. Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - F.S.I.C.
132. Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate (1893)
133. Franciscan Sisters of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother - T.O.R. (1988)
134. Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration - O.S.F. (1849)
135. Fransalians (Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales) - M.S.F.S. (1838)
136. Friars of St Francis - F.S.F (1993)
137. Good Shepherd Sisters - R.G.S. (1641)
138. Grey Nuns - G.N.S.H. (1738)
139. Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity - A.A.S.C. (1950)
140. Handmaids of the Precious Blood - H.P.B. (1947)
141. Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - A.A.S.C. (1877)
142. Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (1978)
143. Hermits of Saint Bruno - H.S.B.
144. Holy Cross Fathers (Congregation of Holy Cross) - C.S.C. (1837)
145. Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Pink Sisters) - S.Sp.S.A.P. (1896)
146. Hospital Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus (13th century)
147. Infant Jesus Sisters (Nicolas Barre) - I.J. (1666)
148. Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar - I.C.P.B. (1749)
149. Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest - I.C.R.S.S. (1990)
150. Institute of the Incarnate Word - I.V.E. (1984)
151. Jesuits (Society of Jesus) - S.J. (1540)
152. Josephite Fathers (St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart) - S.S.J. (1893)
153. Legion of Christ - L.C. (founded 1941, approved 1983)
154. Little Brothers of the Gospel - (1956)
155. Little Brothers of Jesus - (1933)
156. Little Brothers of St Francis - (1970) (l.b.s.f)
157. Little Sisters of the Assumption (1865)
158. Little Sisters of the Gospel - (1963)
159. Little Sisters of Jesus - (1933)
160. Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary (1974)
161. Little Sisters of the Poor - L.S.P. (19th century)
162. Lovers of the Holy Cross (1670)
163. Loreto Sisters (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - I.B.V.M. (1609)
164. Marian Fathers - M.I.C. (1673)
165. Marian Sisters (Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln) - M.S. (1952)
166. Marianists (Society of Mary) - S.M. (1817)
167. Marianist Sisters (Daughters of Mary Immaculate) - F.M.I. (1817)
168. Marianites of Holy Cross - M.S.C. (1841)
169. Marist Brothers - F.M.S. (1817)
170. Marists (Society of Mary) - S. M.(1816)
171. Maryknoll (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America) - M.M. (1911)
172. Mercedarians (Order of Our Lady of Mercy) - O. de M. (1218)
173. Miles Christi - M.C. (1984)
174. Mission Helpers of The Sacred Heart - M.H.S.H. (1890)
175. Missionaries of Charity - M.C. (1950)
176. Missionaries of La Salette - M.S. (1852)
177. Missionaries of Mary - (2007)
178. Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo) - C.S. (1887)
179. Missionaries of the Gospel of Life (2005)
180. Missionaries of the Poor - M.O.P. (1981)
181. Missionaries of the Precious Blood (Precious Blood Fathers) - C.PP.S. (1815)
182. Missionaries of the Sacred Heart - M.S.C. (1854)
183. Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1836)
184. Missionary Congregation for the Blessed Sacrament
185. Missionary Society of St. Columban Columbans - S.S.C. (1916)
186. Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem (1975)
187. Montfort Missionaries (Company of Mary) - S.M.M. (1705)
188. Norbertines or Premonstratensians (Canons Regular of Prémontré) - C.R.P., O.Praem. (1120)
189. Oblate Apostles of the Two Hearts - O.A.T.H. (1995)
190. Oblate Sisters of Providence - O.S.P. (1829)
191. Oblates Of Mary Immaculate - O.M.I. (1816)
192. Oblates of St. Joseph - O.S.J. (1878)
193. Oblates Of The Virgin Mary - O.M.V. (1827)
194. Olivetans (Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet) (1313)
195. Oratorians (Oratory of St. Philip Neri) - C.O., Cong. Orat. (16th century)
196. Order of the Imitation of Christ - O.I.C. (1930)
197. Order of Sempringham (Gilbertines) - (1148-1538)
198. Order of St. Elisabeth O.S.E. (1622)
199. Pallottines (Society of the Catholic Apostolate) - S.A.C. (1835)
200. Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Etrangères de Paris) - M.E.P. (1658)
201. Passionists (Congregation of the Passion) - C.P. (1720)
202. Passionist Sisters (1850s)
203. Patrician Brothers - F.S.P. (1808)
204. Pauline Fathers (Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit) - O.S.P.P.E. (1250)
205. Paulist Fathers (Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle) - C.S.P. (1858)
206. Piarists (Clerics Regulars Poors of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools) - Sch.P. (1617)
207. Pious Disciples of the Divine Master - P.D.D.M. (1924)
208. Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face (1950)
209. Poor Clares (Nuns of the Order of St. Clare/(Order of Poor Ladies) - O.S.C. (1212)
210. Poor Clare Nuns - Joliet, Ill.
211. Poor Clares of Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, Calif.
212. Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration (1854)
213. Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon - Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici (1129–1312)
214. Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - P.B.V.M. (1775)
215. Presentation Brothers - F.P.M. (1802)
216. Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter - F.S.S.P. (1988)
217. Putri Karmel (1982)
218. Racine Dominican Sisters (1862)
219. Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) - C.Ss.R. (1732)
220. Les Religieuses de Notre-Dame-du-Sacre-Coeur (Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada) (1924)
221. Religious of the Assumption - R.A. (1839)
222. Religious of Christian Education - (1817)
223. Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary - R.S.H.M. (1849)
224. Religious of the Virgin Mary - R.V.M. (1684)
225. Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan - R.S.M.
226. Religious Sisters of Charity (1815)
227. Resurrectionists - C.R. (1836)
228. Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus - R.C.J. (1897)
229. Rosminians (Institute of Charity) - I.C. (1828)
230. Salesians of St. John Bosco - S.D.B. (1857)
231. Salesian Sisters (Daughters of Mary Help of Christian) - F.M.A. (1872)
232. Salvatorians (Society of the Divine Savior) - S.D.S. (1881)
233. Salvatorians (Basilian Salvatorian Order - A Melkite Community) - bso (1724) (Always Lower-Cased)
234. School Sisters of Christ the King (1976)
235. School Sisters of Notre Dame - S.S.N.D. (1833)
236. School Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis (1873)
237. Servites (Order of Friars, Servants of Mary) - O.S.M. (1233)
238. Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters (1847)
239. Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood - R.P.G. (1861)
240. Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest (2004)
241. Sisters of Adoration, Slaves of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity (1850)
242. Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel (1870)
243. Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1891)
244. Sisters of the Cenacle - r.c. (1826)
245. Sisters of Charity - S.C. (1633)
246. Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomaea Capitanio & Vincenza Gerosa, Milan, Italy - SCCG (1832)
247. Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati (1829)
248. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (1858)
249. Sisters of Charity of New York (1846)
250. Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - B.V.M. (1831)
251. Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception (Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada) (1854)
252. Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (1866)
253. Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary (1803)
254. Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy (South Carolina) (1829)
255. Sisters of Charity of Providence - SP (1844)
256. Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth (1859)
257. Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition
258. Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul - Halifax (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) (1849)
259. Vincentian Sisters of Charity (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) (1902)
260. Sisters of the Destitute (Kerala, India) (1927)
261. Sisters of the Divine Compassion (1886)
262. Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill (Pennsylvania) (1870)
263. Sisters of the Holy Cross - C.S.C. (1837)
264. Sisters of the Holy Family (1837)
265. Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (1875)
266. Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary - S.N.J.M. (1844)
267. Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Castres
268. Sisters of Jesus, Our Hope
269. Sisters of Life - S.V. (1991)
270. Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist - O.P. (1997)
271. Sisters of Mercy - R.S.M. (1831)
272. Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur - S.N.D., S.N.D. de N. (1803)
273. Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (1862)
274. Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods - S.P. (1840)
275. Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul (Kingston) - S.P.
276. Sisters of La Retraite
277. Sisters of Saint Agnes (1858)
278. Sisters of Saint Dorothy
279. Sisters of Saint Elizabeth (1842)
280. Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi (1849)
281. Sisters of St Francis of the Martyr St George - F.S.G.M. (1869)
282. Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (1835)
283. Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota (1877)
284. Sisters of St Joseph (AKA Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille) - C.S.J. (1650)
285. Sisters of Saint Joseph of Bourg or S.S.J. (1650)
286. Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry (1812)
287. Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace (1884)
288. Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart - S.S.J. (1866)
289. Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (1901)
290. Sisters of Saint Martha (Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada) (1900)
291. Sisters of St Rita (1911)
292. Sisters of St Therese of the Child Jesus (St Therese Sisters - Tanzania) - S.S.Th.
293. Sisters of Social Service - S.S.S. (1926)
294. Sisters of the Visitation - Sisters of the Visitation, Toledo, Ohio (1610)
295. Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – I.H.M. (1845)
296. Sisters, Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará - S.S.V.M. (1988)
297. Sisters, Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cresson, PA; Poland; Vatican City) - S.S.C.J. (1894)
298. Society of African Missions (Societas Missionum ad Afros) - S.M.A. (1850)
299. Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls (1856)
300. Society of the Holy Child Jesus - S.H.C.J. (1846)
301. Society of Jesus(Jesuits) - S.J.or S.I. (1534)
302. Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity - S.O.L.T. (1958)
303. Society of St. Edmund S.S.E. (1843)
304. Society of Saint Paul - S.S.P. (1914)
305. Society of the Sacred Heart - R.S.C.J. (1800)
306. Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (Order of Malta) - S.M.O.M. (1099)
307. Spiritans or Holy Ghost Fathers (Congregation of the Holy Ghost) - C.S.Sp. (1703)
308. Stigmatines (Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata) - C.S.S. (1816)
309. Sulpician Fathers (Society of Saint Sulpice) - S.S., P.S.S. (1642)
310. Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis - Cameroon (1700)
311. Teutonic Order (1190)
312. Theatines (Congregation of Clerics Regular) - C.R. (1524)
313. Theatines Nuns (Congregation of Theatines of Immaculate Conception) - T.I.C. (1633)
314. Trappists (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) - O.C.R., O.C.S.O. (1662)
315. Trinitarians (Order of the Most Holy Trinity) - O.SS.T. (1194)
316. Ursulines (Ursuline Nuns of the Roman Union) - O.S.U. (1535)
317. Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity - M.V.D.F. (1963)
318. Viatorians (Clerics of Saint Viator) - C.S.V. (1831)
319. Heralds of the Gospel (Virgo Flos Carmeli and Regina Virginum) - E.P. (February 22, 2001)
320. Vincentian Congregation (VC) (1904)
321. Visitation Nuns - Sisters of the Visitation, Toledo, Ohio (1610)
322. Visitation Nuns - Second Federation of the Visitation Order (1610)
323. Vocationists (The Society of Divine Vocations) - S.D.V. (1927)
324. White Fathers - M.Afr. (1868)
325. Xaverian Brothers - C.F.X. (1839)
326. Xaverian Missionaries (Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier) - S.X. (1895)

References

1. ↑ Code of Canon Law from Intratext
2. ↑ "Religious life". Catholic Encyclopedia. newadvent.org. 1911. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12748b.htm. 
3. ↑ See "The Benedictine Order" in New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia
4. ↑ 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Sources and external links

• Concerning 'Religious Institutes' in The Code of Canon Law 1983
• The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
• VISION Vocation Guide comprehensive directory of men's and women's religious communities in the U.S. and Canada with links and vocation opportunities]
• Institute on Religious Life links to many Catholic religious communities
• Directory of Catholic Religious Orders on the Internet (men and women)
• Catholic orders at the Open Directory Project
• VocationMatch.com match service to assist men and women to find a Catholic religious community
• Vocation Network searchable directory of men's and women's Catholic religious communities in English and Spanish
• Vocations Online directory of men's and women's Catholic religious communities in the USA
• Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious - religious congregations of women
• Leadership Conference of Women Religious - religious congregations of women
• The Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis of Assisi, CFP located in the United States, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Brazil, Regular Third Order, official website
• Franciscans of the Immaculate official website of the F.I.
• Website of the Immaculate- Website of the Franciscans of the Immaculate
• The Canons Regular of St. Augustine
• Differences Between Religious Orders A comparison of the differences between religious orders
• Website of the Little Brothers and Sisters of Africa
• Franciscan International Congregation located in the USA, Brazil, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands -- Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis of Assisi, official Franciscan website

Links to related articles Catholic religious orders Adorers of the Blood of Christ · Albertine Brothers · Alexians · Assumptionists · Augustinians · Augustinian Recollects (OAR) · Benedictines · Brotherhood of Hope · Canossians · Capuchins · Carmelites · Carthusians · Christian Brothers (French)(F.S.C) · Christian Brothers (Irish) · Cistercians · Claretians (C.M.F) · Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (C. S. T.) · Congregations of the Heart of Mary · Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary · Conventual Franciscans · Companions of the Cross · Crosiers · Daughters of Charity · Daughters of Divine Love · Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception · Discalced Carmelites · Divine Word Missionaries (S.V.D.) · Dominicans · Felicians · Filippini Sisters (M.P.F.) · Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (C.F.R.) · Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word (M.F.V.A.) · Franciscan orders · Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus · Hijas de Jesús · Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers · Holy Ghost Fathers · Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters · Jesuits · Josephite Fathers · Legion of Christ · Little Brothers of Jesus · Little Sisters of Jesus · Little Sisters of the Poor · Lovers of the Holy Cross · Marianists · Marianites of Holy Cross · Marians of the Immaculate Conception · Marist Brothers · Marists · Maryknoll · Miles Jesu · Missionaries of Charity · Missionaries of the Poor · Oblate Sisters of Providence · Oblates of Mary Immaculate · Oblates of St. Francis de Sales · Oratory of Saint Philip Neri · Pallottines · Passionist Sisters · Passionists · Paulist Fathers · Premonstratensians · Poor Clares · Redemptorists · Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (R.C.S.J.) · Sacred Heart Brothers · Salesians · Servi Jesu et Mariae · Servites · Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament · Sisters of Charity · Sisters of the Destitute · Sisters of Holy Cross · Sisters of the Holy Cross · Sisters of the Holy Family-Louisiana · Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary · Religious of the Virgin Mary (R.V.M.) · Sisters of Life · Sisters of Mercy · Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods · Sisters of Saint Francis (general) · Sisters of Saint Francis (U.S.) · Sisters of Saint Joseph · Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace · Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart · Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary · Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary · Society of the Atonement · Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls · Society of Saint Edmund · Society of Saint Pius X · Sulpicians · T.O.R. Franciscans · Trappists · Trinitarian Order · Ursulines · Vincentians · White Fathers · Xaverian Brothers Catholic Church Organizations, Papacy, Teachings and Liturgical Traditions History Jesus · Twelve Apostles · Early Christianity · History of the Papacy · Councils · Crusades · Missions · Great Schism of East · Great Schism of West · Reformation · Counter-Reformation · Roman Catholicism by country Hierarchy Pope · Cardinals · Patriarchs · Major Archbishops · Primates · Metropolitans · Archbishops · Diocesan Bishops Theology Trinity · Original sin · One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church · Worship · Divine Grace · Salvation · Sermon on the Mount · The Ten Commandments · Dogma · Body and Soul Sacraments Baptism · Confirmation · Eucharist · Penance · Anointing of the Sick · Holy Orders · Matrimony Mariology Mariology · Veneration · History of Mariology · Mariology of the saints · Mariology of the popes · Marian Doctrines · Mother of God · Perpetual Virginity · Immaculate Conception  · Assumption Doctors of the Church Albertus Magnus · Ambrose · Anselm of Canterbury · Anthony of Padua · Thomas Aquinas · Athanasius of Alexandria · Augustine of Hippo · Basil of Caesarea · Bede · Robert Bellarmine · Bernard of Clairvaux · Bonaventure · Petrus Canisius · Catherine of Siena · Peter Chrysologus · John Chrysostom · Cyril of Alexandria · Cyril of Jerusalem · Peter Damian · Ephrem the Syrian · Francis de Sales · Gregory the Great · Gregory of Nazianzus · Hilary of Poitiers · Isidore of Seville · Jerome · John of Damascus · John of the Cross · Lawrence of Brindisi · Leo the Great · Alphonsus Liguori · Thérèse de Lisieux · Teresa of Ávila Pope Benedict XVI Conclave · Theology · Works · Deus Caritas Est · Sacramentum Caritatis · Summorum Pontificum · Spe Salvi · Caritas in Veritate Preceding Popes Pope John Paul II · Pope John Paul I · Pope Paul VI · Pope John XXIII · Pope Pius XII · Pope Pius XI · Pope Benedict XV · Pope Pius X · Pope Leo XIII · Pope Pius IX Orders & Societies Assumptionist · Augustinian Order · Benedictines · Capuchin Order · Carmelites · Carthusians · Congregations of Holy Cross · Dominican Order · Franciscan orders · Jesuits · Oratory of Saint Philip Neri Vatican II Definition of the Church · Gaudium et Spes · Lumen Gentium · Nostra Aetate Particular Churches sorted by Liturgical Traditions Alexandrian · Coptic · Ethiopic · Antiochian · Maronite · Syriac · Syro-Malankara · Armenian · Armenian · Byzantine · Albanian · Belarusian · Bulgarian · Croatian · Greek · Hungarian · Italo-Albanian · Macedonian · Melkite · Romanian · Russian · Ruthenian · Slovak · Ukrainian · East Syrian · Chaldean · Syro-Malabar · Roman · Ambrosian · Sarum · Mozarabic · Anglican Use · Latin Pope Portal Catholicism Portal History of the Catholic Church General History of the Catholic Church · History of the Papacy · History of the Roman Curia · Ecumenical Councils · Timeline of the Catholic Church · History of Christianity · Role of the Catholic Church in civilization · Art in Roman Catholicism · Roman Catholic religious order · Christian monasticism · Papal States Church beginnings Jesus · Twelve Apostles · Saint Peter · Paul the Apostle · Saint Stephen · John the Apostle Council of Jerusalem · Apostolic Fathers · Ignatius of Antioch · Irenaeus · Pope Victor I · Tertullian Constantine to Pope Gregory I Constantine I and Christianity · Arianism · Basilica of St. John Lateran · First Council of Nicaea · Pope Sylvester I · First Council of Constantinople · Canon · Jerome · Vulgate · Council of Ephesus · Council of Chalcedon · Benedict of Nursia · Second Council of Constantinople · Pope Gregory I · Gregorian Chant Early Middle Ages Third Council of Constantinople · Saint Boniface · Byzantine Iconoclasm · Second Council of Nicaea · Charlemagne · Pope Leo III · Fourth Council of Constantinople · East-West Schism High Middle Ages Pope Urban II · Investiture Controversy · Crusades · First Council of the Lateran · Second Council of the Lateran · Third Council of the Lateran · Pope Innocent III · Latin Empire of Constantinople · Saint Francis of Assisi · Fourth Council of the Lateran · Inquisition · First Council of Lyon · Second Council of Lyon · Bernard of Clairvaux · Thomas Aquinas Late Middle Ages Pope Boniface VIII · Avignon Papacy · Pope Clement V · Council of Vienne · Knights Templar · Catherine of Siena · Pope Alexander VI Protestant Reformation & Counter-Reformation Protestant Reformation · Counter-Reformation · Thomas More · Pope Leo X · Society of Jesus · Francis Xavier · Dissolution of the Monasteries · Council of Trent · Pope Pius V · Tridentine Mass · Robert Bellarmine Baroque Period to French Revolution Pope Innocent XI · Pope Benedict XIV · Suppression of the Society of Jesus · Anti-clericalism · Pope Pius VI · Shimabara Rebellion · Edict of Nantes · Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution 19th century Pope Pius VII · Pope Pius IX · Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary · Our Lady of La Salette · Our Lady of Lourdes · First Vatican Council · Papal infallibility · Pope Leo XIII · Mary of the Divine Heart · World Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus · Rerum Novarum 20th century Pope Pius X · Our Lady of Fátima · Persecutions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII · Pope Pius XII · Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary · Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary · Pope John XXIII · Second Vatican Council · Pope Paul VI · Pope John Paul I · Pope John Paul II 21st century Pope Benedict XVI · World Youth Day 2008 By country France · Germany · Ireland · Mexico · Spain · United States Pope Portal · Catholicism Portal History of Catholic theology Theologians · Teachings · Heresies General History History of the Catholic Church · Early Christianity · History of the Papacy · Ecumenical Councils · Timeline of the Catholic Church · History of Christianity · History of Christian theology Church beginnings First Epistle of Clement · Didache · Ignatius of Antioch · Epistle of Barnabas · Justin Martyr · Irenaeus · Tertullian · Origen · Antipope Novatian · Cyprian Constantine to Pope Gregory I Arianism · Pelagianism · Nestorianism · Monophysitism · Pope Leo I · Ambrose · Augustine of Hippo Early Middle Ages Monothelitism · Ecthesis · Iconoclasm · Transubstantiation dispute · Predestination disputes · John Scotus Eriugena High Middle Ages Thomas Aquinas · Thomism · Roscellinus · Anselm of Canterbury · Peter Abelard · Decretum Gratiani · Bernard of Clairvaux · Peter Lombard · Hildegard of Bingen · Saint Dominic · Saint Francis of Assisi · Bonaventure · Albertus Magnus Mysticism & Reforms Duns Scotus · Dante Alighieri · William of Ockham · Catherine of Siena · Brigit of Sweden · Meister Eckhart · Johannes Tauler · Heinrich Seuse · Nicholas of Kues · Thomas à Kempis Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation Thomas More · John Fisher · Thomas Cajetan · Johann Eck · Ignatius of Loyola · Francis Xavier · Teresa of Ávila · John of the Cross · Petrus Canisius · Robert Bellarmine · Francis de Sales Baroque Period to French Revolution Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet · Francisco Suárez · François Fénelon · Jansenism · Blaise Pascal · Saint Alphonsus Liguori · Saint Louis de Montfort · Alfonso Muzzarelli · Louis Thomassin · Jean de La Fontaine 19th century John Henry Newman · Gaetano Sanseverino · Giovanni Maria Cornoldi · Clemens Maria Hofbauer · Johann Michael Sailer · Joseph Görres · Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler · Giuseppe Pecci · Joseph Hergenröther · Tommaso Maria Zigliara 20th-21st century Raimondo Spiazzi · Gabriel Roschini · Henri de Lubac · Pierre Teilhard de Chardin · Jacques Maritain · Karl Rahner · Bernard Lonergan · Edward Schillebeeckx · Hans Urs von Balthasar · Pope Benedict XVI Pope Portal Catholicism Portal Sacraments, Rites, and Liturgies of the Catholic Church Sacraments Baptism · Reconciliation · Eucharist · Confirmation · Matrimony · Holy Orders · Anointing of the Sick Rites and Liturgies Mass · Papal Mass · Pontifical Mass · Solemn Mass · Sung Mass · Low Mass · Tridentine Mass · Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament · Liturgy of the Hours · Ambrosian Rite · Antiochene Rite · Byzantine Rite · Carmelite Rite · Carthusian Rite · Mozarabic Rite · Norbertine Rite · Roman Rite · Sarum Rite · East Syrian Rite · West Syrian Rite · Anglican Use · Asperges · Exorcism · Funeral · Requiem · Alexandrian Rite Defunct Rites and Liturgies Benedictine Rite · Cistercian Rite · Durham Rite · Pre-Tridentine Mass · African Rite · Aquileian Rite · Celtic Rite · Gallican Rite · Missa Sicca · Missa Nautica · Missa Venatoria Pope Portal Catholicism Portal