Donnelly, John

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Marquette Universitye-Publications@MarquetteHistory Faculty Research and Publications History, Department of1-1-1990Religious Orders, Catholic Men's; Society of Jesus;Trappists [Encyclopedia Entries]John DonnellyMarquette University, john.p.donnelly@marquette.eduPublished version. Dictionary of Christianity in America. Eds. Robert D. Linder, Bruce L. Shelley,Harry S. Stout. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990. DOI. © 1990 InterVarsity Press. Usedwith permission."Religious Orders, Catholic Men's", pp. 997-1000"Society of Jesus", p. 1109"Trappists", p. 1185Taken from Dictionary of Christianity in America edited by Daniel G. Reid, Robert D. Linder, Bruce L.Shelley and Harry S. Stout. Copyright© 1990 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA. Used bypermission of InterVarsity Press PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com.Religious Orders, Catholic Men's. "Religious order" is a term often loosely used in reference to groups of men or women, usually Roman Catho-Religious Orders, catholic Men's lic: committed to a particular religious life. The Catholic Church, however, makes a distinction between religious orders and religious congrega-tions' The religious life for both orders and congregations is cCjlOstituted by the traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The canonical distinction between orders and congre-gations mainly deals with the ease with which the vows may be dispensed with and the right of members of congregations to retain ownership, but not the use, of private property. Religious orders require the taking of solemn vows, and religiOUS congregations require only simple vows. With minor exceptions, after a year or two of novitiate or spiritual training, the new members of both orders and congregations take temporary vows (for example, for three years) and then later permanent or perpetual vows. Religious, or members of a religiOUS order, are those who have taken the three vows which incorporate them into a religiOUS order. The orders tend to be older and larger than the congregations. The earliest members of a religiOUS order in the Americas were the Franciscans· who accompanied Columbus. · Jesuits· were among the earli est explorers of the Midwest and Southwest. The Franciscan missionaries in California named most of the places which would later become the state's largest cities. Catholics were distinctly unwelcome in most of the English colonies, but Jesuits minis-tered to early Catholic settlers in Maryland. Emigra-tion from Catholic countries in the nineteenth century (See Immigration and Ethnicity, Roman Catholic) created a need for religiOUS priests· and brothers' Initially, most of the orders drew their men from Europe, but Europeans were outnum-bered by Americans by the end of the century. Growth continued steadily in the early twentieth century, rising to a peak in the years 1945 to 1965. After the Second Vatican Council: with its empha-sis on the role of the laity: and after the sexual revolution in the U.S. , vocations to the religiOUS life fell sharply among men and very sharply among women. Unless the vocation crisis abates, religiOUS orders seem destined to playa decreasing role in American Catholicism. Currently there are 109 religiOUS orders for clerics· and twenty-eight orders for lay* brothers serving the Catholic Church in the U.S. In the clerical orders most of the members are either priests or seminarians (See Seminary Education, Roman Catholic) training for the priesthood, although they generally have a smaller, often much smaller, number of lay brothers who do not plan to take holy orders and are not trained for the [997] Religious Orders, Catholic Men's priesthood. Orders for brothers do not have priests, or have only a few to tend to their own sacramental needs; orders for brothers do not engage in priestly ministry but usually in education or health care. The religiOUS orders vary consider-ably in their history, size, structure, training, purpose and ministry so that generalizations are difficult. The older orders especially have devel-oped distinct traditions of spirituality.' The largest and best-known orders are those founded centuries ago in Europe. Most of these have their international headquarters in Rome and include several provinces as basic administrative units in the U.S. At the head of a province there is usually a provincial superior under whom the superiors of the various houses or communities serve. In some orders the structure is hierarchic, with authority derived from a general superior who usually resides in Rome. Other orders are more democratic, and effective power lies mainly with local units . Aside from small orders which are confined to a Single diocese and answer to its bishop, all orders come under papal control through the Sacred Congregation of ReligiOUS, one of the administrative divisions of the papal curia. The largest Single order in the U.S. is the Society of Jesus (or Jesuits). In 1986 there were 5,226 American Jesuits in ten provinces. More numerous still are the Franciscans, but they are divided into three separate families or orders, the Order of Friars Minor, the Conventuals and the Capuchins. Less numerous are the other medieval orders of friars such as the Dominicans,* Carmelites,* Augustinians and Servites. Individual houses of the older monastic orders such as the Benedictines,* Cistercians and Carthusians are usually autono-mous. The largest number of orders presently working in the u.S. were founded in the nineteenth century, particularly in France and Italy, and came to the U.S. to help an immigrant Church. Among those with French origins are the Assumptionists, Clare-tians, the Congregation of Holy Cross,* the Fathers of Mercy, the LaSalette Fathers, the Marianists, Marists' and Resurrectionists. Among those with Italian origins are the Pallotines, Rosminians, Salesians' and Salvatorians. A good number of orders of priests were founded in the U.S., notably the Glenmary Missionaries;, Maryknoll Fathers,* Missionaries of the Holy Apostles, Paulists' and the Servants of the Paraclete. Nine different orders of brothers began in the U.S. between 1948 and 1970. The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement began in New York in 1898 as an Anglican' community but joined the Catholic Church in 1909. Some orders [998) direct their ministry to specific ethnic groups in the U.S. such as Scalabrinians (Italians) or the Congre-gation of Mother Co·Redemptrix (Vietnamese). Certain orders work with Eastern-Rite Catholics-for example, the Basi/ian Order of St. Josaphat (for Ukra1'-:lians), the Mekhitarist Order (for Armen-ians), the Basilian Salvatorian Fathers and Maronite Hermits of St. Francis. The vast majority of American parishes are staffed by the diocesan' clergy, but members of religious orders often take parishes that have special needs, for instance, among African-Ameri-cans in the inner cities or Native Americans on reservations. Catholic education (See Parochial Schools, Catholic) is the main ministry of religiOUS priests and brothers. Many orders of brothers, such as Brothers of Christian Instruction, were founded to supply teachers, mainly in secondary schools. The greatest contribution of the religiOUS orders to the American Catholic Church is a network of Catholic universities; there is nothing comparable elsewhere in the Catholic Church or in Catholic history (See Higher Education, Catholic). Most of these were founded in the nineteenth century but blossomed into real universities only after 1945. Lay professors increasingly outnumbered clerics, and since 1970 most religiOUS orders have turned control over to boards of trustees on which lay persons hold the majority. The Jesuits established nineteen universities, including Georgetown, Fordham, Boston College, St. Louis, Marquette and the three Loyolas. Other notable universities are Dayton (Marianists), DePaul, Niagara and St.John's (Vincentians), LaSalle (Christian Brothers'), NOIre Dame' (Congregation of Holy Cross) and Villano-va (Augustinians). After education, foreign missions' are the mail important ministry for male religious. In 1988 there were 2,473 American order priests and 532 brothers working in the missions. Of these, 2,104 were in Latin America, 1,356 in the Far East and 944 in Africa. The iargest groups were 513 Jesuits working in forty-two cO"untries and 504 Maryknoll Fathers working in twenty-five countries. The three branches of the Franciscans had 390 missionaries. Other important ministries for male religiOUS are giving retreats,' publishing religiOUS magazines and journals (See Press, Catholic), and working in hospitals and nursing homes, either as chaplains' or health-care specialists. Others serve as milituy chaplains.' Some religiOUS, such as the Trappists and Carthusians, devote their lives to prayer. The friars' and Jesuits have been active in Canada since the earliest French settlements. Most of the larger orders found in the U.S. are also Religious Orders, Catholic Men's Abbreviations for Roman Catholic Religious Orders and Congregations A.A. Augustinians of the Assumption: O.F.M. Order of Friars Minor: Franciscans Assumptionists O.F.M. Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: B.S. Basilian Salvatorian Fathers Cap. Capuchins I C.M.F. Congregatio Missionariorum Filiorum O.F.M. Order of Friars Minor Conventual: Immaculati Cordis: Missionary Sons of the Cony. Conventuals Immaculate Heart of Mary ( Claretians) O.S.B.M. Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni: Order of St. C.P. Congregatio Sanctissimi Crucis et Passion is Basil the Great; Basilian Order of St. Domini Nostri Jesu Christi: Congregation Josaphat of the Passion (Passionists) O.S.B. Order of St. Benedict: Benedictines C.P.M. Congregatio Presbyterorvm a Miseri- O.S.F. Order of St. Francis: Franciscan Brothers cordia: Congregation of;the Fathers of Mercy O.S.M. Ordo Seroorum Mariae: Order of Servants C.R. Congregatio a Resurrectione Domini of Mary (Servites) Nostri Jesu Christi: Congregation of the O.S.P. Oblate Sisters of Providence Resurrection (Resurrectionists) O.S.U. Order ofSt. Ursula (Ursulines) C.S.e. Congregatio Sanctae Crucis: Congregation P.e. Franciscan Poor Clare Nuns (Poor Clares) of Holy Cross R.S.M. Sistefs of Charity C.SJ. Congregatio Sancti Joseph: Sisters of St. S.A. Societas Adunationis: Franciscan Friars of Joseph the Atonement C.S.P. Congregation of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (Paulist Fathers) S.A.C. Societatis Apostolatus Catholici: Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines) C.SS.R. Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris: Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer S·CJ· Congregatio Sacerdotum a Corde Jesu: (Redemptorists) Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart O.S.A. Order of Hermits of St. Augustine: S.e.S.C. Sorores a Caritate Sanctae Crucis: Sisters Augustinians of Mercy of the Holy Cross F.M.S. Fratris Maristarum a Scholis: Marist S.D.B. Societas Sancti Francisci Salesii: Salesians Brothers of St. John Bosco; Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians) F.S.e. Fratres Scholarum Christianorum: Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) Brothers of the Christian Schools S.D.S. (Christian Brothers) SJ. Society of Jesus (Jesuits) MM. Maryknoll Missioners: Catholic Foreign S.M. Society of Mary (Marists) ; Society of Mary Mission Society of America (Maryknoll (Marianists) Fathers, Maryknoll Brothers, Missionary S.N.D. Sisters of Notre Dame de Naruur Sisters of Mary) Missionaires de La Salette: Missionaries of S.O.Cist. Sacer Ordo Cisterciensis: Cistercians of the M.S. Common Observance Our Lady of LaSalette (LaSalette Fathers) O.carm. Ordo Carmelitarum: Carmelite Nuns of R.S.M. Sisters of Charity Ancient Observance (Calced Carmelites) S.S. Society ofSt. Sulpice (Sulpicians) O.cart. Ordo Cartusiensis: Carthusians S.SJ. Societas Sancti Joseph Sanctissimi Cordis: O.e.D. Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum: St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart Order of Discalced Carmelites -I, (Josephites) , O.e.S.O Ordo Monialium Cisterciensium Strictioris Obseroantiae: Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists); Order of Cistercian Nuns of the Strict Observance (Trappistines) [999] Religious Orders, Catholic Men's represented in Canada. Often religious orders in Canada are divided on linguistic lines, with one province or jurisdiction for French speakers, another for English speakers. The Basilian Fathers, with headquarters in Toronto, are more prominent in Canada than in the U.S. Curiously, there has been very little comparative study of religious orders, either in European or American history. It is a subject seldom given separate treatment in histories of American Cathol· icism. Better synthetic guides are available for American nuns than for their male counterparts. In contrast, there are many histories of individual religious orders and their work in the U.S. See also RELIGIOUS ORDERS, PROTESTANT; RELIGIOUS ORDERS, WOMEN'S. BIBLIOGRAPHY. H. W. Homan, Knights of Christ (1957); Ministries for the Lord: A Resource Guide and Directory of Catholic Church Vocations for Men (1985) ; Religious Community Life in the United States: Proceedings of the Men's Section of the First National Congress of Religious in the United States (1952). J. P. Donnelly [1000] -------~~~~~- - - - -Society of Jesus. Catholic religious order.' The Society ofJesus, better known as the Jesuits, is the largest Roman Catholic' religious order for men both in the world and in the U.S. Founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola and approved by Pope Paul III in 1540, the Jesuits soon spread to most of the Catholic countries of Europe. Jesuit spirituality' flmys largely from Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The early Jesuits excelled as retreat' directors and teachers. By 1626 the Jesuits operated 544 colleges and seminaries'; by 1749 they operated 894, of which twenty-four were universities. Jesuit training was long and demand-ing, traditionally involving three years of spiritual training, two years of humanities, three years of philosophy, three years ofteaching experience and four years of theology' One of Loyola's early companions was the first and greatest Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier. By the end of the sixteenth century, there were Jesuit missionaries' working in India, China, Japan and most of Latin America. Many Jesuits made impor-tant contributions to early modern theology, philosophy, literature, science and art. In 1600 there were 8,519 Jesuits; by 1749 there were 22,589. During the Enlightenment, Jesuit influence was opposed by Jansenists; philosophes; and the absolutist kings of France, Spain , Portugal and Naples. The kings pressured Clement XIV to suppress the Order in 1773. The Romantic period brought in a religiOUS revival and the restoration of the Jesuits in 1814. Thereafter growth was steady, peaking at 36,036 in 1965. Then came a decline to 25,382 by 1986. By that year the two countries with the most Jesuits were the U.S. (5,226) and India (3,118). Jesuit roots in the U.S. go back to 1566 when three Jesuits tried to land on the Florida coast and were killed by Native Americans. The explorations of Father Jacques Marquette' down the Mississippi River and of Father Eusebio Kino' in the Southwest are well known. The most important Jesuit ministry in the U.S. has long been education (See Educa-tion, Catholic Higher). By 1814 there were four-teen Jesuits at Georgetown College (now ·George-town University) . Currently there are nin'eteen Jesuit universities and nine colleges in the U.S. Even more numerous are the Jesuit high schools. Jesuit schools are concentrated in large cities, particularly the older cities of the East and Mid-west. In the early 1970s control of most Jesuit Society of St. John the Evangelist colleges and universities was turned over to trustees, who number more lay' persons than Jesuits. Presently the American Jesuits are divided into ten provinces. There are two Jesuit provinces in Canada, one for French speakers (381 members) and one for English speakers (304 members) . Education is a relatively less important Jesuit apostolate in Canada. Worldwide the Jesuits publish 1,400 periodicals. Jesuits such as the late Karl Rahner' and Bernard Lonergan' are esteemed theologians. Some Amer-ican Jesuits, for example Daniel Berrigan, have become political activists , usually for liberal causes; while in Latin AmericaJesuits have contrib· uted to the development of Liberation Theology,' which combines Marxist analysis with Christian principles. Jesuits disagree sharply about the wisdom of such developments. Superiors have tended to allow considerable freedom to individ-ual Jesuits in their writing on social and political issues but have discouraged Jesuits from holding political office. When the liberal Jesuit general Pedro Arrupe suffered a stroke in 1981 , Pope John Paul II' appointed a conservative Jesuit to run the order until a General Congregation in 1983 elected a new general, the Dutchman Peter-Hans Kolven-bach. His first years in office suggest that he will steer a middle course. BIBLIOGRAPHY. j. C. H. Ave ling, The Jesuits (1981) ; w. Bangert, A History oj the Society ofjesus (1972); G. Garraghan, The Jesuits oj the Middle United States, 3 vols. (1938). ]. P. Donnelly [1109] Trappists. Popular name for the Order of Cister-cians of the Strict Observance, a Roman Catholic' religious order" known for its austerity and dedi-cation to prayer. The Cistercians began as a reform movement in 1098 which dedicated the French monastery of Molesme to pristine observance of the Benedictine" Rule. During the next six centu-ries various relaxations were introduced into Cistercian practice. Armand Jean de Rance (1626-1700), abbot of La Trappe (whence the name "Trappists"), restored silence, seclusion, manual labor and stringent absti!1ence from meat. Later this strict observance spread to. monasteries in Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, England, Italy and the U.S. French Trappists arrived in the U.S. in 1803, but most returned to France in 1814. Lasting monaster-ies were set up at Gethsemani, Kentucky, in 1848 and New Melleray, Iowa, in 1849. Rapid expansion came to the order after World War 2,* as it did to many religious orders. Trappist austerity offered a clear alternative to modern materialism. Interest in the Trappists was spurred by Thomas Merton,' a monk at Gethsemani, whose writings explained the monastic and contemplative ideal to modern Americans. So did more than twenty books on a popular level by another Trappist, Father Ray-mond, especially in his The Man Who Got Even with God (1941). Currently there are Trappist monasteries at Spencer, Massachusetts; Gethsema-ni, Kentucky; Conyers, Georgia; Moncks Corner, South Carolina; Berryville, Virginia; Ava, Missouri; New Melleray, Iowa; Lafayette, Oregon; Huntsville, Utah; Vina, California; and Snowmass, Colorado. Communities average about thirty monks, rather evenly divided between priests" and lay* brothers, who support themselves mainly by manual work on their farms. BIBUOGRAPHY. A J. Krailsheimer, Rance and the Trappist Legacy (1985); L. J. Lekai, The Rise oj the Cistercians oj Strict Observance in Seventeenth-Century France (1968); T. Merton, The Waters oj Sitoe (1949). J. P. Donnelly Trinitarianism [1185) 

Religious Orders, Catholic Men\u27s; Society of Jesus; Trappists [Encyclopedia Entries]

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Religious Orders, Catholic Men\u27s; Society of Jesus; Trappists [Encyclopedia Entries]

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