RELIGIOUS LIFE: VOCATION BASICS
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Define your terms by
Carol Schuck Scheiber is managing editor of VISION and editor of HORIZON, both publications of the National Religious Vocation Conference.
Carol Schuck Scheiber
Here’s a guide to understanding the vocabulary of religious life.
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HAT’S THE DIFFERENCE between apostolic and contemplative? Cloistered and monastic? Novice and postulant? If it sounds like religious are speaking Greek, we’re here to help interpret.
Apostolic In the context of consecrated religious life, apostolic religious communities are engaged for the most part in active ministries. While prayer and community life are important to them, their members serve in a variety of ways: teaching, parish ministry, healthcare, social work, care for the elderly, work with young people, service to the poor, and many others.
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