"categories" Of Communities

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='littlesister' date='13 July 2010 - 04:31 PM' timestamp='1279049516' post='2142135']
To come from another direction on religious life categories, these are the ones commonly in use in an earlier time. They're not that much heard any more, but are useful for "sorting" purposes.

1. Contemplative - Norbertine Nuns, cloistered Passionists/Carmelites/Dominicans ...

2. Active Apostolic - teaching Franciscans, Bon Secours ... you get the idea!

3. Active/Contemplative - Little Sisters of the Poor, Good Shepherd, Capuchin Franciscans...

4. Societies of Apostolic Life - Maryknoll, Daughters of Charity, Daughters of Mary ...

None of these categories address traditionsl, progressive, lifestyle, habit or lack thereof, corporate or individual ministries. They just delineate the founding charism.
[/quote]

History over the last two centuries, I would guess, has a lot to do with these variations. The Church used to come down really hard on communities of women who were not securely contained in the enclosure, and groups like the Beguines were under much pressure to conform to accepted convention. Some generations of vowed religious women have been most indignant about being more contained and enclosed than they wished.
At the same time, there have been historical precedents for the opposite dilemma: take France, for example, where the anti-clerical extreme is sometimes in power (the Revolution, with hostilities against the clergy); when this happens, the powers that be direct hostility at the enclosed, monastic groups.
History is helpful to this question, because it documents facts and actual practice. Looking at the latter, though, you are forced to conclude that the whole question has no simple straightforward resolution, not in this material world at least.

[Sister Marie]

Coming from an active community, I think maybe I can shed some light on the difference between active/contemplative. Because we are apostolic in nature and not contemplative, the apostolate takes more precedence than in an active/contemplative community. That doesn't mean that we don't pray together though! In my community, we pray lauds and vespers in common and eat dinner together. In addition to those prayers we are required in our rule to pray the rosary and the stations of the cross within a holy hour each day and night prayer privately. Night prayer is private because often we are at school for meetings or religious education in the evenings. It is a busy life for sure, but all the sisters know that no matter what work they are engaged in, it means nothing without prayer. It is just that our prayer is expressed in a different way than in more contemplative communities. Hope that helps!