Charism Reading Suggestions

[Lady Grey, Hot]

If one is looking to dive deep into a particular order's charism on an intellectual level, what sorts of documents would be appropriate to seek out? Constitutions? Rules? I have no clue where to start (or even, as you can probably tell, of the right vocabulary), but I feel as though the brief descriptions on different communities' websites aren't always enough to give me a sense of what it is that makes them distinct. (Of course, maybe that says something in and of itself.)

Also, would the basic elements of a charism ever differ between male and female communities? That is, if materials regarding friars were more readily available, would it still be fruitful for a woman to look through those? 

[Tessa]

It's so useful to read Order's documents. I remember when I first read the Rule of St Augustine and everything finally seemed to make sense!

I would say though, the best thing is to ask the Order themselves! Or the Novice Mistress/ Superior. They're the ones most familiar with the documents of their Orders and they have some hidden gems we might never find ourselves and can contextualise it all with great examples and anecdotes and historical context

[Nunsuch]

There is a tremendous amount of writing on Charism itself. I would read congregational documents, which generally address this explicitly, as well as biographies of founders and early histories of congregations. However, keep in mind that many biographies and early histories were written with less than complete accuracy--they were written more to be hagiographic and pious than factual. So more recent work done by people with actual training is probably advisable, especially for the (many, many!) communities with controversial histories and founders. 

Keep in mind, too, that many communities may not have clear charisms (yes, I know what the teaching is, but even that is relatively new and oblique). A ton of communities were founded for instrumental, rather than charismic reasons: for example, to teach immigrants of a particular ethnicity, to care for orphans after a war, etc. With instrumental origins, charism may not be clear at all.

[sr.christinaosf]

Reading is good, and very valuable, but an actual in-person visit/experience with the community is going to tell you more than words in print can ever do.

[Sponsa-Christi]

@Lady Grey, HotIf you're trying to get a sense of the spirituality of a broader religious Order/family, I think the most helpful way to get a sense of their charism would be to read either writings from their founder or early biographies of their founder or founders. E.g., getting familiar with the life and writings of Sts. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross would probably be the best way to get to know the charism of the Discalced Carmelites.

For consecrated virgins, though, I would say the best way to get to know our charism is by reading the Rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity itself, followed by reading the document "Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago."

However, echoing what everyone else has said...the real best thing to do would be to actually contact the community you want to discern with and ask them for reading material.