Definition of Terms
Active life: a manner of life of religious who devote themselves to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Cloister/enclosure: that part of a monastery or convent which has been canonically set apart as the place of residence of the religious and which may not be transgressed by outsiders.
Contemplative life: a manner of life of religious who devote themselves to prayer and meditation, rather than to active works. It can be exclusively (feminine Orders) or partially cloistered (most Orders of men).
Convent: the community living quarters of sisters or brothers. Likened to a monastery.
Conventual: pertaining to a convent or to the monastic life.
Monastery: the place of residence of monks where they carry their religious life. Sometimes also applied to convents.
Monks: member of an order of men, associated particularly with those following the Benedictine Rule.
Novitiate: a time of probation during which the novice prepares to receive the rule of the community he has entered and to make temporary profession.
Nun: member of an Order of women (thus, with solemn vows and enclosure). Commonly called also sister.
Postulancy: a time of probation before a person is permitted to receive the habit of a religious community and accepted in the novitiate.
Profession: the promise freely made and lawfully accepted of a person upon entering a religious community after going through a novitiate which has been continuous over the period of time required.
Religious: the name frequently applied to a member of a religious community with the three vows of religion.
Religious life: a life devoted by a rule to perfection.
Religious Order: a religious community living according to a Rule and with solemn vows, approved before the Council of Trent (1545?1563). There are only 4: Dominicans, Benedictines, Franciscans, Carmelites.
Religious Congregation: a religious community living according to a Rule, with simple vows.
Religious Society: a religious community living according to a Rule without public vows.
Secular clergy: ordained priests who do not belong to any religious order or congregation; also called diocesan clergy.
Secular persons: persons living in the world.
Semi-contemplative life: a partially contemplative life which admits some active works.
Sister: member of a community of women with simple vows.
Third Order: a religious rule and way of life interpreted for and made applicable to members of the laity and of the secular clergy so that they may enjoy the fruits of a religious life.
Vows: a deliberate, free promise made to God by which one obligates himself under pain of sin by the virtue of religion to the performance of some act more pleasing to God than its opposite.
Vows can be either public (officially accepted by the Church) or private (out of devotion); public vows are either solemn (in the Religious Orders) or simple (in other Congregations or Religious Societies with vows).
Periods of Formation of the Religious Life
a) Postulancy: usually from six to twelve months.
b) Novitiate: one to two years. At the beginning of it, one receives a religious habit.
c) Temporary Profession: a profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for one, two, or three years at a time (it can last up to 10 years altogether).
d) Perpetual Profession: a profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for life.
