Religious Life

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Religious Life

Gallery ReligiousJubilee MR 1

Photo Gallery Religious Jubilee 2019

Photo Gallery Religious Jubilee 2018

“Where there are religious, there is joy” - Pope Francis

Around the world and here in our diocese, consecrated women and men play a significant role in the lives of Catholics and non-Catholics: working as educators, in health care, pastoral work, and with the poor, among many other areas. We invite you to learn more about religious life, the variety of charisms and missions of the different religious orders, and join us in celebrating consecrated life.

Top Religious VocationStoriesVocation Stories

Meet some of the consecrated men and women who serve in the Diocese of Manchester. We asked them to tell us about their life and work.

Read their Vocation Stories

Vocation Quest

Vocation Quest is a site for women discerning a call to become a Catholic Sister.

About Religious Life

In Corinthians 12, St. Paul reminds us that… “There are different gifts but the same Spirit, there are different ministries but the same Lord, there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone.”

This provides a context to explain the variety of charisms and missions among the thousands of Religious Orders in the United States. Religious communities of priests, brothers and sisters have long worked to bring the faith to all people and to serve them, whether it be working as educators, in health care, pastoral work, spirituality, with the poor, or the many other areas demanding a Gospel response.

Each order has been founded in response to a charism or mission. There may be multiple responses within a given charism, but commitment to the founding vision or mission is at the heart of all they do. The result is the richness of the variety of men and women who have committed themselves to living out the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience in service to the people of God. The Church exists to do the mission of Jesus and to bring about the reign of God, the intense love of God to fruition. May the witness of their lives and good works continue to further the reign of God in our time.

Ever wonder:

What is a charism?

What are the different types of religious orders?

Why is consecrated life important to the church today?

To learn more about religious life and to get these and other questions answered, read this "Special Report on Religious Life."