Religious are not a class of people in the Church somewhere in between priests and lay people. In fact religious are called from both ways of life, the ordained and lay. Religious are also both women and men. Religious make a public profession of the evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, and obedience). They vow to follow Jesus in a radical way, the narrower path. They enjoy an intimacy with the Lord that comes from the total gift of self. Moved by the Holy Spirit, religious desire to be one with Jesus. They want Christ to be present in the world through them.

Religious have been with the Church since its earliest days. Recent years have seen a marked decline in the number of religious. Yet, new forms of religious life are taking form as lay people from both the single and married life participate in the ministries of religious communities by taking on associate roles.

Excerpted from Called to Love: Your Christian Vocation (Participant book) by Mary Kathleen GLavich, S.N.D. Copyright© 2000 by Ave Maria Press, P.O. Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556, www.avemariapress.com. Used with permission of the publisher.