1. The Story of Women Religious
For Love Alone
The Story of Women Religious

2. God’s Call To what does God call all people? Holiness
Vocation: Vocare (Latin) means ‘to call’
A call from God, inviting a person to commit their life in a particular way.
Your path to becoming “St. Me”
Questions to ask the students are in bold. As the teacher clicks the mouse, the information will advance to the next point.
“To what does God call all people”?
Discuss that all people are called to be holy, to be saints (not just priests and religious)
A vocation is a specific call from God for an individual person, their path to holiness, their path to becoming a saint. Students may ask if they have to follow the vocation to which God calls them. God invites, He does not force people to say ‘yes.’ However, in saying ‘yes’ to God’s call, we will discover our greatest happiness and holiness. God wants us to be happy. By living according to His will, we will be the most happy we can be as we are living in accord with His will for our life. He created us for heaven and He wants to help us get there.

3. Types of Vocations
What are the four main vocations to which God calls people?
Marriage
Dedicated Single Life
Religious Life
Priesthood
What do you already know about religious life?
What are the four main vocations to which God calls people?
This is meant to be a simple review of the vocations to which God calls people with the focus on the discussion of religious life.
What do you already know about religious life?

4. Characteristics of Religious Life
Vows
Prayer
Community
Work/Apostolate
Each way of life/vocation has certain elements that characterizes it. These essential elements mark this path to holiness.
Characteristics of religious life include:
Vows (promises to God). Religious usually profess three vows.
Poverty: In professing this vow, religious give up owning their own materials goods (cars, technology, house, etc.) and using what they have simply.
Chastity: In professing this vow, religious give their heart totally and completely to God so they can serve His people with their whole life. They do this in a very visible way by not getting married, but by truly being dedicated to God alone, living in exclusive relationship with Him that helps all to be their spiritual family.
Obedience: In professing this vow, religious promise obedience to their superiors in big things (for example, assignments on where they will serve) and small things (for example, the schedule of daily life). This vow helps the religious become less self-centered, humble and focused on fulfilling God’s will.
Some communities take a fourth vows that is particular to their community, for example, serving the poorest of the poor, or stability (staying in one religious house all their life).
Prayer: Religious life is centered on and scheduled around prayer. Each community is faithful to a certain routine of prayer each day which often includes Mass, the Rosary, a time of silent meditation, the Liturgy of the Hours, spiritual reading, Eucharistic Adoration, private prayer, etc. The main ‘work’ of the religious is a life of prayer. Prayer is an essential element of religious life as it is where the religious is able to be renewed in a life dedicated to Jesus and His people. From prayer comes their life of service to the People of God.
Community: Religious sisters are part of a larger group. Often communities pray together, eat together, work together, recreate/relax together, just like a family.
Work/Apostolate:
The first work of all religious is the witness of their life. They are called to show forth Christ to the world which is thirsting for His truth and love.
The second work of religious is what we consider the traditional definition of ‘work’ which can also be called their apostolate. Members of a community are called to a specific work in the church.
Active communities focus on a specific area of work such as teaching, nursing, service to the poor, etc. These are the sisters that you see in schools, hospitals, college campuses, etc.
In cloistered communities, the main work of the sisters is prayer. These sisters pray for the needs of the Church and the world (while at the same time they have a work that is secondary to their life in order to provide the means to support their financial needs, such as making altar breads). You will not see these sisters unless you go to their monastery as they do not leave the monastery (unless in the case of an emergency).
In these ways, religious communities serve the Church and continue Jesus’ work on earth today. (This point will be developed in the next slide.)
(To complete the definition of religious life, it is important to note that religious are separated from the world. This separation from the world is not characteristic of secular institutes or other forms of consecrated life. This point may not be primary to the discussion with this age group, but is needed for a full understanding of religious life.)

5. Religious Orders Groups of men and women carrying on Jesus’ work today
Dominicans (St. Dominic)
Franciscans (St. Francis)
Sisters of Life
Missionaries of Charity
Throughout history, the Holy Spirit has inspired men and women to found religious orders to meet the needs of the people of that time period.
In the Middle Ages, he inspired the following people:
Reaching out to the poor (St. Francis=Franciscans)
Teaching and preaching (St. Dominic=Dominicans)
In recent times:
Sisters of Life (protecting life at all stages)
Missionaries of Charity (serving the ‘poorest of the poor’)
Religious orders carry out one aspect of Jesus’ life. His outreach was extensive and one group cannot serve the entire church. Thus, specific groups (Orders) are dedicated to a specific part of Jesus’ ministry to carry out His work for the Church. A few images follow in this PowerPoint of various groups of religious women.
Sometimes these groups wear a distinctive habit that sets them apart from other religious groups. Often the habit has specific symbolism represented in what they wear. For example, a cord with three knots represents the three vows. The color white usually represents penance and white represents purity. Often blue represents the Blessed Virgin Mary.

6. For Love Alone As you watch this video:
Do any of these communities interest you specifically? Why? Describe what they look like so we can identify the Order.
Write down ways you see each of the characteristics of religious life lived in this video.
Write down one quote that strikes you.
Explain: “The Church is here to be the love of Christ in the world. And that’s what the sisters do, that’s who they are: they love.”
Write down any questions that you have while you are watching the video.
Viewing of For Love Alone
In this video, you will see various religious communities living out these elements which were discussed in this lesson. The teacher may wish the students to actively watch the video and answer one or more of the questions on this slide as they watch.
To make the viewing shorter, the teacher may wish to skip the testimony of the women in the nursing home (6:13-9:36).
Orders represented in the video:
Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Carmelites of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
Daughters of Saint Paul
Dominicans of Saint Cecilia
Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist
Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal
Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus
Little Sisters of the Poor
Missionaries of Charity
Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
Religious Sisters of Mercy, Alma, MI
Sisters of Life

7. Research! You will now research one religious community.
Information can be found at
See Religious Community Research Project worksheet and rubric
See handout for specific expectations.

8. Conclusion
Prayer of St. John Paul II for Vocations Lord Jesus, as You once called the first disciples to make them fishers of men, let Your invitation continue to resound: Come follow Me! Give young men and women the grace of responding quickly to Your voice. Support our bishops, priests, and consecrated people in their work. Grant perseverance to our seminarians and to all those who are living a life totally given to Your service. Awaken in our community a missionary eagerness. Lord, send workers to Your harvest and do not allow souls to be lost for the lack of pastors, missionaries and people dedicated to the cause of the Gospel. Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation, help us to say “yes” to the Lord who calls us to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation. Amen.
Additional concluding activities may include:
Reflections on God’s Call worksheet
God is Calling worksheet

9. Copyright 2017 Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious