What are some of the principal difference between religious communities?
One of the earliest distinctions among religious was between those who chose to live alone as hermits or “anchorites”, and those who chose to live together, “cenobites”. Throughout the history of the Church, the community or cenobitic form of religious life was the predominant one. Among religious living in communities the most significant distinction is between those who are more contemplative and those who are more active – the balance between prayer and ministry. Here, it is not a question of either/or: every community must be engaged in both prayer and ministry. Some communities, however, place more emphasis on one rather than the other. An example of a primarily contemplative community would be the Trappists, who live in a cloister (enclosure) and spend most of their time in contemplation and prayer. An example of a primarily active community would be the Jesuits, who have more open living arrangements and spend most of their time in some ministry such as teaching or missionary wo
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