Religious
Religious priests, brothers and sisters belong to communities, such as the Society of Jesus, which are typically guided by a particular mission or spiritual tradition. Religious, including Jesuits, take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; they are under the authority of their local superior and provincial. Jesuits take an additional vow of obedience to the […]
Religious Order / Religious Life
In Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity (less frequently in Anglican/Episcopal Christianity), a community of men or women bound together by the common profession, through “religious” vows, of “chastity [meaning “virginity” or “celibacy”], poverty, and obedience.” As a way of trying to follow Jesus’ example, the vows involve voluntary renunciation of things potentially good: marriage […]
Ratio Studiorum
(Latin for “Plan of Studies”) – A document the definitive form of which was published in 1599 after several earlier drafts and extensive consultation among Jesuits working in schools. It was a handbook of practical directives for teachers and administrators, a collection of the most effective educational methods of the time, tested and adapted to […]
Regency
A two- to three-year period during which Jesuit in training (see term below) work in ministries, often teaching in high schools or universities, while living in community.