Lay Members of Religious Orders

On January 28, 2023, I was blessed to be received into a fraternity of the Lay Dominicans, Eastern Province, USA. I am, thanks be to God, a member of the Order of St. Dominic, while also remaining in the lay state in the world. Many readers are probably already wondering how that could be. Over the past couple of years, in discussing my vocation with family and friends, I have found that most Catholics either have no idea what “lay Dominican” means or think that it means I’m entering a monastic community.

Orders that have lay members include Benedictines, Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, Norbertines, Cistercians, and more. From the beginning, these orders have had branches not only for monks or friars and for nuns, but for those who, while still living as laypeople in the world, desired to follow the charism or spirituality of the order. Though specific practices have developed over the centuries, these communities, formerly known as “Third Orders,” have been an established element for as long as religious orders have been a major presence in the Church. In our own time, however, they are evidently not well known, which is a loss for at least two reasons.

First, “Third Order” membership¹ is a genuine vocation, a gift God bestows on His children, as is the life of a friar or nun. For those who explore it and find that it resonates with them, this gift profoundly enriches their quest for holiness. Yet currently, many, if not most, never have the opportunity to consider that this life may be for them, since they never so much as hear of it. (Cf. Romans 10:14, “And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?”)

Second, we currently hear a great deal about lay formation, about training and equipping the laity to be effective witnesses to the Faith.² Countless organizations and programs have been developed for this purpose. Many of these undoubtedly have great merit; but how ironic that a tried and true means of forming laity has existed in the Church since the early Middle Ages, and somehow has become her best-kept secret!

Among the measures Mother Church has taken to help our especially turbulent times, forms of vocation that had fallen into obscurity or disuse have been renewed, including the permanent diaconate and consecrated virginity. It would seem it is also time for a renewed look at the lay branches of Orders. The mantra “Come and see” is not only for teens and young adults on weekend discernment retreats. In the Father’s house are many rooms (John 14:2); it’s time to explore an entire hallway of those rooms that many have never seen.

A Lay Religious Order?

On the surface, the concept of remaining lay and also belonging to a religious Order might appear contradictory. A helpful starting point might be to establish what these lay members are not: They are not quasi-friars or nuns, nor are they attempting to live a monastic life amid their secular obligations (at least, not if they properly understand what their vocation means!). It would be entirely misguided to pursue such a life thinking “that if you want to be a saint, you have to be a religious” or “that lay people have to follow religious rules and monastic observances.”³ These members are authentic laity: They wear everyday clothes; have spouses and families; own property; work ordinary jobs; may still marry if they enter the Order while single, etc.

In what sense, then, are they members of a religious Order? They follow the charism or spirituality of their Order according to their particular circumstances. This spirituality becomes a guiding principle in how they live their Christian lives. They do promise to live by a Rule, but one modified for their state in life as laity. The website of the Lay Dominicans’ Eastern Province calls it a “particular way of living their baptismal promises” and explains that members “promise to live the rule as an extension of [their] baptismal mission.”⁴ The implication is not that baptism is incomplete, but by itself it does not outline specifics for anyone’s life. Everyone must find his or her own way of fulfilling the promises and mission of baptism; the Orders are one way to do that.

An example may be helpful. To continue with the one I know best, the charism of the Dominican Order is summed up in its “Four Pillars”: prayer, study, community, and apostolate. As the “Order of Preachers,” Dominicans are especially committed to proclaiming the Gospel, and to learning it ever more deeply through contemplation and prayerful study (as one of the Dominican mottos says, “To contemplate and to give to others what one has contemplated”).

We lay Dominicans live by the same “Pillars.” We are committed to praying Morning and Evening Prayer daily, and strongly encouraged to include the Mass and the Rosary each day as well. We are called to learn ever more from the Scriptures and the Church’s treasury of wisdom, a mission more accessible today than ever, with so many resources just a couple of clicks away. We are to serve God in community, the community of our families and our parishes, but also of our Dominican fraternity. We are each to have some apostolate; these apostolates take many forms, from religious education to pro-life services to Catholic media.

The above is just one example of how lay membership in an Order is expressed. Each will look a little different, depending on the spirituality of the Order in question. In fact, one unique case is the lay Benedictine “Oblates,” who, in keeping with the Benedictine principle of stability, commit themselves not to a worldwide organization but to a particular monastery, with which they then have a special association. But in each instance the basic principle is the same: lay Catholics who have found in a particular Order what they need to grow in holiness in their lives in the world.

Some examples have been hiding in plain sight among popular saints. St. Catherine of Siena and St. Rose of Lima, so often mistaken for nuns in their black and white habits, belonged to the Third Order of St. Dominic as it was in their respective centuries; neither ever entered a convent, but lived and worked in the world all their lives. Another lay Dominican, closer to our time, was Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whose canonization is to take place later this year.⁵ St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a lay Franciscan, as were Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin and St. Louis IX of France.

In being both truly lay and truly members of their Order, these faithful provide a service that could not be had otherwise. Living with faith and devotion by the guidance of their Order, they bring its gifts and spirituality into areas of the secular world that priests and habited religious could not reach in the same way. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II, “The lay faithful have an essential and irreplaceable role in this announcement and in this testimony [of the Gospel]: through them the Church of Christ is made present in the various sectors of the world, as a sign and source of hope and of love.”⁶ 

Practical Requirements

What, then, does the process of joining one of these communities look like in concrete terms? To start, all will require that a candidate be a practicing and non-dissenting Catholic, with a basic knowledge of the Faith; otherwise, he or she will lack the foundation necessary for formation in the Order. The point is not that a prospective new member must already know everything and be a model Catholic before applying — after all, formation assumes that growth is still needed! — but simply that one must be prepared to receive what the Order has to give.

Particulars of formation vary between Orders and areas, but all involve a period of discernment, often in more than one stage, and eventually a formal promise. During this discernment period, candidates have assigned learning material and regular meetings with an instructor to discuss what they are learning.

The stages are analogous to those for a monk, friar, nun or religious Sister, but generally shorter. Below is a summary of a typical formation process for a convent or monastery; those already familiar with these stages may prefer to skip.

• A candidate is generally invited first to visit, to spend some time with the community and acquire a first-hand sense of their life.
• If the interest deepens, and the candidate decides to apply to enter, he or she enters as a postulant, a newcomer receiving basic formation and often wearing a modified version of the habit.
• Eventually the postulant becomes a novice, entering more fully into the community life but not yet making any vows.
• The next stage is “temporary” or “first” vows; the candidate is now a full member of the Order, though not yet committed for life but only for a set period, e.g. three years. In many orders, these vows will be renewed again before the final, lifetime commitment.
• Final vows, or perpetual vows, as the name implies, conclude the initiation process and bind for life, like the vows of marriage.

In the discernment process for the lay branch of an Order, a candidate will pass through similar stages, but these will be much shorter and not all communities will incorporate as many stages. Full profession for a habited religious can take many years; I have encountered more than one community in which the total process, from admission to final vows, is nine years. Those becoming lay members of an Order, on the other hand, only take a few years in discernment. For lay Dominicans, the process is typically about four and a half years: six months of postulancy, a year of novitiate, and three years of temporary profession, before one makes final promises.⁷ Lay Franciscans have an even shorter discernment: three months of Orientation, six months of Inquiry, and eighteen months of Candidacy.⁸ Other orders I researched had discernment periods varying from a year to five years. The difference is appropriate: Joining an order as a lay member is a significant commitment, but less of a life change than leaving the world behind to enter a convent or monastery.

“Come and See”

When I first discerned lay Dominican life, I had sensed for years that something was missing in my spiritual life. So far as I could tell, God was not asking me to change any major external circumstances, such as my home or my job; yet somehow I wanted to give more, to expand and deepen my commitment to Christ. More than that, I felt the need for structure, for the spiritual support only found in an organized Catholic community.

Those sentiments, of course, are not unique to me. Priests and others engaged in spiritual direction will have heard variations on the above. Perhaps some of those reading this even recognize themselves therein. Many today, especially among the single laity, experience this urge: for deeper formation, for greater apostolic service, for a spiritual family in which to belong.

The theology surrounding the concept of “vocation” has attracted much interest in recent years, especially for those searching for their vocation or worrying that they have none.⁹ Out of the turmoil and discussion is emerging (or re-emerging) a profound truth: that “vocation” is not limited to two or three life paths but is — within the universal call to holiness — a rich, multifaceted concept that includes many missions to which God calls the faithful, among them the lay membership in religious Orders.

Of course, these Orders are not for everyone. Only the call to holiness is universal. But shouldn’t everyone have the opportunity to consider them? If efforts are made to advertise convents to young women and seminaries or monasteries to young men, shouldn’t we also help those who remain in the world discover these branches of Orders that exist for them, and the deep wells of grace found there? Belonging to an Order means the support and guidance of a time-tested way of life that saints have lived before. It means formation in the holy wisdom that has built up that Order within the Church. It means incorporation into a spiritual family in heaven and on earth, with whom one shares a special bond of love and prayers, all strengthening each other in an exchange of spiritual goods, like an intensified Communion of Saints. Certainly, it requires effort and commitment as well; but for those who find themselves fulfilled in such a life, the efforts are more than worthwhile.

How You Can Help

What, then, can be done to make these communities easier to discover? Lay members of an Order are, by their nature, less conspicuous than their habit-wearing counterparts; they are leaven invisibly mixed through society. But the invisibility of leaven need not mean that its existence is a secret.

We can start, simply, by talking about it. These lay members are there, and are relevant to us as a Church. As noted earlier, great saints, role models for today’s laity, have sprung from their ranks; each one’s Order was an important part of his or her spirituality. Priests and others in charge of souls can make a point of learning about these communities and make them known to those in their care. Writers, journalists, bloggers, and others in Catholic media can do a great deal to spread knowledge and clarity regarding what has become a much confused, if not practically unknown, topic.

In our struggling, lost world, with its hunger for truth and love, one hears over and over about the serious need for well-formed laity who know their faith well and live it deeply, who have a living, intimate relationship with Christ. Now, then, is the perfect time to encourage potential vocations to Orders’ lay branches. Each of these Orders was founded to address a particular need in the Church, and in and through their lay members, they continue to serve those needs in all corners of the world. May God give them increase and raise up from among them many more saints!