Religious Life is a life totally consecrated to God. It is a special vocation from God. Religious are called to follow Jesus,to love God above everything else, to be a sign of the glory of God's Kingdom. The Holy Spirit guides and inspires them in this commitment.

Religious Congregations of Priests.

Priests who belong to Religious Congregations receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Hence,they can celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They live according to the Constitutions of the Order and are under a Superior. They try to live so as to proclaim God's Kingdom on earth.

These are some of the priests' religious congregations:

Congregations of Religious who are not priests.

These are Religious Brothers & Sisters.They can distribute Holy Communion

Examples of Religious Brothers:

Examples of Religious Sisters:

All religious men and women belong to Congregatons. They have consecrated/committed their lives to God. They take the vows of

1. Poverty

2. Obedience

3. Chastity

They take their First Vows after a period of formation in the Novitiate. Then after some years (depending on the Constitutions of the Congregation) they take their Final Vows or Final Commitment. All religious help to build up the Kingdom of God. Their most important fields of work are Education and Social Work They also help in the building up of the Parish community. All who wish to enter the religious life have to receive an intense spiritual formation. Religious give their time,energy and talents to proclaim the Kingdom of God. They give witness to God's reign by the example of their lives.

Each Congregation/Institute works according to the objective or aim set out by their Founders/Foundresses. They continue the mission of Jesus Christ.

It is the duty of the laity to help these religious who work for them. Given below are some of the ways in which lay people can help the religious:

You too can be called to the religious life. You can pray to receive such a vocation.