Religious order

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/religious-order

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the community type?A formally constituted subgroup within a larger religious tradition
2. What is the lifestyle designation?Characterized by a highly religious, often communal, and disciplined way of life
3. Why do people join a religious order?People join to live a life focused on prayer, learning, and helping others. They want to follow the example of a founder and grow in faith together.
4. How do people become members of a religious order?First they try living with the group as a postulant, then learn more as a novitiate. After training, they make vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience before becoming full members.

Asceticism: Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
Monasticism: A religious way of life characterized by the devotion of individuals to prayer and solitude, often in a community.
Vows: Solemn promises, typically made to God, committing an individual to a particular way of life or course of action.