The Consecrated Life

The consecrated life is a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, entered freely in response to Christ's call to perfection, and characterized by the profession of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience (CCC 914).

The Evangelical Counsels

The evangelical counsels — poverty, chastity, and obedience — are called "evangelical" because they are drawn from the teaching of the Gospel. They are counsels (recommendations for greater perfection) rather than commandments binding on all. Those who profess them publicly in the Church embrace a particular path of total dedication to God (CCC 915–916).

Forms of Consecrated Life

The consecrated life takes many forms: religious institutes (monasteries, convents, friaries), secular institutes (living in the world while professing the counsels), societies of apostolic life, hermits, and consecrated virgins. All share the common element of public profession of the counsels and a life ordered entirely to God (CCC 916–945).

The Eschatological Sign

The consecrated life is an eschatological sign — a prophetic reminder that this world is passing and Heaven awaits. By embracing poverty, chastity, and obedience, consecrated persons embody in an anticipatory way the life of the Kingdom of Heaven that all the redeemed will share (CCC 931–933).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the consecrated life superior to marriage? The Church teaches that the consecrated life, as a direct and total gift of self to God, has a certain objective superiority in terms of the sign value it embodies. But in terms of holiness and salvation, a married person can be just as holy as a religious. Both are authentic and holy vocations (CCC 916, 1619).