New Series: Lesser Known Religious Orders

Most people, if they know anything about Catholicism, can generally identify, or at least have heard of, the major religious orders like Franciscans or Benedictines. They are probably familiar with Dominicans and possibly the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Being a convert to Catholicism and a devotee of history, I have always found the concept of independent religious orders outside the normal framework of Dioceses and diocesan parishes to be interesting. 

In Anglicanism from whence I came, there are a few religious orders, but they are largely a novelty. One of the insidious ways Henry VIII consolidated power from the Catholic Church during the English Reformation was the dissolution of the monasteries. IN fact, if you want a top notch history on that sad escapade, I recommend reading Eamon Duffy's The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England. If there is one singular book I ever read that put me on the path to Rome from Anglicanism, it was that book. Ironically, it was a text I read in Anglican seminary, and to this day I have no idea why such a book would have been assigned, as it really put the lie to a lot of the "Reform was necessary in England because of Catholic corruption" mantra that you get force fed in Anglican seminaries. 

There are a few Anglican religious orders that largely came into existence during or after the Oxford Movement. The Oxford Movement being largely driven by the likes of men like John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey. The movement was a Catholic renewal movement within the Anglican church to reclaim the Catholic elements that had been purged from the Church of England during the Reformation. Some of those renewals involved creating new Anglican religious orders that had largely all but been eradicated in Anglicanism. The results were mixed, but a few religious orders were founded and thrived within Anglicanism like the Cowley Fathers and the All Saints Sisters of the Poor.  

That, however, is neither here nor there. While I may take a look at some point at some of the historical but no longer extant religious orders that once existed in England or Europe at some point, I am going to start occasionally writing a few articles here highlighting what I call the Lesser Known Religious Orders. There are some really interesting ones that still exist in modern America, many of which most Catholics have never heard of. 

Some of these religious orders are more traditional monastic orders with mother houses and abbots, etc. Many are more missionary focused orders of priests or religious sent out to work all over the globe. Most of them do very specific work in terms of missions. All of them have unique charisms and histories. Religious orders do not come into existence from a vacuum. 

I will attempt to do my due diligence and give each order as positive a spin as I can. If it's an order that I think is flaky or theologically weird, I simply won't cover it. I have better things to do than muckrake moon bat religious orders. I have some ideas of some really neat orders out there that do amazing work and are theologically solid. 

Stay tuned...