A Glossary of Terms Commonly Used by Women Religious

Some terms and words commonly used within religious communities are often unfamiliar to the general public. Following is a list of “sisterspeak” terms and their definition in “everyday speak.”

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Assembly: A congregation meeting held periodically (often once a year) as a forum for discussion and evaluation of congregational matters.
Associate membership: Lay persons who are formally committed to the mission of a congregation.
Benedictines: Communities of monastic women and men who follow the Rule of Benedict. They can be contemplative and cloistered - not working outside the monastery - or they can be active - pursuing outside ministries. The balanced rhythm of their lives includes the communal prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours at least three times daily, and they come together for meals and leisure time.
Canon law: Body of laws that govern the Catholic Church.
Centering Prayer: Centering Prayer is an ancient, silent prayer in which the intellect is quieted in order for one's spirit to rest in God.
Chapter: A representative body of the entire congregation that conducts elections, makes decisions on governance issues and sets the future direction for a congregation.
Charism: Gifts and spiritual qualities given by God to individuals or groups for the good of the community. A charism given to the foundress of a religious community is passed on from one generation to the next although it may need to be renamed or refocused.
Community: A generic term used to describe the members of a religious group or the group itself. Living in a community no longer necessarily means living in the same geographic place but implies other commitments to the group.
Congregation: All religious communities begun since 1752. The term preferred rather than order.
Consecrated life: A way of life characterized by the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Council: Governing body of the congregation comprised of the president and other sisters elected at general chapter.
Denomination: a name or designation for a group of local churches sharing a common identity and profession of belief
Discernment: The process of prayer and reflection that seeks to understand what God wills in particular circumstances.
Dispensation: A release from vows granted by the Catholic Church allowing a sister to leave a congregation.
Divine Office: Also called Liturgy of the Hours, the Divine Office is prayed at regular intervals of the day.
Eucharist: Another word for Mass.
Exclaustration: A temporary release for up to three years of obligations to community life while still observing the vows.
Formation: The process that each congregation designs to incorporate new members and provide for the lifelong spiritual and human development of its members.
Habit: The peasant cloak was once worn by all Sisters to signify their allegiance to ordinary people, who, in ancient times, dressed the same way. After the Second Vatican Council many orders retired their habits, acknowledging that such cloaks are no longer worn by ordinary people.
Jubilee: The anniversary celebration of years of commitment to religious life.
Lauds: Morning prayer in the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours.
LCWR: Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a canonically approved organization of Sisters who are leaders of their congregations in the U.S. The Conference has approximately 1000 members, who represent about 95 per cent of the 75,000 women religious in the U.S.
Leadership team: Those elected within a congregation to govern (usually consist of a president and council).
Lectio Divina: A meditative approach to reading scripture, Lectio Divina literally means "holy reading."
Liturgy of the Hours: Also called the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church in which the Psalms are recited in choir.
Monastic Vows: Monastic Profession is a permanent commitment to obedience, stability and fidelity to the monastic way of life. Obedience is the promise to be faithful listeners. Monastics listen to the voice of the Spirit in Scriptures, in the Rule of Benedict, in the Prioress, in one another. Stability is our promise to live the Benedictine life together. Fidelity to the Monastic Way of Life is our promise to work through life - and life's changes - with God at the center of our lives.
Monasticism: American Roman Catholic monasticism usually applies to Benedictine women and men who have chosen to live together to seek and serve God, following the Rule of Benedict under the direction of a prioress (women's communities) or abbot (men's communities). Communities can be cloistered (not working outside the monastery walls) or active. The Sisters of St. Benedict at St. Mary Monastery, Rock Island, Ill., are both active (working outside) and contemplative (focused on communal prayer within the monastery)but not cloistered.
NCNWR: National Communicators Network of Women Religious, a professional organization of personnel responsible for communications within religious congregations of women.
Nun: A member of a cloistered, contemplative religious order who takes solemn vows of consecrated life.
Oblate: An ecumenical, lay affiliate of a Benedictine community. Oblates can be married or single. They follow the Rule of Benedict as well as is practical in their lives outside the monastery walls.
Order: Religious communities founded before 1752.
Prioress: The prioress is the spiritual and business head of women's Benedictine communities (the abbot is the head of men's communities).
Profession: A public ceremony in which members of a congregation make vows.
Province: A geographic division of some religious congregations.
Rule of St. Benedict: St. Benedict and his sister, St. Scholastica, founded Benedictine communities for men and women in the late 500's, AD. St. Benedict wrote a guide to living in community for his followers called "The Rule of Benedict." As relevant today as it was 1500 years ago, the Rule celebrates the values of love, service, hospitality, stewardship and humility that we seek to show all God's people.
Sister: Women who live in active, uncloistered religious communities are usually referred to as Sisters. Most American women religious are referred to as Sisters, while cloistered American and European monastic women are referred to as Nuns.
Vespers: The evening prayer of the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours.
Vocation: An inclination toward a particular way of life, which Christians see as a call from God. A religious vocation is usually a call to consecrated life in community or the priesthood.
Vows: Solemn public promises made by members of congregations to God. Most frequently the vows are to poverty, chastity and obedience, but some congregations take additional vows. Benedictines make monastic professions of obedience, stability and fidelity to the monastic way of life.
Women religious: Members of a religious congregation. Used as an alternative term for sisters.

Used with permission of NCNWR