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Local News
Aug. 17, 2006
‘An intensified prayer life’
Lay orders bridge spiritual, secular worlds
By Andrew Junker
The Catholic Sun
It is a homily often given at Sunday Mass: Christians are meant to be in the world, but not of the world.
For most, this is easier said than done. Work responsibilities, hectic family schedules, social engagements and a culture of consumerism often conspire against the call to proclaim one’s faith in everyday life.
Though the chasm between spiritual and secular life might seem great, many of the Valley’s laity bridge the gap by joining secular orders — groups offering formation, prayer, ministry and community to men and women in the world.
“In the world, we live for work. Well, we have to flip that,” said Mary Gibson, a Benedictine Oblate. Once lay people have a dedicated prayer life, she added, “We will see a great change in our lives.”
Through secular orders — also known
as third orders — the laity can live the spiritual charism of a religious order while remaining “in the world.”
By offering Catholics an organized spiritual life, secular orders help transform the very manner in which their members approach society. Rose Marie Leclercq, a secular Franciscan, said her association with her order has effected such a change.
“At work I do my job to the best of my ability because I’m doing it for God. Everything relates back to doing it for God. That’s how St. Francis lived his life. He did everything for God,” she said.
Prayer life
Members of secular orders said that the first step to leading a more Christ-infused life is prayer.
In addition to attending daily Mass, nearly every order strongly encourages their members to pray at least the morning and evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, the collection of psalms and readings recited by the Church worldwide.
Then, there is the private devotion each member might have. Members of secular orders pray novenas to particular saints, meditate on a scriptural passage, pray the rosary and other prayers to give a spiritual structure to their secular lives.
Ann Marie Long, a lay Carmelite, said that a robust prayer life fosters a contemplative spirit.
“A contemplative life is always to live in the presence of God. It’s a quiet listening to God in our lives,” she said. Prayer “really fortifies you to recognize God in every person you meet.”
Karen Woods, a lay Dominican, agreed, noting the transformation that occurs once prayer molds one’s life.
“We would hope that through an intensified prayer life and study of the spiritual life, we’d be different wherever we are, honoring the people we meet or work with, practicing patience, being as cheerful and peaceful as our inner-Dominican joy would make us,” she said.
The members make a promise to say their daily prayers and follow it the best they can. Many said that discipline in prayer is actually freeing.
Woods said that the Liturgy of the Hours and daily Mass are “the things that feed and nurture us — they’d nurture anyone!”
“I personally begin to feel very poor and hungry if I get very far away from the ideal,” she said. “But I can’t always maintain the structure. I go in peace, knowing that there’s a tomorrow when things might come together better.”
As prayer offers secular order members a contemplative foundation to their lives, many find that it also spurs them on to embrace an active role in promoting their faith.
Woods explained that as a member of the Order of Preachers — as one might expect — preaching is paramount.
“Many of us are in jobs that we equate to ministry, and we preach in subtle ways through our work as befits a workplace,” she said.
“This all means that our prayerful study has to be consistent, so that we are ready to preach in these ways, that we have orthodoxy, empathy and scriptural familiarity,” Woods added, connecting the contemplative aspect to the active.
Long said that ministry often finds people where they least expect it.
“It’s recognizing the will of God in your daily life, that’s where ministry usually comes in,” she said. “The ministry comes to you. It’s what God puts in your life.”
It could be working at a local parish, ministering to the sick, working at a food bank or any number of selfless activities. Most secular orders leave a great deal of freedom to their members in choosing their ministry.
“They cover anything from ecumenism, to family, to the environment. Wherever there’s a need, there’s probably a Franciscan somewhere,” Leclercq laughed.
Though much of the members’ prayer and active life are left up to the individuals, all stress the importance community plays in bolstering formation and support.
“If we decide that this is going to be our lifestyle, that’s a decision, but is it going to be easy? No,” Gibson said. “That’s why community is so important. We’re not in it by ourselves.”
The communities offer formation to those interested in the order. They host classes, suggest spiritual reading and educate about the particular charism of the order.
Anyone interested in professing him or herself to an order enters a candidate phase — like a novitiate — which can last anywhere from one to three years.
“We have a very structured formation program. Most of the formation is on prayer, methods of prayer, how to make your prayer more effective so it can transform you,” Long said of the Carmelites.
After learning and growing with the order, they profess themselves to keep the rule of the order for the rest of their lives. It is a commitment to remain connected to the requirements and spirituality of each particular order.
How does a Catholic know if he or she is called to a secular order?
“Come and see,” Woods said. “Try it on. It’s the only way to know.”
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