Hello all

As a corollary to the 'What's my spirituality'' thread, does anyone one know of where to find information on the various spiritualities? I mean, something basic. [Perhaps comparative, maybe?] Or just any ideas etc. I remember reading something listing a scenerio (lights went bust or something) and how different Orders would react to it.

God bless.

Ah, that joke!

That's about the fathers and brothers who pray Vespers together after a day of meetings. Suddenly the lights go out. The Benedictines continue singing the Psalms without skipping a beat. The Franciscans drop over to greet Sister Darkness, the Dominicans start a discussion about the meaning of light and lack thereof in the context of (insert something complicated ), the Jesuits ask each other whether this means they can skip praying Vespers altogether, the Salesians make shadow figures with the devotional candles as a light source, and the diocesan priests grumble, trudge to the crypt, and fix the lights!

I've heard a different version of that joke, in which the Jesuits are the ones who go off to find the circuit-breaker and restore the power. There are Carmelites in the version that I heard, too. Recognising the 'Dark Night of the Soul' symbolism, they kneel down to finish the Office in silence.

The best way to discrern the spiritualities is to look at websites and see how various communities describe themselves. The things that set each community apart from the other:
How they pray: how often, what type (Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, adoration, Rosary, spiritual reading)
What their community life is like
And what their apostalate is

The most basic explanation I can give is this: (This is only to my understanding. If I make an error, someone please correct me!)
Franciscan: Following the path of St. Francis and St. Clare of Asissi, with a particular emphasis on poverty. Prayer is both contemplative and active, with an emphasis on serving those who are very poor and rejected by society. They identify especially with Christ as one who is poor, born in a humble manger or left alone hanging on the Cross. Other Famous Saints of the Franciscan spirituality: St. Anthony of Padua, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and St. Maximillian Kolbe.

Dominican: founded by St. Dominic to battle the heretics, they have a particular emphasis on seeking and preaching Truth (thus they are called the Order of the Preachers). Two mottos you often see associated with the Dominicans: "To praise, To Bless, To Preach" and "To share with others the fruits of contemplation." There is also a strong Marian devotion within the community as many believe that Mary gave the Rosary to St. Dominic. Popular saints include: Catherine of Siena and Thomas Aquinas.

Carmelite: Particular emphasis on all types of prayer: especially liturgy, lectio divina and solitude- as a means of attaining union with God. A short article (here) by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity can give you a better explanation than I. Famous Saints include: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein).

Benedictine: Founded by Benedict who envisioned a monastic life of balanced work and prayer, they especially find God in the daily and the ordinary circumstances of their life. This seems to be a good description of the Beneditine spirituality. Well-known saints are: Scholastica, Anselm, and Bede.

This is just a general overview of some of the more popular ones on the phorum. Of course, there are hundreds more within our Church, which (personally) is one of her greatest treasures. Others include: Ignatian, Salesian, Missionary of Charity, Augustinian, and Vincentian, just to name a few. I hope I helped a bit!

In Jesus and Mary, Lauren

I was asking one of the Daughters of St. Paul the same question and she said that she didn't know of any book that compares the nuts and bolts of each order. (they publish books so I figured they would know the answer) She did mention that there used to be a book like that but it would be out of print and probably pre Vatican II. I would suggest reading books by or about the saints of the different orders that you are researching to get a feel for their spirituality. Also on the vision vocation website, there is a quiz that you can take that matches you up with different places. Be careful, if you check the box that says that you want your test results e mailed to the places it matches you up with, you will have about a zillion vocation directors calling, e mailing, and snail mailing you!

That is hilarious!! The Dominicans have a huge devotion to the Church's prayer!! More so then I thought!

Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated.

Pax, i know there are a few great books out there, plus the New Advent, on line Catholic Encyclopedia, but the below link may be very helpful.

http://www.domcentral.org/study/aumann/cs/default.htm