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religious order

Cultural  
  1. In Christianity, a group of men or women who live under religious vows. The three vows commonly taken are to relinquish all possessions and personal authority (vows of poverty and obedience) and not to engage in sexual relations (a vow of chastity). Religious orders are found in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and, although rarely, in Protestant churches. The Franciscans, Jesuits, and Trappists are religious orders.


Example Sentences

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The Presbyterian Church of the U.S. and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, a Catholic religious order, filed the respective proposals.

From Barron's Jun. 3, 2026

Liquori, who is 65 and lives in North Haven, Conn., retired from a career raising funds for a religious order and considers himself a devout Catholic, he said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 17, 2026

The farm was inaugurated by the first ever Augustinian pope and, according to historian Dr. Krisztina Ilko, mirrors the early values and practices of his religious order.

From Science Daily Feb. 2, 2026

The institution, which was known as St Mary's mother-and-baby home, was run by Catholic religious order the Bon Secours Sisters and owned by Galway County Council.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2025

She was a member of a religious order that prohibited autopsies, but the doctors very much wanted to know what was replicating inside her.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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