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.

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Example Sentences

The most-publicized proposal, filed by Catholic religious order Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, received just 12.5% support.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 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

A religious order ran the institution, at a time of moral taboos when there was a social stigma around pregnancies outside of marriage.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

In Catholicism, a religious order is a community of people who take solemn vows in accordance with a specific way of life.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly