Catholic order - Definition and Overview

Catholic religious orders should be distinguished from Holy Orders, the sacrament of bishops, priests, and deacons. The following list refers to Roman Catholic orders; it should be understood that communities using the same name may exist in Anglican or Eastern Orthodox traditions as well.

In the following list of some of the major Catholic orders, each order is listed with the acronym (or "post-nominal initials") commonly used to identify its members.

• Adorers (Adorers of the Blood of Christ) - A.S.C.
• Adornos (Clerics Regular Minor) - C.R.M.
• Assumptionists (Augustinians of the Assumption) - A.A.
• Augustinians (Order of Saint Augustine) - O.S.A.
• Baladites (Order of Lebanese Maronite) - O.L.M.
• Barnabites (Clerics Regular of Saint Paul) - B., C.R.S.P.
• Basilians (Congregation of St. Basil) - C.S.B.
• Benedictines (Order of Saint Benedictine) - O.S.B.
• Bernardines (also see Cistercians)
• Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasallian Brothers or Christian Brothers) - F.S.C.
• Brothers of Mercy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help - f.m.m.
• Brigittines (Order of Our Savior) - C.S.B.
• Camillians (Order of Saint Camillus) - O.S.Cam.
• Canossians (Canossian Daughters and Sons of Charity) - F.D.D.C.
• Capuchins (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin) - O.F.M. Cap.
• Carmelites - O.C., O.C.D., O.C.D.S.
• Carmelites of Mary Immaculate - C.M.I.
• Carthusians - O.Cart.
• Celestines (defunct)
• Cistercians - O.Cist.
• Claretians (Claretian Missionaries) - C.M.F.
• Columbans (Missionary Society of St. Columban) - S.S.C.M.E.
• Congregation of Holy Cross - C.S.C.
• Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary - ss.cc.
• Crosiers (Canons Regular of the Holy Cross) - O.S.C.
• Dehonians (Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) - S.C.J.
• Divine Word Missionaries - D.V.M.
• Discalced Carmelites - O.C.D.
• Dominicans (Order of Friars Preachers) - O.P.
• Dottrinari (Congregazione dei Preti della Dottrina Cristiana) - D.C.
• Eudists (Congregation of Jesus and Mary) - C.I.M.
• Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) - O.F.M.
• Franciscan Friars - T.O.R.
• Fransalians (Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales) - M.S.F.S.
• Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart - G.N.S.H
• Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity - A.A.S.C.
• Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - A.A.S.C.
• Holy Cross Fathers (Congregation of Holy Cross) - C.S.C.
• Knights Hospitallers or Knights of Malta (Hospitaller Brothers of St. John) - O.H.
• Institute of Charity (Rosminians) - I.C.
• Jesuits (Society of Jesus) - S.J.
• Josephines of Asti (Oblates of St. Joseph) - O.S.I.
• Josephite Fathers and Brothers (St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart) - S.S.J.
• Lazarists or Vincentians (Congregation of the Mission) - C.M.
• Legionaries of Christ - L.C.
• Little Sisters of the Poor - L.S.P.
• Loreto Sisters (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - I.B.V.M.
• Marian Fathers - M.I.C.
• Marianists (Society of Mary) - S.M.
• Marianist Sisters (Daughters of Mary Immaculate) - F.M.I.
• Marists (Society of Mary) - S. M.
• Marist Brothers - F.M.S.
• Maryknoll Congregation (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America) - M.M.
• Mercedarians (Order of Our Lady of Mercy) - O. de M.
• Missionaries of Charity - M.C.
• Missionaries of the Sacred Heart - M.S.C.
• Norbertines or Premonstratensians (Canons Regular of Prémontré) - C.R.P.
• Oblates Of Mary Immaculate - O.M.I.
• Oratorians (Oratory of St. Philip Neri) - C.O.
• Order of Malta (Knights of Malta)
• Pallottines (Society of the Catholic Apostolate) - S.A.C.
• Passionists [1] (http://www.passionist.org) (Congregation of the Passion) - C.P.
• Paulists (Congregation of St. Paul) - C.S.P.
• Piarists (Clerics Regulars Poors of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools) - Sch.P.
• Poor Clares of the Second Order (Order of Poor Ladies)
• Presentation Brothers - F.P.M.
• Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter - F.S.S.P.
• Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) - C.SS.R.
• Resurrectionists - C.R.
• Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus - R.C.J.
• Rosminians (Institute of Charity) - I.C.
• Sacramentines (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament) - S.S.S.
• Salesians of St. John Bosco - S.D.B.
• Salesian Sisters (Daughters of Mary Help of Christian) - F.M.A.
• Salvatorians (Society of the Divine Savior) - S.D.S.
• Scalabrians (Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles) - C.S.
• Scheut Missionaries (Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) - C.I.C.M.
• Servites (Order of Friar Servants of Mary) - O.S.M.
• Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mar - B.V.M.
• Sisters of Mercy - R.S.M.
• Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur - S.N.D., S.N.D. de N.
• Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Ghost) - C.S.Sp
• Stigmatines (Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata) - C.S.S.
• Sulpicians - P.S.S.
• Theatines (Congregation of Clerics Regular) - C.R.
• Trappists (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) - O.C.R., O.C.S.O.
• Trinitarians (Order of the Most Holy Trinity) - O.SS.T.
• Ursulines (Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union) - O.S.U.
• Viatorians (Clerics of Saint Viator) - C.S.V.

External links

• Open Directory links to Catholic orders' websites (http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Catholicism/Orders)