Religious Orders

After the start of the Protestant Reformation (1517), new religious orders arose which were destined to become, in later centuries, some of the most effective tools for the renewal and the resurgence of the Catholic Church. A special role was played by the Congregation of the Clerics Regular, formed by priests who lived according to the rules of common life but who were released from the obligations of monastic life and were strongly oriented to operate in society: the Barnabites (1533), the Somascans (1540), the Jesuits (1540), the Camillians (1586), the Clerics Regular Minor (1588), the Clerics regular of the Mother of God (1595) and Piarists (1617). The Order of Clerics Regular had been established in 1524 by Gian Pietro Carafa (1476-1559), with the help of Gaetano da Thiene (1480-1547) and were then called the Theatines from the Latin name (Teate) of Carafa’s bishopric (the city of Chieti in Abruzzo). The Clerics Regular were organized into Orders and Congregations with autonomous ruling structures, under the direct control of the Holy See, and a significant organizational and operational autonomy. Their fields of action were very different: from preaching to education to helping the sick and theological studies. Every Regular Order was specialized, so to speak, in one or more areas. For example, the Barnabites in higher education, the Piarists in the elementary education designed to reach the lowliest and the Camillians in caring for the sick and dying. The Regular Orders played a crucial role in the monitoring of religious life and the reform of collective behaviour, and deeply affected the society of the time.

Read more:

• R. Po-Chia Hsia, The World of Catholic Renewal, 1540-1770, Cambridge 1998.
• Religione, conflittualità e cultura. Il clero regolare nell’Europa d’antico regime, a cura di M.C. Giannini, in “Cheiron”, 43-44 (2005).