THE WITNESS

of an

AUTHENTIC RELIGIOUS LIFE:

*Throughout the world, religious communities are striving to live Religious Life in total fidelity to the Church and to the Rule and traditions of their respective Orders. However, in the Church today, such communities are in the minority, and young people called by God to the Religious Life often have to search far and wide to find a community which is sincere and convincing in its religious life-style.

APREL is aware that Australia has very few such communities and that they are seldom in the limelight. So, APREL aims not only to educate the faithful in the truths and principles of the Religious Vocation, but to propagate information about faithful communities - both those in Australia and those overseas.

+ These communities include -

Contemplative Communities

Active Communities and

"Mixed" Communities (or semi-active/semi-contemplative)

These communities living the Consecrated Religious Life -
+ Wear the religious habit of their Order as a sign of the consecration.
+ Take community life seriously.
+ Live the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience according to the Church's teaching.
+ Structure their lifestyle around the essential elements of the Religious State as the Church teaches us in its documents and law.
+ Are faithful to the spiritual heritage and 'charism' of our founder/foundress.

Some arise from an ancient tradition. Some are more modern. Some are re-foundations of older traditions. Some are quite new and even innovative.