The Lord as Their Portion: The Story of the Religious Orders and How They Shaped Our WorldA guided tour through the fascinating history of Catholic religious orders From their monastic prehistory in the Egyptian desert through their political heyday in Medieval and Renaissance Europe to their present-day work of education, human care, and the pursuit of social justice, the Catholic religious orders have been a driving force in Western civilization. In The Lord as Their Portion Elizabeth Rapley paints a broad portrait of the full spectrum of religious orders spanning the vast canvas of their history. Rapley shows how religious orders led the way in learning and inventiveness throughout the early periods of Western civilization. She explores how religious orders contributed to Western politics and the global spread of Christianity. She examines the ways in which religious orders have championed the poor, marginalized, and disenfranchised throughout history and gives attention the ongoing work of religious orders today. More than simply highlighting the sweeping progress of monasticism s past and present, however, Rapley also takes time to share, in a clear and engaging fashion, the fascinating stories of many of the men and women who chose to take the Lord as their portion and whose piety, devotion, and energetic pursuit of a holy life profoundly shaped the course of history. |
Contents
The Age of Reformation | 109 |
The Age of Confessionalism | 161 |
A Time to Break Down | 213 |
A Time to Build Up | 261 |
Common terms and phrases
abbot ancien régime austerity became began beguines Benedictine bishops brothers called canons Carmelite Catholic Catholicism Charity Christian church Cistercian Cîteaux clergy cloister Cluny confraternities congregations continued convents Council Council of Trent Counter-Reformation Daughters of Charity death Dominicans early elites empire established Europe European faith force France Franciscans French friars gave gious hermits Holy Holy Roman Empire hospitals houses hundred Indians Italy Jesuits king land later Lazarists lived medieval mendicant mission missionaries monasteries monastic monasticism monks move Napoleon needed nunneries nuns nursing obedience papacy papal Paris parish poor pope population poverty practice prayer preachers preaching priests Protestant reform religion religious orders Revolution Roman Rome rule Saint schools secular seventeenth century sisters sixteenth century Society of Jesus souls Spain Spanish spiritual teaching territory things thousands tion took tradition Trent turned vows wealth words young