Consecrated Life
The Joy of Consecrated life
Consecrated life is, above all, a breathtaking gift. For the individual, it is a personal invitation from Jesus to live in deep, undivided intimacy with Him—a sacred calling that brings a profound sense of peace, freedom, and joy. But this gift is never meant to be kept wrapped up. For the Church, consecrated men and women are a living heartbeat of grace. By radically mirroring Jesus' own life of poverty, chastity, and obedience, their total surrender becomes a beautiful blessing that fuels the Church's mission, warms our parishes, and reminds us all of the ultimate home we are walking toward.
If you are interested in learning more about consecrated life, please contact Sr. Joyce Shanabarger, OSF, the Delegate for Religious for the Diocese of Joliet at 815-221-6173 or [email protected].
Vocational Roots
Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are the sacraments of Christian initiation (CCC 1533). They establish the shared vocation of all Christ’s disciples: a calling to holiness and a mission to evangelize the world. Through these sacraments, God grants the grace needed to live “according to the Spirit” as pilgrims on the way to the “homeland.” If you’re baptized, you’re already part of God’s family—and you’re invited to go deeper. That deepening includes discerning the particular path God is calling you to embrace marriage, the single life, or consecrated life. There are many forms of consecrated life, including religious life and consecrated virginity, each shaped by a distinct spirituality and mission in the Church.
Religious Life
In consecrated life, the Church recognizes a special “more intimate” consecration rooted in Baptism—where Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, freely choose to follow Christ more closely and give themselves to God, seeking the “perfection of charity in serving the Kingdom” (CCC 916). Religious life is open to women and men and typically includes: • Community life • The vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience • A shared charism (a particular spiritual gift and way of serving), such as Franciscan, Jesuit, Dominican, or Augustinian traditions If you feel God may be inviting you to “go deeper,” religious life is one concrete way to respond—offering a supportive community, a clear path of discipleship, and a lifelong commitment to love God above all.
Consecrated Virginity
Consecrated virginity is a vocation for women who respond to the call of Christ with an intense, Gospel-shaped desire to belong to the Lord in a “spousal” way. In this vocation, the emphasis is not on withdrawal for its own sake, but on total dedication to Christ and a joyful service for the Kingdom—lived in the world. These women receive a public consecration that forms a covenant of fidelity with Christ: their consecration is rooted in love, and their “capacity to love” is purified, healed, and strengthened so they can give themselves freely and joyfully. As a distinctive charism, consecrated virginity is meant to be luminous and fruitful—a clear sign of the future Kingdom already present in faith, hope, and love. And because it is lived in ordinary life, it becomes a witness that does not simply withdraw from the world but helps the world see Christ more clearly. Finally, this vocation is deeply rooted in the local Church: consecrated virgins are connected to the particular diocese where they live, and it is the bishop’s role to recognize the charism and consecrate them within that diocesan context.
List of Religious Communities Represented in the Diocese of Joliet
-
Women religious serve the Diocese of Joliet by bringing their consecrated apostolic activity into the local Church—faithfully contributing to pastoral needs through works that reflect their distinctive character as women and calling forth fresh forms of service in response to the concrete needs of the Church and the world.
Religious Communities with Administrative Offices in the Diocese of Joliet
- Augustinian Nuns Mother of Good Counsel (New Lenox, IL)
- Benedictine Sisters (Lisle, IL)
- Congregation of Jesus (Wheaton, IL)
- Congregation of the Third Order of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate (Joliet, IL)
- Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart (Frankfort, IL)
- Mantellate Sister Servants of May, USA (Plainfield, IL)
- Poor Clares of Joliet (Minooka IL)
- Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary (Kankakee, IL)
- Wheaton Franciscan Sisters (Wheaton, IL)
Other Religious Communities Serving the Diocese of Joliet
- Adrian Dominicans (Adrian, MI)
- Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirmed (Germantown, NY)
- Dominican Sisters of Springfield (Springfield, IL)
- Hermanas Josefinas Buen Consejo Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (San Antonio, TX)
- Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Wayne, PA)
- School Sisters of St. Francis of Christ the King (Lemont, IL)
- School Sisters of St. Francis (Milwaukee, WI)
- Servants of Mary (Ladysmith, WI)
- Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs (Bellflowers, CA)
- Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities (Liverpool, NY)
- Sisters of Mercy of the Americas West Midwest Community (Omaha, NE)
- Society of Helpers (Chicago, IL)
- Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods (St. Mary of the Woods, IN)
- Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Monroe, MI)
- Sisters of Norte Dame de Namur (Cincinnati, OH)
- Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary (Sinsinawa, WI)
-
Religious priests and other consecrated men serve the Diocese of Joliet by cooperating with the diocesan bishop in the care of souls and carrying out apostolic works under episcopal authority, with a special place in the diocesan family. Based upon their charism, they also build up the Church through prayer and works of penance and, especially, by assisting in concrete pastoral services such as the formation and education of the young and helping those in want or distress.
Religious Communities with Administrative Offices in the Diocese of Joliet
- Benedictine Monks (Lisle, IL)
- Brothers of the Christian Schools (Burr Ridge, IL)
- Clerics of St. Viator (Arlington Heights, IL)
- Order of Carmelites (Darien, IL)
Other Religious Communities serving the Diocese of Joliet
- Carmelites Of Mary Immaculate (Brooklyn, NY)
- Congregation of the Resurrection (Chicago, IL)
- Institute of the Immaculate Conception (Kollam, Kerala)
- Legionaries of Christ (Cummings, GA)
- Marians of the Immaculate Conception (Stockbridge, MA)
- Order of St. Augustine (Chicago, IL)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (South Abington Township, PA)
- Saint Patrick Fathers (Chicago, IL)
- Society of Christ (Lake Orion, MI)
- Order of Franciscan Friars Minor (Atlanta, GA)
- Priests of the Congregation of the Holy Cross (South Bend, IN)
- Society of the Precious Blood (Liberty, MO)
