This page lists religious institutes of the Catholic Church that are now defunct. This refers to institutes that have merged, been suppressed, disbanded or died out.
The list given here includes not only examples of pontifical right institutes but also some that are only of diocesan right. It includes even some associations formed with a view to becoming religious institutes but were never canonically erected even on the diocesan level.
The list does not distinguish between institutes that historically would be classified either as "orders" or as "congregations."
Name | Post nominals | Year founded | Year defunct | Family | Reason | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | ||||||
Autonomous Region of Sisters of Mercy of Papua New Guinea | R.S.M. | 1956 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
B | ||||||
Benedictine Congregation of Portugal and Brazil | O.S.B. | 1597 | 1889 | Benedictine | Suppressed | |
Brethren of the Common Life | F.V.C. | 1370s | Early 1600s | Died out | One Lutheran house survived until 1841 | |
Brothers of Our Lady of the Fields | 1902 | 1931 | Merged | Joined with the Clerics of Saint Viator [1] | ||
C | ||||||
Catechist Missionary Sisters of St. John Bosco | 1938 | Died out | ||||
Celestine Order (Hermits of St. Damiano) | O.S.B. Cel. | 1254 | 18th to early 20th century | Benedictine | Died out | |
Congregation of St. Mary | O.P. | 1860 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Congregation of St. Rose of Lima | O.P. | 1950 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
D | ||||||
Daughters of Mary, Health of the Sick | F.M.S.I. | 1935 | 1976 | Disbanded | ||
Dominicans of St. Catharine | O.P. | 1822 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Dominican Sisters of Great Bend, Kansas | O.P. | 1902 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Dominican Sisters of Newburgh | O.P. | 1883 | 1995 | Dominican | Merged | merged to form the Dominican Sisters of Hope |
Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs | O.P. | 1830 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de' Ricci | O.P. | 1880 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (Fall River) | O.P. | 1891 | 1995 | Dominican | Merged | merged with two other communities to form the Dominican Sisters of Hope |
Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor | O.P. | 1910 | 1995 | Dominican | Merged | |
E | ||||||
Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic | O.P. | 1927 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
F | ||||||
Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Divine Child | F.M.D.C. | 1927 | 2003 | Franciscan | Merged | merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities |
Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore | O.S.F. | 1881 | 2001 | Franciscan | Merged | merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi of Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
G | ||||||
Gilbertine Order of Canons Regular (Gilbertines) | GSmp (anachronistic) | 1130 | 1539 | Gilbertine | Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII | Revived in: 1983 (oblates in UK) 1998–2012 (Experiment in Brazil) 2017 (Canada) |
H | ||||||
Haudriettes | Early 14th century | c. 1789 | Not restored after the French Revolution | |||
Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony | C.R.S. Ant. | 1095 | 1803 | Suppressed | ||
L | ||||||
Little Brothers of St. Francis | L.B.S.F. | 1970 | 2012 | Franciscan | Disbanded | |
Livonian Order | 1237 | 1561 | Teutonic Order | Disbanded | ||
O | ||||||
Order of Reformed Friars Minor | O.F.M. Ref. | 1532 | 1897 | Franciscan | Merged | |
Order of Frontevrault (Fontevrists) | 1099 | 1792 | Suppressed | |||
Order of Solomon's Temple | O.T.S. | 1119 | 1312 | Suppressed | ||
Order of the Humiliati | O. Hum. | 1140 | 1571 | Suppressed | ||
P | ||||||
Priestly Fraternity "Familia Christi" | F.S.F.C. | 2014 | 2019 | Suppressed | ||
S | ||||||
Sisters of the Child Jesus of Aurillac | R.E.J. | 1804 | 1952 | Sisters of the Child Jesus | Merged | |
Sisters of the Child Jesus of Versailles | R.E.J. | 1680 | 1949 | Sisters of the Child Jesus | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Adelaide | R.S.M. | 1880 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Auckland | R.S.M. | 1850 | 2005 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Ballarat East | R.S.M. | 1881 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Bathurst | R.S.M. | 1866 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Bermondsey, London | R.S.M. | 1839 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Birmingham | R.S.M. | 1841 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Birr | R.S.M. | 1840 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Cairns | R.S.M. | 1888 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Carlow | R.S.M. | 1837 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Charleville | R.S.M. | 1836 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Christchurch | R.S.M. | 1878 | 2005 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Cork | R.S.M. | 1837 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Dunedin | R.S.M. | 1897 | 2005 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Galway | R.S.M. | 1840 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Goulburn | R.S.M. | 1859 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Grafton | R.S.M. | 1883 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Gunnedah | R.S.M. | 1879 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Johannesburg | R.S.M. | 1898 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Melbourne | R.S.M. | 1857 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey | R.S.M. | 1873 | 1991 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Perth | R.S.M. | 1846 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Rockhampton | R.S.M. | 1873 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Singleton | R.S.M. | 1875 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Townsville | R.S.M. | 1878 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Tullamore | R.S.M. | 1836 | 1994 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Wellington | R.S.M. | 1861 | 2005 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of West Perth | R.S.M. | 1896 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Mercy of Wilcannia-Forbes | R.S.M. | 1890 | 2011 | Sisters of Mercy | Merged | |
Sisters of Providence of Rodez | S.P. | 1856 | Sisters of Providence | Merged | ||
Sisters of Reparation of the Congregation of Mary | S.R.C.M. | 1903 | 2020 | Died out | also known as the Sisters of St. Zita | |
Sisters of St. Dominic of the Immaculate Heart of Mary | O.P. | 1929 | 2009 | Dominican | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Francis of Maryville (Missouri) | S.S.M. | 1894 | 1985 | Franciscan | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Francis of Millvale | O.S.F. | 1868 | 2007 | Franciscan | Merged | merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities |
Sisters of St. Francis of the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin | O.S.F. | 1895 | 2004 | Franciscan | Merged | merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities |
Sisters of St. Francis, Third Order Regular of Buffalo (Williamsville Franciscans) | O.S.F. | 1863 | 2004 | Franciscan | Merged | merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Bourg | S.S.J. | 1819 | 1996 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland | C.S.J. | 1872 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Kyoto (Japan) | C.S.J. | 1950 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Fall River, Massachusetts | C.S.J. | 1902 | 1974 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Ontario | C.S.J. | 1851 | 2012 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, Illinois | C.S.J. | 1899 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario | C.S.J. | 1868 | 2012 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille | C.S.J. | 1854 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Michigan | C.S.J. | 1889 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Novara (Italy) | C.S.J. | 2006 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | ||
Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke, Ontario | C.S.J. | 1921 | 2012 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peterborough, Ontario | C.S.J. | 1890 | 2012 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Superior, Michigan | C.S.J. | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |||
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rhode Island | C.S.J. | 1974 | Sisters of St. Joseph | |||
Sisters of St. Joseph of Rutland, Vermont | C.S.J. | 1873 | 2001 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Susa (Italy) | C.S.J. | 2006 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | ||
Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Indiana | C.S.J. | 1888 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Turin (Italy) | C.S.J. | 2006 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | ||
Sisters of St. Joseph of Wheeling, West Virginia | C.S.J. | 1853 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kansas | C.S.J. | 1883 | 2007 | Sisters of St. Joseph | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Mary | S.S.M. | 1872 | 1985 | Franciscan | Merged | |
Sisters of St. Therese | 1950 | 1968 | Merged | |||
Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order | O.S.F. | 1860 | 2004 | Franciscan | Merged | |
Society of Christ Our King | 1931 | Early 1970s | Disbanded | |||
U | ||||||
Ursuline Sisters of Pittsburgh | 1958 | Ursulines | Merged | |||
V | ||||||
Vincentian Sisters of Charity | V.S.C. | 1902 | 2008 | Vincentian-Setonian | Merged |
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the terms used for individual clergy are clergyman, clergywoman, clergyperson, churchman, ecclesiastic, and cleric, while clerk in holy orders has a long history but is rarely used.
The Reverend is an honorific style given before the names of certain Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style, but is sometimes referred to as a title, form of address, or title of respect. The style is also sometimes used by leaders in other religions such as Judaism and Buddhism.
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consists of several dioceses, one of them being the archdiocese, headed by a metropolitan bishop or archbishop who has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all other bishops of the province.
The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who sit in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. Up to 26 of the 42 diocesan bishops and archbishops of the Church of England serve as Lords Spiritual. The Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, and the Anglican churches in Wales and in Northern Ireland, which are no longer established churches, are not represented. The Lords Spiritual are distinct from the Lords Temporal, their secular counterparts who also sit in the House of Lords.
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority. An elected official is a person who is an official by virtue of an election. Officials may also be appointed ex officio. Some official positions may be inherited. A person who currently holds an office is referred to as an incumbent. Something "official" refers to something endowed with governmental or other authoritative recognition or mandate, as in official language, official gazette, or official scorer.
Canon is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule.
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.
A religious is, in the terminology of many Western Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, and Anglican Communion, what in common language one would call a "monk" or "nun".
Consecrated life is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, as well as those living as hermits or consecrated virgins/widows.
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. Secular priests are priests who commit themselves to a certain geographical area and are ordained into the service of the residents of a diocese or equivalent church administrative region. That includes serving the everyday needs of the people in parishes, but their activities are not limited to that of their parish.
An institute of consecrated life is an association of faithful in the Catholic Church canonically erected by competent church authorities to enable men or women who publicly profess the evangelical counsels by religious vows or other sacred bonds "through the charity to which these counsels lead to be joined to the Church and its mystery in a special way". They are defined in the 1983 Code of Canon Law under canons 573–730. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has ecclesial oversight of institutes of consecrated life.
In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to carry out such a visitation is called a visitor. When, in exceptional circumstances, the Holy See delegates an apostolic visitor "to evaluate an ecclesiastical institute such as a seminary, diocese, or religious institute [...] to assist the institute in question to improve the way in which it carries out its function in the life of the Church," this is known as an apostolic visitation.
The Anglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in the Anglican Communion. Ministry commonly refers to the office of ordained clergy: the threefold order of bishops, priests and deacons. More accurately, Anglican ministry includes many laypeople who devote themselves to the ministry of the church, either individually or in lower/assisting offices such as lector, acolyte, sub-deacon, Eucharistic minister, cantor, musicians, parish secretary or assistant, warden, vestry member, etc. Ultimately, all baptized members of the church are considered to partake in the ministry of the Body of Christ.
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Church. Catholics trace the origins of the office of bishop to the apostles, who it is believed were endowed with a special charism and office by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Catholics believe this special charism and office has been transmitted through an unbroken succession of bishops by the laying on of hands in the sacrament of holy orders.
In the Catholic Church, an exemption is the full or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank. For example, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Strasbourg, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem are exempt, being directly subject to the Holy See.
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, an administrator of ecclesiastical property is anyone charged with the care of church property.
"A religious institute is a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, and lead a life of brothers or sisters in common."
Catholic laity are the ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are neither clergy nor recipients of Holy Orders or vowed to life in a religious order or congregation. Their mission, according to the Second Vatican Council, is to "sanctify the world".
In the canon law of the Catholic Church, exclaustration is the official authorization for a member of a religious order bound by perpetual vows to live for a limited time outside their religious institute, usually with a view to discerning whether to depart definitively.
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