On May 1, 2024, the Catholic Church celebrates the seventh annual International Religious Brothers Day having received the blessings of His Holiness Pope Francis on March 17, 2017. It honors the lives and contributions the religious brothers have made to the physical and spiritual wellness of the people of God. They do so by bearing witness to the merciful love that their role model, Jesus the Christ, has for the world.

Questions arise such as: what is a brother, and what is the difference between a brother and a priest? A general response to those questions might be: a priest is an ordained cleric while a brother is a non-ordained layman. This is too brief and mostly off the mark. A more accurate response to the questions would be: how does one decide to be a brother and not a priest or a priest and not a brother?

Specifically, as it relates to religious orders, it starts with prayer and discernment to determine whether God is calling one to the religious life. Some believe the Lord calls one to the religious life but not necessarily to the priesthood. Ultimately, however, it is a distinct call from God to each of us individually according to His plan for us. The religious life, however, is the primary consideration.

Once entry into the religious order is achieved, the candidate undergoes an initial formation program that can, for some communities, last up to six years or longer. Through prayer, discernment, study, reflection, spiritual direction and counsel from one’s directors, the religious reaches the point where one responds to the life God has called him: as a priest or as a brother.

Today, some religious priests live in religious communities comprised solely of ordained religious priests while some religious brothers live in religious communities comprised solely of brothers. Other communities are comprised of priests and brothers in mixed communities. Whatever the community composition, its members are all called to live prophetic lives in imitation and the example of the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as proclaimed in the Gospels.

In religious communities, the priests and brothers profess traditional vows and share a life centered in Jesus Christ, who is encountered most intimately in the Eucharistic Liturgy, in community and individual prayer, and in the exercise of ministries grounded in the charism and spirituality of its founder.

St. Camillus de Lellis (1550 – 1614), founder of the Order of the Ministers of the Infirm/Sick (Camillians), believed there was a difference between our order and certain other orders as it relates to the relationships between priests and brothers. He believed each had a common purpose, a “ministry practiced in common by all” with a common identity: Ministers of the Sick.

The Camillian Constitution expands on this thesis, “As religious, they share a common goal, are equal in dignity, and have equal rights and obligations, with the exception of those relative to the exercise of sacred orders” (Ordination to the priesthood through the Sacrament of Holy Orders). (C 90)

Historically, roles filled by the religious brothers have been seen by some as one-dimensional, doing work considered menial in some quarters, leading to a view of brothers as less than priests in the

community setting. In spite of some attempts to restrict brothers exercising their full potential, we have seen remarkable progress in expanding roles for brothers over the last 60 years.

I offer my own experiences in the international Order of the Ministers of the Sick (Camillians) as an example of the opportunities a brother has in our Order. In over 20 years, I’ve served on several St. Camillus Boards of Directors, served as Provincial Council Secretary, was a full-time chaplain, served as Vicar Delegate of the USA Camillians, and Vice President of the St. Camillus Health Systems, the governing body for directing operations of the Camillians in the United States, to name a few. This was accomplished through a vigorous initial and continuing formation program. I was afforded the opportunity to attend classes at a local university and Catholic seminaries in spiritual theology even though I already held a college degree.

Internationally, two of the Provincial Superiors of the Order’s 14 Provinces are directed by professed brothers, the Province of Spain and the Province of Naples/Sicily. Recently we have had a professed brother serve two six-year terms as Secretary General of the Camillian Consulta in Rome, the governing body of our International Order.

What do I see as my role in relation to the priests in our ministries? I see it as an extension of the priest’s administration of the sacraments and the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass. For example, I’ve prepared patients and family members in anticipation of the administration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick by the priest, planned funerals and their Eucharistic liturgies with families, and assisted at weekday and Sunday Liturgies as lector or cantor.

So whether one is called to be a consecrated religious priest or a consecrated religious brother, each is called to a radical discipleship in the following of Jesus Christ as exemplified in the Gospels. It is one whereby we imitate Jesus in a ministry which is characterized as being for others, as being sacrificial and self-giving, and being motivated by selfless love.

I conclude with a quote from Fr. Angelo Brusco, M.I. a former Superior General of the Order, which summarizes in part the content of this article: “…the choice of religious life as priest or brother depends solely on the vocation clarified with care and accepted with generosity.”

Submitted by,

-Brother Mario Crivello, M.I. (USA Camillians)