Religious Order

Religious Order. A lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder’s religious practice. It is usually composed of laypeople and, in some orders, clergy.

Many religious groups, from Tibetan Buddhists to Roman Catholics, are split into various Religious Orders for a variety of reasons. In Tibetan Buddhism, the two main sects are the Red Hat and Yellow Hat orders (see photo of both).

In Roman Catholicism there are literally thousands of orders, of which Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Recollects are the better known.