Until the 16th century,
Catholic religious orders in the
Western world made vows that were perpetual and
solemn. In 1521,
Pope Leo X allowed
tertiaries of religious orders to take
simple vows and live a more active life dedicated to charitable works. This provision was rejected by
Pope Pius V in 1566 and 1568. Early efforts by women such as
Angela Merici, founder of the
Ursulines (1535), and
Jane Frances de Chantal, founder with
Francis de Sales of the
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (1610), were halted as the
cloister was imposed by Church authorities.
Mary Ward was an early proponent of women with religious vows living an active life outside the cloister, based on the apostolic life of the
Jesuits. There was to be no
enclosure, no common recitation of the
Liturgy of the Hours, and no
religious habit. In 1609 she established a religious community at
Saint-Omer and opened schools for girls. Her efforts led to the founding of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the
Sisters of Loreto (IBVM). Her congregation was suppressed in 1630, but has continued to exist in some countries in various forms. Other Catholic women's groups with simple vows continued to be founded, at times with the approval of local bishops. Not technically a
religious congregation, they are a
society of apostolic life and renew their vows annually. The 19th century saw the proliferation of women's congregations engaged in education, religious instruction, and medical and social works, along with missionary work in Africa and Asia. They lived under cloister, "papal enclosure", and recited the Liturgy of the Hours in common. The Code used the word "sister" (Latin:
soror) for members of institutes for women which it classified as "
congregations"; and for "nuns" and "sisters" jointly it used the Latin word
religiosae (women religious). ==Contemporary developments==