Rather than destitution, vows emphasize community ownership, reliance on God

Metro Detroit — Renouncing possessions and committing to a life of poverty and service to others are lessons taken straight from the Gospels.

This prescribed life of simplicity is the inspiration for the vows of poverty — along with those of chastity and obedience — professed by men and women religious.

Vows of poverty aren’t taken for poverty’s sake, or to deny all comforts and possessions as a form of punishment. Rather, people in religious orders take vows of poverty as a way of being closer to God.

“Poverty may look as if you have nothing, but that’s very different from the vow of poverty,” said Benedictine Fr. Michael Green, prior of St. Benedict Monastery in Oxford. “We don’t own anything by ourselves; it’s owned by the community. This comes from the rule of St. Benedict, the tools of the monastery are sacred and are intended to bring God to us, but they’re not our own personal possessions.”

By swearing off personal possessions, people in religious orders own everything in communion with one another, with the intent that all the order’s possessions are meant to advance the mission of the Church.

“By taking the vow of poverty, we don’t own personal property, but the community provides all that’s necessary,” Fr. Green said. “We have monasteries all around the world, so the needs of every community are different. It goes back to St. Benedict’s teaching that everything should be treated as a vassal of the altar.”

The vow of poverty is less about lacking material items and more about the spiritual gains that come from relying on God.

“The vow of poverty is giving a Gospel witness to the kingdom of God,” said Capuchin Fr. Larry Webber, director of Capuchin Missions in Detroit. “At the end of our lives, it’s not about what we have, it’s how we live. The vows we take are not about wealth. Poverty isn’t a value. We’re valuing being in spirit with Jesus Christ, and that comes from the freedom of living a life of simplicity.”

Fr. Webber said the Capuchins don’t live in destitution, but rather live a life of simplicity to better relate to — and thereby serve — the poor.

“As friars, we might be in desperate situations, but we choose to be among the poor,” Fr. Webber said. “People trust us to manage our resources to give to the poor. We feed 2,000 people a day, and people trust us enough to give them their extra resources, because they know we’ll be wise with them and distribute them to those in need.”

Religious communities have property to keep the monasteries and services running, including lawnmowers, cars, cookware and electricity. But those items are cared for and maintained by the community for the sustenance of the order.

“Our monastery has anything you could possibly need, so that’s why it’s a different kind of poverty than someone who is living in practical poverty,” Fr. Green said. “This isn’t much different from any religious community. The general idea behind the vow of poverty is the community will provide what is necessary when there is a general need.”

Fr. Green said it is up the abbot or prior of the monastery to determine what is necessary to purchase for the good of the community. The community focus of the decision-making reflects the main philosophy for the vow: renouncing worldly possessions in pursuit of being more in tune with the world around them.

“To take a vow of poverty doesn’t mean you leave the world,” Fr. Green said. “Rather, it frees you to serve the community. Everything we do is in support of the community. We still open our doors and invite people to see what living the Benedictine way is all about. We still have all the modern conveniences — we like having heating and air-conditioning — just as long as it helps us in our mission to serve others.”