The Catholic Church is not a denomination. By definition, if it were it would not be Catholic. It is THE One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church. Only schismatic and heretical groups are denominations.
Peace be with you
No, the catholics belong to a Christian denomination, but interesting post on a Mormon thread, I think the Mormon Prophet believes that they are the only thing going and teaches that to his followers.
ALL: Don't let this kind of assumption fool you.
And all of these Catholic-based "religious orders" from the chart below (& many other dozens/hundreds NOT included) exploded from how many originally?
And all these Catholic-based orders assume that their rule--their order-- is the right one...because obviously...if a previous order had it all correctly, then they were a needless overlap overkill...superfluous
Hence, haven't all these Catholic-based religious splinter orders operated as a sort of “mini-denominations” operating under the broader umbrella of Roman Catholicism?
Sorry...but Catholicism isn't as "united" as Catholics LOVE to pretend...It's not -- as is oft' presented by Catholics -- one giant monolith.
Even theologically, it's not monolithic. Liberation theology has invaded Catholicism. Solid theological reform movements – like Jansenism – hit Catholicism in the 1600s.
Some of the Roman Catholic order jumpstarters themselves bounced around before getting them off the ground. Take Isaac Thomas Hecker, founder of the Paulists (latter 19th century). Hecker was a Methodist-turned-transcendentalist-turned-member of the Catholic Redemptorist order before founding the Paulists. Hardly a “model heritage” deeply rooted Catholic.
And the “Romanizing party” was itself a party that grew stronger in the 7th century. As I look at the book of Acts, I don't see mention of “the Romanizing party” in the earliest church. Do you?
Instead of all these diverse Catholic orders, why couldn't have one said, “This is the rule of Christ. We'll follow it – and Him” ??? And then the rest of these man-made orders could have followed suit if generational stability and a unified front is so important.
| Year Founded | Name of Order [a 'Mini-Denomination' of Sorts] | Man-Made Founder | |
| 6th century onward | Benedictine-Based [Break-offs Included] | ||
| 525 | Benectines | Benedict | |
| Early 6th century | Female Benectines | Scholastica | |
| Early 10th century | Cluny [many Southern France orders were reformed under 'Clunaic lines] | Odo | |
| 11th century | Vallumbrosians | John Gualbert | |
| 1100 A.D. | Fontrevault | Robert of Arbissel | |
| 1701 | Mechlarists | Mechitar [w/16 others] | |
| Dominican/Augustinian Rule-based | Note: The Dominican order was NOT initial order based on Augustinian rule; hence not listed first | ||
| 1120 | Premonstratensions [also known as Norbertians] | Norbert [German-born who set up French orders and died residing in Italy]...so hardly a Middle-Ages localized presence only | |
| Late 12th century | Trinitarians [reformed group called 'Barefoot Trinitarians' still exists] | John of Matha | |
| 1206 | Dominicans | Dominic | |
| 1210 | Franciscan-Based | Francis of Assisi | |
| Franciscans also known as Friars Minor; Some Lay Franciscans known as Franciscan tertiaries; some Franciscans came to be known as 'Observatist Franciscans' others as 'Recollect Franciscans' and then 'Discalced Franciscans'...Such 'unity' of names even within the Franciscan bunch, eh? | |||
| 1557 | Alcantarines [Spanish Discalced Franciscans] | Peter of Alcantara | |
| Late 16th century | Camillans | Camillus [break-off of first Capuchins and then recollect Franciscans] | |
| 1540 | Jesuit-Based | ||
| 1540 | Jesuits originally known as The Society of Jesus | Ignatius Loyola | |
| Cistercian-Based | |||
| About 1099 | Cistercian | Robert of Molesne [with Stephen Harding as key early leader] | |
| 1084 | Carthusians | Bruno | |
| 1128 | Knights of Templar | Bernard of Clairvaux | |
| Mid-12th century | Gilbertines [no local presence only; a network of 25 monasteries] | Gilbert of Sempringham | |
| Latter-17th century | Trappists | Armand-Jean le Bouthillier De Rance' | |
| Ursulines/Carmelites-Based | |||
| Early 1500s | Ursulines | Angela Merici [Later, Barbe Jeanne Acarie helped establish Ursulines] | |
| Latter 16th century | Discalced Carmelites | John of the Cross a leader, but not founder | |
| 1603 | Carmelites | Barbe Jeanne Acarie | |
| Other Orders – Listed chronologically | |||
| 961 | Mt Athos | Athanasius the Athonite | |
| Early 1000s | Camaldolesians | Romauld | |
| 1113 | Victorines | William of Champeaux | |
| Early 1200s | Poor Clares | Clare | |
| 1235 | Mercedarines [Our Lady of Mercy] | Peter Nolasco and Raymond of Penafort | |
| Latter 13th century | Celestines | Celestine | |
| 1346 | Bridgetines | Bridget | |
| 1360 | Gesuati | John Colombini | |
| 14th century | Sisters of the Visitation [the Jesuatesses] | Catherine, cousin of John Colombini | |
| Latter 14th century | Brethren of the Common Life | Geert de Groote and Florentius Radewijns | |
| 1425 | Oblates of Mary [Later called Oblates of Torde' Specchi] | Frances of Rome | |
| 1436 | Minims [Ordo Fratres Minimorum] | Francis of Paola | |
| 1524 | Theatines [break-off of Orators of Divine Love] | Cajetan and Giovanni Pietro Caraffa (Pope Paul IV) | |
| 1532 | The Somaschi | Emiliani Jerome | |
| 1548 | Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity | Philip Neri | |
| 1572 | The Brothers Hospitalliers | John of God | |
| Cistercian-Based | |||
| 1575 | Oratorians | Philip Neri | |
| 16th century | Volokolamsk | Joseph of Volokolamsk | |
| 1597 | Piarists | Joseph Calasanctius | |
| Early 1600s | Jansenism [not an “order” but a theological reform movement] | Cornelius Otto Jansen | |
| Very early 17th century | Visitation | Francis of Sales and Frances de Chantel | |
| 1633 | Sisters of Charity, Lazarites | Vincent de Paul | |
| 1737 | Vincent de Paul Society | Frederick Ozanam | |
| 1737 | Passionists | Paul of the Cross | |
| 1835 | Pious Society of Missions/Pallottini Fathers | Vincent Pallotti | |
| 1843 | Similar Pious Society of Missions for women | Vincent Pallotti | |
| Mid-19th century | Sisters of Providence/Fathers of Charity | Antonio Rosmini-Serbati | |
| 1859 | Salesians [Female version: Daughters of Our Lady Help of Christians, 3rd largest Catholic order today] | Giovanni Melchior Bosco | |
| 1880 | Sisters of the Sacred Heart | Frances Cabrini | |
| Latter 19th century | Paulists [break-off of Redemptorists] | Isaac Thomas Hecker | |
| 1903 | Catholic Daughters of the Americas | ||
| 1917 | Baptized and Unbaptized Disciples | Narayan Vaman Tilak | |
| 1933 | Little Brothers of Jesus/Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart | Formed post-humously after the rule of Charles Eugene DeFoucald | |
| 1939 | Sisters of Jesus | Formed post-humously after the rule of Charles Eugene DeFoucald | |
| 1958 | Little Brothers of the Gospel | Formed post-humously after the rule of Charles Eugene DeFoucald | |
| 1965 | Little Sisters of the Gospel | Formed post-humously after the rule of Charles Eugene DeFoucald |
ex-Catholics make the best MORMONs .