New religious orders are even beginning in our day and age as women and men strive to apply and live the Gospel in these circumstances. A religious order priest belongs to a religious community, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, etc., who strive to live out the charism of their founder and often have a particular type of ministry, e.g., education, health care. They usually live in community and they take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Diocesan priests, also called secular priests, are ordained for a local church, a geographical area, and generally serve in parishes, although they also assist in schools, hospitals, prisons, etc., depending upon the local needs. Both are ordained, but a deacon is a sacramental sign of the service which all Christians are to offer to the world and a priest is to represent Christ as the head of the Church through the three-fold ministry to teach, sanctify and lead.
Religious priests take a vow of chastity and diocesan priests promise celibacy.
These three vows are also called the evangelical counsels and describe a radical way to live out the Gospel. In each age, they can provide a strong witness to Gospel values in the face of competing or even contrary values in the prevailing culture. In the face of a materialistic, consumer culture where one's value is often determined by earning power or the acquisition of wealth, poverty testifies to our dependence upon God as the source of all gifts and our solidarity with one another, especially the poor. When so many are ignoring people who are on the fringes of society, religious with a vow of poverty can connect with the poor, work with them and speak about their needs and concerns. Chastity reminds us of the deeper meaning of sexuality.