This book gives an account of the history of monasticism and describes the position it holds in the life of the Catholic Church today. It traces the development of religious orders in response to the demand of different ages from the early contemplative and eremitical communities to the great medieval orders and the active congregations that followed the Reformation. Also discussed are the special challenges of the modern world and the new response produced by such movements as Opus Dei, The Little Brothers of Jesus and the Secular Institutes as a whole.