Vows

Formal pledges or promises. All Christian vows are ultimately based in the promises made in the baptismal covenant (BCP, pp. 304-305). Vows may give form and particularity to the baptismal covenant in the person's life. In the Christian tradition, vows often reflect a life commitment to a specific Christian vocation or manner of life. Such vows include the promises by an ordinand at the ordination of a bishop, priest, or deacon, the promises a man and woman make to each other in marriage, and the promises of a person making a life commitment to membership in a monastic or religious community. Monastic or religious vows typically include a commitment to poverty, obedience, and chastity. Vows of life commitment are often preceded by formal or informal vows that are temporary in nature. A man and woman may go through a period of engagement prior to making the vows of marriage. A member of a monastic or religious community may make temporary vows for a period of years before making vows of life commitment or solemn profession. Temporary or informal vows provide an opportunity for the person to test vocation and the appropriateness of a particular commitment. A vow may be made privately or publicly to express any formal intention, resolve, or purpose. A private vow may be expressed confidentially to a spiritual director or confessor, or it may be expressed only in prayer to God.