Code of Canon Law, canon 607 ยง2. The full text is: "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, and lead a life of brothers or sisters in common".
Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, paragraph 46, accessed on 6 February 2026
Second Vatican Council, Perfectae caritatis, Section 1, published on 28 October 1965, accessed on 25 September 2026
Second Vatican Council, Presbyterorum ordinis, Section 6, published on 7 December 1965, accessed on 25 September 2026
