We took Haven Religious as our name when we came together in the Fall of 2021. That is the name under which we incorporated in 2023. While slightly influenced by the fact that Marta was in seminary in New Haven at the time we chose the name, we also wanted to find a word that was maximally welcoming. We expect that everyone who joins our common life or our ministries, whether forever or for a time will come with woundedness—we are all wounded one way or another. We strive for the culture of Haven to be one of healing and thriving. We also see Haven as a capacious name that will be able to hold a variety of types of ministries, commitments, and expressions.
As we constitute our religious order, we have chosen the name Order of the Body of Christ/ Orden del Cuerpo de Cristo/Ordo Corporis Christi (OCC). The genesis of that name is in its threefold interpretation: The Body of Christ that is the Eucharist, the Body of Christ that is the corpus on the cross, and the Body of Christ that is the church universal.
Having two names for the community as it stands might seem confusing, but it embraces our charism of raising up all gifts and welcoming a diversity of religious lives. We welcome people to join the life of Haven who might not feel a call to the traditional vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Those people might join us as married couples, or as singles who are still discerning between celibate and married vocations. They may be people who want to try out living as though under vows for a period of time. They may wish to join us for a particular project. So, while just now these two names are a distinction without a difference, in the future we hope to have a wide variety of expressions and ministries of Haven Religious, and those who choose the path of vows will comprise the Order of the Body of Christ.