Dear Tom:

Perhaps it will be prudent to quote canon law on the subject of vows:

Can. 1191 ?1 A vow is a deliberate and free promise made to God, concerning some good which is possible and better. The virtue of religion requires that it be fulfilled.

?2 Unless they are prohibited by law, all who have an appropriate use of reason are capable of making a vow.

?3 A vow made as a result of grave and unjust fear or of deceit is by virtue of the law itself invalid.

Can. 1192 ?1 A vow is public if it is accepted in the name of the Church by a lawful Superior; otherwise, it is private.

?2 It is solemn if it is recognized by the Church as such; otherwise, it is simple.

?3 It is personal if it promises an action by the person making the vow; real, if it promises some thing; mixed, if it has both a personal and a real aspect.

Can. 1193 Of its nature a vow obliges only the person who makes it.

Can. 1194 A vow ceases by lapse of the time specified for the fulfillment of the obligation, or by a substantial change in the matter promised, or by cessation of a condition upon which the vow depended or of the purpose of the vow, or by dispensation, or by commutation.

Can. 1195 A person who has power over the matter of a vow can suspend the obligation of the vow for such time as the fulfillment of the vow would affect that person adversely.

Can. 1196 Besides the Roman Pontiff, the following can dispense from private vows, provided the dispensation does not injure the acquired rights of others;

1? the local Ordinary and the parish priest, in respect of all their own subjects and also of peregrini;

2? the Superior of a religious institute or of a society of apostolic life, if these are clerical and of pontifical right, in respect of members, novices and those who reside day and night in a house of the institute or society;

3? those to whom the faculty of dispensing has been delegated by the Apostolic See or by the local Ordinary.

Can. 1197 What has been promised by private vow can be commuted into something better or equally good by the person who made the vow. It can be commuted into something less good by one who has authority to dispense in accordance with Can. 1196.

Can. 1198 Vows taken before religious profession are suspended as long as the person who made the vow remains in the religious institute

Point 1: A vow can be made by anyone of reason for the purpose of promising God some good offering.

Point 2: A vow is public if it is accepted in the name of the Church; otherwise it is private.

Point 3: A vow is solemn if the Church declares it such; otherwise it is simple.

Point 4:  A vow ceases when it expires, when the conditions that lead to the vow have changed, when its purpose has been fulfilled, or when the proper authority dispenses or commutes the vow. This is true regardless of whether the vow is private or public.

Concerning Public Vows:

A public vow is accepted in the name of the Church in three different types of consecrated life situations:

1) in a recognized Institute of Consecrated Life;
2) with Canonical Hermits and Consecrated Virgins;
3) in a Public Association of the Faithful

The nature of the public vows are more or less spelled out in Canon Law. Religious Institutes are the most regulated in Canon Law; Canonical Hermits and Consecrated Virgins are least regulated in Canon Law.

It should be noted that not all members of a recognized Consecrated Institute take public vows. For example, Societies of Apostolic Life do not take any religious vows.

Concerning Private Vows:

A private vow is not made in the name of the Church, but is made before God and the person -- or -- before God and a religious community (a private association as defined in canon law).

The nature of a private vow can be anything from, "Lord, I vow to live a life in devotion to you from now on" to a formal vow in front of a community to the evangelical counsels according to one's state-in-life.

A private vow can be anything that is proper for vows.

In terms of living a consecrated life in private vows, which I presume is the focus of this question, one's private vows can bind the person to the EXACT SAME THINGS that a monk in a monastery does in his public vows.

A public vow in a recognized Institute of Consecrated Life or in a Public Association has certain canonical protections that automatically apply (in addition to the Rule of the Institute to which one is joining).

A private vow in a private association (defacto or recognized) is not as well delineated in Canon Law, but depends primarily on the Rule and Constitutions of the private association.

The Rule of the private association can voluntarily come under the most of the EXACT same provisions of Canon Law that Religious Institutes are required to follow. In this case, submission to those statues are not forced upon the association, but voluntarily accepted by the private association.

Thus, from a practical point-of-view, a private association can be set-up in such a way, and the vows of it members written in such a way, that there is little to no difference between a monastery of a Religious Institute and a monastery of a private association; or in their vows.

Why have Public and Private Vows?

Public and private vows related to two kinds of consecration that are equal in dignity but public viws having more regulation and oversight from Church authorities than private vows. Public vows usually concern religious consecration; private vows can concern most anything.

Can Anybody Make a Vow?

According to Canon Law, yes. As mentioned a Private Vow can be about anything. One could vow to abstain from watching T.V. for a year, for example.

Vows of consecration of a religious nature, however, will normally be made before a community private association whose purpose is to pursue the life of devotion and perfection in some way as defined in their Rule and Constitutions.

A person can also make private vows to live as a hermit unattached to any community. This could be done all by oneself, between oneself and God, but that is not advisable. One should have a spiritual director and offer vows before him.

What Constitutes Consecrated Religious Life?

According to the official journal of the Congregation on Consecrated Life, the factor that primarily defines the consecrated life is the vow of chastity whether or not that vow is public or private.

Relative Weight of Vows?

Vows are vows. There are no vows "weightier" than others in dignity. There can be a different weight to a vow in terms of what happens if the vow is broken.

If a public vow there will usually be instructions in canon law and also in the Rule of the Institute and is generally considered serious sin.

In a private vow the nature and the intent of the vow determines if breaking the vow will be serious sin or not. A private vow offered in a community will be regulated by the Rule and Constitutions of that community.

A private vow made with the intention of being under pain of sin if broken (which is the nature of my vows) is no different than breaking a public vow before God. The penalty is exactly the same since my vows are constructed in a way that are nearly identical to public vows. This may not be true for other private associations. it depends upon the intention of the person and the way the private association is structured.

Vows vs. Promises:

Vows is a promise made to God to which one has a serious religious obligation to fulfill.

A mere promise is just that, a simple promise to try to do something. One does not have a serious obligation, but a simple and normal obligation to fulfill the promise. For example, if one joins the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular they make a simple promise to pray the rosary. If one fails to pray the rosary no sin is committed and no obligation broken.

When a Private Association becomes Public:

When a Private Association is finally recognized as a Public Association the vows of the members will be renewed and considered public.

Making Vows out of Promise Made to a Community:

You can vow to most anything you want, but it would be inappropriate to offer Promises to some community and then go home and vow to the exact same thing you just Promised. This would show me, if I were the Director of the Community, that you do not understand the charism of the Community, and that you have an ego problem in wanting to make vows out of the promises just made.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary