Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Secular Institutes

Today, 25 November 2015, is the 480th anniversary of the foundation of the first Secular Institute - The Company of St Ursula by St Angela Merici. What is a Secular Institute as the Church now understands it?

There are two kinds of Secular Institutes: those whose mission is one of immersion in the world, to transform it from within. The members of these Institutes live a "hidden" life for they use neither title, nor distinctive dress, and in their professional life may exercise an element of reserve with respect to the Consecration that is the foundation of their life. Other Secular Institutes are more overt and may collaborate for a particular work.

As indicated in the previous post, the distinctions envisaged at the time of the New Code of Canon Law in the 1980s is no longer as clear cut. What we might see now are polarities that draw different Institutes - Religious and Secular - and it is this balancing of polarities that reveals the distinctive charism of each Institute. The following diagram is a preliminary simplistic way to begin to ponder these polarities (and the solid lines are no longer solid but very "fluid").

Institutes of Consecrated Life hold in tension the polarities of being drawn into a greater engagement with the temporal or secular world or being drawn apart from it; some are drawn more towards a contemplative life and others are drawn more towards a life of apostolic service. A further dimension is that of mission whereby for some institutes the engagement in mission is more characterised by dialogue at a pre-evangelization stage and proclamation by way of Gospel living. For other institutes mission is very much much about proclamation in multiple ways.

In our diagram above, those Institutes that have an overtly apostolic character, and so occupy the top part of our diagram, still need to balance the pull of withdrawal from the world and immersion in it. For some, their ministry is a mode of engagement with the world. The world is an "other" in the relationship. There is a sense therefore, that while engaged with the world, they are "apart" or "other". For some of these Institutes, the temporal sphere is a distraction to that which is core in their life. To varying degrees therefore, they will develop structures that protect a certain "apartness" in order to nurture and nourish the core relationship a the centre of their life. In the past such structures have included, but are not limited to, dress, insignia, title, common residence, common order of the day, These Insitutes possibly find themselves in the top right hand corner of the diagram above.

Institutes in the top left hand corner may see themselves as not quite so separate to the world, but rather as part of the world. They seek God in the temporal domain, rather than finding it a distraction and something from which they need to stand apart from. This does not mean that prayer is not an important and necessary part of their life. However, they find themselves more "a-part-of" rather than "apart-from" the world. They are freer in the work they undertake, but find identity/communion/cohesion in the work in which they collaborate specifically for the Gospel. With Secular Instiutes, this work may or may not define the whole of their lives. It may be additional to their ordinary employment.

In the lower right hand corner we might readily recognise those contemplative monastic institutes for whom monastic enclosure is intrinsic to their way of life, with their ministry being that of prayer, not merely nurturing their own relationship to Christ but praying with the Church with and for the world and its needs.

Finally, in the lower left hand corner of this diagram we find perhaps Secular Institutes of immersion. Members of these Institutes have no identifying title, insignia, place of residence, work in which they collaborate. The work they do may not even be specifically "church related" in a public sense. Drawn into the temporal or secular domain as the entire locus of their life, they live in constant discernment of the traces of God in our world, ever seeking to nurture that which is of the Spirit and challenge that which is not of the spirit. They constantly endeavour to live the Gospel in every facet of what they do and say. They are perpetually on mission. But this is not possible unless they also are deeply contemplative and committed to their own life of prayer. They try to live as yeast, to be salt and light for the world.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Consecrated Life - Forms other than "Religious"

The 1980's

Following Vatican II, the Code of Canon Law was revised to incorporate and reflect the teaching of Vatican II, and other changes that occurred over time. The New Revised Code of Canon Law was published in 1983. Significantly, to reflect the teaching of Vatican II, it situated the section on those living consecrated life within the broader chapter on the People of God - Part III of Book II. The title of this section is "Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life." The following table simplistically captures the known forms of Consecrated Life at that time as reflected in this section.


“In” the world
“Apart” from the world
Alone
Consecrated Virgins
Hermits
Group
Secular Institutes
Religious Institutes
And Societies of Apostolic Life

Since the 1980's these distinctions are no longer as clear cut. Now there are simply "Institutes of Consecrated Life", for example Verbum Dei, with no designation of religious or secular. And there are also consecrated members of some ecclesial movements. Some Religious Institutes have evolved to appear more like a Secular Institute and some Secular Institutes appear as quasi-Religious. However, in 1983, in the Code as we have it from then, common to all the above forms is:
(a) Consecration to Christ that engages the totality of one's being, i.e. celibacy for the sake of the kingdom;
(b) This expressed by a sacred bond - vow, promise or firm intention;
(c) Such bond is officially recognised by the Church via the Bishop or Institute who receive the sacred bond in the name of the Church;
(d) And this bond establishes a relationship of authority and mutual responsibility between the person professing it and the one (Bishop or Institute) receiving it.
(e) A conscious endeavour to live ever more fully the evangelical counsels.

Such "Consecrated Life" is public or official. Without this public character and authoritative relationship, one's commitment to follow Christ celibately for the sake of the kingdom, may be just as whole hearted and real, but is deemed "private".

Perhaps here also lies an element in the rightful place of Ecclesial Movements in the Code of Canon Law. These movements have developed significantly since the 1980's and many find that the current Revised Code of Canon Law of 1983 does not adequately represent them. However, this is a further discussion beyond my competence, because as I see it, it also pertains in part to the structuring principle within Canon Law - is it charism or consecrated celibacy? Developments since the 1980's suggest a need for some consideration of Ecclesial Movements, and in particular of their consecrated members. 

What the simplistic outline of the 1980's categorisation does highlight is the complexity of discernment as one finds oneself being drawn more and more towards the exclusivity of one's love being consumed wholly by Christ and the service of the Gospel, i.e his kingdom. For there are associated questions of immersion or withdrawal from secular life, of travelling alone or with others in an institutional framework.