By Lisa Zengarini
Pope Francis sent a message on Wednesday marking the 75th anniversary of โProvida Mater Ecclesiaโ.
On 2 February 1947, Pope Pius XII issued theย Apostolic Constitution, recognizing Secular Institutes as a new form of official consecration in the Catholic Church.
Papal recognition of Secular Institutes
Secular Institutes are societies whose members attempt to attain Christian perfection through the practice of poverty, chastity and obedience and to carry out the work of the Church while โliving in the worldโ.ย They do not require public vows, a distinctive garb, and communal life.
Though most of them are composed of lay people, they may also be clerical, or both. Unlike Apostolic Societies, dedicated to a particular work, they are organizations of Catholics who share a certain vision lived out personally.
Secular Institutes received papal recognition at a time when this particular form Christian witness, dating back to the 16th century, was attracting a growing number of Catholic lay men and women. ย Their specific secular charism was further defined in 1948 in Pope Pius XIIโsย Motu Proprio Letter โPrimo Feliciterโ and in the Instruction โCum Sanctissimusโ by the Congregation for Consecrated Life.
A gift to the Church
In his message addressed to the Chairperson of the World Conference of Secular Institutes, Ms Jolanta Szpilarewicz, Pope Francis encouraged their members to preserve this identity and to continue their โcreative and prophetic workโ which, he said, has made them โa great gift to the Church before and after the Second Vatican Council.โ
Consecration and secularity
The Pope’s letter highlights the importance of conciliating the two distinct dimensions of โconsecrationโ and โsecularityโ, remarking that their status must not be confused with that of religious life.
“You should be animated by the desire to live a โholy secularityโ, because you are a lay institution,โ the Pope says, stressing that โit is Baptism that constitutes the first and most radical form of consecration.โ
He notes that both the Greek term โhagiosโ and the Latin word โsanctusโ refer not so much to what is โgoodโ in itself, but to โwhat belongs to Godโ.
“With baptism,โ he explains, โwe belong to Him. We are founded in an everlasting communion with God and with one another. This irreversible union is the root of all holiness, and also gives us strength to separate from worldliness.โ
Being seed and leven in Church and society
Pope Francis goes on to say that the peculiar charism of Secular Institutes calls on their members โto be radical and at the same time free and creativeโ in their Christian witness so as to be โseed and levenโ, both in Church and society.
While noting that Secular Institutes โhave experienced numerous changes in advanceโ and have played a vital role in bringing the Church to an ever-changing world, he stresses that โa further stepโ is needed today to โmake the world (not worldliness!), present in the Church.โ
โThisโ, he explains, โdoes not mean returning to the sacristy, but being โreceptive antennasโ, which transmit messages.โ
Giving flavor to the faith
Recalling his encyclicalย Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis points out that secular consecrated life is a โprophetic signโ requiring concrete action rather than words, if is to reveal the love of the Father.
โThis is a time for witness, because apologetic rhetoric divides, whileย beauty attracts,โ he says.
The Pope therefore encourages Secular Institutes to continue putting into practice the Gospel’s call to be โleaven and saltโ of the world.
Looking forward
Recalling how Secular Institutes prophetically โanticipatedโ the Second Vatican Council, the Pope concludes by inviting their members โto be sentinels who look up and forward, with the Word of God in their hearts and love for brothers and sisters in their hands.โ
