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Regarding New Movements

It is the right of the Christian faithful to form associations and groups in order to pursue their Christian vocation to holiness as is imposed on them by the holy sacrament of Baptism.(1)  Often times in the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit has inspired such groups to follow a particular path to holiness (Charism).  Also, through this Charism to a particular corporal work in which said Charism is manifested (Apostolate).(2)  Many of these groups by the inspiration and action of the Holy Spirit, and subsequently, and eventually necessarily, by action of the Church, are promulgated into Religious Institutes.(3)

These new communities, which aspire to become Religious Institutes, are required by canon law, to as much as possible, live the life they will have as a Religious Institute.(4)  The new community has the option of making their intentions known to the Church (a Bishop), or to continue to grow organically in their Charism and in their particular expression of it.  While it shows their desire to be submissive to the Church to approach a Bishop, it can be prudent to not do so.(5)  The role of the Founder is to be respected by the Church.(6)

The Bishop's role is to help these communities as much as possible while giving them their due autonomy to allow the Holy Spirit to prove their spirit authentic.  The Bishop is to be a father (Padre) to them, but not lord (Padrone) and master.(7)

We call ourselves a movement because we do not fit the very precise definitions of Society of Apostolic Life or Institute of Religious Life.  However; we see now a growing amount of new communities inspired by the Holy Spirit to live new forms of consecrated life.  While some seek to remain strictly lay movements, others seek to live a more traditional religious life.  Since these new forms have not yet been coded into canon law, they are being called movements by the Church.

I would like to address the false interpretation of the quote "there are no new religious orders."  I have heard this phrase frequently interpreted to mean that no new religious communities can be founded.  This is a false interpretation.  Order is a canonical term which is no longer used to define a particular form of religious life.  There was the O.F.M. Order of Friars Minor, O.P. Order of Preachers, O.C. Order of Carmel, O.S.B. Order of St. Benedict, etc.  At some point the Church decided not to use this term any longer for the new foundings, hence the saying "there are no new religious orders."  Many new communities are using words like, congregation of, or society of, or community of, or simply sisters of.  It is licit to found a new religious community.

Our Charism is Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.  We give all that we are and all that we have to Her because She is the "easy, fast, straight, secure path"(8) to complete union with Her son Jesus.  Our mission is to obtain this union with Christ for all people, first by living faithfully our own consecration, secondly, by spreading it by all evangelization means at our disposal.  That is why we have all vocations within the same movement: priests, deacons, brothers, sisters, and lay members, married and single, both pure contemplative and contemplative/apostolic.

 

1 Code of Canon Law #'s 298 & 299 

2 Fr. Elio Gambari, (a Canon Lawyer and advisor of the Congregation for Institutes of the Consecrated Life), " Preparatory Association of a Religious Institute"  #1

3 Ibid.  #'s 48 & 49

4 Ibid.  #'s 26 & 27

5 Ibid.  # 47

6 Ibid.  # 46

7 Ibid.  # 52

8 True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin  by St. Louis Marie De Montfort

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