INSTRUCTION IX
PAULINE FORMATIONTherefore I prayed, and understanding
was given me;
I called upon God, and the spirit of
wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to sceptres and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in
comparison with her.
Neither did I liken to her any priceless
gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in
her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay
before her.
I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.
All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom
leads them;
but I did not know that she was their
mother.
I learned without guile and I impart
without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,
for it is an unfailing treasure for men;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come
from instruction.
(Wisdom 7:7-14).
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Art. 133. Besides the three ordinary vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, all the members in the Society, in order to strengthen and confirm the peculiar devotion of the entire Society towards the person of the Roman Pontiff and his supreme magisterium, profess a fourth vow, namely one of fidelity to the Roman Pontiff in respect to the Apostolate.
Art. 134. a) By the filial vow of fidelity, with which we are bound to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, we perpetually acknowledge him wholeheartedly as our highest Superior and most loving Pastor, whom we follow as Christ on earth, especially with regard to each and every matter which pertains to the religious, priestly and apostolic life, both general and specific, in our Society.
b) As the highest Superior and most loving Father of the Pious Society, we acknowledge the Vicar of Christ to be invested with the threefold full and immediate power of ruling, namely that of jurisdiction or the power of the Keys, the dominative power, and that power arising from the vow or bond of religion.
c) In all things we promise filial obedience to the commands of the Supreme Pontiff, and our vow of obedience is extended to all those things, even heroic, to which the power of jurisdiction and the dominative power extend themselves.
d) With special solicitude the members bind themselves by the vow of fidelity to the Roman Pontiff, their Superior and Father, in those matters which pertain to the specific apostolate of the Society. Hence, whatever the Roman Pontiff shall order, teach or suggest concerning the spreading of doctrine or those things which pertain to the manner, nature, time and place of the apostolate, the members, without questioning, shall accept and
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carry out immediately.
e) However, the vow of fidelity is violated only when a member disobeys the commands which the legitimate Superior shall have expressly issued in virtue of this vow of fidelity.
Christ, our one Teacher
For a general overview of our Pauline formation what is published in the Ratio studiorum is helpful as a summary.
1. A unitary formation
The following words of Saint Paul act as a guideline for religious and clerical formation: Donec formetur Christus in vobis,1 Vivo ego, iam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus.2
This orientation is summed up in articles 154, 174, 224, and 244 of the Constitutions. Piety, study, apostolate of publications, education and poverty are of capital importance in the training of the Pauline religious.
Unus est Magister vester, Christus.3 He is one because he is at once Way, Truth and Life; formation will be accomplished when what is reproduced is the image of Jesus Christ, and those features which are his hallmark. Thus we shall be able to say the Pauline is a second teacher.
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A unitary formation comprises the human, religious, clerical and apostolic life, so as to produce a perfect man in Christ. The perfect teacher will form men perfect in Jesus Christ.
In our Christocentric formation the Pauline will himself become, in due proportion, way, truth and life, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitutions; such are the conditions necessary for holiness and for the apostolate. In this balanced fusion of all the elements we can, indeed we must, speak of a summa vitae,4 in which the present life and eternal life are considered together; since this present life is the origin and beginning of eternal life.
As we recalled, the summa vitae constitutes the matter and the form of the new personality in Christ, which will reach its perfection in heaven. In fact to truth and faith there corresponds the vision of God, to charity and apostolic zeal the joy of God, and to manhood and virtue the eternal possession of God.
In every Christian there is a natural life and a supernatural life; the former is created as a power which obeys nature and the latter is infused by God the creator by means of grace. This reaches its perfection when the natural forces are used to observe the divine law.
Human formation precedes supernatural formation. The study of civil history is the basis for the study of Church and religious history.
Although man possesses three faculties - intelligence, feeling, and will - he is but one person. According to the scholarly Bossuet man is like a Trinity incarnate,
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an image of the Trinity as Creator; God is power, wisdom, infinite love; God is one divine nature in three Persons, each of whom is infinite, distinct and necessary: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In general a formation that is farsighted, positive and optimistic is to be preferred to one that is repressive, pessimistic and negative.
A very wise thing is to impress virtue-convictions on a young person so as to form a strong will. Thus, once he has overcome his evil inclinations, and is rid of his false principles, prejudices, and worldly maxims - being guided all the while by a deep love of Jesus the Teacher - he will achieve a balanced and complete holiness, and be able to use that just freedom, in view of a supernatural goal, in such a way as to obtain eternal merit and to lead an exemplary religious and apostolic life.
The person whose formation is complete and who has achieved human development, in accordance with supernatural principles, starts to lead a godlike life, becomes a partaker in the divine nature, and is capable of acquiring many merits in this life and eternal bliss in heaven.
2. Study of doctrine [and of the means]
The goal of our studies, apart from human development, consists in forming the Pauline apostle, priest and brother, to follow his vocation as outlined in the second article of the Constitutions.
In the communications' apostolate (press, film-making, radio, television) the conceptual stage is reserved in particular to the clerics, while the Brothers have the technical part and the promotion work.
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A general principle is that the whole of formation has to be geared and arranged in a special way towards those studies which reflect the Pauline Family's own apostolate. Such a goal is to be borne in mind right from the outset of entry into our Institute, whether it be in school, or in counselling, meditations and preaching. What is to be communicated is not some generic type of life but a teaching, a piety and a religious life that is eminently Pauline.
The goal to be achieved predicates the means. Thus three elements are always required: knowledge, language, technical means. The first is what constitutes the body of truths to be communicated; the second as a means of diffusion; and the third as a network of instruments that produce quick and effective results.
Secrets of success
To obtain the best and quickest results with the minimum amount of means, effort and time, it is necessary:
a) to ask the Lord for all the intellectual gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel;
b) to bear in mind, at all times, the bond between the spirit and the apostolate, study and human formation, all of which are at work in the same person, acquiring a greater efficacy, and mutually perfecting each other;
c) to bear in mind, likewise, that, apart from school and study, great help can come from
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drawing on the experience of the history of man and of society, as well as from nature, the liturgy, spiritual enlightenment, social life and all the goods that are developing in the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ;
d) that to achieve good school results much depends on the preparation of the individual teachers, as does close collaboration among the teachers of the different disciplines;
e) that in formation recourse is had to all the helps and devices possible, especially where necessary;
f) that the teacher should always know how to arouse in the pupil a corresponding enthusiasm for his duties.
Always disciples of God
The whole range of education given in the Institute is addressed to the formation of the Pauline personality, just as, contrariwise, any harmful or useless element of any other personality is eliminated. Every Pauline has thus a grave commitment to aspire to this 'vivit vero in me Christus'; so that the religious priest or brother may radiate Jesus Christ Way, Truth and Life.
Man is always a disciple of God and God himself is the great Teacher of man, through his works ad extra: the created world, a book of natural science. Human history, guided to prepare the coming of Jesus Christ; the gift of reason for every one who comes into the world; the revelation of the Old and New Testament; the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
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A highly useful thing is the unification of the natural and supernatural sciences in one complete body which has Jesus Christ as its Head, to whom every man must render homage just as he must love his fellow men, in accordance with the saying 'veritatem facientes in caritate',5 bearing always in mind the words of Saint Paul 'for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ' (2 Cor 10:4-5).
This is the truly necessary 'summa vitae', apportioned and expressed by the words, way, truth and life. It is how Jesus Christ lived and taught, and it is how the Church, his Mystical Body, lives and works.
The teaching of our Mother Church is called and is, as such, Christocentric (Ratio studiorum, pages 13-14).
The Pauline International Theological College
The quotation is from the Ratio studiorum of the Pious Society of Saint Paul, which was presented to and approved by the Sacred Congregation of Religious on the third day of March 1959, and signed by the present Cardinal Larraona, then the Secretary of the same: Ad hanc Sacram Congregationem rite pervenit 'Ratio studiorum' quam periti viri Piae Societatis a Sancto Paulo parandam curaverunt. Hoc autem Sacrum Dicasterium eandem Rationem Studiorum laude libenter prosequitur atque commendat. Nihil obstat, igitur, quominus, ad modum experimenti, in praxim deducatur.6
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Prot. N° 696/61/7
SACRA CONGREGATIO DE SEMINARIIS ET STUDIORUMUNIVERSITATIBUS7Sacra Congregatio de Seminariis studiorumque Universitatibus, attenta rogatione Clar.mi et Rev.mi Rectoris Pontificiae Universitatis Lateranensis, perpensa approbataque CONVENTIONE die XIII m. aprilis A.D. MCMLXI inita inter Rev.mum Moderatorem Generalem Piae Societatis a Sancto Paulo Apostolo et Rectorem laudatae Universitatis, cum compererit sacras disciplinas in Studio Theologico Internationali Piae Societatis, electo Professorum coetu stabiliter adlaborante, omni cum diligentia promoveri et ad normam ss. cc. 1365-1366 C.J.C. necnon Apostolicae Constitutionis '
Deus scientiarum Dominus' ordinatas esse, petitionem memorati Rectoris libenter excipiens, idem STUDIUM THEOLOGICUM INTERNATIONALE PIAE SOCIETATIS A SANCTO PAULO Facultati Sacrae Theologiae Pontificiae Universitatis Lateranensis pro munere AFFILIATUM ad quadriennium et ad experimentum constituit declaratque, collata Facultati potestate academicum Sacrae Theologiae BACCALAUREATUS gradum iis alumnis conferendi qui, quadrienne curriculum theologicum feliciter emensi, specialia pericula, sub ductu et auctoritate eiusdem Facultatis, in aedibus Universitatis vel Studii Theologici bene superaverint, servatis de iure servandis, in primis peculiaribus 'NORMIS' ad Conventionem applicandam, ab utraque parte die XIII elabentis aprilis subsignatis et ab eadem Sacra Congregatione approbatis; contrariis quibuslibet minime obstantibus.
Romae, ex aedibus S. Congregationis d. d. XIV m. aprilis, in festo S. Justin., Mart., A.D. MCMLXI
f.to Præfectus
Card. PIZZARDO
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1 “Until Christ be formed in you” (Gal 4:19).
2 “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
3 “You have one Teacher, the Christ” (Mt 23:10).
4 “Summary of life.”
5 “Speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15).
6 “This Sacred Congregation has received the 'Ratio studiorum', prepared by a number of specialists of the Pious Society of Saint Paul. This Sacred Dicastery heartily praises and recommends this 'Ratio studiorum'. Nothing, therefore, hinders its being implemented on an experimental basis.”
7 “SACRED CONGREGATION FOR SEMINARIES AND UNIVERSITIES. - The Sacred Congregation for Seminaries and Universities - in consideration of the request of the Very Reverend Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, having examined and approved the CONVENTION established on the 13th of April 1961 between the Superior General of the Pious Society of Saint Paul and the Rector of the aforementioned University, and clearly proved that in the International Theological College of the Pious Society, thanks to a qualified body of Professors, the sacred disciplines are diligently promoted and arranged in accordance with the norms of the sacred canons 1365-1366 of the CCL and of the Apostolic Constitution 'Deus scientiarum Dominus' - readily welcomes the request of the aforementioned Rector and declares the International Theological College of the Pious Society of Saint Paul as affiliated to the Faculty of Sacred Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University for a four year period and ad experimentum. At the same time it grants the Faculty the power to confer the academic degree of Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology to those students who, once happily concluded the four year theology curriculum, have passed special examinations under the guidance and authority of the same Faculty, at the University or in the Theological College, abiding by all the prescriptions, starting from the particular Norms for the application of the Convention, to be undersigned by both parties on the 13th of the current month of April and approved by this Sacred Congregation, notwithstanding anything to the contrary. - Rome, from the residence of the Sacred Congregation, the 14th of April 1961, feast of Saint Justin Martyr. Signed Prefect Card. Pizzardo.”