Opera Omnia

INSTRUCTION V
THE SECULAR INSTITUTES
After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house! And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house' (Lk 10:1-7).

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Art. 174. Let religious keep in mind that every good has its beginning and completion in charity. For charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not,

is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Art. 175. Wherefore, all things should be done in charity, with solicitous observance of its order, as becomes saints.
Art. 176. Members shall accept spontaneously all the mortifications imposed upon them by the circumstances of the common life. In the morning let them rise promptly to attend to their duties; abstain from taking food between meals; refrain from useless conversations; apply themselves to their daily tasks with diligence, under the guidance of their Superiors, in the spirit of true fraternal cooperation whereby good works are so efficaciously fostered.
Art. 177. Members are to be guided by the judgement of the Spiritual Director as far as private ordinary mortifications and bodily penances are concerned. However, if it is a question of public penances, or even of private ones, which may impair religious observance, the exercises of the ministry, or bodily health, the Superior's permission is needed. It is his duty to watch that these penances do not harm the member's health, disturb religious discipline, or hinder the work of the apostolate.
Art. 178. All members should be mindful of the precepts of Our Lord: Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart, and Sit down in the lowest place, so that those who are in authority may show forth a kind and paternal watchfulness, and those who are subjects a submissive docility.

Art. 179. All members ought to be imitators of Saint Paul in his love for souls as he was an imitator of Christ, and their hearts should be patterned after that of Saint Paul who fashioned his own upon the Divine Exemplar, the Heart of Christ. Let them, then, perform the works of their apostolate in such a way that they themselves, following in the footsteps of the Divine Master, may become the way, the truth and the life of souls.

Make-up and general goals

The Secular Institutes are societies recognized by the Church in which members fully achieve the juridical status of perfection and carry out the apostolate in the world. Such Institutes constitute a complete state of consecration to the Lord. From a theological point of view their members are true and proper religious.
The documents that concern them are the following: Provida Mater Ecclesia (1947); the motu proprio Primo feliciter, Cum sanctissimum, Sedes Sapientiae.
Their principal goal is the glory of God and the sanctification of the members through the observance of the evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity and poverty. Their secondary goal is the commitment to dedicate their lives to works of the apostolate.
What difference is there between Secular Institutes and juridical Institutes of perfection? The members of religious Institutes live apart from the world, they wear a habit common to all, and carry out an activity in the name of their religious Institute, whereas members of Secular Institutes do not all dress the same way, nor do they generally live in common; they carry out their apostolate in their own name and they support themselves.

Nonetheless, to meet requirements, some members, for their own sanctification and for the apostolate they undertake, can live together in common.
The Institute must have its own buildings for its management, for spiritual exercises and for retirement in old age.
In the past few years such Institutes have become quite numerous.

Members

What are the age limits for entrance? From 18 to 35 for lay men and women; for priests there is a wider age range.
To be a member there needs to be God's call, or vocation. This call is preceded by a desire to consecrate oneself to God, as well as by prayer, reflection, and advice from wise people. As regards actual entrance there needs to be acceptance on the part of the Institute.
Determining factors: some people would have liked to enter a religious Order or Congregation but have had to delay it for some serious reason such as health, family problems, their character not suited to common life, and so on. Others do not intend to embrace common life which they see as an impediment to the apostolate they feel called. Others again hope to find their ideal of a holy and apostolic life in a Secular Institute.
A person needs to be financially sound, with guarantees for sickness, disability, old age, and the like.
A person needs to have sufficient instruction in the apostolate he or she intends to undertake.

Other requisites are sufficient health, letters of recommendation given by capable and responsible persons.
For definitive incorporation there needs to be: at least six months of Postulancy, two years of Novitiate, Profession for one year, renewable for eight years, and then perpetual vows.

Spiritual advantages

The principal advantages are:
1. It opens up the state of perfection to many more people who would be otherwise impeded; people capable of greater holiness and a more effective apostolate.
2. A life of complete consecration to God is inserted into the midst of families, society and all human activity.
3. Apostolic activity is intensified and extended to those many places, professions and organizations normally inaccessible to priests.
4. These consecrated persons are a precious help to the Clergy and to religious Families, and can become (in times of persecution) the hidden but powerful leaven of Christian life.
5. Suffrages: All members are exhorted to provide for their own soul, as well as by gaining indulgences. There is also the assurance of abundant suffrages.
6. Those who enter a Secular Institute do not abandon their field of apostolate or their ministry; on the contrary, they can become more effective and active helpers in parish ministry, because they can introduce a new apostolic activity into the parish.

Government and obligations

Government. For our Secular Institutes: the Superior General of the Pious Society of Saint Paul is also Superior General of each of the Secular Institutes. The Provincial Superior of the Pious Society of Saint Paul is also the Provincial Superior of the Secular Institutes. The local Superior of the Pious Society of Saint Paul is also local Superior of the Secular Institutes.
The members of the Secular Institutes have three main commitments: 1) prayer practices, which conform to Pauline piety; 2) practice of the evangelical counsels, which are embraced with religious profession; 3) an apostolate agreed on in accordance with their respective Superior.
This apostolate is carried out in the world and with worldly means; in other words, making use of one's profession and activity, taking advantage of the local circumstances, as well as making use of modern technical means.
Our three Institutes share in the goals and carry out in the world the activities (even if only one of them) of the Pauline Family. This latter embraces five Congregations: Pious Society of Saint Paul, for the apostolate of the press, cinema, radio and television; Daughters of Saint Paul, for the same apostolates; Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, for adoration, liturgy, priestly service; Pastorelle Sisters, for parish works; Regina Apostolorum Institute, for vocations.
In general, the task of the members of the Secular Institutes is to cooperate with the Church - in accordance with the spirit of the Pious Society of Saint Paul - to give Jesus Christ,

our Teacher, Way, Truth and Life to the world by the spread of Catholic doctrine, Christian morals, and those means of grace for people's spiritual and material uplift.
In particular, for example, members can:
a) be on the lookout and help religious vocations for the five religious Congregations, as well as for the diocesan clergy;
b) help in the editing or distribution of books and periodicals of the Pauline Congregations: subscriptions, libraries, distribution centres, and so on;
c) open and manage suitable cinema halls, or help in other forms of the movies apostolate;
d) prepare radio and television programs, or give support to Catholic broadcasting stations in those countries where there are no restrictions;
e) organize Eucharistic adoration, help those at the service of priests, organize workshops, initiatives for the liturgy; extend devotion to Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and to Saint Paul the Apostle;
f) take part in and support as much as possible parish and diocesan works, especially Catholic Action;
g) pray for Religious and for the Clergy, and so on.

The three Pauline Secular Institutes

1. Institute of Jesus the Priest

This is for diocesan clergy. Many priests experience a deeply-felt need for a more incisive spirituality, to belong to a spiritual family, to commit themselves to a life of perfection by embracing the evangelical counsels, while yet remaining in their place

of ministry, which is so necessary and yet so onerous. We offer them the Institute of Jesus the Priest.
Let us note in particular:
1. As regards obedience, they are not obliged to obey their Bishop in virtue of the vow (the vow, strictly speaking, regards only the Institute's superiors, in those activities that lie outside diocesan or parochial action, concerning which each one can make his own arrangements, without depending on the Ordinary). However, every time a member obeys his own Bishop, he also acquires the merit of the vow; thus obedience to one's own Bishop remains extremely valued and fostered.
2. For poverty, the report concerns only those expenses which are strictly personal. Excluded are those goods of which the priest is simply an administrator.
3. For the apostolate. The first and foremost apostolate is the one assigned by the Ordinary of the diocese. The members of the Institute will: a) accept it willingly, in a spirit of obedience; b) carry it out with generous dedication, following the directives and desires of the Bishop; c) leave it, if the Ordinary so judges, even if this involves the sacrifice of taking a less pleasing one.
It may be that such an office will take up all their energies and time. In this case it is sufficient to carry it out and maximize its potential, using, to this end, those means and initiatives that are suggested today, while keeping oneself updated.
If time and energy are available they can add an apostolate of their own choice according to their abilities and to the local and general needs.

2. Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel

The Catholic laity today are on the move and committed to many activities. The best have a lively desire to contribute to save humanity from materialism, atheism and masonic anticlericalism. There are many young men who want to attend to their sanctification in a form of life that is stable, juridically organized and guided by obedience, but without having to enter a traditional Institute; in other words, without leaving their usual life and apostolate. To these we offer the Institute dedicated to the messenger Archangel of the Incarnation and salvation, and under whose patronage Pius XII has placed the cinema, radio and television.

3. Institute of Our Lady's Annunciation

The words of the Pope

These Institutes can confer and be a great help for living seriously, always and everywhere, the life of perfection; for being able to choose it in many cases where religious canonical life would not be possible or opportune; for a profound Christian renewal of families, the professions, and civil society, by means of close and daily contact, by means of a life perfectly and totally consecrated to sanctification; for carrying out a multiform apostolate and forms of ministry in places, times and circumstances where it would be forbidden or difficult for

priests and Religious to operate (Pius XII, Provida Mater Ecclesia).
Our fatherly recommendation is to generously promote holy vocations of this type, to offer a friendly helping hand, not only to Religious Orders and to Societies of religious women, but also to these truly providential Secular Institutes (Pius XII, Primo feliciter).