Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (the Church’s Religious communities) face three possible outcomes as they consider their respective futures: extinction, minimal survival or redefinition.
Some congregations have come and gone, having served their purpose in the Church. Others continue but with a significantly reduced membership and ability to sustain themselves. Still other communities have sought to consolidate their efforts and their income by redefining the different understandings that presently exist about their common life and mission.
Some communities, especially those among Women Religious, have sought to augment their numbers by expanding the presence of lay partners within their ranks.
These lay partners can play an essential role in assisting in the Institute’s particular charism. They may even have a great influence upon the constitution and makeup of the Institutes themselves for the foreseeable future.
Today many lay partners are bound to a particular Congregation through the group’s works. Serving alongside men and women Religious, they work to identify those characteristic features that distinguish their efforts from those of other communities.
Over time, lay partners, along with the members of the founding Congregation, may become a living endowment for the institutions in which they minister, ensuring that the Congregation’s identity remains clear and the founding values respected.
Yet, this comingling of Religious and lay persons in the fulfillment of the community’s charismatic work is not without its own challenges.
It is critical that there be a willingness on the part of all those involved to adapt to new ways of living and acting. Both the Consecrated members of the community and the lay partners must be capable of accepting the needs of the community over and above their individual needs and agendas.
Religious Institutes need to accept the fact that many of the ministries which once defined their mission and purposes no longer require their presence. Other groups (either public or private) may be capable of providing these services, in some cases with greater efficiency.
Pope Paul VI defined the charism of religious life as the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who is always at work within the Church. He identified these signs of its presence: bold initiatives, constancy in the giving of oneself, humility in bearing with adversities, fidelity to the Lord, a courageous response to the pressing needs of the day and willingness to be part of the Church.
If Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life are to continue to exist and provide meaningful service to the Church, they must be firm in the belief that the Spirit of God who was so active and alive in their founder longs to live and breathe in each of them today.
Reclaiming that faith and enthusiasm does not come cheaply. It demands a habit of prayer that will develop a greater intimacy with Jesus, Who He is and how He acts. So, too, contemplation of Jesus in the Gospels will be the essential discipline that makes this type of decision-making possible.
Forming members in a spirituality of discernment of God’s Will and submission to that Divine Will must be a priority.
The Church has been the beneficiary of the blood, sweat, toil and tears of Men and Woman Religious throughout its history. To lose their sacred presence and commitment to the Gospel would be a terrible wound to the Body of Christ.
May the Holy Spirit allow Religious communities to work together in developing a vision of Religious Life that is well suited to the needs of the modern Church and world.
God bless our Women and Men Religious and their lay partners always!
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