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GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1963
PAGE 3
’PROVEN VALUE
Secular Institutes Seen
Given Status By Council
Following is one of a series
of articles by experts on ques-
ions up for consideration when
he Second Vatican Council re-
onvenes next September 8. The
riter is a prominent Scripture
holar who has gained intimate
owledge of the workings of
:ular institutes by serving as
desiastical assistant to one,
Missionaries of the King-
4 of Christ, and as execu-
t secretary of the national
Terence of the Life of Total
Nation in the World. He is
0I ie faculty of Holy Name
C^e, Franciscan House of
S&s in Washington.
B y phen Hartdegen, O.F.M.
(NV.C. NEWS SERVICE)
S©ir institutes have alrea
dy Pm their value, and the
Fatht 0 f th e Second Vatican
Counc n their work of revi-
talizir*nd modernizing the
Churclu devote some atten
tion tO rji.
Th e us of secular insti
tutes ittui U p ^ the air.
Their nh ers pledge them
selves tQyej-ty^ chastity and
obediencq do Religious. But
they do nco ar uniform cloth
ing, are lbound to conven
tual life, d do not change
their soci» a tus. Thus if lay
they remaiay. if diocesan
clergy they la in secular, not
Religious.
IT WAS F pi us xil who
gave formal j-oval to these
institutes —- recently as
February 2, 7. That their
present law i ot t0 be re
garded as cor* te and final
is evidenced fr^e Instruc
tion of the Saq Congrega
tion of Religioicum Sanc-
tissimus, of Ma 19 1948.
It states that ' complete
and definitive no. respect
ing secular ins tin a re bet-
institute and a religious or
der, even if it be only that of
sharing the same characteris
tic spirituality. Such affinity
which does not include jurisdic-
tonal dependence upon reli
gious orders is permitted by
the present law.
Perhaps the best witness to
the value of such affinity where
it exists, is the unity' of spirit
clearly seen in such well es
tablished secular institutes as
the Missionaries of the King-
ship of Christ, with its Fran
ciscan spirituality, and the In
stitute of Our Lady of the Way,
with its Jesuit spirituality.
SOME institutes and pious
unions incline to common life
and use of distinctive garb,
thereby becoming less secu
lar. One men's institute re
quires its members (Brothers)
to wear religious garb at home
and clerical garb outside for
greater facility in gathering
alms for the poor whom they
serve. The instruction of the
Sacred Congregation of Reli
gious already excludes "what
is not consonant with a secu
lar institute, clothes or ha
bits unlike the ordinary dress
of the world, a common life
externally organized.”
The ecumenical council will
probably emphasize the secular
character and apostolate of
these institutes rather than in
crease their resemblance to
religious congregations. This
will increase the possibility
of membership,: especially
among those whose circum
stances of life would not per
mit them to live together, much
less wear distinctive uniform
or garb. In all this, however,
a certain flexibility would still
meet the varied needs of places
and times.
ter deferred to a - e oppor
tune time lest the j. ent ev(> _
lution of these insti s re _
stricted.”
Are secular instit, t0 ^
accorded a special pl^ a re
vised canon law code qiarto
that of religious institu suc h
as orders or congrega^ 0 f
priests or Sisters? Presjeg^
islation recognized three ss-
es of persons: clergy, re ous
and laity.
Societies having the chi^
teristics of secular instl s
must no longer remain "any
s oi
the ordinary associations
faithful, but must be brou
and raised to the proper st.
and form of secular institut
which perfectly corresponds
their character and needs.' com P arative
(Pius XII's Motu proprio; Pri- Such lnstltu tes.
mo feliciter, March 18, 1947).
PRIESTS as well as lay peo
ple may belong to secular in
stitutes. In the institutes of
Opus Dei and the Company of
St. Paul a proportion of cleri
cal members is maintained to
serve the lay members. What
about a diocesan priest? What
does a secular institute add to
his life? Are its requirements
compatible with the circum
stances of his life?
These questions are raised
concerning institutes for dio
cesan priests, such as the Sa
cerdotal Society of the Sacred
Heart. There has been a cer
tain caution and hesitancy on
the part of bishops to encour
age such membership among
their clergy, due no doubt, to
newness of
SOME ARGUE that clerical -
members of secular institutes
simply remain in the class of
clergy, and lay members in
the class of laity because such
institutes constitute a private,
not public, state of perfection.
It seems more realistic to con
clude that members of secular
institutes will follow the class
of persons called Religious, in
the code, and precede the class
called the laity. Members of
secular institutes would then
constitute a new class of can
onical persons.
The state of perfection in
secular institutes is recogniz
ed by special law. This is not
a public but a private state.
Members of secular institutes
nevertheless bind themselves
totally and permanently to serve
the institute.
The bows confirming this
bond are often called social or
semi-public. Some institutes
surround the act of dedication
with external solemnity in the
presence of the public, while
others restrict witnesses to
members only. A new classi
fication of this state of perfec
tion may result from the coun
cil.
Proof of the value of the
ecular institute way of life
>r diocesan clergy lies in the
»proval and strong encourage-
mt given it by Pope Pius XII
1 His Holiness Pope John
'II, and In the zeal and loy-
a of priests who are actual-
members.
SIR VOW of obedience,
* ar om conflicting, makes
theibedience to their bishops
even ore binding in matters
pertaqg t0 priestly service.
Tk e °icil will serve to bring
the qu»i 0n 0 f diocesan priests
in seen. institutes to the more
direct ention of bishops
through discussion to make
the sanc,i n g power of secu
lar insti»5 anc i their com
patibility th the life of dio
cesan cler mo re clearly seen.
People uimiiiar with secu
lar institut except through
hearsay spe^f the great sec
recy surrouihg them, and they
hope the com will abolish
this.
There is a rtain reserve
required of men, rs 0 f anum-
Pontiff Gants
New Indigence
ber of secular institutes, not
concerning their manner of life
but concerning their identity.
This is the case in those in
stitutes particularly whose
apostolate embraces all the
professions and occupations of
civil life.
ITS PURPOSE is to prevent
unfair hindrances to freedom of
action in the Christian apos
tolate, especially in secular en
vironment. It is merely a
means to help Christianize so
ciety. In countries more hos
tile to this influence such re
serve is quite necessary; in
those less hostile, the reserve
is less necessary though al
ways useful in purely secular
environments. A clarification of
this issue could greatly help the
progress and spread of secu
lar institutes.
The apostolate embraces the
whole life of secular institutes.
“Its profession, activities,
forms, places and other cir
cumstances are to correspond
to this secular condition,” said
Pius XII in 1947. Its purpose is
to penetrate secular society
with the knowledge and spirit
of Christ. This is clearly a par
ticipation in the Church’s mis
sion of sanctifying society.
The forms of apostolate are
general, if pertaining to all
professions or occupations.
They are specific, if pertaining
to a particular profession or
occupation or service.
THE PROBLEM confronting
the council Fathers is how to
use this apostolate of secular
institutes more effectively in
dioceses. A sure way of aiding
the total apostolic program of
a diocese is to inform the Or
dinary of the personnel, train
ing and skills of diocesan groups
of secular institute members
and to show willingness to serve
the needs of the diocese ac
cording to capacity and circum
stances. The wise policy of
the Church has always been to
permit initiative, to direct it
and use it.
Married people frequently
ask to join secular institutes.
Some secular institutes admit
married people as auxiliaries,
but not to full membership.
They share lu the apostolate and
cultivate the respective spirit
of the institute.
BUT FULL membership can
be enjoyed only by those who
profess the evangelical coun
sels, including the promose or
vow of perfect chastity. There
are those who hope the council
will approve full membership
for married people in secular
institutes.
This is hardly to be expec
ted in view of the tehological
teaching concerning a state of
perfection. Perfect chastity is a
part of this state. In no way
does this desparage the sanc
tity' to which married people
may and do aspire.
Third orders secular, highly
approved and recommended by
the Church, are well able to
satisfy the spiritual needs of
married people if fully explor
ed according to their true po
tential of leading people to sanc
tity in the world in and through
Christian marriage.
PROGRAMS for promoting
vocations have till now given re
latively little attention to secu
lar institutes. Yet the vocation
to a secular institute can at
tract great numbers of persons
not called to be clergy or Re
ligious, and the apostolate of
its lay members can reach out
to areas closed to priest and
Religious. The Fathers of the
council in their discussions on
secular institutes well might
support and encourage voca
tions to secular institutes and
make use of their help.
THERE are those who would
like to see secular institutes
less religious, governed by the
Sacred Congregation of the
Council, which regulates the
common associations of the
faithful. They would eliminate
distinct branches for priests,
men and women within the same
institute. They feel that the
pattern of religious life which
requires such separation has
• too much influenced secular
institutes.
Others are opposed to any
kind of tie between a secular
VATICAN Cm' ( :) p 0 pe
John XXIII has grted indul
gences for recitationf the in
vocation: “O Mary, l^er and
Queen of Chrlstianfam e s pray
for us.” >
A partial indulgence^ 300
days can be gained by citlng
the invocation with a qtrite
heart. A plenary- indulgen can
be gained once a month b re
citing the invocation daily r a
month, and fulfilling the i la i
conditions: Confession, Com u _
nion and prayers for die inte-
ions of the Pope.
In the council's united effort
for Church reform and reunion,
secular institutes can serve as
a “leaven, small in quantity
yet ever active,” as Pope Pius
said in his 1947 document, Pri-
mo feliciter.
"Always and everywhere at
work, it mingles with all grades
of society from highest to low
est, strives by word, example
and in every way to reach and
perm eat them, each and all,
until the whole mass is trans
formed and wholly leavened in
Christ.”
PARISHIONERS of St. Peter's Church, La Grange, check
on each other for the census last Sunday, when house calls
became the mode from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
MATHS - MUSIC
Committees Named
By Schools Office
The Archdiocesan School Of
fice has formed two committees
recently in Music and Mathe
matics, consisting of both reli
gious and lay teachers.
The aim of the committee
in music will be to find out
what is lacking in our teaching
of music in our elementary
schools. It will endeavor to
give a new impetus to the teach
ing of music through question
naires, study of the Teacher's
Guides, demonstrations for
particular grades, and through
bringing in music consultants
to speak at Teachers’Meetings.
THE MAIN purpose of the
mathematics committee will be
to point out to teachers the
specific areas in arithmetic
that need to be improved, to
study the new approach to
mathematics, to organize var
ious meetings to acquaint the
teachers of the new math, as
well as to set up pilot schools
for 1964 to introduce the new
mathematics.
The following persons will
serve on the Music Commit
tee: Sister Anne Carlos, C.S.
J., St. Joseph School, Mari
etta; Sister Mary de Montfort,
G.N.S.H., Christ the King
School, Atlanta; Sister Cor
Mariae, C.R.S.M., St. John,
Hapeville; Miss Avaleen Mor
ris, Sacred Heart School, At-
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lanta; Sister Celeste Mariae,
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lanta; Sister Louis Marie, S.
B.S., Our Lady of Lourdes,
Atlanta and Sister Mary Bar
bara, R.S.M., St. Pius X High
School, Consultant.
The following persons will
serve on the Mathematics Com
mittee: Sister Grace Maria,
G.N.S.H., Immaculate Heart of
Mary School, Atlanta; Sister
Mary Ruth, S.N.D., St. Thomas
More School, Decatur; Sister
John Vianney, S.S.J., St. Paul
of the Cross, Atlanta; Sister
Mary de Lellis, R.S.M., Our
Lady of the Assumption, At
lanta; Sister Patrick Thomas,
S.B.S., Our Lady of Lourdes
School, Atlanta and Mrs. M.
Christopherson, St. Joseph
School, Athens.
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Rich, Greed Selfishness
Far Worse Than Reds
RIO DE JANEIRO-(NC)—The
selfishness of many rich people
is a “more serious and urgent
problem than communism it
self,” Auxiliary Archbishop
Helder Camara of Rio de Ja
neiro said in a television broad
cast.
Archbishop Camara said that
this is the basic reason for
the fact that “the Alliance for
Progress is dead."Theprelate,
who is second vice president
of the Latin American Bishops’
Council (CELAM), said he was
talking “as a man talking to
other men” rather than as a
Brazilian addressing North
Americans. Part of his talk
was rebroadcast to embassies
abroad by the Brazilian Foreign
Ministry. In it he said:
“WEALTHY people of Latin
America talk a lot about basic
reforms but brand as commu
nists those who decide to put
them into practice.
“It is easy to understand:
The rich of Latin America con
tinue to hold 80 per cent of the
land on the continent; often
they control parliament and
have a degree of idealism and
faith in the future measured
by the deposits in banks in the
United States and Europe. Un
happily, your rich also create
problems: Let Kennedy say it.
The selfishness of many rich
people and their blindness is a
much more serious and urgent
problem than communism it
self.
IT
COSTS
SO LITTLE
TO PLACE A
CLASSIFIED AD
IN THE
GEORGIA
BULLETIN
PHONE 231-1281
“Another serious problem
for the alliance is bureaucra
cy. The administrator of the
Marshall Plan had a direct
Gainesville Cub
Pack Banquet
GAINESVILLE—Cub Pack 13
sponsored by St. Michael’s
Church of Gainesville held its
first Blue and Gold banquet at
River Bend School with some
19 boys and their parents in
attendance.
connection with the President
of the United States. Now the
administrator of the alliance
has to go through at least four
persons before reaching Ken
nedy.
“An annual aid of two bill
ion dollars for 19 countries
is undoubtedly a mark of good
will, but insignificant for real
economic development. Liberty
is only a sonorous empty word
for two - thirds of humanity
which is without homes, with
out clothes, and without food,
without a minimum of educat
ion and without real work.”
Mr. James E. Murphy of
St. Michael’s parish is the cub-
master and he is assisted by
Mrs. James Murphy and Mrs.
Grady E. Hughes as den-
mothers.
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