SECULAR CONSECRATION: Section Two - Chapter One We now come to the heart of what membership in a secular Institute entails, what distinguishes it from other associations of the faithful. It is the full profession of the evangelical councils of celibate chastity, poverty and obedience. Secular institutes are parallel to Religious institutes such as Jesuits and Franciscans in that both profess the evangelical counsels and are recognized by the Church. Other associations may live in the “spirit” of the counsels such as “Third Orders” (often now called “secular orders”) which often creates confusion between them and secular institutes but there are key differences. Third orders do not profess vows and do not commit themselves to lives of celibate chastity. It is the commitment to perpetual celibate chastity that distinguishes Religious or Secular Institutes from of groupings of Christians. Secular and Religious Institutes make vows or similar promises that are morally binding. They place themselves under the Superiors of these Institutes who have real authority over their members that are morally binding. The Code on Canon Law dealing with secular Institutes state that the profession of the counsels in a secular Institute may be made by vow, oath or another recognized expression of consecration. All members of secular institutes must make a binding profession by vow or oath to celibate chastity and make vows or binding promises of poverty and obedience. While not trying to appear excessively juridical it is important to understand that profession in a secular institute entails a full, total and complete consecration of self no less than in vowed Religious life. There are differences between Religious and secular institutes. The chief one lies precisely in “secularity.” Unlike monks, Brothers and Sisters members of secular institutes do not live informal community. Some institutes do have an “informal” arrangement of living together. However, this is not essential. The majority of professed members of secular institutes of both men and women live on their own or with family members. Lay men and women hold secular occupations and professions. They come together periodically for formation and support. Their identity is “secular.” They do not “leave” the world but remain in its midst seeking to transform society and culture from “within.” They are to a leaven in the midst of society. Indeed, they are a sign of what all lay Christians are called to be. By their consecration they become a “powerhouse” of prayer and sanctity. Living and remaining in the midst of secular l9ife is the hallmark of secular consecration. Further, lay members of secular institutes remain lay. Their status in the Church does not change. Priest members of secular institutes remain as secular priests. They may be incardinated in the institute or in a diocese but in either case are “secular.” Religious are called to live in community and however active they may be are to some extent called to withdraw from the world and live in houses of their respective institutes. Their public vows change their status in the Church. They become “Religious.” They have the title of “Brother” of Sister” for example that a member of a secular institute does not have. This does not mean one is higher or better but simply to distinguish these two recognized forms of consecrated life. Voluntas is blessed to have within is family and recognized as such by our Constitutions approved by the Church’s highest authority married members called in the Constitution “Associate Members.” These are married couples are truly members of Voluntas. They have their own distinct place with our Constitutions and are a gift to the Institute. The Church calls them “associate” to distinguish from those who profess the vow of celibate chastity. Properly speaking, secular institutes along with Religious Institutes, as we have already noted, are institutes of consecrated celibate chastity. Married couples live out chastity within the Sacrament of marriage. They are not called to celibacy but to conjugal chastity which entails a life of fidelity and witness to Christ’s unfailing love for the Church (God’s people). Married couples make promises (commitments) to live martial chastity, and the spirt of poverty and obedience within the bounds of the Constitution where it speaks of Associate members. The specifics of how poverty and obedience for married couples differs from the vowed members of the Institute. Nevertheless, they publically promise to seek evangelical holiness within the Sacrament of Marriage and to live lives of simplicity and always to seek the will of God for them. Because Voluntas takes their call seriously there is an extensive period of preparation before making permanent commitments. They are not second class members of Voluntas nor ae they treated as such. The vow of celibate chastity calls for either the ordained or lay member to center his entire life on seeking God. While Latin Rite priests already have the promise of leading “celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom” taken when they were ordained transitional deacons, this vow not only affirms this commitment but deepens it. As the Constitutions teach the vowed member, ordained or lay, is to make the seeking of God the very thrust of his life. The vow of poverty in the Institute differs in its concrete expression from Religious communities. While Religious surrender their right to private property members of secular institutes, including Voluntas retain such a right. In Voluntas, the vowed member lives in a spirit of simplicity. He generously shares with the poor and identifies with them. He allows oversight by the Institute of his finances and periodically submits his personal project of poverty. He promises to help support the works of the Institute and is obliged to give seven to ten percent of his income to the Institute unless the local Director allows otherwise. In other words, the vow of poverty makes real demands on the one professing it. Obedience is the hallmark of Voluntas as doing the “will of God” is central to our spirituality. By this vow the member promises to observe all that asked of him in the Constitutions. He is to seek the will of God in all things. He submits his ministry or project of service to the Director. He may be asked to perform some task for the Institute. He promises to live out our spirituality. Because it is a vow of obedience our Constitutions tell us that we can be given a command with serious moral obligation. Again, most of the time the member is obliged to take personal responsibility for his life. There is a great degree of flexibility with the Institute and the leaders want members to show initiative. At the same time we are not “lone rangers” and we are morally accountable to the Institute on how we live our lives. Questions for reflection: 1. How do secular institutes differ from Religious Institutes? 2. How do the differ from other associations in the Church such as a Third Order 3. What is the importance of “secularity’? 4. What is the special role and gift of “Associate members? 5. What is the meaning of the vow of celibate chastity? 6. How is the vow of poverty lived out in our Institute? 7. What are the obligations of our vow of obedience? Prepared by John O’Neil Voluntas Dei Constitutions, Part Two, Chapter 1 Secular Consecration 43. Secular consecration is lived in the midst of the world. It is gift of self to God and response to a call of grace to live the evangelical counsels in order to be in the world as leaven in dough. This commitment is lived respectful of earthly values, with concern for promoting and evangelizing them. The entire human being is already enwrapped in the baptismal grace which engenders one to divine life. Consecration in the Institute specifies the grace which is proper to the cleric and the single layman; it directs in a special way their gift of self by way of the evangelical counsels. Members surrender to God so as to be totally His and, following Jesus, they commit themselves to a life of adoration, filial surrender, and service. 44. In order to live this consecration in the Voluntas Dei Institute: 1. Clerics, while carrying out their ministry as servants and missionaries in any field of endeavor compatible with the Church’s desires, commit themselves by vow to follow Christ through professing the evangelical counsels. 2. Single laymen, acting competently in the particular field where they exercise an apostolate of witness and service, commit themselves by vow to follow Christ by professing the evangelical counsels. Obedience 45. Obedience is a characteristic mark of members of the Voluntas Dei Institute. Grounded in responsible fidelity to all that is asked by the Institute’s authorities, carrying out the will of God is the hallmark of their whole lives. Following the example of Jesus whose pleasure it was to do the Father’s will, members apply their energy and generosity to learning about and understanding the projects and directives of the Church and Institute, and to carrying them out as perfectly as possible, as expressions of the will of God. In this spirit, members are open with competent authority and share with them in all simplicity their own perception of the will of God for themselves, their desires, difficulties, and objections. They then abide by the latest decisions of authority, refraining from any negative criticism of them. 46. By the vow of obedience, members of the Institute commit themselves to submit to decisions of authority in all that is consonant with the Constitutions. Members also commit themselves: • To accept the intervention of authority regarding their behavior and the witness of their lives • To accept directives of the Institute regarding application of the Constitutions • To seek the advice of the Institute’s authorities regarding important personal projects, and to take this advice into account.