Missionaries of La Salette
Encyclopedia
The Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (M.S. - Missionarium Saletiniensis) are a religious congregation of priests
and brothers
in the Latin Church
one of the 23 sui iuris
churches which make up the Catholic Church which is led by the Bishop of Rome. They are named after the apparition of Our Lady of La Salette
in France
La Salette apparition. There is also a parallel religious community of sisters called the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette. A lay
fraternal group of associates also works in cooperation with the vowed religious. The Missionaries are dedicated to making known the message of Our Lady at La Salette, a call to healing of inner brokenness and personal reconciliation with God especially as found in the first three commandments. The missionaries are popularly known as "the La Salettes."
Statues from the site of the apparition in the tiny mountain village of La Salette, in the commune of Corps France
depicti Our Lady addressing two children. The distinctive La Salette crucifix
bears a small hammer and pincers on either side of the cross as worn by Our Lady. The hammer traditionally symbolizes the instrument that crucified Christ and the pincers symbolize the instrument that removes the nails. The crucifix was adopted by the La Salettes as their distinctive symbol.
Worldwide, the order numbers over one thousand members located in North
and South America
, Europe
, Asia
and Africa
. In North America the order's members work in more than a dozen U.S. states and in the Canadian
provinces of Quebec
and Ontario
. The congregation helps maintain devotional religious shrines, such as the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts
, and works in various Catholic parishes throughout the country. The La Salette Shrine in Attleboro is particularly well known for its Center for Christian Living and its "Festival of Lights" during the Christmas
season.
In Latin America
, Africa and Asia, the community does missionary
work in a number of countries, including Angola
, Argentina
, Bolivia
, Brazil
, India
, Madagascar
, Myanmar
and the Philippines
. The congregation continues to care for pilgrim
s at shrines, serves its University system in the Philippines and conducts retreats at its centres and conducts parish missions
, serves in home and foreign missions parishes, guides youth ministries, operates counseling centers, and provides personnel for chaplaincies
in hospitals and in the military.
, as a testimony to Our Lady's appeal to "make (her message) known to all her people." Immediately thereafter, he assigned some of his priests to care for the numerous pilgrims frequenting the mountain shrine. In 1858 these priests formed a religious community with temporary constitutions, under the immediate charge of the Bishop of Grenoble. In 1876 Mgr. Fava approved their more complete constitution, and in May, 1890, the Institute was approved by Rome
, thus becoming a religious community of Pontifical Right.
Finding it hard to recruit from the secular clergy
, the congregation founded an Apostolic school
or missionary college in 1876. After a six-year classical course, students entered a novitiate where they studied the vows and religious life obligations. Upon profession of their first simple vows
of poverty, chastity and obedience
, they entered the scholasticate in Rome
, to complete their philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University
.
In 1892, after pursuing possible bases in Canada
and Texas
, five Missionaries established themselves in Hartford, Connecticut with fifteen students. Bishop McMahon of Hartford, Connecticut
, welcomed them into his diocese, and they occupied the bishop's former residence. In 1895 they moved to new quarters in Hartford, Connecticut, at the new parish church of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Missionaries began their ministry on Ascension Day of the same year. In 1894, having established themselves in the Diocese of Springfield
in Massachusetts
, the congregation received the parish of St. Joseph, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
. In 1901, at the suggestion of Bishop Beaven of Springfield, the congregations's Superior General
sent a few students to Poland
to prepare themselves for Polish parishes in the Springfield Diocese.
In 1902 they were received into the Diocese of Sherbrooke, Quebec
, Canada
and also into the Archdiocese of New York
.At the request of Archbishop Langevin of St. Boniface, Canada, a few members were sent from the mother-house in Hartford to establish themselves in West Canada with headquarters at Forget, Saskatchewan
from where they served in four parishes.
In 1909 the missionaries deemed their order sufficiently developed, owing to additional foundations in Belgium, Madagascar, Poland, and Brazil, and the superior general petitioned the Holy See
to approve their constitutions. The request was granted 29 January 1909. Restrictions against religious orders in France
were lifted in 1914, and a number of the congregations's members served in World War I
, with fifteen losing their lives.
In North America the order spread their parish work throughout the United States and Canada. The North American mission first established a province based in Hartford in 1934. Three more province establishments followed at Attleboro (1945), St. Louis
(1961) and Georgetown, Illinois
(1967). In 2000 these four North American provinces were merged to form one new province for the entire continent, headquartered at Hartford, Connecticut. Missionary work to third world
nations steadily expanded throughout the 20th century with the latest expansions in India
, Myanmar
and Indonesia
.
, taking the three traditional religious vows
of poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty means that all possessions are held in common and that no member may accumulate wealth. Chastity means more than abstaining from sexual activity and its purpose is to make the religious totally available for service; it is also a sign that only God
can completely fill the human heart. For a member of a religious congregation, obedience is not slavishly doing what one is told by the superior but being attentive to God’s will by prayerfully listening to the voice of the person in charge. Ultimately, these vows are lived out within a community and bolstered by a relationship with God.
, religious brother
. Those who are enquiring about entering the congregation are strongly encouraged to attend Mass
as often as possible, to read the Sacred Scriptures
especially the Gospel
accounts and to regularly spend time in prayer
in order to better discern their vocation.
which is the time for preparing to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The novitiate year is crucial, for it is then “…that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested.” Thus, the novices are given the opportunity for longer periods of prayer
and spiritual reading as well as silence in order to reflect on the vocation God
is offering and nature of their response. The spiritual development of the novice is of particular focus, especially through spiritual direction
. During the novitiate the history and Constitutions of the Congregation are studied in depth.
A simple profession is made at the end of the novitiate and the person officially becomes a member of the congregation for “By religious profession, members assume the observance of the three evangelical counsels by public vow, are consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and are incorporated into the institute with the rights and duties defined by law.”
After the novitiate, the new members of the congregation continue their studies; those called to be brothers pursue a relevant course. Those men called to serve the People of God
in the Priesthood
take a courses in philosophy
and theology
after which follows ordination
to the diaconate and the priesthood; final vows for those called to Holy Orders
come just before the diaconate. For brothers, wows are renewed annually; after three years a member may request final vows. According to Canon law
, temporary vows may be renewed for a longer period but not exceeding nine years.
Presbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
and brothers
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
in the Latin Church
Latin Church
The Latin Church is the largest particular church within the Catholic Church. It is a particular church not on the level of the local particular churches known as dioceses or eparchies, but on the level of autonomous ritual churches, of which there are 23, the remaining 22 of which are Eastern...
one of the 23 sui iuris
Sui iuris
Sui iuris, commonly also spelled sui juris, is a Latin phrase that literally means “of one’s own laws”.-Secular law:In civil law the phrase sui juris indicates legal competence, the capacity to manage one’s own affairs...
churches which make up the Catholic Church which is led by the Bishop of Rome. They are named after the apparition of Our Lady of La Salette
Our Lady of La Salette
La Salette is a small mountaintop village near Grenoble, France. It is most noted for an apparition of the Virgin Mary that was reported in 1846 by two shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, followed by numerous accounts of miraculous healings....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
La Salette apparition. There is also a parallel religious community of sisters called the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette. A lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
fraternal group of associates also works in cooperation with the vowed religious. The Missionaries are dedicated to making known the message of Our Lady at La Salette, a call to healing of inner brokenness and personal reconciliation with God especially as found in the first three commandments. The missionaries are popularly known as "the La Salettes."
Description
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
depicti Our Lady addressing two children. The distinctive La Salette crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
bears a small hammer and pincers on either side of the cross as worn by Our Lady. The hammer traditionally symbolizes the instrument that crucified Christ and the pincers symbolize the instrument that removes the nails. The crucifix was adopted by the La Salettes as their distinctive symbol.
Worldwide, the order numbers over one thousand members located in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In North America the order's members work in more than a dozen U.S. states and in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provinces of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The congregation helps maintain devotional religious shrines, such as the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a population of 42,068 at the 2000 census, and a population of 43,645 as of...
, and works in various Catholic parishes throughout the country. The La Salette Shrine in Attleboro is particularly well known for its Center for Christian Living and its "Festival of Lights" during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season.
In Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Africa and Asia, the community does missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work in a number of countries, including Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The congregation continues to care for pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s at shrines, serves its University system in the Philippines and conducts retreats at its centres and conducts parish missions
Parochial mission (Catholicism)
A parish mission or parochial mission is, in the terminology of the Roman Catholic Church, a term applied to certain special pastoral efforts among Catholics. These are "home missions", distinguished from the apostolic missions sent to make conversions among pagans and heretics...
, serves in home and foreign missions parishes, guides youth ministries, operates counseling centers, and provides personnel for chaplaincies
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
in hospitals and in the military.
History
The Missionaries of La Salette were founded in 1852 by Philibert de Bruilard, the Bishop of Grenoble, in southeasternFranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as a testimony to Our Lady's appeal to "make (her message) known to all her people." Immediately thereafter, he assigned some of his priests to care for the numerous pilgrims frequenting the mountain shrine. In 1858 these priests formed a religious community with temporary constitutions, under the immediate charge of the Bishop of Grenoble. In 1876 Mgr. Fava approved their more complete constitution, and in May, 1890, the Institute was approved by Rome
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, thus becoming a religious community of Pontifical Right.
Finding it hard to recruit from the secular clergy
Secular clergy
The term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or members of a religious order.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, the secular clergy are ministers, such as deacons and priests, who do not belong to a religious order...
, the congregation founded an Apostolic school
Apostolic school
An apostolic school is a missionary college of the Roman Catholic Church, having for its object to cultivate vocations for foreign missions.-History:...
or missionary college in 1876. After a six-year classical course, students entered a novitiate where they studied the vows and religious life obligations. Upon profession of their first simple vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
of poverty, chastity and obedience
Evangelical counsels
The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty , and obedience . As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels , they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect"...
, they entered the scholasticate in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, to complete their philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
.
In 1892, after pursuing possible bases in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, five Missionaries established themselves in Hartford, Connecticut with fifteen students. Bishop McMahon of Hartford, Connecticut
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford is a particular church of the Latin Rite in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 700,000 Catholics, more than 500 priests, 216 parishes and almost 300 deacons. This is roughly one-half the population of...
, welcomed them into his diocese, and they occupied the bishop's former residence. In 1895 they moved to new quarters in Hartford, Connecticut, at the new parish church of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Missionaries began their ministry on Ascension Day of the same year. In 1894, having established themselves in the Diocese of Springfield
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is part of the official name of three dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States:*Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois*Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the congregation received the parish of St. Joseph, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
. In 1901, at the suggestion of Bishop Beaven of Springfield, the congregations's Superior General
Superior general
A Superior General, or General Superior, is the Superior at the head of a whole religious order or congregation.The term is mainly used as a generic term, while many orders and congregations use other specific titles, notably:* Abbot general...
sent a few students to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to prepare themselves for Polish parishes in the Springfield Diocese.
In 1902 they were received into the Diocese of Sherbrooke, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and also into the Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
.At the request of Archbishop Langevin of St. Boniface, Canada, a few members were sent from the mother-house in Hartford to establish themselves in West Canada with headquarters at Forget, Saskatchewan
Forget, Saskatchewan
- See also :* List of communities in Saskatchewan* Villages of Saskatchewan-External links:********-Further reading:Abley, Mark Beyond Forget: Rediscovering the Prairies, Canada: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., reprinted 1988 by Chatto & Windus Ltd., London, UK, ISBN 0-7011-3296-5. Pages 10–14 focus on...
from where they served in four parishes.
In 1909 the missionaries deemed their order sufficiently developed, owing to additional foundations in Belgium, Madagascar, Poland, and Brazil, and the superior general petitioned the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
to approve their constitutions. The request was granted 29 January 1909. Restrictions against religious orders in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were lifted in 1914, and a number of the congregations's members served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with fifteen losing their lives.
In North America the order spread their parish work throughout the United States and Canada. The North American mission first established a province based in Hartford in 1934. Three more province establishments followed at Attleboro (1945), St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
(1961) and Georgetown, Illinois
Georgetown, Illinois
Georgetown is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 3,628 at the 2000 census, and 3,412 as of an estimate in 2009.-History:...
(1967). In 2000 these four North American provinces were merged to form one new province for the entire continent, headquartered at Hartford, Connecticut. Missionary work to third world
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
nations steadily expanded throughout the 20th century with the latest expansions in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Vows
As members of a religious congregation the La Salettes embrace the evangelical counselsEvangelical counsels
The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty , and obedience . As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels , they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect"...
, taking the three traditional religious vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
of poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty means that all possessions are held in common and that no member may accumulate wealth. Chastity means more than abstaining from sexual activity and its purpose is to make the religious totally available for service; it is also a sign that only God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
can completely fill the human heart. For a member of a religious congregation, obedience is not slavishly doing what one is told by the superior but being attentive to God’s will by prayerfully listening to the voice of the person in charge. Ultimately, these vows are lived out within a community and bolstered by a relationship with God.
Religious Formation
In the initial stages, those interested in joining the congregation have several meetings with a La Salette priest, usually with visits to a community. Young adults aged 18 and over, meet regularly to share their experiences of God and what He may be calling them to become. During this time the members of the congregation share what it is like to be a priestPresbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
, religious brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
. Those who are enquiring about entering the congregation are strongly encouraged to attend Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
as often as possible, to read the Sacred Scriptures
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
especially the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
accounts and to regularly spend time in prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
in order to better discern their vocation.
Novitiate
If the candidate wishes to pursue his vocation to join the La Salettes he may enter the novitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
which is the time for preparing to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The novitiate year is crucial, for it is then “…that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested.” Thus, the novices are given the opportunity for longer periods of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and spiritual reading as well as silence in order to reflect on the vocation God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is offering and nature of their response. The spiritual development of the novice is of particular focus, especially through spiritual direction
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
. During the novitiate the history and Constitutions of the Congregation are studied in depth.
A simple profession is made at the end of the novitiate and the person officially becomes a member of the congregation for “By religious profession, members assume the observance of the three evangelical counsels by public vow, are consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and are incorporated into the institute with the rights and duties defined by law.”
Post Novitiate
After the novitiate, the new members of the congregation continue their studies; those called to be brothers pursue a relevant course. Those men called to serve the People of God
People of God
"People of God" is a description that the Tanakh or Old Testament applies to the Jewish people and that the New Testament applies to Christians. Within the Catholic Church, it has been given greater prominence because of its employment in documents of the Second Vatican Council .-Usage in the...
in the Priesthood
Presbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
take a courses in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
after which follows ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
to the diaconate and the priesthood; final vows for those called to Holy Orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
come just before the diaconate. For brothers, wows are renewed annually; after three years a member may request final vows. According to Canon law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
, temporary vows may be renewed for a longer period but not exceeding nine years.