The Unknown Vocation: Secular Institutes

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Faustina86 said:

I think the book is writing about what is BarbaraTherese was talking about a form of a private vow for anyone interested in learning more about it.

Yes.  I was speaking about a private vow or vows - not connected in any way to secular institutes, although the dedicated single life is also a vocation in The Church.

I must underscore that this thread is about secular institutes and a great honour in The Church.  Since private vows has come up, I just would like to round things off if I can.

I think we need to remember that nothing whatsoever on any level is higher nor better, more perfect, than God's Will - some might find they are called by God to nursing for example or perhaps to the military, even accounting as another example - any role in life in fact...........no vow public or private, consecration nor dedication involved.  Such a vocational call and God's Will for a person is still a vocation (vocare - to call) by virtue of God's Will calling and taken up.  The person is committed (and foundational to vocation per se) discerning it is God's Will for him or her and discernment at any level is always prudently and wisely done with spiritual direction.  Pope Benedict recommends that spiritual direction is for anyone "who wants to live their baptism responsibly" https://spiritualdirection.com/2011/05/19/pope-benedict-recommends-spiritual-direction-to-everyone 

Absolutely no one does not have a personal vocation at any time in their life, while we all have the general call to holiness.  A personal vocation is in what manner or path God is calling one to achieve holiness.

Formal vocations in The Church with consecration solely to God by The Church are where public vows are concerned, or Holy Orders for priests and deacons. Marriage for the married.  There is also the eremitical life under Canon 603 and the Consecrated Virgin. These are all public consecrations by The Church. A committed single life in The Church as discerned as God's Will is a self dedication to God's Will with nothing formal/public within The Church.  Dedicated singles are in the world for the world as are members of secular institutes.  Consecrated vocations etc by The Church are taken out of the world for the world. even if they are living in the world.

Any vow or promise, dedication, to God must be fulfilled under the virtue of Religion.  We must remember that we are promising, vowing or whatever before God!  For that reason, it is an extremely important to know what one is doing and why.

Vocation is a call to to build on our baptism.  Private vows and dedication is more easily dispensed than those under some form of public consecration.  But to take up the private vows or dedication because it is easily dispensed is certainly a most imperfect motivation - full commitment too is lacking.  And commitment to whatever is the foundation of vocation per se.  Motivation however for any vocation can be purified as the journey goes on.  But it is a sin of presumption to presume that that will occur.  It is a different matter to hope it will occur and this is one area only where spiritual direction comes in.

With private vows, the terms of obedience under the private vow of obedience can be spelt out in one's rule of life even with "t's crossed"and "i's dotted", as can the private vows of poverty and chastity.

My mind boggles that God's Will should fall upon me or anyone for any reason whatsoever.  It is the highest action and act of God (with any content whatsoever) on earth to, for and with His creatures who are but dust and we all will return to dust.  The Will of God, God The Almighty, is totally humbling and amesome, stunning, sensational and bewitching.

  God's Will as The Ultimate Perfection - By St Alphonsus Liguori https://www.catholicbible101.com/godswillourwill.htm  .  To study the theology of God's Will is astonishing, humbling - and more than well worth the effort.

Please return to the subject of secular institutes and please do be forgiving that I have diverted from it somewhat.

[Faustina86]

12 minutes ago, BarbaraTherese said:

A committed single life in The Church as discerned as God's Will is a self dedication to God's Will with nothing formal/public within The Church.  Dedicated singles are in the world for the world as are members of secular institutes.  Consecrated vocations etc by The Church are taken out of the world for the world. even if they are living in the world.

Any vow or promise, dedication, to God must be fulfilled under the virtue of Religion.  We must remember that we are promising, vowing or whatever before God!  For that reason, it is an extremely important to know what one is doing and why.

Hi BarbaraTherese,

Thank you for sharing such a detailed thought. When I mentioned private vows or dedicated singleness  it’s because your earlier post reminded me of it. I have heard of people making private vows but I never heard of dedicated singleness as a vocation until recently. Even though members of secular institutes live in the world, they do as you stated have a public consecration in the church   Which puts them under the category of consecrated life. But I was fascinated to hear about dedicated singleness as a vocation where you’re not consecrated but you are dedicated to God in the service of the church, you are just not in a transitional single state but you make the choice to stay single. I thought it was beautiful that there is a whole book describing this vocation which is why I wanted to mention it even though it’s not about Secular Institutes  just in case someone is interested.

 I agree with the other parts of your statement  we always need to discern God‘s will for our lives and our vocations. Our vocation can be many different things and we can serve in many different ways. And if we make vows or promises of any kind, public or private we should take them seriously and we should always discern carefully and seek guidance-spiritual direction. There are many different paths to holiness. Thanks again for sharing I would go more in depth but I’m not a big Typer lol. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Faustina86 said:

I was fascinated to hear about dedicated singleness as a vocation where you’re not consecrated but you are dedicated to God in the service of the church, you are just not in a transitional single state but you make the choice to stay single.

Hi again Faustina.............Just to clarify.  Private vows to the single life always remains open to a further call from God to another state in life.  However, at the time of making the private vows one is committed in full to those private vows as well as openness to a further call or vocation.  One can make private vow or vows for life while remaining open to a further vocational call.  I have entered monastic life pre and post V2 and both times chose to leave.  I have now been privately vowed for over 40 years it surely must be.  I have never doubted that vocational call.  The same potential dispensation from Public Vows applies to consecrated life, although it is a far more involved and serious matter than with private vows......because consecrated life is a Public Vow formally in The Church.

One could make private vows to the evangelical counsels, or any private vow or vows, for a stipulated period of time/conditional period of time.  In that sense, private vow or vows could be termed transitional although temporary is more accurate.

One can convert private vows to a higher (objective theological determination) vocational state, but not to a lower state without dispensation from private vows. A lower state would be one that does not ask celibacy as private vows to the evangelical counsels asks.

To read a fairly comprehensive commentary on Vows both Public and Private in The Church, go to: https://www.franciscanpenancelibrary.com/vows   It is based on Canon Law and quotes Canon Law, and Canon Law can be a real minefield of complexities, one clause qualified by another and that by another.

Public and Private vows or promises are theological Canon Law terms in this instance.

I am hoping any Canon Lawyer members will read and correct where I may be mistaken. Still got my L Plates and will have them until death for sure. I am the perpetual novice in all things.

Images I have posted are generalities only, not personal.  They relate to the subject of vocation in a general sense. 

25 minutes ago, Faustina86 said:

I’m not a big Typer lol. 

Now I am severely physically disabled and retired at 74 years of age, I have time plus on my hands and restricted in what I can do - typing is a sit on the rear type of matter as is reading and study.  These have opened a new world and direction for me.   In my working life I was a private secretary in the days of manual and then electric typewriters.  No internet and conference calls, which could only be done on a telex machine.  No emails, rather letter or telegram, telex.  Nowadays with the young ones, they would have no idea what I was talking about in the main.

[Faustina86]

10 minutes ago, BarbaraTherese said:

read a fairly comprehensive commentary on Vows both Public and Private in The Church, go to: https://www.franciscanpenancelibrary.com/vows   It is based on Canon Law and quotes Canon Law, and Canon Law can be a real minefield of complexities, one clause qualified by another and that by another.

I have read something like this before maybe even from this site anyways thanks for sharing. ☺️

[Guest]

1 hour ago, BarbaraTherese said:

Since private vows has come up, I just would like to round things off if I can.

I am confident I was the one who first raised the subject of private vows.

Just as another point.  I have made private vows to the evangelical counsels.  In my own rule of life, it is stipulated that if I have an episode of bipolar, the vows are temporarily suspended. It is a condition in my rule of life. During an episode I might not know what is up or down nor sidewards.  Confusions abound - memory is worse! mood with anxiety can be all over the place   Common sense dictated my conditional clause.  

Believe it or not I am anxious to get off the subject of private vows yet want to ensure I have said it all since I raised the subject and continue it.

[Guest]

                              

If I have anything more to say about private vows, I will do what I should have done - start a thread in Open Mic.

[Faustina86]

10 hours ago, BarbaraTherese said:

                              

If I have anything more to say about private vows, I will do what I should have done - start a thread in Open Mic.

Well BarbaraTherese, thanks for for sharing. I did start this thread to help make known the somewhat under appreciated Secular institute vocation in church and to share information with each other. So yes this is mainly for information or sharing on Secular Institutes. But appreciate any thoughts someone feels like sharing on vocation.☺️

[Faustina86]

Provida Mater Ecclesia was a revolutionary ges- ture in the Church. Secular institutes are themselves an act of courage that the Church made at that moment; giving a structure and institutionalize the Secular Institutes.
And from that time up to now, the good you do for the Church is very great; it is done with courage, for one needs great courage to live in the world.
Many of you live alone, others in small communities. Every day you live the normal life of a person in the world, and, at the same time, nurture contemplation. This contemplative dimension toward the Lord as well as in relation to the world: to contemplate reality, to contemplate the beauties of the world as well as the great sins of socie- ty, its deviations; all these things, and always in a spiritual tension....
This is why your vocation is so fascinating, because it is a vocation which is spot on, where the salvation not only of people but of the institutions are at stake. And a great many lay institutions are necessary in the world. That is why I think that Provida Mater Ecclesia was a truly revolutionary step for the Church!
Pope Francis

[GraceUk]

Whats the difference between an Oblate and a member of a tertiary order. I know Oblates are usually attached to a particular monastery. But do they take vows or make promises. I tried to find out on the internet but not much success. Thanks.

[Faustina86]

8 hours ago, GraceUk said:

Whats the difference between an Oblate and a member of a tertiary order. I know Oblates are usually attached to a particular monastery. But do they take vows or make promises. I tried to find out on the internet but not much success. Thanks.

Hi GraceUk,

I don’t know in depth about “third orders”(tertiary orders) Secular institutes are a form of consecrated life which take vows/sacred bonds of celibate-chastity, poverty and obedience. A tertiary order (secular order) do not, they usually make promises to live out the spirit of the evangelical counsels but not in a material way in that it does not affect their state in life single or married. So for an example they would live out the promise of chastity according to their state in life. And live according to the spirituality of their order like Franciscan, Carmelite, Dominican or Benedictine. I don’t really know much of a difference with the term oblate. I know Benedictines have Benedictine oblates. I think the lifestyle is similar to any other third order except the Benedictines allow non-Catholics to follow the Benedictine rule of life. All secular  orders are slightly different from each other in their way of life, Carmelites are stricter than Franciscans. I discerned with the secular  Carmelites before I discerned into a form of consecrated life. 

[GraceUk]

Thanks very much for explaining Faustina. I think it's good we are finding out more about these various groups.  I had heard of Caritas Christi but didn't know what they did. I've never heard of the Leven only the third order Carmelites.So I've done a bit of reading. I hope everyone is well in those difficult times.

[Faustina86]

8 minutes ago, GraceUk said:

I had heard of Caritas Christi but didn't know what they did.

Here is a little information about Caritas Christi:

Caritas Christi, Secular Institute of Pontifical Right Founded in Marseilles, France, in 1937 by Fr. Joseph-Marie Perrin, OP, and Juliette Molland, Caritas Christi is now one of the largest secular institutes for single women in the United States and has members in over thirty countries. The purpose of Caritas Christi is to form and give to the Church contemplative apostolic women who, in every condition of life, strive to live as consecrated Catholics by loving God and making him loved where he has placed them. All members have a sponsor to help them live a life in which God comes first even though they are working in the heart of the world. After three years of initial formation, members take a vow of celibate chastity and promises of poverty and obedience at a first dedication, followed by a definitive dedication five years later. 

“A laywoman herself, St Catherine of Siena’s life was the inspiration used by the founders of Caritas Christi. What attracted them to this Dominican Saint was her desire to live in the world for the service of the Church. She was chosen by God to offer herself for the Church as well as for all those who would follow her."
 

Yes these are some difficult times not being able to go to daily mass to receive Jesus in the Eucharist being one of the difficulties. But Jesus is suffering with us and we need to pray for all those affected and suffering. Thanks for your message I hope you’re doing well. 

[Faustina86]

Secular Consecration

Consecrated Life is expressed through the profession of the evangelical counsels. In fact, the way of the evangelical counsels leads to a way of life which allows one to offer one’s being and

Baptismal identity for the service and honour of God. The Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata highlighted the fact that it is a gift of God and that its evangelical foundation lies in the special relationship that Jesus established during his earthly life with some of his disciples, inviting them not only to welcome the Kingdom of God in their life, but also to put themselves at the service of this cause, leaving everything behind them and imitate His way of life. Taking up such a form of life is only possible thanks to a specific vocation and thanks to a particular gift of the Spirit. Therefore, this special sequela of Christ, which always originates as the Father’s initiative, has an essential Christological and Pneumatological characteristic, thus expressing in a most vivid way the Trinitarian character of Christian life, which in some way anticipates the eschatological fulfillment toward which the whole Church tends.

Therefore, secular consecration is a form of Consecrated Life in the full sense. It is in no way something that lies halfway between the religious consecration and the Baptismal consecration. Essentially, Consecrated Life in a Secular Institute is not only an internal consecration to God, but also an external one, coram ecclesia, in an institution approved by the Church. With the profession of the evangelical counsels, lived out daily, the individual members place themselves within history like a seed of new horizons and an anticipation of the communion between God and humanity.

Membership in a Secular Institute, which is approved by a Bishop or the Holy See, entails a choice that involves all the dimensions of human existence, and one which lasts all life (independently from the type of incorporation defined in the Constitutions); it is a commitment to follow Christ, embracing the lifestyle which the Institute prescribes.

A fundamental relationship is established between the Institute and the individual member precisely because the latter’s is not an individual consecration, but a vocation to share and incarnate a charism recognized as an ecclesial good. The Institute is a fraternity which helps its members to live their vocation; it is the place of formation and communion; it provides a concrete help to persevere in one’s vocation. On their part, each consecrated man and woman, by incarnating the rule of life, expresses that vital gift which the Spirit gave to the Church.

 

Consecrated Secularity

It is in the light of the Revelation that the world appears as saeculum: in life, however, there is no such thing as a space for the sacred and another for the profane; a time for God and a time for the small or big events of history. The world and history are a “salvation history”, and therefore, the members of the Institutes live as contemplatives in the world, close to the others, sharing all events with the trust and hope that come from a fundamental relationship with the God of history.

This means that “remaining” in the world is the fruit of a choice, a response to a specific calling: to take up this dimension of ‘staying within’, to be close to the others, and to look upon the world as a theological reality in which the historical and the eschatological dimensions are intertwined. This entails a high degree of that human quality which is so much evoked, that is, the capacity to “co-participate”. A responsible and generous “co-participation”.

-Living within-

Co-participation may be defined by a simpler expression, and this is “knowing how to live within”:

– within the heart: that is, within the whole gamut of affections, sentiments, emotions and reactions which form part of inter-personal relationships and of that cohabitation which is our daily life;

– within the home: knowing about familial problems and suffer because of them, births and deaths; sickness and housing; shopping, relation- ships within an apartment block;

-within the structures:that is,in the difficulties caused by contradictions, in the temptations

of acting against one’s conscience, in the melee of rivalries;

– within the situations: through a continuous commitment to discernment, through the perplexities of choices, the sufferings and lacerations;

– within history: that is, by taking up economic, political and social responsibilities; by being alert to the ‘signs of the times’, by sharing common risks, through the arduous commitment of hope.

Quoted from: 

CONSECRATION AND SECULARITY
Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church regarding the Secular Institutes 2018

Edited March 28, 2020 by Faustina86

[Faustina86]

Magnificat Magazine: Meditation of The Day

March 25th- Solemnity of The Annunciation 

“Be it done to me”

The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, above all, when this heart is pure and spotless. The words of Christ are truly words of eternal life, filled with inexhaustible light and fruitfulness. Those of the Blessed Virgin reflect something of this fullness. There is no doubt that her response to the message of the Angel Gabriel is her greatest word. It is the sublime revelation of the Immaculate Heart….

Mary has heard. She believes. She is aware of the mystery which has been revealed to her. All eyes in heaven and on earth are turned in her direction…. Mary senses the expectation of the Archangel, or rather of the God who sent him. She hears the groanings of humanity resounding in her heart, that humanity which is enslaved by sin and burdened with sorrow. Her soul expands with the breath of hope which, for centuries, has given life to her people. She is, as it were, buoyed up by the desires and hopes of all the patriarchs and prophets, but at the same time, astonished at the prospect of such a destiny and its fearsome responsibility….

And Mary answers: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. It is as if she said to God: “I am completely yours; use me for whatever your heart desires.” These are sublime words whose simplicity contains more wisdom than the whole angelic world! It is an act so great and so decisive that its consequences will be endless. Be it done to me according to thy word, the humble Virgin whispers, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And this living Word embodies the grace of redemption and all the sanctity of the Church. It will mean for all people unending union with him in his Father.

Father Joseph-Marie Perrin, o.p.

Father Perrin († 2002) was a French Dominican priest, the founder of the secular institute Caritas Christi, 

[OneHeart]

On 3/28/2020 at 10:16 AM, Faustina86 said:

Secular Consecration

Consecrated Life is expressed through the profession of the evangelical counsels. In fact, the way of the evangelical counsels leads to a way of life which allows one to offer one’s being and

Baptismal identity for the service and honour of God. The Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata highlighted the fact that it is a gift of God and that its evangelical foundation lies in the special relationship that Jesus established during his earthly life with some of his disciples, inviting them not only to welcome the Kingdom of God in their life, but also to put themselves at the service of this cause, leaving everything behind them and imitate His way of life. Taking up such a form of life is only possible thanks to a specific vocation and thanks to a particular gift of the Spirit. Therefore, this special sequela of Christ, which always originates as the Father’s initiative, has an essential Christological and Pneumatological characteristic, thus expressing in a most vivid way the Trinitarian character of Christian life, which in some way anticipates the eschatological fulfillment toward which the whole Church tends.

Therefore, secular consecration is a form of Consecrated Life in the full sense. It is in no way something that lies halfway between the religious consecration and the Baptismal consecration. Essentially, Consecrated Life in a Secular Institute is not only an internal consecration to God, but also an external one, coram ecclesia, in an institution approved by the Church. With the profession of the evangelical counsels, lived out daily, the individual members place themselves within history like a seed of new horizons and an anticipation of the communion between God and humanity.

Membership in a Secular Institute, which is approved by a Bishop or the Holy See, entails a choice that involves all the dimensions of human existence, and one which lasts all life (independently from the type of incorporation defined in the Constitutions); it is a commitment to follow Christ, embracing the lifestyle which the Institute prescribes.

A fundamental relationship is established between the Institute and the individual member precisely because the latter’s is not an individual consecration, but a vocation to share and incarnate a charism recognized as an ecclesial good. The Institute is a fraternity which helps its members to live their vocation; it is the place of formation and communion; it provides a concrete help to persevere in one’s vocation. On their part, each consecrated man and woman, by incarnating the rule of life, expresses that vital gift which the Spirit gave to the Church.

 

Consecrated Secularity

It is in the light of the Revelation that the world appears as saeculum: in life, however, there is no such thing as a space for the sacred and another for the profane; a time for God and a time for the small or big events of history. The world and history are a “salvation history”, and therefore, the members of the Institutes live as contemplatives in the world, close to the others, sharing all events with the trust and hope that come from a fundamental relationship with the God of history.

This means that “remaining” in the world is the fruit of a choice, a response to a specific calling: to take up this dimension of ‘staying within’, to be close to the others, and to look upon the world as a theological reality in which the historical and the eschatological dimensions are intertwined. This entails a high degree of that human quality which is so much evoked, that is, the capacity to “co-participate”. A responsible and generous “co-participation”.

-Living within-

Co-participation may be defined by a simpler expression, and this is “knowing how to live within”:

– within the heart: that is, within the whole gamut of affections, sentiments, emotions and reactions which form part of inter-personal relationships and of that cohabitation which is our daily life;

– within the home: knowing about familial problems and suffer because of them, births and deaths; sickness and housing; shopping, relation- ships within an apartment block;

-within the structures:that is,in the difficulties caused by contradictions, in the temptations

of acting against one’s conscience, in the melee of rivalries;

– within the situations: through a continuous commitment to discernment, through the perplexities of choices, the sufferings and lacerations;

– within history: that is, by taking up economic, political and social responsibilities; by being alert to the ‘signs of the times’, by sharing common risks, through the arduous commitment of hope.

Quoted from: 

CONSECRATION AND SECULARITY
Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church regarding the Secular Institutes 2018

If consecration is expressed by profession of the Evangelical council's, and in OCDS one can make a vow to follow the Evangelical council's, then how is this not a consecration, the same as in a secular institute. Indeed, I have even heard the third order referred to as a secular "institution" in the Church. How are these third orders not the original secular institutes? 

I am so confused.  My OCDS president said that "the vows are really no different than the promises" and I wonder if things have gotten so watered down in the third order as to cause confusion. Were these (third order) institutions the old ways that the church offered to people who felt called to consecration but not to religious community,but that that is getting lost in the structure of the Church now? And are "secular Institutes" popping up to fill the need (nature abhors a vacuum) for a secular consecration?

If I make vows in OCDS, how am I not consecrated?

 

This is not simply an academic question. I'm really trying to discern where God is calling me to be. In prayer, I hear the Lord saying "give yourself to me." And "consecration".  That's what I'm trying to follow. I visited a community and we all liked each other and I almost entered, because I concluded that a community is the usual, and sensible, place to become and live consecrated.  But circumstances seem to prevent that now, and I've realized that "community" is something that *I've* added to "consecration" and so maybe that's not what God is saying - it's my own interpretation.  So I'm trying to find "consecrations" without "community".

I think there is OCDS, or third orders, secular institutes, had bring a hermit. The later seems absurd since I have no experience in religious life and that's kinda recommended for someone who wants to be a hermit. Soon left with third orders and secular institutes.

I think the Lord wants me to be consecrated, and live a life of prayer and penance. That's what I'm hearing from prayer.  I'm doing the best I can right now, but where is consecration?  How do I give myself in a concretized way to Him?  That's what He is asking, I think.

And yes, I know I already have baptism, and I also know I can offer myself to Him individually and I do that as best I can on a daily basis.  But I think it needs to be concretized.  Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Concretely.

That's why I'm asking these questions. Thanks.

[beatitude]

2 hours ago, OneHeart said:

If consecration is expressed by profession of the Evangelical council's, and in OCDS one can make a vow to follow the Evangelical council's, then how is this not a consecration, the same as in a secular institute. Indeed, I have even heard the third order referred to as a secular "institution" in the Church. How are these third orders not the original secular institutes?

Married people can become members of the OCDS. (Couples are called to live chastely too, which in their case would mean being faithful to their spouses.) Marriage would be their vocation, and membership of the OCDS would be an expression of their spirituality, whereas members of secular institutes have received a call to live in celibacy. The consecrated single life is their vocation.

[Faustina86]

23 minutes ago, beatitude said:

Married people can become members of the OCDS. (Couples are called to live chastely too, which in their case would mean being faithful to their spouses.) Marriage would be their vocation, and membership of the OCDS would be an expression of their spirituality, whereas members of secular institutes have received a call to live in celibacy. The consecrated single life is their vocation.

Thank you Beatitude, I think you explained the difference simply and to the point because I can see how can be confusing. 

[Faustina86]

4 hours ago, OneHeart said:

If consecration is expressed by profession of the Evangelical council's, and in OCDS one can make a vow to follow the Evangelical council's, then how is this not a consecration, the same as in a secular institute. Indeed, I have even heard the third order referred to as a secular "institution" in the Church. How are these third orders not the original secular institutes? 

I am so confused.  My OCDS president said that "the vows are really no different than the promises" and I wonder if things have gotten so watered down in the third order as to cause confusion. Were these (third order) institutions the old ways that the church offered to people who felt called to consecration but not to religious community,but that that is getting lost in the structure of the Church now? And are "secular Institutes" popping up to fill the need (nature abhors a vacuum) for a secular consecration?

If I make vows in OCDS, how am I not consecrated?

 

This is not simply an academic question. I'm really trying to discern where God is calling me to be. In prayer, I hear the Lord saying "give yourself to me." And "consecration".  That's what I'm trying to follow. I visited a community and we all liked each other and I almost entered, because I concluded that a community is the usual, and sensible, place to become and live consecrated.  But circumstances seem to prevent that now, and I've realized that "community" is something that *I've* added to "consecration" and so maybe that's not what God is saying - it's my own interpretation.  So I'm trying to find "consecrations" without "community".

I think there is OCDS, or third orders, secular institutes, had bring a hermit. The later seems absurd since I have no experience in religious life and that's kinda recommended for someone who wants to be a hermit. Soon left with third orders and secular institutes.

I think the Lord wants me to be consecrated, and live a life of prayer and penance. That's what I'm hearing from prayer.  I'm doing the best I can right now, but where is consecration?  How do I give myself in a concretized way to Him?  That's what He is asking, I think.

And yes, I know I already have baptism, and I also know I can offer myself to Him individually and I do that as best I can on a daily basis.  But I think it needs to be concretized.  Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Concretely.

That's why I'm asking these questions. Thanks.

Hi OneHeart,

You have a lot of good questions and there’s a lot to unpack here, I will try to answer some of this to the best of my ability.

”Were these (third order) institutions the old ways that the church offered to people who felt called to consecration but not to religious community,but that that is getting lost in the structure of the Church now?”

No, to the best of my knowledge “Third Orders” were never never a form of what’s now called “Consecrated Life”. They were a way for the laity to practice a religious spirituality and rule life in their vocation as married or single. It was an “addition” to their already vocation. We are all called to holiness and our vocation is what helps achieve holiness and The Church gives us “means” to grow in holiness. Third Orders are a vocation but they are not a “main” vocation: marriage or religious/Consecrated Life or single life. 

 “And are "secular Institutes" popping up to fill the need (nature abhors a vacuum) for a secular consecration?”

Secular Institutes are in themselves their own unique vocation fashioned by Holy Spirit and are not in anyway an updated form of Third Orders. Secular institutes were formally recognized by The Church as form of Consecrated Life in 1947 but their roots go back much further than that- The Company of St. Ursula, founded by St. Angela Merici in 1535- women dedicated to Christ living in the world-papal recognition in 1546. Our purpose as members of Secular Institutes is to sanctify the world within by living in the heart of it among everyone else.

“If I make vows in OCDS, how am I not Consecrated?”

The simplest answer is no because the “promises” made in a Third Order are in spirit of the Evangelical Counsels and not material. Even the “vow” of chastity in OCDS does not change your state in life- you could still could get married one day. Secular institutes although not Religious Institutes do involve a full profession of the evangelical counsels. They make a total donation of self to God in service of The Church and take a vow of celibate-chastity.

I wanted to take the time to type this out and answer some your questions. But it sounds like you have a lot of discerning to do and how you might be called to give yourself totally to God. All forms of Consecrated Life are beautifully unique and none of them are less than each other. I have a genuine respect for consecrated virgins who are the first brides of Christ. And religious who give up normal life to follow a strict self giving life in community. 
 

I suggest you continue researching the different forms and even consider taking a “private” vow if God isn’t calling you to these forms consecrated life. There is a book that talks specifically about “dedicated singleness” which is not a form of consecrated life but it is a vocation, the book is called: “single for a greater purpose”

The quote on the bottom is from an exhortation by St. Pope JPII called “Vita Consecrata” which talks about consecrated life, the different forms and their purpose in the church in the world. If you want to read the full thing here’s the link: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031996_vita-consecrata.html

Secular Institutes:

The Holy Spirit, who wondrously fashions the variety of charisms, has given rise in our time to new expressions of consecrated life, which appear as a providential response to the new needs encountered by the Church today as she carries out her mission in the world.

One thinks in the first place of members of Secular Institutes seeking to live out their consecration to God in the world through the profession of the evangelical counsels in the midst of temporal realities; they wish in this way to be a leaven of wisdom and a witness of grace within cultural, economic and political life. Through their own specific blending of presence in the world and consecration, they seek to make present in society the newness and power of Christ's Kingdom, striving to transfigure the world from within by the power of the Beatitudes. In this way, while they belong completely to God and are thus fully consecrated to his service, their activity in the ordinary life of the world contributes, by the power of the Spirit, to shedding the light of the Gospel on temporal realities. Secular Institutes, each in accordance with its specific nature, thus help to ensure that the Church has an effective presence in society. valuable role is also played by Clerical Secular Institutes, in which priests who belong to the diocesan clergy, even when some of them are recognized as being incardinated in the Institute, consecrate themselves to Christ through the practice of the evangelical counsels in accordance with a specific charism. They discover in the spiritual riches of the Institute to which they belong great help for living more deeply the spirituality proper to the priesthood and thus they are enabled to be a leaven of communion and apostolic generosity among their fellow clergy.

—St. Pope John Paul II: Vita Consecrata 

 

Anyway, praying for your discernment. I hope I at least answered some of your questions. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Faustina86

[Faustina86]

A recent article highlighting “Consecrated Secularity”. Personal quotes from members of several Secular Institutes: Apostolic Oblates, Caritas Christi, DeSales Secular Institute and Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. Feb. 3 2020

https://www.rcbo.org/community-story/lives-of-holiness/

[Faustina86]

A Prayer For us All

’Lord, I’m not praying for miracles and visions, I’m only asking for strength for my days. Teach me the art of small steps.
Make me clever and resourceful, so that I can find important discoveries and experiences among the diversity of days.
Help me use my time better. Present me with the sense to be able to judge whether something is important or not.
I pray for the power of discipline and moderation, not only to run throughout my life, but also to live my days reasonably, and observe unexpected pleasures and heights.
Save me from the naive belief that everything in life has to go smoothly. Give me the sober recognition that difficulties, failures, fiascos, and setbacks are given to us by life itself to make us grow and mature.
Send me the right person at the right moment, who will have enough courage and love to utter the truth!
I know that many problems solve themselves, so please teach me patience.
You know how much we need friendship. Make me worthy of this nicest, hardest, riskiest and most fragile gift of life.
Give me enough imagination to be able to share with someone a little bit of warmth, in the right place, at the right time, with words or with silence.
Spare me the fear of missing out on life.
Do not give me the things I desire, but the things I need.
Teach me the art of small steps!’
Amen. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry