PREFACE
A constant feature of the life of the Church
The burgeoning of associations of the laity, which are
such a typical feature of the contemporary Church, is by no
means unprecedented in the Church’s history. As John Paul II
has said, across the centuries "we have constantly seen the
phenomenon of groups of varying sizes being spontaneously
urged on to join together, driven by a mysterious prompting
of the Holy Spirit, to pursue specific charitable or
spiritual purposes to meet particular needs of the Church in
their time and also to cooperate in her essential and
permanent mission".( 1) Even a cursory
glance at the history of the Church reveals the magnitude of
the work performed by these associations at crucial moments
in its existence, and the wealth of charisms generated in
all ages by lay movements created for the renewal of the
Christian life. The development of monasticism in the first
millennium, and the emergence of the mendicant Orders in the
13th century stand as evidence of the work of the laity. In
the 16th century, before and after the Council of Trent, in
the wake of Church reform, a vast network of lay
associations was created, in which a leading part was played
by the Confraternities, Oratories and the Marian
Congregations.
The latter half of the 19th century saw the founding of
the Vincentian Conferences by Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, the
Union of Catholic Apostolate by St Vincent Pallotti,
educational initiatives by St John Bosco, and social work by
Blessed Adolph Kolping, to mention but a few of the many
society-oriented associations that were established in that
period, and which were to flow into the Catholic movement of
social and welfare organisations which Leo XIII did so much
to encourage.
It was also in that period that Catholic Action was
founded. It went on to flourish, particularly during the
Pontificate of Pius XI, and from it specialised associations
of Catholics emerged to address specific age groups and
environments. In the first few decades of the 20th century
numerous Catholic international organisations gradually
spread throughout the world, covering vast areas of action —
the family, the professions, education, culture, politics,
the media, charitable work and human development.
More recently, giving renewed vigour to the Church’s
acknowledgement of the dignity and responsibility of all
Christians by virtue of their baptism, Vatican II not only
gave a powerful impetus to the whole universe of lay
associations, but also to the emergence of new charisms and
new forms of associations going by the name of ’ecclesial
movements’ and ’new communities’. (2) In
Christifideles Laici, written 20 years after the
Council, it is precisely this to which John Paul II was
referring when he wrote that, "the phenomenon of lay people
associating among themselves has taken on a character of
particular variety and vitality [heralding in] a new era
of group endeavours [in which] alongside the traditional
forming of associations, and at times coming from their very
roots, movements and new sodalities have sprouted, with a
specific feature and purpose [...] so great is the capacity
of initiative and the generosity of our lay people".(3)
The Pope sees these movements as one
of the most significant fruits of the new springtime of the
Church that burgeoned with the Second Vatican Council, and
as "a motive of hope for the Church and for humanity" today,(4)
a work of the Spirit that makes the
Church a stream of new life flowing through the history of
mankind. In our increasingly secularised world, in which the
faith of many is sorely tested, and is frequently stifled
and dies, the movements and the new ecclesial communities,
which are bearers of unexpected and powerful newness, are
"the response, given by the Holy Spirit, to this critical
challenge at the end of the millennium, [a] providential
response".(5)
As
John Paul II sees it, the lay associations in the Church are
opening up a phase that is rich in expectations and hopes.
The importance of lay associations in the mission of
the Church
In the light of the Church’s renewed self-awareness as
the mystery of missionary communion, Vatican II - after
urging the lay faithful to remember that the individual
apostolate is unique and "admits of no substitute" as the "origin
and condition of the whole lay apostolate",( 6)
- went on to emphasise the importance of
organised forms of lay apostolate(7) which are not only consistent with the social nature of the
human person, but "at the same time signify the communion
and unity of the Church in Christ".(8)
Pointing out that "the associations
established for carrying on the apostolate in common sustain
their members, form them for the apostolate, and... much
better results can be expected than if each member were to
act on his own," the Council went on to say that, "in view
of the progress of social institutions and the fast-moving
pace of modern society, the global nature of the Church’s
mission requires that apostolic enterprises of Catholics
should more and more develop organised forms in the
international sphere".(9)
These have to be strengthened not only
because they "can contribute in many ways to the building up
of a peaceful and fraternal community of nations", but also
because they help to "form an awareness of genuine universal
solidarity and responsibility".(10)
In the section of the Code of Canon Law dealing with
associations of the faithful, a distinction is made between
public associations and private associations, and conditions
are laid down for their recognition or erection;( 11)
it confirms that "Christ’s faithful
may freely establish and direct associations which serve
charitable or pious purposes or which foster the Christian
vocation in the world".(12)
Here, the Code is reiterating the teaching of
Vatican II, which explicitly states that, "Maintaining the
proper relationship to Church authorities, the laity have
the right to found and control such associations and to join
those already existing."(13)
This right and the resultant freedom to form
and join associations do not depend on the benevolence of
the Pastors, but are rooted in the nature of the human
person and stem from the ontological reality of the
sacrament of baptism which creates a fundamental equality
between all the members of the people of God as "new
creatures" (cf 2 Cor 5:17), grafted onto Christ and
animated by the Holy Spirit. It is precisely by virtue of
their right as baptised Christians, that this freedom is
exercised in harmony with the ecclesiology of communion
referred to in Christifideles Laici, which presents
the Church as an organic communion of vocations, ministries,
services, charisms and responsibilities in all their
diversity and complementarity.(14) And
this freedom must be exercised under the paternal oversight
of the Pastors, who have the responsibility of discerning
charisms and recognising or erecting the associations of the
faithful.
On many occasions, John Paul II made it clear that "there
is no conflict or opposition in the Church between the institutional dimension
and the charismatic
dimension, of which the movements are a significant
expression. Both are co-essential to the divine constitution
of the Church founded by Jesus, because they both help to
make the mystery of Christ and his saving grace present in
the world."( 15)
Charisms are gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church to
make it ever more able to perform its mission in the world,
and should therefore be welcomed with gratitude, and
accompanied and helped to develop.( 16)
The canonical recognition that they
officially receive from the Church authorities confirms the
validity of what they offer the faithful as a genuine means
of moving forward towards the holiness of personal and
community life. It is for this reason that discernment and
recognition must take place in the light of the clear "criteria
of ecclesiality" which are listed in Christifideles
Laici. It might be useful to recall briefly at this
point: "the primacy given to the call of every Christian to
holiness, the responsibility of professing the Catholic
faith, the witness to a strong and authentic communion with
the Successor of St Peter and the local Bishop, and a
commitment to a presence in human society".(17)
These criteria - which "find their
verification in the actual fruits that various group
forms show in their organisational life and the works they
perform",(18) -
are essential guidelines for the work of discernment
performed by the Pastors, and are valuable signposts to be
followed by associations and movements, which are
significantly urged by the Pope to set out along the path of
"ecclesial maturity".(19)
The nature and purpose of this Directory
The Directory is a response to the invitation extended by
John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Christifideles Laici
to draw up a list of associations
which have received the "official recognition and explicit
approval" of the Holy See.( 20)
Considering the wealth of charisms and
different forms that associations of the laity have in
today’s Church, in its response to the Holy Father’s request,
the Pontifical Council for the Laity worked on the idea of
publishing a Directory of the international associations of
the faithful, to present a general picture as
comprehensively as possible, and based on the latest data at
its disposal, of the phenomenon of associations throughout
the vast and varied world of the Catholic laity.
It was in April 2000 that the Pontifical Council began by
sending a form to all the international associations of the
faithful in contact with it, to be used as the blueprint for
submitting information on what they are and what they do.
All the forms that were submitted, in different ways and at
different times, by the associations who responded to this
request were carefully examined and the information was
painstakingly extracted to ensure uniformity in the way the
data would be set out, but also in many cases it was
necessary to ask for clarifications, explanations and
missing data. Particular care has been taken to spell out
the charisms at the origin of the associations listed in the
Directory, always seeking to safeguard the concepts and
keywords that characterise their particular experiences.
This Directory, which contains 122 associations of the
faithful, is the first publication by the Pontifical Council
for the Laity in which such a full and systematic treatment
has been given to the associations in the contemporary lay
Catholic world.( 21) In view of the
great variety of different types of associations, and their
differing legal status and statutes, it must be borne in
mind that this Directory lists associations - distinct from
Institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic
life - that have an international spread and in which "the
Christian faithful, whether clerics, lay persons, or clerics
and lay persons together, strive in a common endeavour to
foster a more perfect life, to promote public worship or
Christian doctrine, or to exercise other works of the
apostolate such as initiatives of evangelization, works of
piety or charity, and those which animate the temporal order
with a Christian spirit".(22)
It also lists international associations with
a particular ecumenical and/or interfaith vocation in which
the Catholic component prevails. But it does not list any of
the associations which, while in contact with the Pontifical
Council for the Laity, are juridically dependent on other
Departments of the Roman Curia (such as the Congregation for
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic
Life, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for
the Evangelisation of Peoples), and those which work
exclusively in the diocesan or national environment.
Each of the associations listed in this volume has a
section to itself, giving its official name, any commonly
used name and acronym (and whenever necessary, the
name in the original language on which the acronym is based),
the year of foundation, a short historical background,
their identity, organisation, dissemination, works,
publications, web sites and the addresses of their head
offices, and their logos. Where no data has been submitted,
the relevant items have been omitted. The addresses of the
head offices given here are those of the members of the
teams of officials who are periodically renewed; when the
Directory is eventually published, some may therefore no
longer be valid. In these cases, the web sites of the
associations may be useful. The associations are listed in
alphabetical order of their official names in English except
in rare cases where translation would not be appropriate.
Considering the pace at which the associations are changing
and developing, this Directory will have to be periodically
updated.
This Directory of the associations of the faithful is
designed to be a resource on which the pastors of the Church
can draw to find useful information when first coming into
contact with any particular lay association, and as a
practical tool to assist them in the performance of their
ministry; it is also designed for the associations of the
faithful themselves, as a stimulus to become better
acquainted with one another in a spirit of ecclesial
communion; and lastly it is for all those who wish to find
out more about the world of Catholic lay associations, to
study it more closely.
Reiterating the urgent need for a new evangelisation,
John Paul II constantly referred to the role of "forms of
association, whether of the more traditional kind or the
newer ecclesial movements, which continue to give the Church
a vitality that is God’s gift". (23)
The Pontifical Council for the Laity
is confident that the Directory will help to bear testimony
to this.
Stanislaw Rylko Titular Archbishop of Novica
President of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity
1 JOHN PAUL II, speaking to the Ecclesial Movements
attending the II International Colloquium, original version
in "Insegnamenti", X, 1 (1987), 477.
2 Cf. H. JEDIN (a cura di) Storia della Chiesa,
Jaca Book, Milano 1992-1995; A. FLICHE-V. MARTIN, (a cura
di), Storia della Chiesa, Edizione Paoline, Torino
1957-1991; F. GONZÁLEZ-FERNÁNDEZ, I movimenti. Dalla
Chiesa degli apostoli a oggi, BUR, Milano 2000; J.
RATZINGER, The Ecclesial Movements: A Theological
Reflection on Their Place in the Church, in Movements
in the Church, Pontificium Consilium pro Laicis, Città
del Vaticano 1999, 23-51.
3 JOHN PAUL II, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici, no. 29.
4 JOHN PAUL II, Homily on the Vigil of Pentecost, original version in "Insegnamenti", XIX, 1 (1996), 1373.
5 JOHN PAUL II, Address on the Occasion of the Meeting
with Ecclesial Movements and New Communities at the Vigil of
Pentecost, in Movements in the Church, op. cit.,
223.
6 SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree on The Apostolate of the
Laity Apostolicamb Actuositatem, no. 16.
7 Cf. Ibid., nos. 18-21.
8 Ibid., no. 18.
9 Ibid., no. 19.
10 Cf. SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, no.
90.
11 Cf. Code of Canon Law, cann. 298-329.
12 Ibid., can. 215; cfr. Code of Canons for the
Eastern Churches, can. 18.
13 SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, Decree on the Apostolate of
the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem, no. 19.
14 JOHN PAUL II, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, no. 20.
15 JOHN PAUL II, Message to Participants in the World
Congress of the Ecclesial Movements, in Movements in
the Church, op. cit., 18-19.
16 Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris
Missio, no. 72.
17 JOHN PAUL II, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, no. 30.
18 Ibid.
19 JOHN PAUL II, Address on the Occasion of the
Meeting with Ecclesial Movements and New Communities at the
Vigil of Pentecost, in Movements in the Church,
op. cit., 222.
20 Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, no 31.
21 In 1973 the Consilium de Laicis published "The
Catholic International Organisations (CIO)" in its Bulletin,
"The Laity Today" no. 13-14, and in 1983 the booklet
entitled "Associations of the Laity. Summary data" which not
only provided information on the CIOs, but also on a number
of lay movements and associations in contact with the
Pontifical Council for the Laity.
22 Code of Canon Law, can. 298 (1).
23 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio
Ineunte, no. 46.
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
ADSIS COMMUNITIES |
ALSO KNOWN AS
|
Adsis |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
The Adsis Communities were founded
in Bilbao, Spain, by Father José Luis Pérez Alvarez.
The members include men and women from all states of
life, and from the beginning it was intended to
provide a community Christian presence among young
people and the poor. On 30 August 1997 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Adsis Communities as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right.
|
IDENTITY |
The Adsis Communities (from the
Latin verb adsum, being present) bear
witness to the loving and liberating presence of God,
particularly in the service of the young and the
poor. Their work takes careful account of different
family, social and cultural situations in which
contemporary men and women live, and is strongly
missionary in character; it is nurtured by an
intense personal and community prayer life that is
reflected in the dimension of fellowship, typical of
this experience. The educational route followed by
the members comprises three stages (calling,
pre-catechumenate, catechumenate, focusing
respectively on formation in the interior life,
formation in community life, and formation in
commitment. The specific areas of activity are
evangelisation and education in the faith for young
people, social work among the marginalised and needy,
animating parishes and pastoral care centres
entrusted by the Bishops to the Adsis Communities. |
ORGANISATION |
The main organs of service and
government of the Adsis Communities are the General Assembly,
which meets every six years
and elects the General Moderator, who is
responsible for the association and represents it in
dealings with the Church and the various Communities;
the General Council, comprising the General
Moderator and eight General Councillors; the General Conference, which is a forum for
meeting, communicating, studying and adopting
resolutions, which meets every six years
midway between one General Assembly and the next.
Membership includes Community Brothers (permanent
members and catechumens); pre-catechumens,
who are undergoing formation as candidates and associates, who do not live the common life and
associate with a community by taking part in its
work in different ways; and volunteers and cooperators. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Adsis Communities have 1500
members, of whom 510 are Community Brothers, present
in seven countries as follows: Europe (2), South
America (5). |
WORKS |
The Adsis Communities manage the
Catholic University of Esmeraldas (Ecuador); a Youth
Ministry Department; Centres for the advancement of
ethnic minorities; vocational training centres for
deprived young people; counselling centres for
migrants; programmes for infants, children and their
families; hospitals and homes for young people;
Development Cooperation programmes; cooperatives for
fair trade and solidarity with Latin America and
Africa. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Comunión Adsis, an annual
magazine; Adsis Cooperación, quarterly; En
la Intemperie, a quarterly publication on the
pastoral care of young people; Cuadernos de
interioridad, a six monthly spirituality
publication; Materiales de formación, a six
monthly formation publication; Voluntariado Adsis,
published quarterly.
|
WEB SITE |
http://www.adsis.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comunidades Adsis c/ Miguel Aracil 54 - 28035 Madrid - Spain Tel. [+34]91.3732595/3732569 - Fax 91.3866462 Email: csendin@adsis.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
AMIGONIAN
COOPERATORS |
ACRONYM |
A.Cs |
ESTABLISHED |
1992 |
HISTORY |
The Amigonian Cooperators was
instituted by the Capuchin Tertiaries (Amigonian
Fathers). Their work among the laity following the
charism of the Capuchin Bishop Luis Amigó y Ferrer
(1854-1934) dates back to 1937. On 8 December 1992,
the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of the Cooperadores Amigonianos as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The identity of the Amigonian
Cooperators, set out in the "Life Project", takes
the form of a commitment to the rehabilitation of
children in conflict with the law and the courts,
and care for young people with deviant attitudes and
who are in a state of material and moral poverty.
The supreme model for the way they live and act is
Jesus, the good Shepherd, who knows and loves all of
his sheep. They learn from our Lady of Sorrows, who
understands and reaches out to all those who suffer,
to understand and to reach out to all those who feel
abandoned. As members of the Franciscan Family, like
St Francis they live a life marked by its simplicity
and charity. |
ORGANISATION |
The Amigonian Cooperators are
organised into local groups, each of which
has its own Council, comprising a President,
Vice President, Secretary, Bursar, one delegate for
every 10 members, and a spiritual Animator. The
supreme governing body of the groups is the General Assembly
made up of all the full members.
The ultimate responsibility for the association,
whose work is coordinated by a General Delegate, is
the Father General of the Congregation of Capuchin
Tertiaries. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Amigonian Cooperators are
present as Capuchin Tertiaries in 20 countries as
follows: Africa (1), Asia (1), Europe (4), North
America (6), and South America (8). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.amigonianos.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Cooperatori Amigoniani c/o Curia Generalizia dei Religiosi Terziari
Cappuccini Via Blumenstihl, 28/36 - 00135 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39] 063055931 - Fax 063057972 Email: tercapcgr@pcn.net |
OFFICIAL NAME
|
APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT OF SCHOENSTATT |
ALSO KNOWN AS
|
Schoenstatt Movement |
ESTABLISHED |
1914 |
HISTORY |
The Apostolic Movement of
Schoenstatt was founded by a young Pallotine priest,
Josef Kentenich (1885-1968) who was given the
pastoral care of a student house at Schoenstatt,
near Koblenz (Germany), in 1912, which has given the
movement its name. In performing his task, Father
Kentenich soon felt the need to combine the truths
of the faith with the needs of the times, and for a
new type of education for the young people entrusted
to his care, springing from the intimate depths of
man, making people free and capable of making
responsible choices. The charter founding the
Movement is called the Covenant of Love which
Fr Kentenich and his students, on 18 October 1914,
sealed with Mary and with the Blessed Trinity in the
shrine chapel, of which there are 180 replicas in
the world today, dedicated to the Mater ter
admirabilis. It is at the shrine that the
students entrust their lives to our Lady, asking her
to make the Chapel a home in which to obtain the grace of welcome,
the grace of interior
transformation, the grace of the mission or fruitful apostolate. This experience was to
become the core of the spirituality of the Movement,
and the Chapel a Marian place of pilgrimage for
millions of people from all over the world. The
Movement was approved by the Church authorities in
1964, and today comprises 20 branches which, with
different forms of commitment, gather together men,
women, families, young people, priests and
consecrated lay persons, in different forms of
commitment. |
IDENTITY |
Faithful to the teachings of the
Founder, the Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt aims
at forming personalities and Christian communities
that are capable of freely supporting God’s plan in
the world in which they live. The formation proposed
by the Movement is based on self-education,
faith in Providence, the pursuit of holiness in daily life, and
readiness and
willingness to be instruments in God’s hands.
The particular purpose of the Movement is the
spiritual renewal of Christians, which is achieved
by promoting educational and religious activities
and social projects, also in cooperation with other
ecclesial movements. |
ORGANISATION |
The Apostolic Movement of
Schoenstatt is spiritually centred on Mary, on the
Founder and on the Shrine of Grace in the place
where it was founded. It is institutionally
subdivided into the following: Pilgrims’ Movement,
Apostolic Leagues without the obligation to
live in community, Apostolic Federations (or
Unions) with a nonlegal obligatory form of
community, Secular Institutes, with the legal
obligation to live in community, forming the core of
the Movement, whose members live the evangelical
counsels radically but without taking vows. All
these branches are legally autonomous. The General Praesidium
has a coordinating role and
is made up of the leading representatives of the
Institutes and Federations, as well as a
representative of the Apostolic Leagues. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Apostolic Movement of
Schoenstatt has about 96,000 members, of whom 4,400
belong to the Institutes and 2,000 to the
Federations, and is present in 42 countries as
follows: Africa (6), Asia (5), Europe (17), North
America (5), and South America (9). About 10,000
people make a pilgrimage every day to one of the
Shrines of the Movement throughout the world. |
WORKS |
The Secular Institutes of the
Movement manage schools, colleges, hospitals and
charitable institutions. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Regnum, a magazine published
three times a year; Basis, published monthly;
Pater Josef Kentenich, a newsletter published
three times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.schoenstatt.de |
HEADQUARTERS |
Apostolische Bewegung von
Schoenstatt Berg Sion, 1 56179 Vallendar - Germany Tel. [+49] 261.65040 - Fax 261.650444 Email: webmaster@schoenstatt.de |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
BREAD OF LIFE
COMMUNITY |
ESTABLISHED |
1976 |
HISTORY |
The "Bread
of Life Community" came into being following the
conversion of a married couple, Pascal and
Marie-Annick Pingault, inspired by the Gospel words,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Lk 4:
18). Together with another couple of friends who had
also undergone a conversion, Bruno and France
Bouchet, they set about fashioning their lives
according to the life of the early Christian
communities, faithful in fraternal communion and
prayer, and keen to proclaim to others the gift they
had received. The experience, which began in Évreux,
spread to various other French dioceses and in 1984
the Community received canonical recognition from
the Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux. |
IDENTITY |
The "Bread
of Life Community" is called to gather a people
around the Blessed Sacrament, embracing all states
of life and vocations (families, unmarried men and
women, consecrated persons, priests and deacons) to
announce and prepare the coming of the Kingdom. The
formation given to the members gives emphasis to the
spiritual dimension, through the daily practice of
the sacraments and reading the Word of God, to the
human dimension, through community life shared with
the poorest, and by developing skills that can be
useful in poor environments and situations of
poverty. |
ORGANISATION |
The "Bread
of Life Community" fraternity is grouped together in
provinces; the provinces are grouped into regions. The
General Council is at the
service of communion and guides the Community. It is
composed of nine members in addition to the Married
Couple who carry overall responsibility. Membership
of the Community comprises consecrated men
and women who take a vow of poverty, chastity and
obedience; companions, including companions
of the future (young men and women between 18 and 25
years of age), child companions, companions of hope
(disabled companions), who may be both internal and
external members and renew their promise every year;
anawim, who consecrate themselves to the
Eucharistic Jesus on Christmas Eve; family
members, who share in the life of the community
as far as it is possible for them to do so. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The "Bread
of Life Community" has several hundred members in 25
countries as follows: Africa (10), Asia (1), Europe
(8), Middle East (1), North America (2), South
America (2), and Oceania (1). |
WORKS |
The "Bread
of Life Community" has set up: schools and
kindergartens; hostels for the homeless; an
association called Faire Route Avec Toi to
support individuals or development projects; Mission Jeune,
for young people wishing to share
the life of the Community or to work in its
missionary activities for a given period of their
life; Évangile et développement, a school to
prepare young people between 18 and 30 years of age
to serve in the missions in developing countries.
They study the social teachings of the Church,
contemporary issues (peace, nonviolence, North-South
relations), health and hygiene and sanitation
standards, and such work as masonry, fruit and
vegetable growing, animal husbandry. Every year the
Community also organises summer camps in Africa,
South America, and Eastern Europe for young people
between 18 and 25 years of age. |
PUBLICATIONS |
A
half-yearly newsletter in French, English, German
and Hungarian. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Communauté
du Pain de Vie 9, Place Verte - 59300 Valenciennes - France Tel. [+33]3.27466627 - Fax 3.27459378 Email: pingault-painvie@yahoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CATHOLIC FRATERNITY OF CHARISMATIC COVENANT
COMMUNITIES AND FELLOWSHIPS |
ALSO KNOWN AS
|
Catholic Fraternity |
ESTABLISHED |
1990 |
HISTORY |
The Catholic Fraternity was created
at the initiative of a number of Catholic
Charismatic Communities belonging to the
International Brotherhood of Communities (IBOC) - an
ecumenical association of largely Catholic
communities - who felt the need to affirm their
identity within Charismatic Renewal, strengthen
their links with the Church and deepen their
communion with the Successor of Peter. A decisive
role was played in its constitution by its first
President, the Australian Brian Smith, and the Texan
Bobbie Kavnar. On 30 November 1990 the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the
Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant
Communities and Fellowships as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Catholic Fraternity is made up
of Catholic Charismatic Communities, and strives to
identify with the saving mission of the Church in
communion with the Pope. This is pursued by
encouraging member communities to remain faithful to
the charisms given to them by the Spirit to build up
and renew the Body of Christ, and helping them to
become more keenly aware of their membership of the
Catholic Church; guaranteeing that they fully comply
with the teaching and the Magisterium of the Church,
particularly with regard to ecclesiology, the
centrality of the sacraments and devotion to our
Lady and the saints; promoting initiatives and
programmes for evangelisation; cooperating with
other ecclesial communities and movements; working
for authentic ecumenism, consistent with the
guidelines of the Catholic Church. |
ORGANISATION |
The Catholic Fraternity is not a
hierarchically structured ecclesial movement, but a
federation of communities and associations,
recognised by their local bishops, which contribute
to building up the one Church of Christ, in respect
for their different charisms. It has no legal
authority over the member communities, but solely
pastoral and spiritual responsibility towards them,
in order to strengthen their Catholic identity. The
representative body is the Council, made up
of the delegates of the member communities, chaired
by the President, meeting at least once every two
years. Within the council there is the Executive,
made up of two representatives from each continent
and delegates of other regions or constituent parts
of Catholic Fraternity. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Catholic Fraternity comprises 51
communities and associations in 14 countries, as
follows: Asia (2), Europe (6), North America (2),
Oceania (1) and South America (3). |
WORKS |
The member communities of the
Catholic Fraternity have established schools of
theology and pastoral work; radio and television
stations for evangelisation; spiritual retreat
houses; educational and catechetical projects for
street children; specific programmes to provide
material and spiritual aid to the elderly,
immigrants, the sick and the unemployed; primary and
secondary schools; homes for the poor; assistance
programmes for prisoners and their families;
programmes to prevent abortion and assist expectant
mothers, and international missions in Africa, Papua
New Guinea, Fiji, Sabah, and Indonesia. The members
are also committed to evangelisation programmes for
young people and young adults in parishes, schools
and universities. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Catholic Fraternity International,
a newsletter published three times a year in
English. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.catholicfraternity.net |
HEADQUARTERS |
The Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant
Communities and Fellowships
Palazzo San Calisto
00120 Vatican City
Tel.: [+39] 06 698 87342 – 06 898 87120
Fax: [+39] 06 698 87190
E-mail: info@catholicfraternity.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CATHOLIC
INTEGRATED COMMUNITY |
ACRONYM |
KIG - (Katholische
Integrierte Gemeinde) |
ESTABLISHED |
1945 |
HISTORY |
The Catholic Integrated Community
was established in Munich in Germany, under the name
"Junger Bund" immediately in the wake of the Second
World War and the tragic events linked to it. Under
the leadership of Herbert and Traudl Wallbrecher, a
group of young people began to reflect on the
reasons why Christians fail to oppose the emergence
of ideologies and dictatorships that sow death, or
to contribute to solving social injustices affecting
men and women; in other words, why baptised
Christians are unable to become a people whose
existence and lifestyle make God’s project for the
world visible. Communities like this would become
the place in which the Christian faith is lived as
history in which we can always play a part, based on
the conviction that God is acting among us today as
he did at the time of Abraham. In 1968 the group
changed its name to "Integrated community", and in
1996 it was given its present name. It was approved
in 1978 by the Archbishop of Paderborn and
recognised that same year by the then Archbishop of
Munich and Freising Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. |
IDENTITY |
In a world estranged from God and
where people no longer believe in his saving
presence in history, KIG sets out to retrace the
biblical experience of the covenant between God and
his people and to recover the substance of the
Catholic faith. Its members endeavour to make the
Gospel present in all the dimensions of daily life
in a way that enables even the most distant to find
or rediscover access to the Church. The specific
dimensions of the formative process for its members
are the experience of the Christian message lived in
unity; theological reflection on history, on the old
and the new Testaments and the history of the
Church, and the proclamation of the Gospel message
in contemporary society. Formation covers a period
of six years, of which three are the catechumenate,
in which members and associates play an active part
in the life of the Community. The preferred spheres
of action are the world of labour, education,
politics, healthcare, art, crafts, and missionary
commitment. KIG is subject to the authority of the
local churches in whose parishes it operates.
Individual Communities are erected at the diocesan
level and taken together they constitute the
Confederation of Catholic Integrated Communities. In
the pursuit of its objectives, KIG co-operates with
the Community of priests and the Community of
unmarried women and unmarried men that place
themselves at its service. |
ORGANISATION |
Membership of KIG is open to members, co-workers, aspirants
and friends.
Each Community elects a Management Council which coordinates and is responsible for the life
and for the pursuit of the objectives of the
Community. Each Community is under the spiritual
direction of a diocesan priest who is a member of
the Community of priests at the service of the
Catholic Integration Communities, appointed by
agreement with the local bishop. |
MEMBERSHIP |
KIG currently has about 1000 members
in 7 countries as follows: Africa (1), Asia (1), Europe (4), and North America (1). |
WORKS |
Members or groups of members of KIG
have taken the initiative under their own personal
responsibility to set up Catholic schools, a small
clinic and nursing activities. In 2003, KIG
inaugurated The Academy for the Theology of the
People of God at Villa Cavalletti (Grottaferrata,
Rome). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Gemeinde Heute, a fortnightly
publication, Heute in Kirche und Welt, a
monthly online magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.kig-online.de |
HEADQUARTERS |
Confederazione delle Comunità
Cattoliche d’Integrazione Via Domenico Silveri, 30 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.6390774 - Fax 06.39386505
Secretariat
Katholische Integrierte Gemeinde An der Isarlust 2 83646 Bad Tölz - Germany Tel. [+49]8041.77900 - Fax 8041.71444 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CATHOLIC INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION OFFICE |
ACRONYM |
OIEC (Office International de
l’Enseignement Catholique) |
ESTABLISHED |
1952 |
HISTORY |
OIEC was founded in Lucerne,
Switzerland by a group of people who felt it
appropriate to establish relations for cooperation
in the field of teaching and education. In November
1950, Mgr Frans op de Coul, the head of the
Netherlands Catholic Office for Teaching and
Education at the time, convened the representatives
of the Catholic teaching organisations from six
countries in order to establish an operational and
liaison Secretariat to strengthen the union between
individuals and organisations responsible for
Catholic education worldwide. The project took legal
shape in 1952 and was recognised by the Holy See in
1956 as a Catholic International Organisation. OIEC
is an NGO with consultative status at Ecosoc,
UNICEF, the Council of Europe, and has cooperation
relations with FAO and the ILO. |
IDENTITY |
OIEC participates in the mission of
the Church by promoting a Catholic-inspired
educational project, demonstrating within the
community of nations the will of the Church to
cooperate in every aspect of education; it
encourages research into and the study of the
specific contribution made by the Catholic school to
education, and the ways in which it can meet the
needs and the demands of different social and
cultural environments; it defends the freedom of
education, and it works to ensure that freedom is
effectively exercised; it ensures that Catholic
education is adequately represented on international
bodies. In the pursuit of its objectives, OIEC
cooperates with the agencies of the universal
Church, the Bishops’ Conferences and other Catholic
International Organisations involved in education. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of OIEC
is the General Assembly which meets every
three years, attended by the constituent and the
associate members. It elects the Council,
which is responsible for implementing the decisions
of the Assembly. The permanent executive body is the
General Secretariat. At the international
level its activities are co-ordinated by five Regional Secretariats
for Africa, Asia, America,
Europe, and the Near and Middle East. OIEC members
are constituent members, which are
organisations recognised as de jure and de
facto representatives of Catholic education in
different countries; associate members, which
are international Religious Congregations engaged in
teaching; cooperating members, which are
Religious Congregations but without an international
spread, and individuals wishing to actively
cooperate with the OIEC; and corresponding
members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
OIEC has 100 constituent members,
17 associate members, 10 cooperating members, and 7
corresponding members, and is present in 103
countries as follows: Africa (37), Asia (11), Europe
(23), Middle East (4), North America (13), Oceania
(2), and South America (13). |
WORKS |
OIEC promotes and supports primary
and secondary literacy projects to combat illiteracy
and the dropping out of compulsory schooling, a
problem which affects 100 million children in the
world according to Unesco; family literacy projects;
sharing and peace education programmes. At the
present time it is engaged in a detailed survey of
the state of Catholic schools throughout the world
with the aim of renewal. This will demand the
creativity of everyone involved (teachers, former
pupils and students, parents). |
PUBLICATIONS |
De la réflexion à l’action series;
Cahiers O.I.E.C.; Newsletter. All are published in French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.infoiec.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Office International de
l’Enseignement Catholique 718, Avenue Houba de Strooper - 1020 Brussels -
Belgium Tel. [+32]2.2307252 - Fax 2.2309745 Email: oiec@pophost.eunet.be |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CHEMIN NEUF
COMMUNITY |
ACRONYM |
CCN (Communauté "Chemin
Neuf") |
ESTABLISHED |
1973 |
HISTORY |
CCN was created in 1973 in Lyon,
France, by a Charismatic Renewal prayer group, at
the initiative of the Jesuit priest, Father Laurent
Fabre. The Community was recognised that same year
by the Archbishop of Lyon, who erected it in 1984 as
an association of the faithful. In 1992 the Institut
Religieux Clérical de Droit Diocésain was founded in
Lyon to take in young people undergoing formation
and priests from the Community. |
IDENTITY |
CCN is a Catholic community with an
ecumenical vocation which is also open to the
faithful from other Churches. It comprises married
couples, families, consecrated women and men,
priests, who have decided to bear witness together
(Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox) to their faith in
Jesus Christ, and to work for Christian Unity. The
Community is also committed to the instruction of
baptised Christians by organising and animating Cana
meetings for married couples and families, spiritual
retreats, weekend instruction meetings for young
people, and training courses for lay people varying
from three to 12 months. The spirituality of CCN is
imbued with the teachings of St Ignatius Loyola and
St Teresa of Avila, and is based on the experience
of Charismatic Renewal. |
ORGANISATION |
The members of CCN live in neighbourhood fraternities
(living in the same
neighbourhood) and in life fraternities (living under the same roof). Most of them work in
their professions or occupations, while others place
themselves full-time at the service of the Church.
The Community lives on its work to meet its daily
needs and relies on Providence for everything that
is needed in order to perform God’s plan in the
mission. After three years of discernment, the
members opt either for a renewable three-year
commitment or for a permanent commitment within the
Community, which can only be done after renewing the
three-year commitment twice more. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CCN has about a thousand members in
20 countries as follows: Africa (6), Europe (9),
Middle East (2), North America (2), and South
America (1). Communion du Chemin Neuf revolves around the Community, as an apostolic body
comprising over 6,000 people who are committed to
supporting the missions. |
WORKS |
CCN has set up hostels for students
and young workers, a dispensary, outpatient units in
Africa, and a religious bookshop. The Community has
also been entrusted with numerous parishes (to which
it sends priests, families, and consecrated people),
and hospital chaplaincies. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Tychique, a two-monthly
formation magazine for prayer groups. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.chemin-neuf.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Communauté Chemin Neuf Abbaye d’Hautecombe 73310 Saint Pierre de Curtille - France Tel. [+33]4.79542612 - Fax 4.79542994 Email: webmestre@chemin-neuf.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CHRISTIAN LIFE
COMMUNITY |
ACRONYM |
CVX |
ESTABLISHED |
1952 |
HISTORY |
The origins of CVX date back to the
Marian Congregations created in 1563 by the Jesuit
priest Jean Leunis and a group of students from the
Roman College who wished to follow in the footsteps
of the lay groups that had developed since 1540 in
different parts of the world thanks to the work of
St Ignatius Loyola and his companions. In 1584,
Gregory XIII approved the first congregation in his
Bull Omnipotentis Dei, and in 1587 Sixtus V
issued his Bull Superna dispositione authorising the institution of other congregations
affiliated to the original one and open to everyone.
The serious crisis from which the Society of Jesus
suffered in the 18th century, leading in 1773 to its
suppression by Clement XIV, weakened the
congregations which became a mass movement that was
quite different from what the Founder had originally
intended. It was not until 1948, following the
publication of the Apostolic Constitution Bis
saeculari in which Pope Pius XII laid down
guidelines for the lay apostolate, that the need was
felt to renew the Marian Congregations - or
Sodalities as they are called in some countries -
and to group them together into an international
Federation. In 1952 the World Federation of the
Marian Congregations was established, and after
changing its name to the World Federation of the
Christian Life Communities it was recognised by the
Holy See in 1971 as a Catholic International
Organisation. Its present name dates back to 1979.
CVX is a member of the Conference of ICOs and as an
NGO it has consultative status with Ecosoc and
Unicef. On 3 December 1990, the Pontifical Council
for the Laity decreed the Christian Life Community
to be an international association of the faithful
of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
CVX is made up of Christians - men
and women, young people and adults of every social
condition - who wish to follow Jesus Christ and
cooperate in building up the Kingdom, bearing
witness to their faith in every area of life,
committed to taking the teachings of the Church into
the heart of human culture to build up a more just
and more fraternal society. Membership of CVX comes
as a response to a personal vocation, and is
preceded by a period of formation and temporary
commitment. Its educational method, centred on
Christ and participation in the Paschal mystery, is
based on Holy Scripture, the liturgy, study of the
Magisterium of the Church, reading the will of God
in the events of history and in the signs of the
times. The source and the instrument of CVX
spirituality are the Exercises of St Ignatius
Loyola. A central position is given to our Lady in
the life of the Community, for her cooperation in
the work of Redemption is the supreme model for the
members on which to base their own cooperation with
Christ’s mission. |
ORGANISATION |
CVX is governed by the General
Assembly, made up of the Executive Council
and the delegates of the national communities. The Executive Council,
which is responsible
for implementing the decisions and policies adopted
by the General Assembly, comprises the
President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the
Treasurer, Ecclesiastical Assistant, the deputy
Ecclesiastical Assistant and three Council members.
Similar management bodies exist at the national
level. Other associations of people wishing to share
its lifestyle, without being full members, may also
be affiliated to the CVX. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CVX has about 123,000 members in 52
countries as follows: Africa (9), Asia (12), Europe
(16), North America (2), and South America (13). |
WORKS |
CVX, whose members take part in the
activities promoted worldwide by the Society of
Jesus, manages schools in Chile and Hong Kong,
spiritual retreat houses in France and various kinds
of institutions in the Philippines and in Chile. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Progressio, the half yearly
magazine; Projects, a quarterly newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cvx-clc.net |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comunità di Vita Cristiana C.P. 6139 Borgo Santo Spirito, 8 - 00193 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]066868079 - Fax 0668132497 Email: mcvx.wclc@agora.stm.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME
|
CHRISTIAN LIFE
MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
CLM |
ESTABLISHED |
1985 |
HISTORY |
CLM was founded in Lima, Peru, by
Luis Fernando Figari, drawing on the initiatives and
experiences during the 1970s of the members of the
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, which Figari
founded, and which today are societies of apostolic
life. Recognised by the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference
as a national association in 1990, the Movement
gradually spread to other countries of Latin
America. On 23 March 1994 the Pontifical Council for
the Laity decreed recognition of the Movimiento de
Vida Cristiana as an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
CLM aims to be a community forum for
encountering the Lord Jesus Christ, which fosters an
authentic Christian life by announcing and bearing
witness to the faith and the comprehensive
advancement of the human person in the light of the
Gospel and the Magisterium of the Church. Its
members, men and women of different states of life,
place the pursuit of holiness, apostolic commitment
and service to God and our fellow men and women, at
the heart of their life experience. The priority
areas for its work are evangelisation of young
people; commitment to solidarity with the poor, the
sick and the elderly and abandoned children; the
evangelisation of culture; the protection of the
family and the defence of life from conception to
natural death; the mass media and the new
communications technologies. The spirituality of
CLM, which offers its members a personal and
community-based process of ongoing formation, is
characterised by devotion to the Immaculate
Conception, an intense participation in liturgical
life, meditation on the Word of God as the light to
direct their lives and as the key to a critical
reading of human projects. |
ORGANISATION |
The members of CLM commit themselves
to its apostolic mission on a personal or community
basis, creating communities, groups, institutions,
associations and services of various kinds and with
different purposes (including: University
Coordination, Solidarity on the Way, The Family of
Nazareth, Missionary Action, Cyberapostolate, Siloé,
Pro Vita). This work is headed by a General
Coordination Council made up of the General
Coordinator, the Spiritual Assistant and the
Executive Secretary. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CLM has a membership of about 25,000
in 21 countries as follows: Asia (1), Europe (5),
North America (6), and South America (9). |
WORKS |
CLM belongs to the Sodalitium
Christianae Vitae family, which founded a
publishing company, the Life and Spirituality Institute, the San Pablo de Arequipa University, a
number of schools, a health care facility and a
"life help" centre. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nueva Alborada, an annual
magazine; Vida Cristiana, a fortnightly
newsletter; Noticias eclesiales, an online
newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.m-v-c.org. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimiento de Vida Cristiana Calle Dos, 553 - Lima 41 - Peru Tel. [+51]1.4373496 - Fax 1.4363005 Email: sintmvc@computextos.com.pe |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
CLAIRE AMITIÉ |
ESTABLISHED |
1946 |
HISTORY |
Claire Amitié was established in
France by Thérèse Cornille (1917-1989) a young woman
trained in Catholic Action and Young Christian
Workers, who at the age of 29 decided to devote her
life to the service of girls and young women in
difficulty or socially maladjusted, creating places
where they could find a home and live as a family,
coming face-to-face with the testimony of faith in
Jesus Christ, finding new possibilities for growth,
and learning to organise and manage their lives.
Encouraged by Cardinal Achille Liénart, the
Archbishop of Lille, in 1946 she opened the first
hostel at Roubaix, which was followed over the years
by others in France, and then in Africa, Asia and
Latin America. The association was officially
founded in 1975. On 13 May 1993, the Pontifical
Council for the Laity issued a decree recognising
Claire Amitié as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Claire Amitié retrieves girls and
young women from troubled and marginalised
backgrounds. Living in small communities of
animators they receive all-round preparation which
helps them to recover their personal equilibrium,
and an education to enable them to fit into the
working world. The "Clair Logis" Centres are
normally opened in response to requests from the
bishops. The young guests come from different
cultural and religious traditions, and they have
what is often their very first experience of family
life and of the fraternal love given and received
that alone makes it possible to move forward towards
the one and triune God. In the course of carrying
out their mission, the members of Claire Amitié have
regular contact with the Church authorities and
cooperate with the parish communities, movements and
other groups present in the dioceses in which the
homes are situated. The animators are trained for
five years, with a six-month probation period.
Because of their specific mission, they are also
given ongoing training in the human, spiritual,
doctrinal, missionary, educational and professional
dimensions. |
ORGANISATION |
Claire Amitié is headed by a
President and Director-General assisted by her Council.
The association has permanent
members and associate members. Permanent
members are the lay animators who have been called
by God to live a life of virginity in a community,
to pray and to be at the service of the human,
spiritual and Christian advancement of the most
disadvantaged girls and young women. The associate
members are married and unmarried men and women who
share the spirit and the purposes of the
association, its love for the poor, its ecclesial
and universal dimension, and who contribute to the
management of supporting associations, to the girls’
education, and to life in the homes. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Claire Amitié has 277 permanent and
associate members, in 7 countries as follows: Africa
(4), Asia (1), Europe (1), and South America (1). |
WORKS |
Fifteen "Clair Logis" homes have
been opened at the initiative of Claire Amitié,
managed in conjunction with eight supporting
associations. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Parfum d’Ici et d’Ailleurs, a
monthly bulletin. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Claire Amitié 59, rue de l’Ourcq - 75019 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.53264683 - Fax 1.53264680 Email: claire.amitie@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
COMMUNITY OF
THE BEATITUDES |
ESTABLISHED |
1973 |
HISTORY |
The Community of the Beatitudes was
instituted in Montpellier, France, under the name of
"The Lion of Judah and the Immolated Lamb" by the
couple Gérard (Ephraïm) and Josette Croissant and a
couple of friends, who felt called to a community
life of prayer and sharing. In 1975 the Community
transferred to Cordes. It was recognised as a Pious
Union in 1979 and became an association of the
faithful of diocesan right in 1985 with the approval
of its statutes ad experimentum by the
Archbishop of Albi. In 1991, in order to make more
explicit the openness of the Community to the poor,
the leaders decided to adopt the present name which
was easier to take to the cultures in the various
countries in the world in which the association was
by then present. The association is a member of the
Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant
Communities and Fellowships (see page 27). On 8
December 2002, the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of the Communauté des Béatitudes
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Community of the Beatitudes
gathers faithful from all states of life (married or
unmarried lay people, seminarians, priests,
permanent deacons, men and women consecrated in
celibacy) who wish to conform as closely as possible
to the model of the early Christian community
through the common life, the sharing of goods,
voluntary poverty and an intense sacramental and
liturgical life. The members of the Community, which
has a contemplative vocation based on Carmelite
spirituality, are actively engaged in the service of
the poor and the proclamation of the Gospel.
Formation begins with an introduction to community
life and to the spirit and the rule of the
Community, and comprises common doctrinal,
spiritual, human and professional training during
the period of the Postulancy and the temporary
commitment, which is a period for discerning the
vocation and strengthening the unity of the
community; specific formation for every state of
life, preceding the principal stages marking the
members’ commitment within the community, and
designed to help the members live their vocation to
the full and across time; ongoing formation follows
for all, including the study of the liturgy,
iconography, Holy Scripture, Hebrew and the Jewish
roots of Christianity, modern languages, and
evangelisation methods. |
ORGANISATION |
The Community of the Beatitudes,
headed by an elected General Moderator assisted by a
Council, comprises houses, grouped
into provinces. The Community is open to the
faithful from all states of life who fully assume
this vocation. They include married people with
their children, single people, consecrated
laypersons who live in chastity for the sake of the
Kingdom, priests, and permanent deacons, single or
married. Others who form part of the Community are
the associates who live permanently in the Community
house sharing in its life and forming an integral
part of the "family" without taking on the whole of
the community vocation; Friends of the Lamb, faithful of all states of life wishing to share the
spirituality of the Community, living fully within
the world and placing fidelity to the Gospel, prayer
and service at the heart of their existence, and
maintaining reference to a house of the Community
with which they establish bonds of spiritual
communion and fraternal assistance; members of the
Beatitudes of the Holy Family, for families
or unmarried people living near a house of the
Community with which they establish close links and
work with them in their apostolic activities,
wishing to undertake a commitment in the spirit of
the Community of the Beatitudes. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Community of the Beatitudes has
about 1500 members and is present in 29 countries as
follows: Africa (6), Asia (4), Europe (11), Middle
East (2), North America (3), South America (1), and
Oceania (2). |
WORKS |
The Community of the Beatitudes has
given rise to the Alliance de la Charité, a
non-governmental organisation to help the churches
in the developing countries and the missions; a
hospital in Kabinda, Congo; orphanages in Congo and
Gabon; Mère de Miséricorde, which works to
defend life; the Fraternités Saint Camille,
which are diocesan Centres that welcome people and
lend a listening ear; a publishing house and radio
station; Oeuvre Saint Bernard, to develop
sacred art and Christian-inspired works of art;
inter-diocesan seminaries in Côte d’Ivoire and
Congo; rural education centres, and homes to
recuperate street children in the Central African
Republic; the Soleil de Justice Association,
for African Christian politicians. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Feu et Lumière, a monthly
magazine on the spiritual life; Troas, a
quarterly missionary magazine; Kaïré, the
monthly magazine of the Mère de Miséricorde
Association. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.beatitudes.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Modération Générale de la Communauté
des Béatitudes 60, Avenue du Général Compans 31700 Blagnac - France Tél: [+33]5.61305050 - Fax: 5.61305051 Email: moderateur.secretariat@beatitudes.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
"COMUNITÀ DOMENICO TARDINI" ASSOCIATION |
ESTABLISHED |
1980 |
HISTORY |
The Association was founded on the
principles put forward by Cardinal Domenico Tardini.
He felt called to devote himself to children - to
whom Jesus attributed the highest dignity in the
Kingdom of Heaven -, and to serve the material and
moral needs of people, for our Lord felt compassion
for them because they were "weary like sheep without
a shepherd". In 1946, Mgr Tardini created Villa
Nazareth to take in the orphans and children of
large and poor families and "with his subtle
sensitivity identified the most outstanding gifts of
the intellect and heart that God had given to each
of them so generously. And he was anxious for these
talents to be used in special vocations for the
apostolate, at the service of the Church and for the
good of society". These were the words used by John
XXIII in his motu proprio of 13 January 1963 to
create the "Holy Family of Nazareth Foundation, to
be known as Villa Nazareth". Drawing on the example
of Cardinal Tardini and their familiarity with him,
the first generation that grew up in Villa Nazareth
were inspired with genuine fellowship which, after
1969, developed into an experience of community life
among these young people and a group of co-workers
and friends of the Cardinal. In 1980, wishing to
live the ideal of Villa Nazareth firsthand, they
created the Association in order to offer other
young people the same welcome and Christian life
educational experience that they had been given. On
24 May 2004, the Pontifical Council for the Laity
issued the decree recognising the "Comunità Domenico
Tardini" Association as an association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Association is made up of lay
people and clergy, who undertake to live the
Christian meaning of their own existence. This
consists of following the disciples on the road to
Emmaus and gradually welcoming Jesus’ revelation of
Himself, through the Word and the Eucharist; to be
able to recognise him as the Way, the Truth and the
Life; respect for freedom of the person created in
the image of God and redeemed in Christ; the value
of culture to be able to serve others by promoting a
close relationship between maturity in the faith and
cultural maturity; to be able to offer assistance to
young people and to those who are culturally
deprived. The members of the Association are called
to bear witness to these values in their own lives
and in their professional work, endeavouring to
identify needs in their home regions, and
cooperating in the projects of their local churches. |
ORGANISATION |
The Association is governed by the Assembly
which meets once a year and which
lays down policies and general guidelines, elects
the Vice President, the members of the Board and the
Auditors; the President who represents the
Association, chairs the Assembly and the meetings of
the Board; the Vice President, who works with the
President to implement resolutions; and the Board
made up of the President, the Vice President and
10 board members, which manages the Association. |
WORKS |
The Association provides ideas and
financial support for the educational work of Villa Nazareth
which takes in students, male and
female, in its university College which is
recognised by the Italian government, through the Fondazione Comunità Domenico Tardini Onlus. The
members of the Association are committed to sharing
with the students the values of their professions
and occupations, their social responsibility and
their experience of Christian life. Some of them
provide voluntary educational and organisational
services for the College on both a permanent and a
temporary basis. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione "Comunità Domenico
Tardini" Via Domenico Tardini, 35 - 00167 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.666971 - Fax [+39]06.6621754 Email: assotardini@woow.it |
OFFICIAL NAME |
CONFERENCE OF INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC ORGANISATIONS |
ACRONYM |
CICO |
ESTABLISHED |
1927 |
HISTORY |
CICO was established at Fribourg,
Switzerland, as the Presidents’ Conference, by a
group of officials from a number of Catholic
International Associations. After the end of the
League of Nations, in 1951 the United Nations began
to take shape and a new international scenario
developed; the Conference was created as an
association with legal personality, with its present
name. The CICO was given official Holy See approval
in 1953 on the occasion of the first General
Assembly in Rome. In 1997 the Quito General Assembly
officially adopted the Conference Charter setting
out the nature and the purposes of the CICO, and
membership eligibility requirements. |
IDENTITY |
CICO is a forum for reflection,
dialogue and concerted action by the international
organisations of the laity recognised by the Holy
See, which are committed to making their own
contribution to international initiatives to respond
to the challenges presented by the contemporary
political, economic, social, cultural and religious
environment. Sharing the concern to live their faith
in Jesus Christ to the full, the member
organisations of the Conference are a Christian
presence in the world that involves serving the
comprehensive development of all humanity;
interfaith listening and dialogue; giving priority,
in the light of the Gospel, to commitment for and
with the poorest, for peace, fellowship and justice,
for the respect, defence and promotion of the rights
and dignity of the human person, and the
safeguarding of Creation. |
ORGANISATION |
The life of the Conference is driven
by the General Assembly which is held every
two years, and attended by the member organisations
with voting rights, associate organisations and
guest organisations. In recent years the General
Assemblies have been held in conjunction with
workshops or colloquiums to examine specific issues.
Every two years, the General Assembly elects the ICO
which will serve as the Presidency, and every
four years it elects the eight ICOs making up the Coordination Committee, and the Director. The
Ecclesiastical Assistant attends the General
Assembly and the Coordination Committee ex
officio but in an advisory capacity. The
Coordination Committee meets three times a year, and
may elect an Executive Committee comprising the CICO
President and one or two Vice Presidents chosen from
among the membership, and the Ecclesiastical
Assistant. The conference may also introduce other
bodies to help with its work (working groups with
specific remits and for a limited period,
specialised commissions) or encourage the
establishment of platforms of ICOs on an issue of
common concern or a given objective. To guarantee
continuity to the work of these groups, commissions
and platforms, some members of the Coordination
Committee work are appointed on a rotation basis.
Both the Coordination Committee and any other bodies
set up within the CICO can organise seminars or
colloquiums on priority issues decided by the
General Assembly. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CICO now has 37 member
organisations, 4 associated organisations, and 3
invited organisations. International Catholic
Organisations, with their local branches, are
present in more than 150 countries covering every
continent. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.oic-ico.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Conférence des OIC 37/39 rue de Vermont - 1202 Genève - Switzerland Tel. and Fax [+41]227338392 Email: coic@pophost.eunet.be |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
COOPERATORS OF OPUS DEI |
IDENTITY |
The Cooperators of Opus Dei are men and women who belong to an association
inseparably linked to the Opus Dei Prelature,
although they are not incorporated in the Prelature.
The Cooperators, together with the faithful of the
Prelature, cooperate through prayer, work and
financial assistance, undertaking educational,
welfare and cultural/social promotional work,
thereby contributing to the common good of society.
Cooperators of Opus Dei also include
non-Catholics, non Christians and nonbelievers, who
share the human and social development objectives of
apostolic initiatives, that are open to all and are
promoted by the faithful (laity and clergy) of the
Prelature jointly with many other citizens.
Cooperators benefit from the prayers of Opus Dei
and, if they wish, they can also receive the
formation provided by the Prelature to deepen the
message of Jesus and their own spiritual lives, and
to bear personal witness, without creating groups,
consistently with their Christian vocation. This
formation requires Catholic Cooperators to engage in
prayer, partake of the sacraments, pray to our Lady,
demonstrating by their deeds their love for the
Church, the Successor of Peter and the bishops. One
essential part of the spirit of Opus Dei which is present in formation, is the sanctification
of professional life and family and social duties,
in other words, identifying with Christ in ordinary
daily life. Cooperators also cooperate personally
with other apostolic initiatives in their own
dioceses. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Cooperators of Opus Dei are present, like the
Opus Dei itself, in 63
countries as follows: Africa (7), Asia (8), Europe
(22), Middle East (2), North America (11), Oceania
(2) and South America (11). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.opusdei.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Cooperatori dell’Opus Dei c/o Curia Prelatizia dell’Opus Dei Viale Bruno Buozzi, 73 - 00197 Rome - Italy Tel. [+39] 06808961 - Fax 068070562 Email: info@opusdei.it |
OFFICIAL NAME |
COUPLES FOR CHRIST |
ACRONYM |
CFC |
ESTABLISHED |
1981 |
HISTORY |
The Couples for Christ Association
was established in Manila, Philippines, by 16
married couples belonging to a Catholic Charismatic
Renewal prayer group. It works for Christian couples
wishing to deepen their faith by helping one another
to revive their relationship with our Lord and to
allow themselves to be renewed by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Within a few years, the association was
recognised by the Philippines Bishops’ Conference,
and its new approach to evangelisation spread in the
parishes as a programme for the renewal of family
life. On 11 March 2000 the Pontifical Council for
the Laity decreed recognition of Couples for Christ
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
CFC is made up of families who have
taken up Christ’s exhortation to be leaven and light
in the world, and to spread the Good News of the
liberation of humanity. Through their commitment to
the Church’s evangelising work, promoting peace and
justice, defending the poor and the oppressed, and
promoting the unity of Christians, they cooperate
with the work of the Holy Spirit who gives life to a
new humanity. Membership of CFC entails acceptance
of the Christian Life Programme, of a programme of
instruction designed to impart to all the members of
the association the essentials of the faith, helping
them to rediscover the sense of their vocation to
marriage and to renew their faithfulness to God
every day, to their vows which bind them as husband
and wife, and to their commitment to support one
another. CFC pursues its objectives through family
pastoral programmes aimed at making the family a
"domestic Church", and through pastoral programmes
attentive to the needs of the poor. |
ORGANISATION |
CFC is governed by the International Council, with its headquarters at
Manila, under which there are the National
Councils. Under the National Councils can be Regional Councils, and under these the
sectors, and under these the chapters, which are the grass roots units of CFC. Non-Catholic
Christians may also become aggregate members of the
association. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CFC has some 980,600 members, and is
present in 76 countries as follows: Africa (16),
Asia (18), Europe (24), North America (8), Oceania
(6), and South America (4). |
PUBLICATIONS |
In His Steps, a quarterly
publication of Biblical reflection; Mothers,
a fortnightly magazine; Ugnayan, a
fortnightly newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cfcglobal.org.ph |
HEADQUARTERS |
Couples for Christ 349 Ortigas Avenue - Greenhills East Mandaluyong 1554 - Philippines Tel. [+63]2.7270681 - Fax 2.7275777 Email: cfcglobe@info.com.ph |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
EMMANUEL COMMUNITY |
ESTABLISHED |
1972 |
HISTORY |
The Emmanuel Community was founded
in Paris, France, by Pierre Goursat (1914-1991) and
Martine Laffitte-Catta based on the experience of a
Charismatic Renewal prayer group. It was originally
only for lay people, both single and married, but
today its membership includes priests and
consecrated lay persons who have matured their
vocation through their experience within the
Community. In 1975, the establishment of the
Community at Paray-le-Monial, where the apparitions
of the Sacred Heart took place, marked a major
milestone in its history and the beginning of its
spread worldwide. Since the 1990s an increasing
number of bishops have been entrusting parish
missions and parish animation to the Community,
turning them into real centres of fraternal life and
evangelisation. The association is a member of the
Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant
Communities and Fellowships (see page 27). On
December 1992 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
issued a decree recognising the Communauté de
l’Emmanuel as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Emmanuel Community is named
after the passage from Scripture, "Behold, a young
woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call
his name Emmanuel" (Is 7: 14; cf. Mt
1: 23), and its members are people who are called by
God to live together to serve and proclaim Jesus
Christ. The core of the Community is the Jesus
Fraternity, which is made up of members who give
themselves to the Lord in consecration and total
devotion to the mission. The life of the Community
and its members, who are worshippers living in the
heart of the world, revolves around the Eucharist.
This roots all their actions in contemplation and
opens them up to the compassion of Christ and so
leads them to place themselves at the service of the
poor, the sick, the lonely and the marginalised; and
at the service of evangelisation, to announce the
risen Christ to all people who are suffering because
they do not know God and do not know that they are
loved by God. The preparation offered to the members
of the Community who are called to be missionaries,
primarily in their own environment, gives priority
to the spiritual dimension and formation for
community life and evangelisation. |
ORGANISATION |
The Emmanuel Community is governed
by a Moderator, assisted by an International
Council whose members are elected for a
three-year term, which may be renewed for a maximum
of two consecutive terms, from among the members of
the Community and the consecrated members of the Jesus Fraternity. Before a person enters the
Community there is a probationary period (postulancy
and noviciate) for about two years. Once these
stages have been completed the members renew their
commitment every year. The members of the Jesus
Fraternity are consecrated for life. People
supporting the Community with their prayers,
cooperation and financial assistance are members of
the Emmanuel Family. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Emmanuel Community has about
6,000 members (including 130 priests, 180
consecrated sisters and 15 consecrated brothers) in
50 countries as follows: Africa (18), Asia (6),
Europe (17), Middle East (1), North America (4),
Oceania (1), and South America (3). 200,000 people
regularly take part in its work. |
WORKS |
The Community also created the
following: Emmanuel Youth, for the apostolate
among young people; Love and Truth, for the
apostolate among families, engaged couples and lone
parents; Presence and Witness, for the
apostolate among people committed in various spheres
of social life; Fidesco, for the mission ad gentes
and to support development projects; Magnificat,
for the apostolate in the world
of culture and the arts; SOS Prayer (a
24-hour telephone listening and prayer service); Tiberiade,
to care for AIDS sufferers and their
families; schools of evangelisation in France,
Germany and Italy; the "Emmanuel" and
"Merciful Jesus" Centres in Rwanda (retreats,
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, reconciliation,
peace education); hostels for students; hostels in
France, Germany and Portugal; prayer groups
worldwide; the publisher, Les Editions de
l’Emmanuel. The Community also runs pilgrimages
to Paray-le-Monial and summer religious education
sessions attended by 20,000 people every year. |
PUBLICATIONS |
He is Alive! - monthly
magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.emmanuel-info.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Communauté de l’Emmanuel Péniche Mont Thabor BP 104 - 92203 Neuilly-sur-Seine - France Tel. [+33]1.47459630 - Fax 1.47459631 Email: infor@emmanuel-info.com |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
ENCOUNTERS
OF MARRIED COUPLES |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Dialogues |
ESTABLISHED |
1978 |
HISTORY |
Dialogues was established in Poland
by a married couple Irena and Jerzy Grzybowscy
together with Stanisław
Boguszewski, a Polish national living in Canada
through whom they learned about Worldwide Marriage
Encounter (see page 297). He collaborated with them
in organising the meeting which was held, as an
experimental measure, at Laski (Warsaw) in 1977. The
first community of the movement was set up at the
second meeting at Pewel near Żywiec
in January 1978. In the years that followed the
experience spread, adapting to local conditions, to
various other Central and Eastern European
countries. In 1996 the Delegate of the Polish
Bishops’ Conference for Catholic movements,
Monsignor Mieczyław Cisło,
approved the first statutes of the movement. On 15
August 2004 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of Encounters of Married Couples
to be an international association of the faithful
of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Dialogues set out to revive the
unity of the couple and their relationship with God
on the one hand, showing that the grace of the
sacrament of marriage does not finish with its
celebration but accompanies the couple throughout
the whole of their lives, and on the other hand
working to build up the family at all times as the
domestic Church. The work of the movement takes the
form of "grassroots retreats", lasting three days,
led by three married couples and a priest. In the
course of the retreats the couples are encouraged to
adopt a fresh approach to dialogue with each other,
based on the teaching of the Church which emphasises
the dimension of the family as a community of
persons animated by mutual love. Attending retreats,
which are open to married couples of all ages,
whether or not they are involved in the life of the
Church, often heals critical situations and helps
many to undertake or to resume the path of faith.
The movement not only organises retreats for married
couples but also for divorcees, couples waiting to
adopt babies, and engaged couples. Special
programmes are also drawn up for priests,
consecrated people and seminarians. The training of
leader couples, who have a specific vocation to work
in this field together with priests and experts in
the psychology of interpersonal communication, is
based on the study of the Magisterium of the Church
regarding marriage and the family. |
ORGANISATION |
The movement is structured into Diocesan Centres, comprising at least three
couples of married animators and a priest, each led
by a Council. All the diocesan Centres of a
given country constitute the National Centre,
run by a National Council. The leader couples
in all the countries meet every two years to pray
together, update and exchange their experiences. At
the international level, Dialogues is managed by an
International Council, as the symbol of the
movement’s unity. Its members are elected at the
international meetings of community leaders held
every two years. The composition of the Councils,
made up of 6/8 people including the President, the
Vice-President and Treasurer, is identical at all
levels. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The movement is present in seven
countries in Eastern and Central Europe. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.mateusz.pl/goscie/spotkaniamalzenskie |
HEADQUARTERS |
Encounters of Married Couples c/o Irena & Jerzy Grzybowscy Ul. Meander 23 m. 22 - 02-791 Warsaw - Poland Tel. [+48] 22.6496614 Email: spotkmal@qdnet.pl |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
ENCOUNTERS
OF YOUTH PROMOTION |
AKRONYM |
EYP |
ESTABLISHED |
1968 |
HISTORY |
EYP was established in Medellín,
Colombia, by the Spanish priest, Father José Maria
Pujadas Ferrer following an international course on
the dynamics of apostolic youth groups organised in
Bogota in 1967 by the Latin American Episcopal
Council (CELAM) Vocations Centre, to give an impetus
to vocations promotion among young people. In
response to the appeal to follow young people with
care and concern, launched by Paul VI in 1968 when
he inaugurated the second Celam General Conference,
the new movement drafted the so-called "Medellín
Document" which is still considered to be the EYP
Magna Charta. It spread beyond the borders of
Colombia and within 30 years it was found in various
other American and European countries. On 29 June
1996 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
the recognition of Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
EYP sets out to stimulate young
people to live their vocation to the full in
accordance with the charism of the movement, to
encourage them to freely accept the faith and
prepare them to take on leadership roles of
Christian groups and communities and to play a
front-line role in the work of building up the
civilisation of love. The movement’s educational
approach emphasises human and spiritual development,
group work and community prayer, attendance at Mass,
times of reflection and the sharing of experiences.
EYP places itself at the service of the pastoral
ministry of youth through announcing and bearing
witness to Christ, rallying young people around the
fundamental values of Christianity and helping them
to mature in the faith. The main activity of the
movement is to organise meetings, which take the
form of three-day community events for young people
aged 18 years and above, at the time in which they
have to make crucial choices for their lives, and
therefore need guidance and direction. |
ORGANISATION |
EYP is governed by the International Promotor Committee, comprising the
International Coordinator, The International
Spiritual Assistant, the Deputy International
Coordinator, the Deputy Spiritual Assistant, the
Regional Spiritual Assistants and Coordinators, and
the National Spiritual Assistants and Coordinators.
The movement is organised by the Standing
Committee, comprising the International
coordinator, the International Spiritual Assistant,
the Regional Coordinators and the Regional Spiritual
Assistants. |
MEMBERSHIP |
EYP has a membership of about 3,500
present in 14 countries as follows: Europe (2),
North America (8), and South America (4). The
meetings organised by the movement are attended
every year by over 7,000 young people. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ilac.co.cr/EPJ |
HEADQUARTERS |
Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil Calle Hermengildo Peña, 9 Colonia Hacienda de la Flor 83090 Hermosillo, Sonora - Mexico Tel. [+52]662.2175835 Email: epjcarlos@hotmail.com |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
FONDACIO. CHRISTIANS FOR THE WORLD |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Fondacio |
ESTABLISHED |
1974 |
HISTORY |
Fondacio was established in France
under the name of Christian Formation Community, in
the wake of Catholic Charismatic Renewal and at the
initiative of Jean-Michel Rousseau, a young married
layman. It was originally intended to provide
Christian instruction for young adults, but from
1980, with the admission of people with social
responsibilities and lay persons engaged in parish
activities, it decided to broaden its sphere of
activity and to become international in character.
It was in those years that the new name was adopted,
Foundations for a New World. In 1991, following a
serious internal crisis, Rousseau and some of the
membership quit the association. Many others were
convinced that it was a work of God, and under the
guidance of Gérard Testard they revived it with a
more collegiate government. The Foundations were
given recognition as an association of diocesan
right by the Bishop of Versailles in 1995, the
Archbishop of Santiago de Chile in 1996, and by the
Archbishop of Brussels in 1998. Fondacio. Chrétiens
pour le monde, the present name which it adopted in
2002, is a member of the Catholic Fraternity of
Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships
(see page 27). |
IDENTITY |
Fondacio is a Catholic association
with an ecumenical dimension, bringing together
members of the laity, married and unmarried, who are
committed to a pathway of personal growth and
conversion giving pride of place to their
relationship with God, human and spiritual
development, and community life. Its missionary
work, which aims at evangelising men and women of
our age, revolves around five focal points: young
people, to whom the association offers the
experience of God’s unconditional love; couples and
families, with guidance for deepening their faith in
order to discover the presence of God at the centre
of their lives; seniors and older people, whom it
invites to share their experience and their wisdom;
people with social, political, entrepreneurial, and
educational responsibilities, whom it helps to
combine their professional commitments and their
family, personal and spiritual life; forms of
affective, psychological, spiritual and material
poverty, with reference to the words of St James,
"Faith without works is dead" (Jas 2: 26). |
ORGANISATION |
Fondacio is headed by a President
elected by the International Congress, which
convenes the delegates of the countries in which the
association is present every four years, to lay down
its guidelines for action. The decisions of the
Congress are implemented by an International
Council, which expresses the unity of all the
component parts of Fondacio. The national branches
are autonomous in the way they operate and in their
missionary choices, and are each headed by a Council
and by a Pastoral Assembly. There
are fellowship members who wish to experience
a living relationship with God and form small
groups, through which they take part in the
association’s missionary activities; community
members, who wish to learn more about the faith
and to strengthen their membership of the
association, concluding a covenant with God and
their fellows, and committing themselves to
implementing specific missionary projects; permanent members, who respond to their calling
to follow the school of Christ by placing all their
energies and skills at the service of the mission
for one or more years; members committed for life,
who after a period of at least seven years’
membership of the association fully take on its
spirituality, living a radical Gospel life in key
areas of human existence. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Fondacio has about 3000 members in
20 countries, as follows: Africa (7), Asia, (4),
Europe (5), Middle East (1), North America (1), and
South America (2). |
WORKS |
Fondacio performs its specific
vocation of announcing the Good News through
evangelisation projects and initiatives to support
development in parts of the world afflicted by
poverty, where the association has created
activities to restore more humane living conditions
and the dignity of children of God to the poor:
homes for reintegration into society, dispensaries,
schools, and vocational training centres. It has
also established CIRFA (Centre International de
Recherche et de Formation Appliqueés), which has
two departments: the Faith and Commitment
Institute, which provides instruction for those
who wish to place themselves at the service of the
Church, and the École Orientation Projet
Engagement, which prepares people to serve in
the world and provides training for humanitarian
project leaders; and PNE (Partager Notre
Espérance), an ecumenical group for parish
evangelisation work. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fondacio.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fondacio. Chrétiens pour le monde 27, rue Exelmans - 78000 Versailles - France Tel. [+33]1.39072934 - Fax 1.39070022 Email: g.testard@fondacio.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
FOYERS DE CHARITÉ |
ESTABLISHED |
1936 |
HISTORY |
Foyers de Charité was instituted
following a meeting between Marthe Robin (1902-1981)
and Father Georges Finet, who was to become her
spiritual director. Marthe Robin, who had been ill
from the age of 16, offered herself to the will of
God in total abandon, entrusting herself to Mary.
From 1930 she prayed ceaselessly to have a Catholic
school in her native town of Châteauneuf-de-Galaure,
and this was followed in 1940-1948 by the foundation
of the Foyer of Light, Charity and Love - a centre
for spiritual retreats, open to all, and the first
of the numerous Foyers de Charité that spread from
France to all continents. On 1 November 1986 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Foyers de Charité as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The members of the Foyers de Charité
are lay men and women and priests who are called to
live according to the spirit of the Beatitudes at
the service of evangelisation, and work with the
whole of the Church to reveal Christ, the light of
the world, and his message of salvation. In the
spirit of the Beatitudes they also place their
material, intellectual and spiritual goods in
common. The educational process of the members is
designed to prepare them for the mission and to
make them responsible for theunity and the dynamism
of the association. Formation is provided within the
community, with personalmeetings with the leaders
(priests and laity), community meetings, courses of
study of Holy Scripture, theology, liturgy,
catechesis and liturgical animation. Among the
formation activities, spiritual retreats open to all
play an important part, as a synthesis of Christian
life and faith in fidelity to the Word of God and
the Magisterium of the Church. Retreats, animated by
the laity, are led by the priest responsible for the
Foyer. At the Châteauneuf-de-Galaure Foyer a
onemonth formation course is held every year to
enhance familiarity with the association, its
charism and the way it operates. |
ORGANISATION |
The core of the association and
focus of communion and cooperation between all the
Foyers de Charité in the world, is the Foyer at
Châteauneuf-de-Galaure, Foyer Centre. The
priest-in-charge is also responsible for all the
Foyers worldwide. Every Foyer de Charité - life
community - comprises a priest and lay members,
living in communion with the universal Church
incorporated into the diocesan Church. The members
of all the Foyers meet every year in a family spirit
to share their experiences and jointly draft
projects for expanding the association. The General Assembly
is convened every five years by
the priest in charge of the Foyer-Centre, elects one
half of the members of the Central Council and decides on the most important spiritual and
apostolic guidelines of the association. The life of
the Foyers de Charité is supported by a network of
friends creating the socalled "Enlarged Foyer" made
up of the members of the Foyers and those taking
part in the spiritual retreats, which testify to the
light, charity and love of Christ throughout the
world. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The association has 75 Foyers and is
present in 41 countries as follows: Africa (17),
Asia (5), Europe (7), Middle East (1), North America
(5), and South America (6). |
WORKS |
Foyers de Charité run homes to take
in children in difficulty or with disabilities and
for abandoned babies, schools, homes for the
elderly, a diocesan spiritual centre, dispensaries,
printing shop, local religious radio stations, and
canteens for the poor. |
PUBLICATIONS |
L’alouette, a two-monthly
magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.foyer-chateauneuf.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Foyer de Charité B.P. 11 85, rue Geoffroy de Moirans 26330 Châteauneuf-de-Galaure - France Tel. [+33]4.75687900 - Fax 4.75686691 Email: foyer.de.charite.chateauneuf@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
FRATERNITY OF CHARLES DE FOUCAULD |
ACRONYM |
FCF |
ESTABLISHED |
1991 |
HISTORY |
FCF was established at Bayonne,
France, by a group of women of 20 nationalities who
had shared a long experience of the Jesus Caritas
Fraternity (today a Secular Institute). It is one of
the branches of the spiritual Family that arose from
the charism of Charles de Foucauld, centring on
Jesus, his "beloved Brother", and on three aspects
of our Lord’s life: his hidden life in Nazareth, his
stay in the wilderness, and his three-year ministry.
Recognised at diocesan level in 1991, in 1992 FCF
became a member of the General Association grouping
together the Charles de Foucauld Fraternities which
draw on his teachings in order to update them so
that they meet the demands of the age, harmonising
contemplative life with missionary activity extended
to the poorest sections of society. On 1 December
1998 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of the Fraternité Charles de Foucauld as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
FCF is an association of lay women
wishing to live in virginity according to the
charism of Charles de Foucauld, as a vocation and as
a state of life taken on and offered. Incorporated
into the local Church, they are committed to
discerning God’s plan in events and in history, and
to deepening God’s project in their lives; living in
the world following the example of the Family of
Nazareth; adopting a simple way of life in
solidarity with the poor, and meditating assiduously
on Holy Scripture, and in particular on the Gospel. |
ORGANISATION |
The fundamental cells of the FCF are
the "base fraternities", small groups of six
and seven members. The base fraternities in one
country or group of countries make up regions animated by
regional teams. The International Team is elected by the
international General Assembly, and comprises the
international "Responsible" and
representatives of each continent. Its task is to
safeguard fidelity to the charism of Charles de
Foucauld, promote communion within the Fraternity,
and to implement the guidelines laid down by the International General Assembly, the
decisionmaking and supreme governing body of FCF
composed of the outgoing International Team, the
delegates elected by the grassroots, and the members
of the new International Team. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FCF has about 360 members, in 25
countries as follows: Africa (2), Europe (12), North
America (3) and South America (8). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Boletín de Enlace, published
three times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.charlesdefoucauld.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fraternité Charles de Foucauld Hocquart 2217, apto. 9 Montevideo - Uruguay Email: ammv@adinet.com.uy |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
FRATERNITY OF COMMUNION AND LIBERATION |
ACRONYM |
CL |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Communion and Liberation |
ESTABLISHED |
1954 |
HISTORY |
At the
beginning of the 1950s, realising the need to
rebuild the Christian presence in the student world,
Father Luigi Giussani, a professor at the
Theological Faculty at Venegono (Varese) dedicated
himself to teaching religion in schools. The
experience of a small group of students from the
Berchet classical high school in Milan, which
gathered around him, led to the establishment of
Gioventù Studentesca (Student Youth). With the
strong encouragement of the Archbishop of Milan,
Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI,
Gioventù Studentesca spread to other Italian cities,
and after 1968 it also began to involve
undergraduates and adults. This led to the
establishment of Communion and Liberation which, in
1980, was to be canonically recognised by the
Ordinary Abbot of Montecassino, Mgr Martino
Matronola. The first fraternity groups were set up
in the latter half of the 1970s by CL graduates who,
using a method based on communion, wished to
strengthen their membership of the Church as adults,
along with the responsibilities that this entails.
It was through their spread to various countries
that the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation came
about. On 11 February 1982 the Pontifical Council
for the Laity decreed recognition of the Fraternity
of Communion and Liberation as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The
essence of the CL charism is the proclamation that
God became Man; in the affirmation that this man -
Jesus of Nazareth, who died and rose again - is a
present event, whose visible sign is communion, that
is to say, the unity of a people led by a living
person, the Bishop of Rome; in the awareness that it
is only in God made man, and hence within the life
of the Church, that man is more true and humanity is
truly more human. In the educational proposal made
by CL, the free acceptance by the individual of the
Christian message is determined by the discovery
that the needs of the human heart are met by the
annunciation of a message that fulfils them. It is
the reasonableness of the faith which leads men and
women who have been transformed by their encounter
with Christ to commit themselves with Christian
experience to affect the whole of society. This
commitment strengthens their awareness of their own
identity, enabling them to see their life as a
vocation, and is supported by the experience of
communion which makes the memory of Christ’s coming
a daily reality. The educational process, nurtured
by proclamation and catechesis, attending retreats
and spiritual exercises, and the celebration of the
sacraments, gives pride of place to the dimensions
of cultural work as a means of deepening and
expressing their faith and as a condition for having
a responsible presence in society; charity work,
as education in service to be freely given to others
and social commitment; and the mission, as
education in the sense of the catholicity of the
Church and as a vocational choice. Bearing witness
to Christ in schools and universities, in factories
and offices, and in the local neighbourhood and in
the city, takes place above all through work, which
is the specific way in which adults relate to
reality. |
ORGANISATION |
The life
of the Fraternity is lived through the free
formation of groups of men and women of all
conditions and states of life, whose friendship and
communion are based upon their common commitment to
move forward together towards holiness, which they
acknowledge to be the genuine purpose of human
existence. The association is guided by the
President and by the Central Diakonia, of
which all the international leaders are members, and
the officials in all the various areas in which it
is present, and representatives of the other
entities that have emerged from the CL charism: the
Memores Domini Lay Association (see page
197); the priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of
St Charles Borromeo; the Congregation of the Sisters
of Charity of the Assumption. In the dioceses, the
diocesan leader is assisted by a Diakonia and by a
spiritual Assistant appointed by the local Bishop
acting on a proposal by the Fraternity President.
Since 1997, the Communion and Liberation
International Centre has been operating in Rome,
as the liaison centre linking all the parts of the
movement worldwide. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The
Fraternity has 47,994 members in 64 countries as
follows: Africa (9), Asia (7), Europe (28), Middle
East (3), North America (7), Oceania (1) and South
America (9). Over 60,000 people share the CL
experience. |
WORKS |
Individuals and groups belonging to the Fraternity
have taken the responsibility to create cultural,
charitable and entrepreneurial works linked together
in the Company of Works which has offices in
Italy and abroad. These include sheltered homes for
the mentally ill, drug-dependants, the disabled,
AIDS patients and the terminally ill; companies to
provide employment for the disabled; NGOs (AVSI in
Italy and CESAL in Spain) to provide assistance and
foster the development of poor countries;
foundations such as the Food Bank, which
provides daily food to over one million poor people
in Italy, and the Pharmaceutical Bank; solidarity Centres to assist the unemployed in
seeking a job; welfare facilities in children’s
prisons in Africa and America; aid for needy
families and finding homes for people in difficulty.
The initiatives that have emerged in the field of
culture have become a special place for ensuring
that the pooling of different experiences is an
opportunity for every individual to communicate
their own proprium regarding the Christian
event: cultural centres, schools (often created by
parents’ cooperatives), publishing houses,
publishing and newspaper initiatives; foundations
and academic institutions; international
conferences, such as the Meeting for Friendship
among Peoples. The Sacred Heart Foundation
in Milan is directly dependent upon the
Fraternity, as a non-profit entity which manages
schools, and works for the promotion and protection
of free education, consistent with the Christian
tradition and the teaching of the Church. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Traces
Litterae Communionis, a monthly magazine in
Italian, French, English, Polish,
Portuguese/Brazilian, Russian, German and Spanish;
Piccole Tracce, a magazine for children
published every two months. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.comunioneliberazione.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fraternità
di Comunione e Liberazione Via Porpora, 127 - 20131 Milano - Italy Tel. [+39] 02.26149301 - Fax 02.26149340 Email: cl@comunioneliberazione.org
Centro
Internazionale di Comunione e Liberazione Via Malpighi, 2 - 00161 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39] 06.44252752 - Fax 06.44252544 Email: centroint@comunioneliberazione.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
FRATERNITY OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS GROUPS |
ACRONYM |
FASTA (Fraternidad de
Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino) |
ESTABLISHED |
1962 |
HISTORY |
FASTA was established in Leones,
Argentina, by Fr Aníbal Ernesto Fosbery OP, in
response to the prompting of Vatican II to promote
the participation of the lay faithful in the life
and mission of the Church and with the objective of
imbuing society with Christian values. Originally
called the "Lay Fraternity of the Dominican Order"
and recognised as such by the Master General of the
Order in 1971, it was first recognised at the
diocesan level by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in
1993. For over 40 years, the Fraternity has been
performing its mission through events marked by
Dominican spirituality, and through the commitment
of families, adults and young people that find in it
a place for personal and community salvation as well
as a specific kind of apostolic action. On 29 May
1997, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of the Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo
Tomás de Aquino as an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
FASTA sets out to build up the city
of God amidst the cities of humankind, as a place
where social, political, cultural and religious
self-fulfilment is decided, by evangelising culture,
the family and the younger generations. The
Fraternity pursues these aims through systematic
human and spiritual formation and the education of
the individual in social living and the awareness of
social duties. The path of learning provided to its
members gives pride of place to the sacred
dimension, to build up Christian communities in
which to personally experience the mystery of God;
the sapiential dimension, in order to develop a
world vision rooted in Christian wisdom and
enlightened by the Magisterium and the teachings of
the doctors of the Church, and particularly St
Thomas Aquinas; the apostolic dimension, to enable
people to place themselves at the service of the
Church and society, bearing witness to their faith
in Christ; the organisational dimension, as a vital
element in the formation of leaders, prepared to
work according to the principles of the Church’s
social teaching. |
ORGANISATION |
FASTA comprises a branch for the
laity and a branch for priests. Responsibility for
government and its work is vested in the laity, who
may be de jure members or de facto members.
The de jure members are those whose vocation leads
them to undertake the apostolic commitment of the
Fraternity, with their membership sanctioned by an
official ceremony. The de facto members are those
who do not have legal ties with the Fraternity but
participate in its life and share its ideals and
spirituality. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FASTA has a membership of about
10,000 families who share its charism, in 5
countries as follows: Europe (1), South America (4). |
WORKS |
FASTA has created a wide-ranging
educational network, comprising two universities,
numerous colleges and 40 youth training centres in
Argentina, Spain, Peru, Brazil and Chile. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Cumbres, a six monthly
periodical; Buenas Nuevas, published monthly. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo
Tomás de Aquino Soler, 5942 - C1425BYN Buenos Aires - Argentina Tel. [+54] 11.47762722 - Fax 11.47760653 Email: privada@fasta.org.ar |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
HEART’S HOME |
ESTABLISHED |
1990 |
HISTORY |
Heart’s Home was founded in Paraná,
Argentina, by Fr Thierry de Roucy, the Superior
General of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus
and Mary at the time, to create small communities to
take in neglected, abandoned or abused children.
This experience, which involves young volunteers who
wish to devote at least one year of their lives to
their smaller poor brothers and sisters, rapidly
spread to several other countries in Latin America,
Europe, Asia, and Africa. A few years after the
association was founded, in response to the wish of
a number of young volunteers (men and women) to
commit themselves permanently to the work both as
consecrated lay people and priests, the Molokaï
Fraternity for "permanent" members, and the
Molokaï Priestly Fraternity were established. A
lay branch of the Movement is the Fraternity of
St Maximilian Kolbe, for sympathisers with the
association who desire to live their baptismal
vocation in the world according to the Heart’s Home
charism. |
IDENTITY |
Heart’s Home offers its members the
opportunity to live the charism of compassion and
consolation, by offering a warm loving environment
to children; by experiencing friendship with lonely
or suffering people in the places where they live;
building a bridge between the marginalised, the
Church, and the local social structures. The
pedagogy of the Association revolves around three
main points: prayer life, community life, apostolic
life. For young volunteers there is a period of
discernment and meetings, lasting for a minimum of
six months, three weekends of religious instruction,
and a 15 day training period. During the voluntary
service period, young people continue to receive
guidance under the Visitor (person responsible) of
each Heart’s Home. The ongoing formation of the
members of the Fraternity of St Maximilian Kolbe is
given through monthly meetings (community school),
quarterly meetings (reflection weekends) and annual
meetings (spiritual vacations). |
ORGANISATION |
The highest authority of Heart’s
Home is the General Moderator, who governs the
association with the assistance of a Council and
Committee. The Council comprises
the Founder, the Superior General of the
Congregation of the Servants of Jesus and Mary, the
Prioress General of the Association of the Servants
of Jesus and Mary, the Moderator and the Assistant
of the Molokaï Priestly Fraternity, Heads of the
male and female branch of the Molokaï Fraternity,
the representative of the Visitors, the Head of the
St Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity. The Committee comprises the General Moderator, the Founder, and a
member of the Council appointed by the General
Moderator. |
MEMBERSHIP |
290 people form part of the Heart’s
Home experience, including 180 young volunteers on
the mission, 60 members of the Molokaï Fraternity,
50 members of the St Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity.
The association is present in 20 countries as
follows: Africa (1), Asia (7), Europe (3), North
America (1), and South America (8). |
WORKS |
The Charism of Heart’s Home has
inspired the Fazenda do Natal in Brazil, and
the Garden of Mercy in India: two places
where families, street children and suffering people
can be reborn to a life of prayer, fraternal love
and work; various communities for students and
workers. |
PUBLICATIONS |
D’un Point-Coeur à l’Autre, published quarterly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.pointscoeur.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Œuvre Points-Coeur Notre-Dame-du-Monde-Entier 40, route Eugénie - 60350 Vieux Moulin - France Tel. [+33]3.44854940 - Fax 3.44854949 Email: contact@pointscoeur.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
HERALDS OF THE
GOSPEL |
ACRONYM |
EP (from the Latin name of
the association Evangelii Praecones) |
ESTABLISHED |
1999 |
HISTORY |
EP dates back to the 1960s when a
group of young Catholics from São Paulo, Brazil, led
by João Scognamiglio Clá Días, Pedro Paulo de
Figueiredo and Carlos Alberto Soares Corrêa used to
meet to discuss, reflect and pray together. This
experience, which continued for several decades, and
involved other people, gradually led them to the
desire to strive for Christian perfection and to
proclaim the Gospel. In response to John Paul II’s
appeal to the lay faithful to set out boldly along
the path of the new evangelisation, they founded the
Heralds of the Gospel Association which was
canonically established in 1999 by the Bishop of
Campo Limpo, and within a few years spread to
several other countries. On 22 February 2001 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity issued a decree
recognising the Heralds of the Gospel as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The EPs strive to be instruments of
holiness in the Church by encouraging close unity
between faith and life, and working to evangelise
temporal realities, particularly through art and
culture. Their apostolate, which differs depending
upon the environments in which they work, gives
pride of place to parish animation, evangelising
families, providing catechetical and cultural
formation to young people, and disseminating
religious literature. There is a particular focus on
organising artistic events (music, drama) in
churches, schools, hospitals, factories, offices and
prisons. The educational efforts of the association
focus on developing an interior life firmly rooted
in the Eucharist, devotion to our Lady and fidelity
to the Successor of Peter. The formation route taken
by the members comprises the study of moral
theology, exegesis, history, and a thorough training
in the arts and modern languages. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme authority of the EPs is
the General Assembly, which elects the General Council
to assist the General
President, as the fount of unity of the
association, in governing it. The association also
includes Companions, who can be families or
Religious who develop the charism of the association
in their respective environments, and Honorary
Companions. In each country they gather together
in sodalities, made up of men and women, with their
own government elected by the Assembly, coordinated
by a Regional Council. The Heralds sharing
the common life live in houses for brothers and for
sisters. |
MEMBERSHIP |
At the present time there are 4,000
Heralds living in common in 50 countries as follows:
Africa (8), Asia (6), Europe (13), North America
(12), Oceania (1), and South America (10). There are
about 40,000 families committed to the work of
evangelisation. Altogether, more than one million
men and women are connected with the EPs. |
WORKS |
The EPs promote cultural
associations, family welfare associations, youth
centres and evangelisation campaigns. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Arautos do Evangelho,
published monthly in Portuguese and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.arautos.org.br |
HEADQUARTERS |
Arautos do Evangelho Rua Dom Domingos de Silos, 238 Jardim São Bento - 02526-030 São Paulo SP (Brazil) Tel. [+55]11.62569377 - Fax [+55]11.62360442 Email: arautos@arautos.org.br |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
HOLY FAMILY
ASSOCIATION |
ESTABLISHED |
1892 |
HISTORY |
The Holy Family Association took up
the legacy of the Pious Association of Christian
Families, established in 1892 by Leo XIII with his
Brief Neminem Fugit to bring together all the
different movements and associations that had
emerged throughout the world around the Holy Family.
It was based on the model of the Association of
Christian Families Consecrated to the Holy Family
founded in Lyon, France, by the Jesuit Francisco
Felipe Francoz in 1861 and with the blessing of Pius
IX spread rapidly throughout numerous European and
American dioceses. The Association’s Statutes and
Regulations were revised in 1928, 1936 and 1980. On
25 November 1987 the Pontifical Council for the
Laity issued the decree recognising the Holy Family
Association to be an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The specific purpose of the
Association is to promote the imitation and the
worship of the Holy Family, helping Christian
families to shape themselves in its image and to
become communities of disciples, witnesses and
apostles of the Family of Nazareth. The members of
the Association wishing to deepen their commitment
can find inspiration and guidance in the various
institutes dedicated to the Holy Family,
establishing a particular bond with one of these
religious families and becoming part of them. The
Association offers member families a graded plan of
doctrinal, spiritual and moral formation in
appropriate institutions, as well as a spiritual
life guidance programme to support and nurture their
faith, witness and apostolic work. The members of
the Association find a special bond of communion in
the Home Visit at which families gather in
prayer around an image of the Holy Family. |
ORGANISATION |
The Holy Family Association is
organised at the parish, diocesan and national
level. At each level there is a Council made
up of married couples assisted by a priest. The World Council, under the Presidency of the
Superior General of the Sons of the Holy Family, and
comprising three married couples and a priest of the
Institute, performing the function of General
Secretary of the Association, coordinates the work
of the National Councils and promotes the
purposes of the Association worldwide. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Holy Family Association is
present, particularly through the Home Visit, in 18 countries as follows: Africa (1), Europe (8),
North America (1), and South America (8). |
WORKS |
The Association manages the Holy
Family Documentation and Research Centre, Nazarenum,
and promotes the organisation of
international congresses on the Holy Family every
two years in the Centro de Espiritualidad José
Manyanet in Barcelona, Spain, and at the Casa Sacra
Famiglia in Rome. |
PUBLICATIONS |
The Holy Family Magazine,
published every two months in Spanish, English and
Italian. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.manyanet.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Chiesa Parrocchiale della Sacra
Famiglia di Nazaret Piazzale delle Gardenie, 45 - 00172 Roma - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.2410739 Email: psfnazareth@inwind.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY
ASSOCIATION or TUUS TOTUS |
ACRONYM |
CIM (Coeur Immaculé de Marie) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Tuus Totus |
ESTABLISHED |
1963 |
HISTORY |
Tuus Totus was established in
1963 in Rouen in France by Mgr Jehan Dahyot-Dolivet,
Proto-notary Apostolic and Canon of the Patriarchal
Basilica of St Mary Major. The founding and
animation of prayer groups was a missionary activity
from the beginning, starting with children and
gradually involving the parents, neighbours and
friends. It was approved by the Archbishop of Rouen
in 1984 and spread among young people and adults,
evangelising in neighbourhoods, parishes and
deprived environments, and in the mission lands. On
8 December 1992, the Pontifical Council for the
Laity issued a decree recognising the Association
Coeur Immaculé de Marie - Tuus Totus as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The purpose of Tuus Totus is
to spread devotion to our Lady as the means of
reaching Jesus Christ and that union with our Lord
which is the perfection of Christian life. This aim
is pursued by leading people to rediscover prayer to
our Lady and to increase familiarity with the Gospel
by reciting the Holy Rosary and meditating on the
Mysteries. The members of the Association - lay,
religious men and women, and priests - are driven by
a missionary spirit and by the desire to work in the
Church according to the teachings of the second
Vatican Council and the spirituality of St Louis
Marie Grignon de Montfort. The formation process,
centred around devotion to our Lady, Mother of Mercy
and our Mother, by renewing baptismal vows leads the
members to give themselves to our Lord through Mary,
consecrating to him the value of all we do. Each one
therefore reaches the merciful love of God to the
extent that they are transformed from within
according to the spirit of a similar love towards
their neighbour. In addition to providing formation
to undertake pastoral and mission responsibilities,
the specific areas of action of the Association are
the evangelisation of families and environments in
which the proclamation of the Gospel and the
presence of the Church are lacking or missing. |
ORGANISATION |
Tuus Totus is headed by a
General President and a General Vice-President, and
members can be either affiliated or united
members. Affiliated members are associations,
religious Congregations, or church works and
individuals who play a full part in Tuus Totus
and practise its spirituality according to the
spiritual Directory. United members are
associations, movements, Church works or religious
Congregations in communion with Tuus Totus in
which some of their members practise the specific
spirituality of the Association while others have
made their act of consecration to the Blessed Virgin
Mary. In both instances, to safeguard the freedom of
everyone, it is essential for every individual to
make a personal act of membership. As the missionary
intention of the Association aims to bring the
essentials of Christian life within the reach of
all, in particular the least and the poorest, there
are prayer groups of children, young people and
adults that work in contact with numerous ecclesial
movements, new communities, Marian movements and
spirituality Centres. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Tuus Totus has a total
affiliated and united membership of 137,000 and is
present in 37 countries as follows: Africa (14),
Asia (6), Europe (8), North America (4), Oceania(1)
and South America (4). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Rosaire, monthly magazine. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Association du Coeur Immaculé de
Marie (Tuus Totus) Patriarchal Basilica of St Mary Major 00120 Vatican City
Mailing address
Fr Guy Tardivy, OP General Vice-President Couvent des Dominicains 20, rue des Ayres 33000 Bordeaux - France Tel. [+33]5.56446061 - Fax [+33]5.56510523 |
LOGO |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INSTITUTE FOR WORLD EVANGELISATION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
ICPE Mission |
ESTABLISHED |
1985 |
HISTORY |
ICPE Mission was founded in Malta by
Mario and Anna Cappello, supported by the leaders
and members of the Glory of God International
Covenant Community, a Catholic Charismatic Renewal
community, of which it aims to be the missionary
outreach. After receiving canonical recognition from
the Archbishop of Malta in 1992, across the years
the Institute has set up community centres in
various countries, made up of missionaries of
varying nationalities who have given up their own
professional commitments and, by trusting themselves
to Providence, dedicate themselves to a life of
prayer and evangelisation. On 19 May 2002, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Institute for World Evangelisation-ICPE
Mission to be an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
ICPE Mission groups together
communities that are committed to promoting and
supporting missionary vocations among members of the
laity, by providing training in evangelisation and
by developing missions in various parts of the
world. The heart of their spirituality is the
baptismal covenant of love for God, and the core of
their apostolate is the commitment to prepare lay
men and women dedicated to the mission, and capable
of responding to the call to holiness. The formation
process of the members takes place, in docility to
the Holy Spirit, through daily prayer, the
sacraments, the study of Scripture and service. In
the pursuit of its purposes, ICPE Mission seeks to
read the signs of the times, in order to present the
Christian message as a prophetic response to the
specific situations in contemporary life, using
methods, concepts and terminology which are suitable
for handing on the Gospel of Christ to the men and
women of today. |
ORGANISATION |
ICPE Mission is governed by the Executive Council,
made up of elected and
co-opted members, including the President, the Vice
President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the
Director. The Executive Council is flanked by a
consultative structure made up of national Directors
and pastoral services Directors, promoted by the
Institute at the international level. The
association has lay members, married and single,
diocesan priests, and consecrated men and women. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICPE Mission is coordinated
internationally by regional centres in 10 countries,
as follows: Africa (1), Asia (4), Europe (4), and
Oceania (1). |
WORKS |
ICPE Mission has instituted projects
and initiatives for catechetical training and
evangelisation, such as Missio ad gentes,
HopeXchange, Woman to Woman, Millennium Films
International, Creative Communications Ministry and
Abundant Life Ministries. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Mission Tracks; Jesus Magazine,
’Q’ Magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.icpe.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
ICPE Institute for World
Evangelisation Via della Stazione Aurelia, 95 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.66512891 - Fax 06.66512894 Email: imc@icpe.org |
LOGO |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERCONTINENTAL CHRISTIAN FRATERNITY OF THE CHRONIC
SICK AND PHYSICALLY DISABLED |
ACRONYM |
FCIPMH (Fraternité Chrétienne
Intercontinentale des Personnes Malades Chroniques
et Handicappées Physiques) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Frater |
ESTABLISHED |
1945 |
HISTORY |
Frater was established in Verdun by
Fr Henry François. Recognised in 1957 by the
Assembly of Cardinals and Archbishops of France, it
spread rapidly to other countries in Europe, Africa,
Latin America and Asia. On 11 February 1995, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Fraternité Chrétienne Intercontinentale des
Personnes Malades Chroniques et Handicappées
Physiques as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Frater was created at the very heart
of sickness and physical limitations, and the desire
to overcome them. Its main objective is to
evangelise the sick and disabled through personal
and community relations (group life) and commitment
to building up a new society based on respect for
human dignity. The Fraternity pursues these aims by
involving the sick and disabled people themselves,
making the most of their talents and encouraging
them to overcome the limitations imposed upon them
by their condition, to become the craftsmen of their
own lives by becoming aware of the role which is
rightly theirs in society and in the Church. The
pedagogy used by the Association is based on the
restoration of self-esteem, growth in the exercise
of citizenship (rights and duties); learning to live
in community and to live the Gospel in an ecumenical
spirit (accepting differences). The actions that are
typical of Frater include visits to the sick and
disabled by other sick and disabled people, holding
meetings, retreats, courses, study days and
assemblies. |
ORGANISATION |
Frater - which is made up of the
chronic sick and physically disabled and those who
wish to share their aspirations with them - is
governed by the Intercontinental Committee, a
permanent representative body responsible for the
whole Fraternity, made up of members of the
International Team, a representative of each
affiliated country, a representative of each
non-affiliated country, the officials of the
Continental Teams, the Intercontinental Councillor
and Deputy Councillor; the Intercontinental
Council, which is responsible for assisting the
Intercontinental Committee and is composed of the
Intercontinental Team, two delegates of each
Continental Team, one delegate for each country
which does not have a continental assembly, and
guests invited by the Intercontinental Team; the Intercontinental Team, with executive functions,
made up of the Intercontinental Coordinator, two
other chronic sick or disabled members, the
Intercontinental Councillor; and the Continental
Assemblies, which research and study specific
issues relating to the continent in question. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Frater has 51 member associations in
51 different countries, as follows: Africa (12),
Asia (7), Europe (12), North America (10) and South
America (10). |
WORKS |
Frater manages homes and
rehabilitation centres in France, Belgium, Brazil
and Spain. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Carta às nações, six monthly.
The member associations also have their own
publications at the national level. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Frater Avda. Los Pinos,
242 12100 GRAO CASTELLÓN
- España Tel. [+34] 964 282992 Email:
correo@fratersp.org |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF CATHOLIC KNIGHTS |
ACRONYM |
IACK |
ESTABLISHED |
1979 |
HISTORY |
IACK was founded in the United
Kingdom by the Orders of Catholic Knights from
Britain, the United States, Ireland, Australia,
South Africa and New Zealand. It was approved by the
Holy See in 1981 as a Catholic International
Organisation, and is an associate member of the
Conference of International Catholic Organisations.
As an NGO, it is represented at the United Nations.
On 14 April 1992, the Pontifical Council for the
Laity issued a decree recognising the International
Alliance of Catholic Knights as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The purpose of IACK is to bring the
message of Christ to all people; to support the Pope
and the bishops, priests and religious throughout
the world; to nurture the faith of its members and
of Catholics in general, encouraging them to play a
generous part in the life and mission of the Church;
to foster the unity of its members through prayer,
and to promote the establishment of Orders of
Catholic Knights where they do not yet exist. It is
strongly committed to defending the dignity of life
in every phase, promoting social justice, and
calling for vigilance in relation to genetic
engineering, cloning and their unpredictable
consequences. In its evangelising work, IACK gives
ample scope to cooperating with other Catholic
International Organisations. |
ORGANISATION |
IACK is governed by the International Council
comprising the Supreme
Knights of all the member Orders, International
President, the Deputy President, the Secretary
General and the International Ecclesiastical
Assistant. The International Council elects
its officers and lays down policy and decides on the
association’s activities. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IACK has a membership of 15 Orders
of Catholic Knights in 20 countries in the following
continents: Africa (7), Asia (3), Europe (4), North
America (4), and Oceania (2). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newschannel, published eight
times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.iack.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
International Alliance of Catholic
Knights 42 Westward Ho, Grimsby North East Lincolnshire DN34 5AE, United Kingdom Tel. and Fax [+44]1472.872988 e-mail: gyiacktonyrouse@aol.com |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF "CATERINATI" |
ESTABLISHED |
1970 |
HISTORY |
The International Association of
followers of Saint Catherine of Siena was founded in
Siena by Archbishop Mario Ismaele Castellano OP on
the same day that Pope Paul VI proclaimed St
Catherine of Siena a Doctor of the Church. It is the
continuation of the Company or Confraternity of
Saint Catherine in Fontebranda, which was founded in
Siena in 1462, and in reference also to the
spiritual Family of the Saint, whose members had
been known since the 15th century as "Caterinati".
On 15 August 1992, the Pontifical Council for the
Laity officially recognised the International
Association of "Caterinati" as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Association aspires to invite
all Christians to a greater deepening of their
spiritual life and growth in the love of Christ, of
the Church and of the Pope, in accordance with the
teachings of St. Catherine of Siena; to propagate
the richness of Catholic mysticism; to deepen and to
realize the concept of the "Mystical apostolate",
according to John Paul II’s definition of Saint
Catherine; to contribute to the rebuilding of the
spiritual unity of Europe in order to bring Europe
back to its Christian roots, and to enhance the
dignity and responsibility of Christian women in the
Church and in civil society. The Association is
committed to disseminating the Works of Saint
Catherine and research on her, in order to highlight
the influence she had on the life of the Church and
the Papacy in her age. It also organises liturgical
prayer meetings animated by Catherinian
spirituality, as well as cultural events (lectures,
readings, conferences). It is also committed to
performing individual acts of charity for the
benefit of the poor and the disabled. |
ORGANISATION |
The Association is governed by the General Council, chaired by the Prior General
and the Executive Board, also chaired by the
Prior General, comprising the Ecclesiastical
Assistant, the Prior of the Dominican Fathers of
Siena, two members representing the Italian
Caterinati groups, and a number of Caterinati living
in Siena. The President of the Association is the
Archbishop of Siena pro tempore. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Association has 3000 members in
4 countries: Europe (3) and North America (1). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Quaderni Cateriniani,
published three times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.caterinati.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione Internazionale dei
Caterinati Santuario Casa di Santa Caterina da Siena Via del Tiratoio, 8 - 53100 Siena - Italy Tel. [+39]0577.247393 - Fax [+39]0577.286212 Email: associazione_caterinati@virgilio.it |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHARITIES |
ACRONYM |
AIC (Association
Internationale des Charités) |
ESTABLISHED |
1971 |
HISTORY |
The AIC dates back to 1617, the year
in which St Vincent de Paul gathered together a
group of women at Châtillon-les-Dombes, France,
creating the first attempts to provide assistance to
the needy families in the parish. It was from this
experience that a number of different groups were
created, and rapidly spread throughout Europe and
beyond. In order to encourage the unity of these
groups called "Confraternities of the Ladies of
Charity", later to be known as "Charities", the
Founder laid down common rules based on the
imitation of Jesus Christ, boundless Gospel-based
love, organising activities, creativity, all
designed to find ever new means of assisting the
poor. Even though the Charities work completely
independently in their respective countries, they
are very closely linked by the common heritage of
the Vincentian spirit. It was precisely this bond
that led them to enthusiastically welcome the
proposal to set up a federation to gather together
the national movements: this was done in 1971 with
the founding of the International Association of
Charities. It was recognised by the Holy See as a
Catholic International Organisation, and is a member
of the Conference of ICOs. In its capacity as an
NGO, it has consultative status with Ecosoc and the
Council of Europe, and has working relations with
UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
AIC is concerned with different
forms of poverty and marginalisation, and its work
is based on the social teaching of the Church, under
the motto "combat poverty working together". The
operational guidelines of the Association are set
out in a basic document agreed internationally,
committing it to be present in three dimensions of
charity: through individual work, collective action,
and action on structures. The interpersonal
dimension of charity, community action and political
action are therefore experienced in the light of the
Gospel. The basic and specific feature of the
Vincentian "style" is the personal meeting with the
poor in their own homes and environments, which
demands serious and continuing formation, based on
and nurtured by a relationship with Christ and
witness of life. The AIC volunteers do not merely
meet the physical needs of the poor, for they also
accompany them spiritually and help them to recover
their dignity, hope, self-confidence, and to be
re-incorporated into society. |
ORGANISATION |
The AIC is governed by the Assembly of Delegates
which meets every two
years with decision-making powers on major issues
such as the election of officers; the Executive
Council, whose composition reflects the
geographic distribution of the member associations
and which is convened by the President and the
General Secretary; the Standing Committee,
made up of the President, four Vice-presidents, the
General Secretary and the Treasurer. AIC has full
members, which are associations or federations
of associations from the same country with
deliberative vote at the Assembly of Delegates; and
associate members, which are local
associations or groups of local associations that
are not organised at the national level, with a
consultative vote at the Assembly; and groups
under formation. Contacts between the member
associations are maintained by the regional
animators. |
MEMBERSHIP |
AIC has 47 member associations and
10 groups under formation, and is present in 51
countries as follows: Africa (6), Asia (6), Europe
(14), Middle East (2), North America (13), and South
America (10). |
WORKS |
The AIC member associations run
homes for the elderly, vocational training schools,
and food cooperatives; they organise literacy
courses; they finance the construction of schools;
they support projects to give disadvantaged and
deprived groups access to work, and they work in the
field of educating and training marginalised women. |
PUBLICATIONS |
AIC Infos, published
half-yearly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.aic-international.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Association Internationale des
Charités 23, Rampe des Ardennais 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve - Belgium Tel. [+32]10456353 - Fax 10458063 Email: contact@aic-international.org |
LOGO |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FAITH AND LIGHT |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Faith and Light International |
ESTABLISHED |
1971 |
HISTORY |
Faith and Light
International came into being following a pilgrimage to
Lourdes, France, in 1971 organised by Jean Vanier and
Marie Hélène Mathieu in response to a request from two
mentally disabled children, Taddée and Loïc, and their
parents. This request became a project for the Founders:
to help the mentally disabled and their families to find
their rightful place in the Church and in society. The
condition that the organisers laid down for joining the
pilgrimage was that they should set up communities made
up of people suffering from mental disabilities, and
their relatives and friends, especially the young. At
Easter 1971, 12,000 people arrived at the Lourdes Grotto
from 15 different countries, including 4,000 disabled
people. Their experience at Lourdes strengthened
relations between the existing communities and helped to
bring into being numerous others throughout the world.
To foster the growth of the Association, it became
essential to enshrine its spirit and the purposes in a
Charter and a Constitution that were adopted at the
General Assembly held at Wetherby, England, in 1982.
The last amendments to the Charter were adopted in
Madrid in 2006 and the last amendments to the
Constitution were adopted at Lourdes in 2008. |
IDENTITY |
Faith and Light is a community movement whose essential
purpose is to create bonds of trust and friendship
between the members which are based on, and fulfilled
in, Jesus. In a world where it is increasingly
considered normal to eliminate disabled children before
and after birth, the Faith and Light communities set out
to enable mentally disabled people to recognise and to
exercise their own gifts in the joy of friendship; Faith
and Light communities offer parents support in times of
trial, helping them to discover the special vocation of
their children so that they in turn can support other
parents undergoing suffering and daily difficulties;
Faith and Light communities enable the brothers, sisters
and friends of the disabled to realise that there exists
another world beyond the world of competition, money,
materialism: a universe of gentleness, of faithfulness,
listening to others, a world of faith which the weak and
the defenceless ask to have around them. Faith and Light
came into being in Catholicism, but today it is rooted
in different Christian traditions. Normally, the
communities comprise members belonging to the same
church, incorporated into the parish and the diocese. In
the case of inter-denominational communities the members
are encouraged to deepen their faith and their love for
Jesus within their own Church. The Association pursues
its aims in close cooperation with the
International
Federation of
L’Arche Communities, founded by Jean Vanier, and
with the Office Chrétien des Personnes Handicappés,
founded by Marie Hélène Mathieu. |
ORGANISATION |
Faith and Light is guided by an Administrative Council,
upholder of the mission and vision of the movement.
Faith and Light is subdivided in fifty Provinces around
the world. Provinces coordinators make up a Council
headed by the International Coordinator and assisted by
the International Spiritual Assistant. It animates the
life of the movement. The General Assembly, the
utmost authority of the movement, is composed of
delegates from each Province (parents, friends, disabled
people), coordinators and spiritual assistants of
Provinces, International vice-coordinators and by the
Administrative Council. The life of the Association
hinges around the communities. Their recognition as
members of Faith and Light International, after a trial
period of at least one year, depends upon compliance
with the requisites set out in the Constitution. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Faith and Light comprises 1612 communities in 81
countries as follows: Africa (22), America (13), Asia
(12), Europe (32), Oceania (2). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Carnet de route,
yearly publication in French, English and Italian.
« Hisse et Ho ! »,
quarterly publication
in French, English and Italian. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.foietlumiere.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Association Internationale Foi et
Lumière 3, rue du Laos - 75015 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.53694430 - Fax [+33]1.53694438 Email: foi.lumiere@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MISSIONARIES OF
POLITICAL CHARITY |
ESTABLISHED |
1976 |
HISTORY |
The International Association of
Missionaries of Political Charity was originally
founded in Milan by Alfredo Luciani as European
Christian Social Action, a movement dedicated to the
Christian instruction of citizens most engaged in
social and political activities. Over the years, the
realisation that it is in charity that a response is
to be found to the challenges presented by the new
scenarios in social and political life, led the
Association to re-examine, first and foremost, the
need for a Christian presence in the practice of
politics. It changed its name to the present one in
1993 and obtained canonical recognition from the
Bishop of Rieti in 1994. On 27 September 1996 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity recognised it as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Association seeks to foster
justice and love in each country and in relations
between countries; to stimulate dialogue between
different religions’ activities (peace education,
respect for the environment, solidarity with the
suffering); to apply the social teaching of the
Church in order to contribute to making politics a
transparent workshop of ideas, proposals and
projects consistent with the dignity and the
fundamental rights of the person and of the peoples,
and their deep-seated and lawful aspirations; to
involve the largest possible number of citizens in
political activity and in the choices that have to
be made, according to the criteria of participatory
democracy, so that every community takes
responsibility for its own development and can be
self-managed according to the methodology of freedom
and co-responsibility. |
ORGANISATION |
The Association is governed by a
central body made up of the President and the Bureau
elected by the "effective members".
These are lay persons from all states of life called
by our Lord to serve others by undertaking
commitments in every area and institution of the
civil community as well as in posts of power and in
grassroots structures. In addition to the
"effective members", the Association also has
honorary members who are distinguished
personalities who cooperate with initiatives; sympathisers
who contribute to the development
of the Association through personal cooperation and
financial contributions, and supporters who
are individuals or legal entities who contribute to
the development and work of the Association by
providing contributions that are consistent with its
constitutional purposes. The Association also uses
the services of spiritual Assistants from various
religious congregations to provide consultancy
services and cooperation. |
WORKS |
Domus Carità Politica and Istituto Superiore Carità Politica,
which
organise meetings and workshops for Members of the
Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, the
International Week on the Church’s social teaching,
and the celebration of Political Charity Day on Ash
Wednesday, to guarantee appropriate spiritual and
cultural instruction to those wishing to devote
themselves to social and political action, acting as
the forum for drafting guidelines for their
practical operational choices in the light of the
Church’s teaching. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Già e non ancora, a magazine
published three times a year. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione Internazionale
Missionari della Carità Politica Viale delle Milizie, 140 - 00192 Roma - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.3723511 Email: carpol@tin.it |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CENTRE FOR COOPERATION WITH
UNESCO |
ACRONYM |
CCIC (Centre
Catholique International de Coopération avec
l’UNESCO) |
ESTABLISHED |
1947 |
HISTORY |
CCIC was established in the same year as UNESCO, to
guarantee a Catholic presence in this new United
Nations agency which had been instituted to help the
member states to find responses, in a changing
world, to the key issues arising in the fields of
education, science, culture, communications and
their related problems. CCIC was established at the
initiative of the Archbishop of Paris and the Rector
of the Institut Catholique, with the support of the
Apostolic Nuncio to Paris at the time, Monsignor
Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII. |
IDENTITY |
Membership of CCIC is
open to individuals and institutions (Catholic
International Organisations, Bishops’ Conferences,
dioceses, religious Congregations, foundations)
interested in the work that UNESCO performs
throughout the world. The Centre, whose role is
mainly to provide information, documentation, and to
liaise with UNESCO, alerts the Catholic world to the
issues addressed by UNESCO, and seeks to ensure that
the teachings of the Church are taken on board in
its work; it provides assistance to enable Catholics
to play an effective part in the debates taking
place in UNESCO; it informs about 6000 entities
worldwide (dioceses, universities, schools,
embassies, national commissions, development
agencies) of the opportunities created by UNESCO’s
work, to which they would not otherwise have direct
access. CCIC cooperates with numerous Catholic
universities and Catholic cultural institutions,
Apostolic Nunciatures in every continent, the
national officers of the Pontifical Mission Aid
Societies and the Holy Childhood Association,
national Catholic education officials, the members
of the Conference of ICOs, ecumenical organisations,
departments of the Roman Curia, and the pontifical
academies. |
ORGANISATION |
The members of the CCIC
may be individuals or juridical persons, and are
either active members, who share and support
the aims of the Association, take part in promoting
and developing the Centre and its activities, with a
deliberative vote at the General Assembly; or,
associate members who, while endorsing the
objectives of the Association do not take on the
responsibilities of the active members but may
attend the General Assembly with a consultative
vote; or sympathisers, to support the
objectives of the Association by making financial
donations or other forms of support. CCIC is headed
by a Director, and managed by a Board of
Directors comprising a President, two Vice
Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer and an
Ecclesiastical Assistant. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The CCIC has 291 members
and is present in 37 countries, as follows: Africa
(8), Asia (3), Europe (10), Middle East (3), North
America (3), Oceania (1), and South America (9). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Le mois à l’UNESCO, a quarterly publication in French, English,
Spanish and Arabic; Education Informations/News
and CCIC Informations/Information, a
quarterly in French and English. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ccic-unesco.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Centre Catholique
International de Coopération avec l’UNESCO 9, rue Cler - 75007 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.47051759 - Fax [+33]1.45569092 Email: infos@ccic-unesco.org |
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OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CENTRE OF GENEVA |
ACRONYM |
ICCG |
ESTABLISHED |
1950 |
HISTORY |
ICCG was instituted in the 1950s in
Geneva, Switzerland, at the initiative of the World
Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (see page
295) with the support of officials of other
organisations active in international life and
members of the Conference of ICOs (at that time the
Conference of Presidents of the ICOs), with which it
is linked by convention. |
IDENTITY |
ICCG was set up by a group of people
engaged in working in international life to heighten
public opinion’s awareness as to the needs of
international institutions, and publicise their
work; improve the quality of the presence of
non-governmental organisations, particularly of
International Catholic Organisations, within the
United Nations agencies; to contribute to the debate
on issues of crucial relevance to our age. The
Centre pursues its objectives by organising seminars
to introduce the public to international life, and
through conferences on the United Nations
programmes; promoting colloquiums and working groups
to study such issues as human rights, the role of
associations and development; disseminating
information and publishing monographs on major
contemporary issues. |
ORGANISATION |
ICCG is governed by its statutes, a General Assembly
and a Steering Committee,
with a President elected by the members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICCG does not have representatives
throughout the world. The scope of its work depends
on the participation of its members in training
sessions and on study groups, in addition to its
publications which are sent out to several hundred
readers. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Informations Internationales,
a monthly publication in French, English and
Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ccig-iccg.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Centre Catholique International de
Genève 1, rue Varembé - Case Postale 43 1211 Genève 20 - Switzerland Tel. [+41]22.7341465 - Fax 022.7339383 Email: ccig@bluewin.ch |
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL SERVICES |
ACRONYM |
ICCRS |
ESTABLISHED |
1978 |
HISTORY |
The origins of ICCRS go back to 1970
when an International Communications Office (ICO)
began operating at Ann Arbor (Michigan) at Notre
Dame University, to keep contact between the various
prayer groups that had emerged from the personal
experience of Pentecost, known as the "new
outpouring of the Spirit" or the "baptism of the
Spirit", and to provide information on the nascent
movement. In 1973, ICO began the annual publication
of the Directory of Catholic Prayer Groups, giving
the addresses of all the existing prayer groups. In
1977 a consultation was held for 110 people
representing 60 countries, at which it was decided
to set up an international Committee to supervise
the work performed by the Office. In 1978, ICCRO
(International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Offices)
was founded, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
There were nine members from Europe, Asia, North
America, South America and Oceania, together with
the Archbishop of Malines-Brussels, Cardinal Leo
Suenens, as the spiritual assistant. In order to
develop relations with the Holy See, in 1980 ICCRO
moved its offices to Rome. Having adopted its
present name, on 14 September 1993 International
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services was recognised
by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as an
association of Pontifical Right, for the purpose of
promoting Catholic Charismatic Renewal which is
present in 220 countries. |
IDENTITY |
ICCRS is the main coordination and
service structure of Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
It performs its mission of promoting Renewal in the
world by nurturing in its members their commitment
to be faithful to the Catholic Church at both
personal and group level; acting as a centre of
unity, communication and collaboration between the
prayer groups and the communities present in every
continent; financially supporting the Renewal
centres in the developing countries and local
initiatives and national and international youth
meetings; and organising world congresses and
conferences for Renewal leaders. |
ORGANISATION |
ICCRS is governed by the Council,
which comprises the President, a Vice President and
12 Councillors representing different areas of
Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the geographic
areas in which it has been established. In the
performance of its functions, the Council is
accompanied by a bishop as its spiritual assistant
(Episcopal Adviser). The decisions adopted by the
Council are implemented by an Office, headed
by an Executive Director, responsible for
administration, working under the supervision of the
President, and according to the instructions issued. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICCRS is in contact with charismatic
groups in 165 countries as follows: Africa (44),
Asia (27), Europe (42), North America (27), Oceania
(11) and South America (14). |
PUBLICATIONS |
ICCRS Newsletter published
bimonthly in Italian, French, English, Portuguese,
Spanish and German. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.iccrs.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
International Catholic Charismatic
Renewal Services Palazzo San Calisto 00120
Vatican City Tel. [+39]06.69887126 / 06.69887127 -
Fax 06.69887224 Email: info@iccrs.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU |
ACRONYM |
BICE (Bureau International
Catholique de l’Enfance) |
ESTABLISHED |
1948 |
HISTORY |
BICE was founded in Paris as a tool
to serve those who, in the Catholic world, are
working to establish the rights of children and to
ensure their comprehensive growth. It made a
decisive contribution to the drafting of the 1989
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Some of the activities of BICE that have had
an impact at worldwide level include the launching
of the first international programme for the
children of inmates, innovative initiatives in the
field of relations between humanitarian principles
and state sovereignty, and the promotion of the
International Year of the Child. Recognised by the
Holy See as a Catholic International Organisation,
BICE is a member of the Conference of ICOs. As an
NGO it has consultative status with Unicef, Ecosoc,
the Council of Europe, and operational relations
with UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
Taking a Christian anthropological
approach, BICE promotes the rights of the child in
unconditional respect for the child as a person with
their culture, community and religion. Particular
care is devoted to deprived and disabled children,
street children, child drug victims, war victims,
child prostitutes and exploited child labourers. Its
work on behalf of children gives special attention
to the psychosocial and spiritual needs of the
child: education, a family environment, a sense of
responsibility, self- onfidence, spiritual growth,
and outreach to the intercultural dimension. In
order to fulfil its mission, BICE drafts pilot
projects and mediumand long-term research and action
programmes, and it mobilises civil society, seeking
to influence social policies. |
ORGANISATION |
BICE is managed by the General
Assembly, made up of the members of the
association, which meets once a year and elects the
Board of Directors; the Board of Directors,
with 15 members, which lays down the programme of
activities for BICE according to the guidelines
issued by the General Assembly; the Executive
Committee, comprising the President, the Vice
President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and
the Ecclesiastical Assistant. There are Regional
Delegations for Africa, Latin America, Asia,
Europe and East and Central Europe. |
MEMBERSHIP |
BICE has 174 full and corresponding member associations, and is
present in 35 countries as follows: Africa (6), Asia
(4), Europe (14), North America (1), and South
America (10). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Annual Report, published in
French, English and Spanish; Enfants de partout,
published quarterly in French. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.bice.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Bureau International Catholique de
l’Enfance 70 Boulevard de Magenta - 75010 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.53350100 - Fax 1.53350119 Email: bice.paris@bice.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMITTEE FOR GYPSIES |
ACRONYM |
CCIT (Comité Catholique
International pour les Tsiganes) |
ESTABLISHED |
1976 |
HISTORY |
CCIT was created following a number
of informal meetings organised in Paris, France, at
the beginning of the 1970s by the French priest
Youschka Bartolémy and a Belgian couple, Elisa and
Léon Tambour, in response to the need for an
international debate on the gypsy communities and
their human and spiritual welfare. From the outset,
the Committee has worked in conjunction with the
Church and has special relations with the Pontifical
Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant People (two members of the management
Group are "structurally" responsible for relations
with this department of the Roman Curia). CCIT
remains in constant contact with the national
chaplaincies for Gypsies and Travellers. |
IDENTITY |
The members of CCIT are people
working for the human and spiritual advancement of
Gypsies, endeavouring to prompt them to act in the
spirit of Christ, so that Gypsies and non-Gypsies
are able to live the Gospel together in all its
dimensions; it sets out to alert the churches and
the Christian communities to the condition of the
Gypsies, so that they can be recognised, accepted
and loved; it seeks practical cooperation with the
members of other churches who are willing to open up
to Gypsies; it is involved in carrying out a survey
in every country in order to set up an international
network that will encourage the churches to take
account of the Gypsies’ world. In its work priority
is given to organising annual international meetings
in a different country each time, providing an
opportunity for all those working in this sphere to
reflect together on specific issues; it is a forum
for comparing different experiences, and for
establishing new bonds of friendship and
cooperation. |
ORGANISATION |
CCIT is a de facto association. To become members it is necessary to
adhere to its Charter and to have attended at
least three of its international meetings. Every
four years an Animation Council of eight
members is elected, and they in turn elect a Management Group
comprising the President, the
Vice-President, two officials responsible for
relations with the Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, and
an official responsible for publications. Every
year, the Animation Council lays down the
guidelines for the work of the CCIT, which is
implemented, together with the ordinary management
of the Committee, by the Management Group
assisted by the Secretariat. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CCIT has 46 members in 14 European
countries. The annual international meetings
normally attract about a hundred people from 20
European countries. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nevy Yag (New Fire), a six
monthly bulletin published in French and German. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comité Catholique International pour
les Tsiganes c/o Elisa et Léon Tambour Pallieterstraat 9 - 2170 Merksem - Belgium Tel. and Fax [+32]3.6452579 Email: leon.tambour1@yucom.be |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC COMMITTEE OF NURSES AND
MEDICAL SOCIAL ASSISTANTS |
ACRONYM |
CICIAMS (Comité International
Catholique des Infirmières et Assistantes
Médico-Sociales) |
ESTABLISHED |
1933 |
HISTORY |
CICIAMS came into being in Lourdes,
France, under the name "International Study
Committee for Catholic Nurses’ Associations"
following a meeting of delegates of Catholic nurses’
associations from different countries held in Basel,
Switzerland, in 1928. As the number of members
increased including not only nurses but other
professionals in the medical and social fields, the
Committee took its present name in 1946. It is
recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, and is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has consultative
status with the WHO, ILO, Unicef and the Council of
Europe. |
IDENTITY |
CICIAMS encourages the establishment
and development of Catholic professional
associations in every country to provide nurses and
medical/social workers with spiritual and moral
support, and updated specialised training; it
coordinates the initiatives that Catholic
professional associations launch in order to deepen
and advocate Christian thinking in the nursing and
medical/social professions; it promotes health care
and social work in accordance with scientific
progress and in harmony with the principles of a
Christian order which guarantees every human being
the well-being and health that is their birthright,
and always with respect for their religious
convictions. CICIAMS pursues its objectives by
organising international meetings and study
seminars, drawing up ethical guidelines, and with a
solidarity Fund to support the establishment and
work of Catholic nurses’ associations in the
developing countries. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of
CICIAMS is the General Council, made up of
the Presidents or the official delegates of the member associations, which meets once every two
years. The General Council lays down the general
guidelines for the work of the Committee and elects
the Executive Bureau comprising the
President, Vice Presidents, the General Secretary,
the General Treasurer, and the International
Ecclesiastical Assistant. The members of
CICIAMS have deliberative voting rights. It also has
corresponding members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CICIAMS has 75 member and corresponding member associations
in 56
countries as follows: Africa (18), Asia (16), Europe
(12), North America (6), Oceania (2), and South
America (2). |
PUBLICATIONS |
CICIAMS Nouvelles, published
three times a year in French, English, Spanish and
German. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ciciams.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comité International Catholique des Infirmières et Assistantes Médico-Sociales Square Vergote 43 - 1040 Brussels - Belgium Tel. [+32]2.732 1050 - Fax 2.734 8460 Email: ciciams@tiscali.be |
WORKS |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF GUIDING |
ACRONYM |
ICCG |
ESTABLISHED |
1965 |
HISTORY |
ICCG was originally established by
some 20 organisations belonging to the World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. The
first meetings of Catholic Guide leaders from
different countries began in 1948, and were held
every three years; in 1953 the Secretariat was
established to guarantee contacts and exchanges
between one meeting and the next. As the initiative
developed, the idea emerged to set up a permanent
structured organisation. In 1977, at the World
Council in Rome, the ICCG adopted the Catholic
Guides Charter which laid down the principles
for its work. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, the ICCG is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
ICCG brings together the national
Catholic guides associations, national
inter-denominational guiding organisations with a
Catholic majority, and national groups of Catholic
guides. Its purpose is to help the member
organisations to transform guiding into a real
instrument for education in the faith, and to
publicise its educational value, activities and its
experience with interdenominational/interfaith
cooperation. |
ORGANISATION |
The ICCG is governed by the Council
which has decision-making powers and
meets every three years, comprising the members of
the Secretariat, two representatives of every member
organisation and their Ecclesiastical Assistants;
the Secretariat, which has executive
functions, is composed of the General Secretary, who
represents the Conference, the General
Ecclesiastical Assistant, the Deputy Assistant, and
4/6 members elected by the Council. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICCG has 37 Member Associations
and 12 Corresponding Associations in 49
countries as follows: Africa (12), Europe (19),
Middle East (2), North America (7), and South
America (9). Its activities involve about 2 million
Catholic Guides. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cicg-iccg.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Conférence Internationale Catholique
du Guidisme Rocca 1933 8300 Neuquén (Argentina) Tel. [+54]299.4484186 - Fax 299.4422121 Email: cicg_coordmundial@yahoo.com.ar |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF SCOUTING |
ACRONYM |
ICCS |
ESTABLISHED |
1948 |
HISTORY |
ICCS started out as the
International Office of Catholic Scouts, which was
created in 1920 at the first World Jamboree, by the
French Jesuit Jacques Sevin (Scouts de France),
Count Mario di Carpegna (Associazione Scout
Cattolici Italiani) and Professor Jean Corbisier
(Baden Powell Belgian Boy Scouts). The initiative
was blessed by Benedict XV in July 1922 and a
Statute was adopted by Argentina, Austria, Belgium,
Chile, Ecuador, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland,
Spain and Hungary. Between 1946 and 1947 the
officials of the Catholic Scout Associations
reestablished contacts that had been broken off
during the Second World War, and decided to meet
every year. In June 1962 the Holy See approved the
Statutes and Charter of the Association which was
renamed the International Catholic Scouting
Conference (ICSC), and later the International
Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS). As an
International Catholic Organisation, ICCS is a
member of the Conference of ICOs, and has
consultative status on the World Scout Committee. |
IDENTITY |
As a forum for Scout leaders and
educators, enabling them to share their educational
experiences, ICCS offers an opportunity for all its
members to receive instruction and information. Its
particular purpose is to contribute to the
comprehensive education of young people through the
Scouting educational method enlightened by the
Catholic faith; to guarantee the active presence of
Catholic Scouts in the Church; to encourage dialogue
between the Catholic Church and the World Scout
Movement. Its twin linkage with the Catholic Church
and the Scout Movement requires ICCS to relate to a
variety of national and international institutions
in which it is committed to fostering the
development of programmes for education in the faith
and to protect respect for the choice and expression
of faith. ICCS pursues its aims by organising
seminars and debates on the spiritual dimension of
Scouting education, education in the faith, the
relationship between belonging to the Church and
membership in the Scout Movement, and interfaith
dialogue in Scouting. ICCS plays a part in the
international activities of the Catholic Church
(World Youth Days, forums, seminars) and the Scout
Movement (World and Regional Conferences,
Jamborees). It bases its work on the Constitution
of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement,
and the Scouts’ Catholic Charter approved by
the Holy See in 1977. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of the
ICCS is the World Council, which meets every three
years, attended by the officials of the member
organisations. The World Council elects the Secretary General
who coordinates the work of
the Conference worldwide, assisted by a General
Secretariat and the members of the four Regional
Secretariats for Africa, Asia-Pacific, the
Americas and Europe-Mediterranean. Catholic Scouting
associations, and Catholic Councils and Committees
of multi-faith Scouting Associations are members of
ICCS. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICCS has 53 member associations in
50 countries as follows: Africa (12), Asia (6),
Europe (17), Middle East (2), North America (4),
Oceania (1) and South America (8). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Info, a bulletin published
every 2 months; Signes, published 3 times a
year; Cahiers, six-monthly reflection and
animation journals. All three are published in
French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cics.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Conférence Internationale Catholique
du Scoutisme Piazza Pasquale Paoli, 18 00186 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39] 06.6865270 - Fax 06.6865211 Email: cics-iccs@cics.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC MIGRATION COMMISSION |
ACRONYM |
ICMC |
ESTABLISHED |
1951 |
HISTORY |
ICMC was established in order to
deal with the massive movement of refugees following
the upheavals caused by the Second World War, and
also in order to restore to millions of people the
hope that they would be able to begin a new life.
The initiative was the work of Monsignor Luigi
Ligutti and the German Johannes Schauff, who
submitted a proposal to Pope Pius XII to set up an
international body to coordinate the work performed
by Catholics in the field of migration. It was set
up with the encouragement and support of Monsignor
Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI, and
from the beginning it coordinated the work of
Catholic national groups working with migrants and
providing technical assistance to groups and
organisations at their request. It is recognised by
the Holy See as an International Catholic
Organisation and is a member of the Conference of
ICOs. As an NGO it has consultative status with
Ecosoc, Unicef, ILO, the Council of Europe and the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees. |
IDENTITY |
ICMC provides a service to refugees
and all who are displaced within their own country
or have to expatriate because of war, natural
disasters or poverty, helping and assisting above
all the most vulnerable and marginalised of these
human groups. Through its work it sets out to save
human life; to restore hope to individuals and
groups that have been uprooted and have lost
everything, helping them to rebuild their lives, and
to reunite families after years of separation. In
its educational work and defending the cause of
migrants and their dignity, at both the national and
international levels, ICMC fosters the adoption and
implementation of Christian principles in the
framing of policies to encourage sustainable
solutions to the problems of refugees such as their
return home and their social reintegration, or their
integration in the countries where they settle. The
programmes of the Commission include assisting
migrants in emergency situations, assisting and
protecting women and girl victims of people
trafficking, providing legal assistance, helping
children to overcome the trauma of migration and to
resume a normal life again, providing vocational
training and subsidies to set up businesses, looking
after the elderly, providing social services for the
disabled, and education in solidarity and tolerance. |
ORGANISATION |
The management bodies of ICMC are
the Council which has a decision-making role,
and comprises representatives appointed by the
Bishops’ Conferences of countries particularly
affected by migration flows and by the refugee
problem, individuals co-opted on account of their
particular skills, and honorary members; the
Governing Committee, made up of the President
of the Commission, and members of the Council
elected for four years, which implements the
decisions adopted by the Council and appoints the
General Secretary who is responsible for the
management, publications and contacts with
international bodies and authorities and with member
associations. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICMC has 172 full members and
affiliated members in 65 countries with
operational bases in some 30 countries. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Annual report, published in
French, English, and Spanish; Informations, a
newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.icmc.net |
HEADQUARTERS |
Commission Internationale Catholique
pour les Migrations 37-39, rue de Vermont Case Postale 96 - 1211 Geneva 20 - Switzerland Tel. [+41]229191020 - Fax 229191048 Email: secretariat.ch@icmc.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR INTELLECTUAL AND
CULTURAL AFFAIRS |
ACRONYM |
ICMICA-Pax Romana |
ESTABLISHED |
1947 |
HISTORY |
Officially founded in Rome, Pax
Romana-ICMICA was established historically and
sociologically by the members of the International
Movement of Catholic Students (see page 171). As
they completed their studies to join the working
world, they were anxious to perpetuate their
apostolic ideals into their adult lives. They
envisaged creating a Catholic movement for not only
graduates but for culture in general. ICMICA, with
the support of UNESCO, organised the first
international interfaith meeting in the last
century. It took place from Christmas to New Year in
1959-1960 in Manila, Philippines. It was attended by
intellectuals with allegiances to different
religions who debated in a personal capacity on the
issue, "The influence of the great religions on the
present life of nations in the East and in the
West". Various members of ICMICA attended the
deliberations of Vatican II as lay auditors or
experts. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, Pax
Romana-ICMICA is a member of the Conference of ICOs.
As an NGO it has consultative status with Ecosoc,
UNESCO and the Council of Europe. |
IDENTITY |
ICMICA is an international network
of Catholic professionals and intellectuals, as
individuals or groups and associations, who are
working to establish dialogue between faith and
culture for the evangelisation of cultures and for
the inculturation of the Gospel in the world of
labour, the family and society. Redesigning their
own life projects in terms of this mission, and
placing their expertise at its service, ICMICA
members pursue these purposes by discerning and
critically analysing dominant thinking and
ideologies, in the light of the faith; committing
themselves to the Church’s work of evangelisation by
bearing witness to, and practising, the Gospel
values; fostering and defending the rights of
individuals and peoples in a spirit of solidarity
with the poor and with minorities; engaging in
interfaith dialogue, to promote not only religious
freedom but also mutual understanding and respect;
to study human, social and ethical issues specific
to the artistic, literary and scientific professions
in the light of Catholic morals. ICMICA offers the
international community its intellectual and moral
resources to build and uphold peace founded on
justice and on the love of Christ. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of ICMICA
is the Plenary Assembly, made up of
representatives of the constituent member associations, and is convened every four years to
elect the President, Vice Presidents, the members of
the International Council, and the Secretary
General nominated by the latter. The President, the
Secretary-General, the Treasurer and the
Ecclesiastical Assistant make up the International Team, as the executive and
coordination organ. At the Continental and regional
levels, activities are coordinated by the regional
Vice Presidents and Coordinators. The structure of
ICMICA also includes the Specialised Secretariats
which comprise Christians committed in specific
environments. There are presently five of them:
International Secretariat of Christian Artists
(SIAC), International Secretariat of Catholic
Secondary School Teachers (SIESC), International
Movement/Secretariat of Catholic Jurists
(MIJC/SIJC), International Secretariat for
Scientific Questions (SIQS), and the International
Secretariat for Catholic Engineers, Agronomists and
Industry Officials (SIIAEC). The Working Groups
on Human Rights, Economy and Human Development
and Ecology assist the International Council in
implementing the decisions adopted by the Plenary
Assembly. Membership of ICMCA is open to constituent members
(Catholic professional
organisations recognised by the Church hierarchy),
corresponding members and individual
members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICMCA has over 58,000 members in
organisations present in 51 countries as follows:
Africa (10), Asia (8), Europe (23), North America
(2), and South America (8). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Pax Romana E-Update, a
monthly online newsletter; Convergence, published six-monthly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.icmica-miic.org/ |
HEADQUARTERS |
Pax Romana ICMICA/MIIC 3
rue de Varembé, 4th Floor
CP 161, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel: (41 22) 823 0707 / Fax: (41 22) 823 0708 Email:
international_secretariat@paxromana.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC RURAL ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
ICRA |
ESTABLISHED |
1962 |
HISTORY |
ICRA was founded in Rome following
an international Meeting of Catholics on rural life,
in which the idea was broached of setting up a body
to liaise with Catholic research establishments,
entities, foundations, associations and movements
working in the agricultural and rural sectors. It
was recognised by the Holy See in 1965 as an
International Catholic Organisation, and is an
associate member of the ICO Conference. As an NGO it
has consultative status with FAO and cooperates with
FAO and with UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
Faithful to the Gospel, ICRA works
to spread the principles of the Church’s social
teaching and the spirit of solidarity in the farming
world, so that rural folk, and particularly the
poorest among them, can live a dignified life,
become protagonists of their own human, spiritual
and social growth and cooperate for the common good.
ICRA sets out to foster, strengthen and support
agricultural and rural movements of various kinds
and with different functions, and is committed to
enabling its members to become better acquainted and
to cooperate with one another through meetings,
exchanges and research to make their commitment in
different countries more homogeneous. One concrete
form that this work has taken is the "Agrimissio"
Service to finance rural development micro-projects
in the poorest countries. |
ORGANISATION |
ICRA is governed by the General
Assembly made up of representatives of the
member associations, which takes decisions and
elects the President, the General Secretary and the
General Council; the General Council implements the programmes adopted by the General
Assembly and comprises the President, a
Vice-President for each continental area, the
General Secretary, the Ecclesiastical Assistant, the
Youth Coordination Officer, and representatives of
the member associations. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICRA has 62 member associations,
representing some 7 million rural workers, and is
present in 54 countries as follows: Africa (6), Asia
(16), Europe (15), North America (6), and South
America (11). |
PUBLICATIONS |
ICRA-Information, a
two-monthly newsletter in English, French and
Italian. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.icra-agrimissio.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
ICRA-Agrimissio Palazzo San Calisto 00120 Città del Vaticano Tel. [+39]06.69887123 - Fax 06.69887223 Email: info@icra-agrimissio.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC SOCIETY FOR GIRLS |
ACRONYM |
ACISJF (Association
Catholique Internationale de Services pour la
Jeunesse Féminine) |
ESTABLISHED |
1897 |
HISTORY |
ACISJF was the first Catholic
international association for girls, founded in
Friburg in Switzerland in 1897 by Louise de Reynold
to meet the needs of young girls who, because of
social changes, had to live away from their own
families. At that time it was called the
"International Catholic Association of Organizations
for the Protection of Girls", and within a year it
had extended its network from Russia to the United
States of America. In 1910 it made a major
contribution to the establishment of the World Union
of Catholic Women’s Organisations (see page 295).
After the Second World War, while there was loss of
contact with Central-Eastern Europe, which only
resumed in 1991, it expanded in Latin America and in
Africa. Between 1951 and 1953 the Association played
a part in establishing the Conference of
International Catholic Organisations. The present
name was adopted in 1964. Recognised by the Holy See
as an International Catholic Organisation, ACISJF is
a member of the Conference of International Catholic
Organisations (CICO). As an NGO, it has consultative
status with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and
Ecosoc. |
IDENTITY |
ACISJF groups together national,
local and regional Catholic associations and
institutions working on behalf of girls and young
women. The Association’s purpose is to be an
educational community, implementing tailor-made
projects to help girls develop in areas where their
life situations have prevented them from developing
properly. Respecting their cultural and religious
differences, the Association takes in girls in
difficulty, helping them to integrate into society;
it encourages the creation of associations to help
girls throughout the world; it provides services run
by professionals and volunteers trained to deal with
the specific needs of each country. The powerful
sense of service that drives ACISJF enables it to
meet girls’ new needs offering them a flexible
welcome and addressing all contingencies. |
ORGANISATION |
The official governing bodies of the
ACISJF are the General Assembly, which meets
once every four years, the International Council,
which meets once a year and comprises the General
President of ACISJF, the General President of WUCWO,
the Ecclesiastical Assistant and two members of the
Regional Commissions set up for Europe, Latin
America and the Caribbean. ACISJF is open to full
membership, or associate membership if
the member cannot undertake all the obligations of
full membership and wishes to cooperate to achieve
the objectives of the Association; there are also corresponding members
who work in the same field
and exchange services and information with ACISJF. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ACISJF comprises 35 national member
associations, in 33 countries as follows: Africa
(13), Asia (1), Europe (12), North America (3) and
South America (4). |
WORKS |
ACISJF has created numerous social
services to meet the specific needs of different
countries, managed locally by national associations:
homes for single mothers; schools for nursing
assistants and social workers; language and computer
schools; cooperatives; literacy and school support
centres; sports centres; cultural and religious,
vocational and agricultural training courses; job
centres, and hospitality desks at railways stations.
|
PUBLICATIONS |
Contacts, twice-yearly
bulletin in French, Spanish and German. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.acisjf-int.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Association Catholique
Internationale de Services pour la Jeunesse Féminine Maison des Associations 15, rue des Savoises - 1205 Genève - Switzerland Tel. [+41]22.8000835 - Fax 22.8000836 Email:
acisjf@bluewin.ch |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC UNION OF THE PRESS |
ACRONYM |
UCIP (Union Catholique
Internationale de la Presse) |
ESTABLISHED |
1936 |
HISTORY |
UCIP’s origins date back to 1927
when a group of French, German, Austrian and Swiss
journalists set up the International Office of
Catholic Journalists to promote journalism based on
solid values. In 1930, the first World Catholic
Press Congress was called in Brussels, Belgium, and
in 1936 the International Union of the Catholic
Press was founded in Rome. After the difficult years
of the Second World War the association relaunched
its activities at the World Congress held in Rome in
1950. After 1966, when it took its present name,
UCIP opened up to all Catholic professionals working
in the secular and religious information media, and
in 1987 it founded the International Network of
Young Journalists to which thousands of journalists
aged under 35 in over 100 countries belong today.
Recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, UCIP is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has consultative
status with Ecosoc and UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
UCIP promotes, coordinates and
internationally represents the work of Catholics and
the Catholic federations or associations in the
field of the press and information media; it
encourages and supports the presence and commitment
of Catholics in various areas of the press and
information in all its forms; it fosters the
development of Catholic journalism in every country;
it defends the right to information and freedom of
opinion; it encourages deontological research; it
represents Catholic journalism at international
governmental and non-governmental organisations. In
the pursuit of its objectives, UCIP strives
primarily to remain true to the magisterium of the
Church and to cooperate with other international
organisations of journalists, whether denominational
or nondenominational. |
ORGANISATION |
UCIP is governed by the General
Assembly, which meets every three years attended
by representatives of the Federations and regional
or continental member Units; the Council,
composed of the members of the UCIP Executive
Committee and the Executive Committees of the
federations and regional or continental member
Units; the Executive Committee, made up of
the President, Vice President, the Secretary
General, Treasurer and the Presidents of the
Federations and the regional or continental member
Units. In the matter of doctrine, UCIP is assisted
by an Ecclesiastical Adviser. The members of UCIP
are the Federations (International
associations of Catholic journalists, such as the
International Federation of Catholic Dailies, the
International Federation of Catholic Periodicals,
the International Federation of Catholic
Journalists, the International Federation of
Catholic Press Agencies, the International Catholic
Association of Teachers and Researchers of
Information Science and Technologies, The
International Federation of Publishers), and the regional
or continental Units which
reflect the structure of the UCIP in Asia, Africa
and Latin America. |
MEMBERSHIP |
UCIP comprises 8 federations and 8
regional units whose members are present in 138
countries as follows: Africa (39), Asia (22), Europe
(32), Middle East (7), North America (11), Oceania
(7), and South America (20). |
PUBLICATIONS |
UCIP Informations, a
quarterly newsletter in French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ucip.ch |
HEADQUARTERS |
Union Catholique Internationale de
la Presse 37-39, rue Vermont C.P. 197-1211 Genève 20 - Switzerland Tel. [+41] 22.7340017 / 7347416 - Fax 22.7340053 Email: helo@ucip.ch |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNION OF BUSINESS EXECUTIVES |
ACRONYM |
UNIAPAC (after the original name of the
Association: Union Internationale des
Associations Patronales Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1931 |
HISTORY |
UNIAPAC began as the International Conference of
Associations of Catholic Employers, made up of the
associations of the Netherlands, Belgium and France
(with observers from Italy, Germany and
Czechoslovakia) on the 40th anniversary of Rerum
Novarum, in order to bring together employers
and managers who drew their inspiration for their
work and professional duties from Christian social
teaching. After the Second World War, UNIAPAC spread
to other European countries and Latin America. In
the 1970s, the Union became an ecumenical
association, and took its present name, taking in
among its members associations from Asia and Africa.
In 1975, it inaugurated the so-called
"Church-Transnational Corporations Dialogues", set
against the background of an increased awareness of
the role that business has to play in society.
UNIAPAC has relations with all the international
governmental and non-governmental organisations
working in the field of economics and business
management, and with the Holy See and the World
Council of Churches. It is an invited member of the
Conference of ICOs, and as an NGO has consultative
status with Unctad, UNESCO, ILO and the Economic
Commission for Latin America. |
IDENTITY |
UNIAPAC is an international forum for debate
between entrepreneurs and business executives
belonging to different cultures and social economic
and professional environments, to help its members
to combine Christian faith, business dynamism and
economic requirements; to make the Christian spirit
one of the key elements in the practical work of
business executives and managers; to form business
executives to adopt a philosophy for action based on
Christian social teaching, so that being sensitive
to the needs of the common good, they can both
produce wealth and promote social and human
development; to foster initiatives to help to attain
these objectives. The Union pursues its purposes
through publications, studies, seminars, colloquiums
and congresses. UNIAPAC has played an active part in
the debate on Third World debt and the political and
economic restructuring of Third World countries. At
the present time it is dealing with the situation in
the countries of Eastern Europe — which are
undergoing a process of economic/social
reconstruction and transition towards the market
economy — and with the challenges of the economic
and financial globalisation of the world in general,
and the Mediterranean area in particular. |
ORGANISATION |
UNIAPAC has active members, which are
associations that refer explicitly to the Christian
spirit and associate members, which are
individuals and corporate persons that support its
work. UNIAPAC is governed by an Executive Office
with decision-making and directive functions,
made up of the President, the Vice Presidents, the
General Secretary, the Treasurer, the Presidents of
the member associations, past Presidents of the
Union, and four Ecclesiastical Assistants (Spiritual
Advisers); the General Secretariat, headed by
a General Secretary appointed by the Board and
proposed by the President; the General Assembly
which comprises the active members with voting
rights, and the associated members of the Union; and
the Programming Committee, which is a think
tank. |
MEMBERSHIP |
UNIAPAC has 31 member associations in 25
countries as follows: Africa (1), Asia (1), Europe
(13), North America (1), and South America (9). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Uniapac News, periodical newsletter
published in English, French and Spanish; Les
Cahiers Socio-Économiques de l’UNIAPAC, a series
of studies and documents on economic ethics and
policy, published in various languages. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.uniapac.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
UNIAPAC 2, place des Barricades - 1000 Brussels - Belgium Tel. [+32]2.2183114 - Fax 2.2197037 Email: info@uniapac.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS OF DOMESTIC WORKERS |
ACRONYM |
IAG (Internationale
Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Berufsverbände Christlischer
Arbeitnehmerinnen in der Hauswirtschaft) |
ESTABLISHED |
1959 |
HISTORY |
The first moves were made to found
the IAG at the beginning of the 1950s by the
President of the German Association, Marianna Wilke
and by Katharina Neumayer, President of the Austrian
Association for 45 years. In 1957 Father Sebastiano
Plutino, President of the Italian association "Tra
Noi", and the officials of the Swiss Association
were also involved in the initiative. At a meeting
in Rome, the first agreements were concluded to
found an international Union, and the foundations
were laid for drafting the first Statutes of the
IAG, that were ratified in Vienna in 1959 coinciding
with the 50th anniversary of the Austrian
professional association. In 1980 the Union adopted
the present name, and updated the Statutes, amending
them to make them more consonant with the times and
needs of the member countries. On 26 January 1991
the Pontifical Council for the Laity issued the
decree recognising the International Confederation
of Professional Associations of Domestic Workers as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
IAG is a confederation of
independent national associations of Christian
domestic workers. Basing its work on the teachings
of Vatican II and the social teaching of the Church,
its purpose is to improve the standards of living
and working conditions of domestic workers; it
encourages their religious instruction, fosters
cooperation between its member associations, and
organises congresses and debates on issues relating
to vocational training. |
ORGANISATION |
IAG is governed by the Management
Committee, which is the national association
which rotates every four years at the head of the
Confederation; the ordinary Conference which
is convened every year by the Management Committee;
the ordinary Congress, which meets every four
years. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IAG has 6 member associations in 6
countries: Europe (5), South America (1). |
WORKS |
The IAG member associations have
created vocational training schools in Italy and
Portugal; and hostels in Austria, Germany, Italy,
and Portugal. |
PUBLICATIONS |
The member associations have their
own national publications. |
HEADQUARTERS |
IAG Centro de Promoción San José para Empleadas de Hogar Carrera 17, n.71ª39 - Santa Fe de Bogotá - Colombia Tel. and Fax [+57]12173560
In Italy:
API-COLF Via Urbano II, 41/a - 00167 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.6629378 - Fax 0666040532 Email: saceli@libero.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF THE SOCIETY
OF
ST VINCENT DE PAUL |
ACRONYM |
SSVP |
ESTABLISHED |
1833 |
HISTORY |
The SSVP was founded in Paris as a
result of a Conference on Law and History organised
by the journalist Emmanuel Bailly for university
undergraduates at a time when Catholic student
welfare associations were being closed down. The
intellectual purpose of these meetings did not,
however, meet with the spiritual aspirations and the
desire for social commitment felt by a group of
students led by Frédéric Ozanam (beatified in 1997).
Convinced of the need to put words into practice in
order to demonstrate the vitality of their faith,
they decided to change them into Conferences of
Charity, which were to be essentially lay in
character, obedient to the authority of the Church,
designed to sanctify their members and the poor
people they served. They were to be marked by
simplicity, friendship and fellowship in relations
between the members, with decisions taken on a
collegial basis, practising charity not as an
individual activity but through group solidarity. In
1835, after drawing up their first rule, the
Conferences of Charity took the name of the Society
of St Vincent de Paul, after the Saint chosen as
their patron, and in 1845 they obtained Holy See
recognition in a brief issued by Gregory XVI. The
International Confederation of the Society of Saint
Vincent De Paul has consultative status with UNESCO as
an NGO. |
IDENTITY |
The SSVP charism is expressed and
authenticated among the poor and the marginalised,
and in the contribution it makes to the advancement
of our suffering brethren in the light of the Gospel
message and the twin heritage of St Vincent de Paul
and Frédéric Ozanam. The association takes part in
the Church’s charitable work, emphasising a personal
relationship when serving the neediest people. It
encourages the laity’s sense of responsibility,
encouraging cooperation between all the members of
the ecclesial community. It draws its inspiration
from the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and
the social encyclicals, incorporated into different
countries, by performing actions for the benefit of
the poor in respect for their traditions and
cultures. In a world in which poverty not only means
"not possessing" but also "not existing", it strives
to make the poor the protagonists of their own human
and spiritual self-fulfilment: It contributes to the
new evangelisation by bearing witness to Christ
through living charity on behalf of the lowliest,
the voiceless, the unloved. |
ORGANISATION |
The International
Confederation of the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul has a Rule, which sets
out its vocation, organisation and mission. The
official management bodies of the Association, whose
grassroots groups have retained the original name of
"conferences", are the General Council, made
up of the President General and the Presidents of
the National Councils which meets in an International General Assembly
every six years; the International Office,
appointed by the President General and composed of the
General Vice-President, the Secretary General, the
Treasurer General, several joint General Vice-Presidents,
the Spiritual Advisor, the International Coordinator for
Youth, and other permanent advisors; the Permanent
Section, comprising the International Office,
territorial vice-presidents and mission delegates; the
International Executive Committee represents the
General Assembly at its meetings and is composed of a
certain number of member countries and the International
Office; the International Coordination Committee,
composed of all the members with international
responsibility in the Society. |
MEMBERSHIP |
SSVP has a membership of
some 50,000 Conferences, comprising on average 15-20
members each, and is present in 141 countries and
territories. |
WORKS |
SSVP is committed to supporting
training, education and development projects, and
manages medical facilities, social service
facilities and homes/hostels; institutes for
children; centres for young people; schools;
vocational training centres; hospices; centres for
unmarried mothers or women in difficulty, and for
the rehabilitation of former inmates; institutes for
the physically and mentally disabled; helping
victims of violence, disasters and war; caring for
and supporting the terminally ill, alcoholics and
drug- ependents; programmes for disadvantaged
families. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Confeder@tionews |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ozanet.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Confédération Internationale
de la Société de Saint Vincent de Paul
6, rue de Londres - 75009 Paris - Francia
Email: cgi.information@ozanet.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF THE VOLUNTEERS OF
SUFFERING CENTERS |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
International Confederation CVS
(Centri Volontari della Sofferenza) |
ESTABLISHED |
1943 |
HISTORY |
International Confederation CVS was
created in Rome by Monsignor Luigi Novarese
(1914-1984). It was after a personal experience of
sickness that he felt the need to create an
apostolic movement of priests and lay people
affirming the total baptismal commitment of the
suffering Christian, not only as an object of care
but as the active player in a specific apostolate to
be performed for the benefit of the Church and
society. Within the movement, which was founded
jointly with Sister Elvira Myriam Psorulla, the
Silent Workers of the Cross (see page 249) emerged
later: this was a group of people with the task of
guaranteeing the continuity of the movement, taking
managerial roles and radically practising devotion
to the apostolate by professing the Evangelical
Counsels and through consecration to Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception. It was the need to manifest
the unity of spirit shared by the Silent Workers of
the Cross and the Volunteers of Suffering centers,
also at the institutional level, that led to the
creation of International Confederation CVS. On 21
January 2004 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
issued a decree recognising the Confederazione
Internazionale dei Centri Volontari della Sofferenza
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
International Confederation CVS is a
confederation of associations of the faithful
devoted to the apostolate of those who suffer. Its
purpose is to promote, foster and practise the
charismatic insight of Mgr Novarese, who saw
suffering to be a sharing in Christ’s Paschal
Mystery where the one who suffers is an apostle and
hence a prophetic witness to the value of all forms
of suffering in human life. All of this is in a
spirit of wholehearted response to the request for
prayer and repentance specific to the spirituality
of our Lady of Lourdes and of Fatima, which the
Confederation considers to be the places of their
spiritual foundation. In the pursuit of its
purposes, International Confederation CVS
systematically coordinates and promotes its member
associations by running educational schemes and
other activities to increase and spread individual
associations and the Confederation itself; it
publishes aids and other materials, promotes retreat
days, courses and study conferences, meetings and
pilgrimages, and organises training courses to
qualify trainees to undertake rehabilitation,
social-cultural, sports and recreational activities. |
ORGANISATION |
International Confederation CVS is
governed by the General Assembly which
represents the participation of all the member
associations and their common apostolic project; the
Bureau, which is responsible for coordinating
the work of the Centres, headed by the Official
responsible for the Apostolate of the Silent
Workers of the Cross. |
MEMBERSHIP |
International Confederation CVS
comprises about a hundred confederated associations
with a membership of about 10,000, and is present in
12 countries, as follows: Africa (2), Asia (1),
Europe (6), North America (1) and South America (2). |
PUBLICATIONS |
L’Ancora, a monthly
information and educational journal; L’Ancora
nell’unità di salute, a two-monthly scientific
research and discussion journal. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sodcvs.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Confederazione Internazionale dei
Centri Volontari della Sofferenza Via Monte del Gallo, 105/111 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.39674243 - Fax 06.39637828 Email: direzionegenerale@sodcvs.org or
apostolato@sodcvs.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION OF YOUNG CHRISTIAN
WORKERS |
ACRONYM |
ICYCW |
ESTABLISHED |
1987 |
HISTORY |
The Young Christian Workers (YCW)
was founded in Belgium in 1925 at the initiative of
Cardinal Joseph Cardijn who was then a young priest.
The experience of this group of young working men
and women led by him rapidly spread to many other
countries in all five continents, and in 1957
International Young Christian Workers was officially
established. YCW is a learn-by-doing movement, based
on the "see, judge, act" method, and works to
protect the dignity, due to all sons and daughters
of God, of young workers and unemployed men and
women, living in situations of exclusion,
exploitation and repression. Following a radical
internal crisis which sadly split the movement, in
1987 at the World Council of national YCW movements
held at Frascati (Rome), the ICYCW was founded. The
purpose of this new structure is to coordinate and
support the work of the national movements in their
evangelisation of young workers, faithful to the
thinking of Joseph Cardijn. Recognised by the Holy
See in 1989 as an International Catholic
Organisation, the ICYCW is also a member of the
Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
The identity of ICYCW is defined by
the aims shared by all the YCW movements: showing
young people that genuine freedom and happiness are
to be found in the truth of the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the
Holy Spirit, and to urge them to work for true
liberation by bearing witness to the presence of God
in the labour world. The YCW serves young manual and
office workers, student workers, the unemployed or
precariously employed, of both sexes. According to
Cardijn’s intuition of a movement "of young people,
by young people and for young people", all the
organisational aspects are handled by the young
members themselves. It provides a continuing
learning process in which they reflect and organise
specific actions designed to bring about change. The
experience in educating and giving responsibilities
to its membership provided by the YCW through the
"revision of life" covers every dimension of human
existence, aimed ultimately at leading young people
to commit themselves actively as workers and
believers. |
ORGANISATION |
As a coordination structure ICYCW
respects the organisational and operational autonomy
of the national member movements committed to
meeting the specific needs and operating in the
particular living and working situations of young
workers in their countries. The national movements,
created by the federations, dioceses or zones which
comprise the grassroots groups living in parishes
and neighbourhoods, hold periodic meetings where
necessary and possible, giving rise to continental
or regional Coordinations.
The decision-making body of the ICYCW is the International Council
which convenes every four
years, and to which all the member movements,
associations or partners are invited. The International Secretariat
serves the national
movements, and comprises four officials elected by
them, accompanied by an Ecclesiastical Assistant.
The Secretariat facilitates exchange of information,
teaching aids, staff and experience between the
movements; it helps to provide training for
officials and accompanying persons; it works to
spread the YCW worldwide; it supports and
coordinates development activities; it speaks out on
behalf of the life, experience and problems of young
workers at the international level. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ICYCW comprises 61 member, associate
and partner movements in 61 countries as follows:
Africa (27), Asia (8), Europe (11), Middle East (4),
and South America (11). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nouvelles, a six-month
information bulletin; Jeunesse sans Frontières,
published three times a year; Aumôniers, a
six monthly magazine which is also used for
teaching purposes. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cijoc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
CIJOC-ICYCW Via dei Barbieri, 22 - 00186 Rome - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39] 06.6865259 Email: cijoc@tin.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC MEN |
ACRONYM |
FIHC-Unum Omnes (Fédération
Internationale des Hommes Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1948 |
HISTORY |
Unum Omnes started out as the International
Federation of Men’s Associations of Catholic Action,
created by the Italian Catholic Action Men’s Union.
The constituent assembly in Lourdes in France was
attended by delegates from 20 countries from Europe,
North America and South America. In 1950 at the
first General Assembly, at the request of Pius XII
who had approved the plan to set up the Federation
and wished to open it up to organisations that were
not members of Catholic Action, its name was changed
to the "International Council of Catholic Men-Unum
Omnes". It is recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation and is a member
of the Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
Unum Omnes brings together national
organisations of Catholic men committed to the
apostolate and dissemination of the Church’s
teachings; it fosters contacts between the member
associations in order to encourage mutual
familiarity and assistance, and to cooperate in the
work of evangelisation; it encourages the
establishment of new Catholic men’s organisations;
it creates and maintains relations with
international organisations sharing the same
objectives; it speaks out to public opinion and
international organisations on the thinking of
Catholic men regarding matters of general interest
and concern. |
ORGANISATION |
The official bodies of Unum Omnes are the General Assembly, which has total authority
regarding the management, discipline and control of
the Federation; the Council, as the
management body comprising the President, Vice
President, the General Secretary, the Treasurer and
Ecclesiastical Assistant; the Executive
Committee, which is responsible for
decision-taking and initiatives between General
Assemblies, which have to subsequently ratify them.
Membership of Unum Omnes is open to national
organisations of Catholic men, recognised by the
Church authorities, or national associations of men
and women, while diocesan Catholic men’s
organisations can become associate members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Unum Omnes comprises 36 member associations in
36 different countries as follows: Africa (10), Asia
(3), Europe (19), North America (1), and South
America (3). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newsletter, published three times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.unum-omnes.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des Hommes Catholiques Palazzo San Calisto - 00120 Vatican City Tel. and Fax [+39]06.69887382 Email: unum-omnes@libero.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC ASSOCIATIONS OF
THE BLIND |
ACRONYM |
FIDACA (Fédération Internationale des
Associations Catholiques d’Aveugles) |
ESTABLISHED |
1981 |
HISTORY |
FIDACA was founded in the 1980s in Landschlacht,
Switzerland, by Catholic national associations of
the Blind in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany,
Italy and Switzerland. It was recognised by the Holy
See as an International Catholic Organisation in
1988, and is a member of the Conference of ICOs, and
the World Blind Union. |
IDENTITY |
FIDACA, comprises national associations of the
Blind, for blind and seriously visually impaired
people, and promotes the human, spiritual, cultural
and social advancement of blind people; it promotes
the participation of the Blind in the life and
mission of the Church by testimony and the
propagation of the Gospel; it creates and develops
organisations for the Blind in conjunction with
diocesan and national chaplaincies in different
countries; it provides education in mutual aid
between blind people in the developing countries.
FIDACA pursues its purposes through meetings,
congresses, pilgrimages, publications and work in
areas connected with its specific field of action. |
ORGANISATION |
The organs of FIDACA are the General Assembly,
which meets every four years, and is attended by
delegates of the national associations; the Executive Board, made up exclusively of
delegates of the member associations, which meet
every two years; the Executive Committee,
made up of the President, three Vice Presidents, the
Secretary and Treasurer appointed by the Board, who
make up the Executive Committee together with
the Ecclesiastical Assistant. Membership of FIDACA
is open to national associations of and for the
Blind, which adopt the objectives of the Federation
and are recognised by the Bishops’ Conference of
their own country. Upon recommendation of the local
bishop or the Bishops’ Conference having
jurisdiction, groups living in countries where no
national associations exist may also join FIDACA. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FIDACA has 17 member associations in 15
countries, as follows: Africa (4), Europe (9), and
South America (2). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fidaca.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des Associations
Catholiques d’Aveugles 14, rue Mayet - 75006 Paris - France Tel. and Fax [+33]1.60894946 Email:
secretariat@fidaca.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC MEDICAL
ASSOCIATIONS |
ACRONYM |
FIAMC (Fédération
Internationale des Associations Médicales
Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1966 |
HISTORY |
The first association of Catholic
physicians was founded in France in 1884 in response
to the appeal by Leo XIII to Christians in his
encyclical Humanum genus. In 1924, at the
prompting of Pius XI, an international Secretariat
of national Catholic medical associations was
created to coordinate the work of medical
associations which had also been created in other
countries by that time, and to attend to the
creation of new groupings. The meetings promoted by
the Secretariat among existing associations led, in
1935, to the convening in Brussels of the first of
the World Congresses of the Association. A second
Secretariat, independent of the Parisbased one, was
created in Rome in 1949. In 1951, at the fifth World
Congress, it was decided to unify the two
Secretariats, and to institute The International
Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. In
1966, at the 11th World Congress in Manila,
Philippines, the General Assembly adopted the
official statutes and bylaws of the Federation. It
is recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, and is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has consultative
status with Ecosoc. |
IDENTITY |
The specific purpose of FIAMC is to
foster medical and social care consistent with the
teachings of the Catholic Church, and to provide its
membership with moral and spiritual support, so that
they can affirm their faith in the exercise of the
medical profession and bring the principles of
Christian ethics to bear on scientific research. The
Federation pursues its objectives by organising
world and regional congresses from time to time that
deal with issues linked to ethical matters and the
protection of human life; by directing initiatives
that the member organisations implement with its
help in different countries; and by drawing up
models for pastoral action and healthcare
cooperation projects in the developing countries. |
ORGANISATION |
FIAMC is managed by the General
Assembly, made up of the delegates of the
regular and associated member associations; the Executive Committee, made up of the President,
Vice President, General Secretary, Treasurer and
Ecclesiastical Assistant, together with regional
representatives and former presidents without voting
rights. FIAMC has regular members, which are
legally incorporated associations; associate
members, which are associations currently in the
formation phase, and affiliate members, which
are individual physicians or groups of physicians
living in countries whose political system does not
allow them to create Catholic associations. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FIAMC has 53 national member
associations in 66 countries, as follows: Africa
(9), Asia (13), Europe (25), North America (8),
Oceania (2) and South America (9). |
WORKS |
FIAMC has also cooperated to create
a pharmaceuticals laboratory in Saint Marie de la
Bouenza, Congo; a nursing school in Tirana, Albania;
a medical consulting unit, with an annexed staff
training facility in Lichinga, Mozambique; a
biomedical Centre in Bombay, India to study
biomedical issues, and a hospital in Taunggyi,
Myanmar. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Decisions, a quarterly
newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fiamc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des
Associations Médicales Catholiques Palazzo San Calisto 00120 Vatican City Tel. and Fax [+39] 06.69887372 Email:
fiamc.va@virgilio.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC PAROCHIAL YOUTH
MOVEMENTS |
ACRONYM |
FIMCAP (Fédération
Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d’Action
Paroissiale) |
ESTABLISHED |
1962 |
HISTORY |
The origins of FIMCAP date back to
the 1950s when the leaders of Catholic youth
movements from France, Belgium and the Netherlands,
drew up a project in 1959 in Lucerne, Switzerland,
to form an international organisation. The first
conference of delegates of the General Parish Youth
Communities was held in Munich, Germany, in the
course of the 1960 Eucharistic Congress. In October
1961, 11 youth associations created FIMCAP, and its
institution was formalised at Easter, 1962. In the
1970s the structure of the Federation emerged more
clearly, and the first activities began and working
programmes were planned for cooperation between the
member associations in the form of a partnership.
This was to strengthen the solidarity uniting them,
and to open them up to the world dimension.
Recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, FIMCAP is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
FIMCAP is made up of Catholic
parish and nonparish organisations for young people.
The member associations draft and implement projects
to animate groups of young people and children, and
provide them with spiritual direction based on the
principles and values of the Gospel. The formation
pathway offered aims at educating young people and
children to share and work together, and to nurture
their awareness of belonging to a world community.
FIMCAP pursues its objectives by organising
conferences, meetings, holiday camps, and promoting
forms of twinning and exchange schemes between the
affiliated associations. |
ORGANISATION |
FIMCAP is managed by the General
Assembly, made up of the leaders from all the
affiliated associations which meets every three
years with decision- aking powers; the Intercontinental Praesidium, to which the
President, Ecclesiastical Assistant and the General
Secretary belong; the Intercontinental Council,
which comprises the Intercontinental Praesidium, the
European Praesidium and the African Praesidium; the
Euroconference, which groups together the
leaders of the European associations and decides on
the activities of the European branch, which the Eurocouncil
is responsible for implementing; the
Afroconference, which groups together the
leaders of the African associations and decides on
the activities of the African branch, which the Afrocouncil
is responsible for implementing.
FIMCAP has full members, associate members (non-Catholic Christian associations working with
young people), observers and invited
members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FIMCAP has 35 member associations
in 33 countries as follows: Africa (10), Asia (3),
Europe (14), North America (2), and South America
(4). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Link, a bimonthly newsletter
in French and English |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fimcap.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des
Mouvements Catholiques d’Action Paroissiale Kipdorf 30 - 2000 Antwerpen - Belgium Tel. [+32] 3.2310795 - Fax 3.2325162 Email: info@fimcap.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC PHARMACISTS |
ACRONYM |
FIPC (Fédération
Internationale des Pharmaciens Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1950 |
HISTORY |
The first steps towards
establishing the FIPC were taken in the 1930s by
associations of Catholic pharmacists in Belgium and
France. The Federation was officially created at the
Congress that was held in Rome, in 1950, attended by
over 500 Catholic pharmacists belonging to various
national associations, often called at the time the
"SS Cosmos and Damien Society", "St Albert the Great
Society" (patron saints of pharmacists). Recognised
by the Holy See as an International Catholic
Organisation, FIPC is a member of the Conference of
ICOs and its "Health" Commission. As an NGO it has
consultative status with the WHO, and it works with
UNICEF, the Council of Europe and the European
Union. FIPC also has contacts with the International
Pharmaceutical Federation, and works in coordination
with Catholic physicians belonging to FIAMC (see
page 139) and with Catholic nurses belonging to
CICIAMS (see page 109). |
IDENTITY |
As a forum for debate and action,
FIPC endeavours to address all the issues relating
to the pharmacist’s profession in the light of the
Christian faith; it supports the creation of
associations of Catholic pharmacists in countries
where they do not already exist; it represents these
associations before ecclesiastical authorities and
international health agencies or entities operating
in the field of health care, economics and medical
ethics, and the training of pharmacists; in respect
for the dignity of the human person and with the
help and consultancy of constantly updated
professionals, it strives to ensure that medicines
are within the reach of everyone everywhere. FIPC
has a Bioethics Committee, and develops programmes
for providing access to life-saving drugs; it
encourages the ethical training of pharmacists; it
works to alert authorities to the need for Schools
to provide pharmaceutical training and practice. It
holds international congresses and study days at the
national level to provide important training
opportunities for the members of the member
associations. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme organ of the FIPC is
the International Council, composed of the
full members and the corresponding members. It
constitutes the association’s General Assembly
which lays down the programmes. The Executive
Committee is responsible for implementing the
decisions taken by the International Council; it
comprises the President, one or more Vice
Presidents, the General Secretary, Treasurer, and
Ecclesiastical Assistant. The socalled FIPC
Ambassadors (normally the Presidents of national
associations) are designated as such, in order to
spread the Federation more broadly in Africa, Latin
America, and Eastern Europe. The FIPC has titular
members, corresponding members, and benefactor members.
|
MEMBERSHIP |
The FIPC has 50 titular and
corresponding members, in 36 countries, as
follows: Africa (8), Asia (3), Europe (16), Middle
East (1), North America (4), Oceania (1) and South
America (3). |
WORKS |
FIPC does not manage works of its
own. It is the affiliated national associations that
promote specific initiatives to meet the demands of
the neediest sections of the populations of their
own countries, study the bioethics issues in
conjunction with institutes of higher education, and
cooperate with Third World assistance organisations.
The most important of these are Orbi-Pharma,
which was set up by the Belgian association to
provide essential drugs and medicines to the
developing countries; the Cameroon Bioethics
Society, Africa’s first bioethics society, set
up by the Cameroonian Association. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des
Pharmaciens Catholiques Square Vergote, 43 1030 Brussels - Belgium
Mail address:
Phn Alain Lejeune President of FIPC 12, Rue du Berceau (Marbais) 1495 Villers-La-Ville - Belgium Tel. [+32]71.877.145 - Fax 71.875.040
Ap. Ann Janssens Secretary General of FIPC Bosdorp 180 - 9190 Stekene - Belgium |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES |
ACRONYM |
IFCU |
ESTABLISHED |
1948 |
HISTORY |
The first moves to create a
federation of Catholic universities were made in
1924, thanks to the work of the Catholic
Universities of Milan (Italy) and Nijmegen
(Netherlands). In 1925, 14 universities were
represented at the meeting held at the Catholic
University of Paris, France, and in 1927 the first
Directory of Catholic universities was published.
What was then called the Foederatio Universitatum
Catholicarum was formally established in 1948 by
decree of the Holy See, and approved the following
year by Pius XII. It took the present name in 1965.
Recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, the IFCU is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, it has consultative
status with UNESCO and the Council of Europe. |
IDENTITY |
IFCU aims to contribute to the
advancement of knowledge and the construction of a
more just and more humane world in the light of the
Christian faith and thanks to the leaven of the
Gospel. The Federation pursues this by promoting
joint reflection on the mission of universities, and
through active cooperation between Catholic higher
education and research establishments; it represents
Catholic universities in dealings with international
organisations and institutions; it contributes to
the development of higher studies with a Catholic
approach; it aims above all to guarantee a high
quality of university work and to have an adequate
distribution of Catholic academic institutions in
different parts of the world. |
ORGANISATION |
The IFCU organs are the General
Assembly, made up of delegates of the member
universities and associate universities and
institutions, with decision-making powers, which
meets every three years and elects the members of
the Executive Board; the Executive Board made
up of the President, three Vice Presidents, the
General Secretary and 12 Board members; the Secretariat, which is responsible for
implementing the decisions of the General Assembly;
the Centre for Coordination of Research,
which offers members of the Federation guidelines
for coordinated research, information, and access to
a world network of experts and considerable scope
for debate (colloquiums, congresses) and
dissemination (publications). An integral part of
the structure of IFCU are the Sectoral Groups and the
Regional Groups. The sectoral groups,
made up of faculties, departments, institutes or
schools of the member universities sharing common
scientific disciplines or areas of study, teaching
and research, are led by theologians, philosophers,
economists, political scientists, agriculturalists,
specialists in medical sciences, communications, the
family, and the environment; they work both to
consolidate, develop and disseminate their knowledge
and to strive to attain the academic, ethical and
spiritual values of the Federation within the IFCU
member institutions. The Regional Groups are made up
of universities in the same geographical area.
Examples of these are the Federation of European
Catholic Universities (FUCE), the Association of
Catholic Universities and Institutes of Africa and
Madagascar (ACUIAM), the Association of Southeast
and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities
(ASEACCU), the Organisation of Catholic Universities
in Latin America (ODUCAL), the Association of
Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) in North
America, and the Xavier Board of Higher Education in
India. Their purpose is to meet the specific and
immediate interests of their own particular regions,
according to the rationale of the Federation’s aims. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IFCU has a membership of 192
academic institutions, as follows: Africa (6), Asia
(56), Europe (44), North America (40), Oceania (2)
and South America (44). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Idem Aliter, the newsletter
in French, English and Spanish, also available
online on the IFCU web site. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fiuc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération International des
Universités Catholiques 21, rue d’Assas - 75270 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.44395226/27 - Fax 1.44395228 Email: sgfiuc@bureau.fiuc.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF L’ARCHE COMMUNITIES |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
L’Arche
International |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
L’Arche was founded as
a result of a chance encounter. In 1963, Jean
Vanier, then a philosophy teacher in Canada, went to
visit Father Thomas Philippe OP, his former
professor who had become the chaplain of the home
for the mentally disabled in Trosly-Breuil, a
village in northern France. He saw the pain suffered
by those men due to their disability and the
dependency that it created, but due above all to the
rudeness, rejection and humiliation to which they
were subjected because of it, and in their pain he
heard God calling him to leave his country and to
give up teaching to go and live with them. He
returned to Trosly- Breuil in 1964 with Raphaël and
Philippe, two mentally disabled men who had been
rejected by their family, to create a small
community that he called L’Arche: "The Ark". His
house rapidly attracted people of all different
backgrounds who wished to share that experience, and
in 1969 this experience began to spread nationwide
and internationally. In the first part of the 1970s,
the need to guarantee liaison and unity between the
communities scattered throughout the world led to
the constitution of an international Council, which
marked the birth of the Fédération Internationale
des Communautés de l’Arche. In 1999 the eighth
International Meeting was attended, for the first
time, by over 200 mentally disabled people. |
IDENTITY |
The L’Arche
Communities, each of which comprises one or more
houses, and sometimes a workshop where the disabled
can work at various tasks, are designed to restore
their dignity, based on the conviction that a
society can never be truly human unless its weakest
members are permitted to find their own place in it.
Unlike contemporary society, which is marked by
relations of power and competitiveness, these
Communities are based on human relationships marked
by unity, drawing strength from the weakness, the
fragility, and the intelligence of the hearts of
people with mental or physical disabilities, who,
according to the Founder are "among the most
oppressed and the poorest of this world". L’Arche
Communities are made up of married and single men
and women, from different countries, Christian
backgrounds, faiths and cultures, sharing their
lives with the disabled, who are also from different
origins and of different faiths. By welcoming Jesus
in them, they give to these "the least" a family,
with stable loving relationships. The ecumenical and
interfaith character of L’Arche International is
seen as an opportunity to deepen one’s own faith in
respect for other religious traditions. Faced with
human suffering and the strife that is splitting the
world apart and challenging humanity, the L’Arche
Communities are prophetic signs of the communion in
God shared by all humanity. The commitment of the
assistants, initially for a fixed period of time, is
the object of a long-term vocational discernment, at
personal and community level. They are assisted by
professionals who provide their own skills to help
the disabled to move forward and recover their
potential capabilities. The communities work
together whenever possible with the families of the
disabled, and always with the social services and
other structures working in that field, and are
happy to welcome the contribution of any volunteers
who wish to share the experience for a period of
their lives. L’Arche International pursues its
objectives in close cooperation with Faith and Light
International (see page 94). |
ORGANISATION |
L’Arche International
is headed by the International Council. The
communities are privately funded autonomous legal
entities, and in some countries they receive
government subsidies. Membership of the Federation
is ratified by the International Council which
admits the communities as a "project", a "community
on trial" or as an "approved community". |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Federation is
divided into zones, and has 121 communities
in 30 countries, as follows: Africa (4), Asia (3),
Europe (13), Middle East (1), North America (6),
Oceania (2), and South America (1). |
WORKS |
Les Lettres de
l’Arche, a quarterly magazine; Lettre de Jean
Vanier, and Nouvelles internationales,
newsletters. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.larche.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération
Internationale des Communautés de l’Arche 10, rue Fenoux - 75015 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.53680800 - Fax 1.42500716 Email: international@larche.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF
PUERI CANTORES |
ACRONYM |
FIPC (Foederatio
Internationalis Pueri Cantores) |
ESTABLISHED |
1907 |
HISTORY |
FIPC began as the Schola cantorum
of the Petits Chanteurs à la
Croix de Bois, founded in Paris, France, by two
music students, Paul Berthier and Pierre Martin,
following the publication of St Pius X’s Motu
proprio Tra le sollecitudini (1903), on the
renewal of Sacred music in the service of worship.
In it the Pope offered the Church instructions
regarding the liturgy "almost as a legal code of
Sacred music". In 1921, the Schola joined up
with the Belleville choir. 1931 was the year in
which the choir began to travel to spread the ideals
of the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois
throughout the world. In 1944, the first federation
of the Pueri Cantores was created, which, in
1947 was officially recognised as a movement of
Catholic Action by the Assembly of French cardinals
and archbishops. In 1951, following the third
International Congress in Rome, the Holy See
approved the first statutes of the Federation. On 31
January 1996, the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of Fœderatio Internationalis
Pueri Cantores as an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
FIPC promotes
liturgical singing, from Gregorian chant to
classical and modern polyphonic music, and
contemporary music, composed according to the
ecclesiastical instructions in each country; the
spiritual, intellectual, musical and aesthetic
training of choirmasters and child choristers;
understanding, friendship and mutual assistance
between the members. In the pursuit of its purposes,
FIPC, by enabling children to experience the joy of
serving God through liturgical singing, offers them
a pathway of education in the faith and in the
practice of human virtues. Every four years, an
international congress is organised in Rome to
enable all young choristers to meet the Pope at
least once in their lives. |
ORGANISATION |
The official bodies of
FIPC are the General Assembly, composed of
the Presidents or delegates of the national
federations; the Executive Board, elected by
the General Assembly and comprising the President,
two Vice Presidents, the Ecclesiastical Assistants,
the Treasurer and the Secretary; the Executive
Committee, composed of the President, Secretary
and Treasurer. National federations which do not
meet the eligibility requirements under the statutes
may join FIPC as corresponding federations. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FIPC comprises 32
federations, of which 11 are corresponding federations, in 24 countries, as follows: Africa
(4), Asia (1), Europe (15), North America (2),
Middle East (1), and South America (1). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Forum, annual
newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.puericantores.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Foederatio
Internationalis Pueri Cantores Manuel Raspall 3 08530 La Garriga - Spain Tel. [+34]93.8714964 - Fax 93.8429271 Email: jtorren3@pie.xtec.es |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RURAL ADULT CATHOLIC
MOVEMENTS |
ACRONYM |
FIMARC (Fédération
Internationale des Mouvements Adultes Ruraux
Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
FIMARC was established in Fatima,
Portugal by rural adult Catholic movements from
various European countries who wished to discuss
their thinking and action. The vocation of
universality which has characterised the Federation
from the outset brought it within a few years to
take in movements from Africa, Asia and Latin
America. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, FIMARC is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has
consultative status with Ecosoc, UNESCO, FAO and the
Council of Europe. |
IDENTITY |
In response to the Gospel appeal to
show a preferential love for the poor, FIMARC works
for the genuine evangelisation of rural areas and
for the comprehensive advancement of the world’s
rural people, the vast majority of whom are deprived
of everything that is needed for a dignified human
existence. The movements making up the Federation
are committed to make their own contribution towards
building up a society based on solidarity in which
men and women can meet the needs of their families
and communities with their own free and creative
work; in which there is freedom of speech,
association, and participation in public life; in
which individuals and communities are respected in
terms of everything that defines them: their sex,
race, culture and religious faith. |
ORGANISATION |
FIMARC is managed by the General
Assembly, made up of delegates of the member
movements and associated organisations, which meets
every four years, sets down the Federation’s
guidelines and activity programmes, and elects the
members of the Executive Committee; the Executive
Committee, which implements the decisions
adopted by the General Assembly, and is composed of
three regional coordinators per continent, and one
for the Middle East; the Bureau, elected by
the Executive Committee and made up of a President,
a Vice President, General Secretary, Treasurer and
the Ecclesiastical Assistant. Membership of FIMARC
is composed of member movements, associated organisations, and
corresponding
institutions. |
MEMBERSHIP |
FIMARC comprises 60 member or
associated movements, accounting for about 1,512,000
people, in 57 countries as follows: Africa (16),
Asia (10), Europe (8), Middle East (2), and South
America (21). The Federation also has over one
million supporters worldwide. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Voix du monde rural, Lettre aux coordinateurs,
Lettre aux
mouvements, published quarterly in French,
English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fimarc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Fédération Internationale des
Mouvements d’Adultes Ruraux Catholiques rue Maurice Jaumain 15 - 5330 Assesse - Belgium Tel. and Fax [+32]83.656236 Email: fimarc@skynet.be |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF CATHOLIC ACTION |
ACRONYM |
IFCA |
ESTABLISHED |
1991 |
HISTORY |
IFCA was established by the
Catholic Action movements of Argentina, Spain,
Austria, Malta, Mexico and Italy, following the 1987
Synod on the vocation and mission of the laity in
the Church and in the world, and the publication of
the Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici.
They felt the need to
create a structure to enable associations and
movements belonging to Catholic Action to meet,
exchange and show solidarity, in terms of the new
evangelisation. The IFCA constituent assembly was
held in Rome in 1991. Between 1994 and 2000, the
Forum promoted continental meetings, study weeks for
young people and seminars. On 29 June 1995 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the International Forum of Catholic Action as an
international organisation of Pontifical Right.
|
IDENTITY |
IFCA sets out to enable
associations and federations of Catholic Action
movements in different countries to get to know each
other; to promote initiatives to support and develop
the specific service that they are called to provide
consistently with their identity, with all the
variety of different forms they take due to their
cultural, social and ecclesial contexts; to deepen
the study of issues affecting the life and the
mission of the Church at the universal, continental
or regional levels; to establish forms of dialogue
and cooperation with all the lay apostolate
organisations at the international level; to
represent the associations and federations of
Catholic Action movements belonging to the Forum
before the Holy See and civil international
organisations. |
ORGANISATION |
IFCA is governed by the Assembly;
the General Secretariat, made up of five lay
members, normally national presidents, appointed by
different countries and elected every three years by
the ordinary Assembly; the Secretariat
Coordinator. It is also planned to introduce a
Youth Coordinator. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IFCA has 16 member countries, 10
observer countries and 4 countries in contact with
it, distributed as follows: Africa (6), Asia (1),
Europe (12), North America (3), and South America
(8). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newsletter, in Italian,
French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.fiacifca.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Forum Internazionale di Azione
Cattolica Via della Conciliazione, 1 - 00193 Rome - Italy Tel. [+39]06.661321 - Fax 06.66132360 Email: fiac@azionecattolica.it - info@fiacifca.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN YOUTH |
ACRONYM |
JICI (Jeunesse Indépendente
Chrétienne Internationale) |
ESTABLISHED |
1931 |
HISTORY |
Independent Christian Youth was
established in France in the 1930s by a number of
young people from middle-class and aristocratic
families. They were prompted by the teachings of
Vatican II and the socio-economic situation in the
1960s to open up to the international dimension and
to establish forms of cooperation with similar
movements in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Switzerland. In 1964, a meeting was held in Rome in
order to take stock of the contacts that had been
established with other countries and continents, and
this provided an opportunity for the leaders of
European movements to speak of their experience as
associations to a number of the Vatican Council
Fathers from Africa and Madagascar. The
international conference that was convened the
following year at San Sebastian in Spain was
attended not only by European movements but also
representatives of movements in America and Africa.
Recognised by the Holy See as an International
Catholic Organisation, JICI is a member of the
Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
JICI brings together young people
who are preparing to take up, or already hold office
in, posts of responsibility in different spheres of
public, social, economic, political and cultural
life. The movement sets out to guarantee a constant
linkage between faith and life, and to provide
instruction for young people, opening them up to the
international dimension, so that they can
responsibly take on the mission entrusted by Christ
to his disciples to proclaim the Good News which
makes all people free, and to build up a more just
world based on solidarity. The educational method
used by the Association encourages "review of life"
in the light of the Gospel as a means of helping its
members to challenge their own lives and give a
Christian sense to the whole of existence. |
ORGANISATION |
JICI is governed by a General
Assembly which meets every four years, with an
apostolic and administrative function, and made up
of the delegates of all the member movements; the International Committee, elected by the General
Assembly, with a President, Secretary, Treasurer,
and International Ecclesiastical Assistant, with
executive powers; and the General Secretariat. |
MEMBERSHIP |
JICI has eight member movements in
8 different countries as follows: Africa (1), Europe
(3), Oceania (2), and South America (2). Its work
involves about 6,000 people. |
PUBLICATIONS |
La Ficelle, a quarterly
newsletter in French, English and Spanish. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Jeunesse Indépendente Chrétienne
Internationale Mission Catholique Bamako BP 298 BAMAKO-MALI Tel. [+223]
2222138 Email: jici@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL KOLPING SOCIETY |
ACRONYM |
IKS |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Kolping
International |
ESTABLISHED |
1849 |
HISTORY |
IKS was founded in
Cologne, Germany, by a young priest, Adolph Kolping,
to contribute to seeking solutions to the urgent
social problems that had been created by the
industrial Revolution, including the plight of young
tradesmen and apprentices, who had no social
recognition or moral guidance. The Society began as
a Catholic Association of Trade Apprentices, and in
the early days it was mainly committed to
integrating tradesmen into society through self-help
initiatives and by creating solidarity structures.
Kolping’s insight was completely consistent with the
teaching of Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum. After
1968, taking up the invitation which Paul VI
extended to all Christians through Populorum
Progressio to participate in co-ordinated action
for the comprehensive development of man and
development in solidarity of all humanity, IKS
launched development programmes and established
selfhelp organisations worldwide. On 27 October
1991, Adolph Kolping was beatified by John Paul II. |
IDENTITY |
IKS, whose work is
imbued with the person and message of Jesus Christ,
the social teaching of the Church and the ideals and
work of Adolph Kolping, sets out to enable its
members to prove themselves as Christians in the
workplace, in marriage and the family, in the
Church, society and political life; to promote
solidarity and the common good in a Christian
spirit, and in outreach to international
cooperation; to work constantly to build up a more
humane society. Consistent with the principle of
subsidiarity, all the efforts of the society are
designed to help those who need training and
formation to be able to use their resources and
become architects of their own growth. |
ORGANISATION |
The official organs of
IKS are the International Convention which
decides on the programmes and the composition of the
international management bodies; the Board of
Directors, on which all the national Kolping
Societies having at least 1000 members are
represented. It elects the Executive Board, made up of seven members including the General
Praeses, a priest succeeding Kolping, the
Executive Director, and the Secretary
General. Similar bodies exist at every level of the
association. The basic structure of IKS are the
so-called "Kolping Families" which normally work in
parishes, and which taken together form the diocesan
Kolping Societies. In order to create a Kolping
Society, there must be at least 10 Kolping Families
in one and the same country. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IKS has 5,000 Families,
with a membership of about 450,000 people, in 54
countries, as follows: Africa (11), Asia (6), Europe
(22), North America (5), and South America (10). |
PUBLICATIONS |
International
Kolping News, monthly newsletter; Dialogue,
published twice a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.kolping.de |
HEADQUARTERS |
Internationales
Kolpingswerk Kolpingplatz, 5/11 D- 50667 Cologne - Germany Tel. [+49]221.2070148 - Fax 221.2070146 Email: ikw@kolping.de |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY APOSTOLATE |
ACRONYM |
AMI (Apostolat Militaire
International) |
ESTABLISHED |
1965 |
HISTORY |
AMI was founded in Santiago de
Compostela in Spain, by Catholic military personnel
of 10 countries. They felt the need for a means of
disseminating and putting into practice the ideals
of Catholic military personnel both in the armed
forces and in public life, encouraging all those
devoted to serving their homeland and doing their
duty in a manner that will truly help to bring
peace. It is officially recognised by the Holy See
as a Catholic International Organisation and is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. |
IDENTITY |
AMI strives to promote the
establishment of the Christian view of military life
and its values; to foster international
understanding and cooperation as a means of building
up world peace; in the light of the Gospel and the
teaching of the Church to address spiritual,
ethical, moral and social issues of specific
relevance to military life. AMI pursues these aims
by organising international meetings and events,
such as congresses and pilgrimages, by constantly
circulating ideas and experiences among the member
associations, and by cooperating with other
institutions working in the cause of peace. |
ORGANISATION |
AMI is governed by the General
Assembly of delegates made up of the Executive
Committee and the delegates of the member
associations, which meets once a year; the Executive
Committee is elected by the General Assembly that is
made up of the President, the Secretary General and
Ecclesiastical Assistant, to manage day-to-day
affairs and relations with other international
organisations and with the Holy See. AMI has both affiliated members
and associate members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
AMI has 29 affiliated member and
associate member associations in 29
different countries as follows: Africa (4), Asia
(3), Europe (12), North America (3), and South
America (7). |
PUBLICATIONS |
AMI to…, published
quarterly. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Apostolat Militaire International Breite Strasse, 25 D-53111 Bonn - Germany Tel. [+49]228.638 762 - Fax 228.638763 Email: ondilo-GKS-AMI@t-online.de |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF APOSTOLATE IN THE
INDEPENDENT SOCIAL MILIEUS |
ACRONYM |
MIAMSI (Mouvement
International d’Apostolat des Milieux Sociaux
Indépendants) |
ESTABLISHED |
1963 |
HISTORY |
At the beginning of the 1940s, in
the wake of the activity being encouraged by Pius
XI, movements were established in Europe for the
evangelisation of middle-class adults, the
bourgeoisie and the aristocracy, people whose
educational background and professional capabilities
could have a decisive bearing on national and
international life. Former members of Independent
Christian Youth (see page 158) initiated the
experience in France and Italy, and it soon spread
to other countries in Europe and North America.
Encouraged by John XXIII, the movements belonging to
MIAMSI adopted a common Charter and in 1963 a set of
statutes. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, MIAMSI is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has
consultative status with Ecosoc and the Council of
Europe. |
IDENTITY |
MIAMSI forms part of the
specialised Catholic Action tradition. It has
adopted the "review of life" approach. It comprises
movements of people with professional, economic,
social, political and cultural responsibilities,
working to change mentalities and social structures
according to the values of the Gospel, and to make
the Church present in the community of nations. Its
members are committed to give priority to
proclaiming Jesus Christ, promoting and protecting
the dignity and the rights of the human person, and
to fostering peace, solidarity and justice. The
course of study and development followed by the
Movement is nurtured by meditation on Scripture in
order to guarantee the link between faith and life,
and it is specifically based on the "see, judge,
act" method, applied to annual themes for reflection
and action in different countries. |
ORGANISATION |
MIAMSI is governed by the General Assembly, made up of the delegates of
the member movements, which meets every four years
with an apostolic and administrative function; the
International Team, elected by the General
Assembly, comprising the International President,
three Vice Presidents, one each for Africa, Latin
America and Asia, a Secretary, Treasurer and the
Ecclesiastical Assistant. |
MEMBERSHIP |
MIAMSI has a membership of 25,000,
and is present in 35 countries as follows: Africa
(9), Asia (3), Europe (7), Middle East (2), North
America (4), and South America (10). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Echo, a six-monthly magazine
in French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.miamsi.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Mouvement International d’Apostolat
des Milieux Sociaux Indépendants Palazzo San Calisto
00120 Vatican City Tel. [+39]06.69887183 - Fax 0669887364 Email: miamsi.rome@flashnet.it -
miamsi.roma@flashnet.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF CATHOLIC AGRICULTURAL AND
RURAL YOUTH |
ACRONYM |
MIJARC (Mouvement
International de la Jeunesse Agricole et Rurale
Catholique) |
ESTABLISHED |
1954 |
HISTORY |
MIJARC was established in Brussels,
Belgium, by a number of national Catholic
agricultural youth movements. They were driven by a
preferential option for the poor and a desire to
work to build up an authentically fraternal world in
which all individuals can live and enjoy their
inalienable human rights and be the architects of
their own future. In 1960, the International
Congress organised in Lourdes on "Hunger in the
world" was attended by over 26,000 people from 58
countries in four continents. Recognised by the Holy
See as an International Catholic Organisation,
MIJARC is a member of the Conference of ICOs. As an
NGO, it has consultative status with Ecosoc, UNESCO,
FAO and the ILO. |
IDENTITY |
MIJARC is part of the specialised
Catholic Action tradition, and its membership is
made up of Catholic organisations of rural youths
and other associations pursuing the same ideals, in
the spirit of Gospel fellowship, stimulating them to
work together in full respect for their autonomy; it
promotes the development and comprehensive education
of rural youth with the "review of life" approach
using the "see, judge, act" method; it heightens
awareness to the need for a fair distribution of
resources that respects the environment and the
lives of future generations; it works to develop the
culture of peace; it speaks out on behalf of
Catholic agricultural and rural youth to bring their
issues to the attention of public opinion and the
international organisations. |
ORGANISATION |
The official management bodies of
MIJARC are the World Assembly which meets
every four years, and is made up of representatives
of the member associations and the members of the
World Coordination; the World Coordination,
which meets once a year, and comprises the
President, Secretary General, Treasurer, and
Ecclesiastical Assistant. Similar structures exist
in the "regional action zones" or regions (Africa,
America, Asia, Europe). MIJARC members are either full members
or associate members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
MIJARC has 65 member associations
in 35 countries, as follows: Africa (13), Asia (4),
Europe (7), and South America (11). |
PUBLICATIONS |
MIJARC News, published three
times a year in French, English and Spanish; MIJARC Info, monthly newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.mijarc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Mouvement International de la
Jeunesse Agricole et Rurale Catholique 53, rue J. Coosemans - 1030 Brussels - Belgium Tel. [+32]2.7349211 - Fax 2.7349225 Email: world@mijarc.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF CATHOLIC STUDENTS |
ACRONYM |
IMCS-Pax Romana |
ESTABLISHED |
1921 |
HISTORY |
IMCS-Pax Romana was established at
Fribourg, Switzerland, as "Pax Romana", at the
service of the University world in that period of
history in which Pius XI’s idea of Catholic Action
had not yet developed in every country, and before
the existence of the model of specialised Catholic
Action. Originally designed as a Catholic
Confederation of students throughout the world, the
purpose of the movement was to evangelise the
University world, giving students a critical vision
of reality and training them to become committed to
transforming their own social environment. In 1947
Pax Romana was created as two movements: IMCS as the
undergraduates’ branch, and ICMICA (see page 117) as
the professionals’ branch. It was in the 1960s that
IMCS and International Young Catholic Students (see
page 182) began working very closely together, which
led to the establishment of the IYCS-IMCS
International Coordination, and the drafting of a
joint Pastoral Project. Recognised by the Holy See
as an International Catholic Organisation, IMCS is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, it has
consultative status with Ecosoc and UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
The aim of IMCS is to develop a
learning experience which helps students to become
more deeply aware of their own faith in Jesus Christ
as an experience to which they bear witness through
their commitment to build up a more just society; to
promote the apostolate of students among students;
to cooperate with all those who are working to build
up a more equitable social order at the national,
continental and international levels. The
association, which represents Catholic students at
international level in universities and higher
education, pursues its objectives by trying to
spread Catholic student movements throughout the
world; by providing students and ecclesiastical
assistants of the member movements with the chance
to meet in order to reflect on issues relating to
the specific situation in each continent and on
matters relating to international life; by giving
guidance for the member movements to act jointly,
cooperating with other international organisations. |
ORGANISATION |
IMCS is managed by the International Committee, comprising delegates of
the movements in every continent; the Regional
Teams, the members of the outgoing International
Team, and the candidates for the new International
Team as observers. The executive body of the
movement is the International Team comprising
the President, the General Secretary, and the
general Ecclesiastical Assistant. Membership of IMCS
is open to full members (associations of
Catholic students in universities and higher
education establishments), ecumenical members (national associations with a substantial number of
Catholic student members) and corresponding
members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IMCS has 74 member associations in
64 countries as follows: Africa (25), Asia (11),
Europe (15), Middle East (1), North America (5),
Oceania (2), and South America (5). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newsletter International, a
quarterly newsletter in French, English and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.imcs-miec.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Mouvement International des
Étudiants Catholiques
Secrétariat International
7 Impasse Reille
75014 Paris - France Tel. [+33] 1.45447075 - Fax 1.42840453 Email: miec-imcs@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE APOSTOLATE FOR
CHILDREN |
ACRONYM |
MIDADE (Mouvement
International d’Apostolat des Enfants) |
ESTABLISHED |
1966 |
HISTORY |
The origins of MIDADE date back to
1936 when Fr Gaston Courtois instituted the Coeurs
vaillants et Âmes vaillantes movement in France, for
boys and girls aged between 8 and 15. In 1956 it
changed its name to Action Catholique de l’Enfance
(ACE). When the movement spread beyond France, an
International Commission was established in 1958,
and in 1962 ACE held its first international
meeting. MIDADE was founded in 1966 at the second
international meeting of the Movement held in Rome.
Recognised by the Holy See in 1973 as an
International Catholic Organisation, MIDADE is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, it has
consultative status with Ecosoc, Unicef and the ILO. |
IDENTITY |
MIDADE is an evangelisation and
grassroots education movement, working for the human
and Christian growth of children in order to prepare
them to undertake an apostolic commitment as youths
and adults. The MIDADE educational approach is based
on the conviction that children are already fully
persons, capable of transforming the world around
them. It provides an educational pathway
characterised by the "see, judge, act, celebrate"
method, which helps small children to overcome
difficulties, respect diversity, and act to build up
the Kingdom of God. The Movement is addressed to
children of every race, culture and creed, offering
them a personal and community education which gives
pride of place to play as the first medium for
learning. |
ORGANISATION |
MIDADE is headed by the General
Assembly, made up of delegates from the member
movements, which meets every four years and elects
the members of the International Team. This
Team is responsible for implementing the programmes
decided on at the Assembly, and comprises the
President, three Vice Presidents, two Secretaries
General, and the Ecclesiastical Assistant. The
Movement also has a General Secretariat, to
which the President, the Ecclesiastical Assistant
and the Secretaries General belong. It is possible
to join MIDADE as member movements, observer
movements, and partner movements. |
MEMBERSHIP |
MIDADE caters for about 2 million
children and is present in 53 countries as follows:
Africa (18), Asia (6), Europe (8), Middle East (4),
North America (4), Oceania (5), and South America
(8). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Enfants en movement, a six
monthly magazine in French, English and Spanish. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Mouvement International d’Apostolat
des Enfants 24, Rue Paul Rivet - 92350 Le Plessis-Robinson -
France Tel. [+33]1.46306868 - Fax 1.46307250 Email: sgmidade@club-internet.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF CATHOLIC ESPERANTISTS |
ACRONYM |
IKUE (Internacia Katolika
Unuigo Esperantista) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Catholic Esperantists |
ESTABLISHED |
1910 |
HISTORY |
IKUE was instituted at the Institut
Catholique in Paris, France, by a group of Catholic
Esperantists that had been set up in connection with
the magazine Espero Katolika, founded in
1903. They included Fr Austin Richardson, Claudius
Colas and Gustave Gautherot. Over the years the
Union, of which many bishops and priests are
members, has received numerous acknowledgements from
the Church authorities and substantial support from
distinguished members of the Catholic community.
Since 1977 Vatican Radio has given airspace to IKUE
to broadcast in Esperanto. In 1994 The Congregation
for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments approved the Missal and the Lectionary in
Esperanto for Sundays and holy days. On 11 February
1992 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of the International Union of Catholic
Esperantists as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Taking its inspiration from the
teaching of Christ, "go into all the world and
preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mk
16:15), IKUE promotes the use of Esperanto in the
field of evangelisation and ecumenism and as a means
of fostering understanding, brotherhood and peace
among men and women. IKUE pursues its purposes
locally and internationally by organising such
activities as the annual International Congress
which becomes "ecumenical" on alternate years by
being organised in conjunction with the Protestant
League of Christian Esperantists; publishing an
Esperanto version of the texts of the Magisterium;
promoting conferences and prayer meetings and many
different forms of Christian presence and witness in
other nonreligious Esperantist associations and
events. |
ORGANISATION |
IKUE is governed by the Management Council
made up of the President, two
Vice Presidents, Secretary, the Treasurer and two
Councillors; the Executive Committee,
composed of representatives of the main national
sections. The associates are organised into national
sections in different countries, as Catholic
Esperantist associations belonging to the
International Union. Membership of IKUE is open to
ordinary associates, supporter associates, and
life associates. |
MEMBERSHIP |
IKUE has about 1,530 members in 40
countries as follows: Africa (5), Asia (3), Europe
(24), Middle East (1), North America (3), Oceania
(1), and South America (3). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Espero Katolika, published
bimonthly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.ikue.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Internacia Katolika Unuigo
Esperantista Via di Porta Fabbrica, 15 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.39638129 Email: ikue@ikue.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF CATHOLIC JURISTS |
ACRONYM |
UIJC (Union Internationale
des Juristes Catholiques) |
ESTABLISHED |
1986 |
HISTORY |
The UIJC has its origins in
associations of Catholic lawyers in different
countries, beginning in the 1940s. Following the
Second World War, Catholic lawyers found a forum in
the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual
and Cultural Affairs (see page 117), but they did
not have their own organisation to support their
apostolate in contemporary society. The first
attempt to create one was made in 1979 at an
international congress organised in Manila,
Philippines, chaired by Cardinal Opilio Rossi, then
the President of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity. After various other meetings in Rome, the
constituent General Assembly was convened in Paris
in 1986, which marked the foundation of UIJC, giving
it its first statutes. In order to strengthen ties
between the national associations forming part of
the Union, in 1991 a Colloquium was organised in
Rome attended by Catholic lawyers from 17 countries
in three continents. On 17 October 2002, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Union Internationale des Juristes Catholiques
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The purpose of UIJC is to
contribute towards upholding or reintroducing
Christian principles into the philosophy and science
of law, and legislative, judicial and administrative
activities, teaching and research and public and
professional life. The Union, which is open to the
general and local problems of the contemporary world
and seeks solutions that are faithful to the Gospel,
the tradition of the Church and the true
Magisterium, strives for recognition of and respect
for natural and Christian law in a spirit of justice
and charity; to protect human life from conception
to natural death; to affirm the dignity of the human
person and the rights and duties that stem
therefrom; to defend and promote the Christian
conception of the family; to disseminate and
implement the social teaching of the Church,
particularly in the legal field. |
ORGANISATION |
UIJC is governed by the Assembly
of Delegates, made up of the President of the
Union and the Presidents of the national
associations, which decides on the four-year
management of the Executive Board and on all matters
put to it by the Board; the Executive Board,
which is responsible for managing and animating the
Union composed of the President, the Vice
Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and
the Ecclesiastical Assistant; the President,
who is elected by the Assembly of Delegates, and is
the legal representative of the Association. |
MEMBERSHIP |
UIJC has 14 member associations in
14 different countries, as follows: Asia (2), Europe
(7), North America (1), Oceania (1) and South
America (3). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Juristes du monde entier, an
annual review. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cathojuris.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Union Internationale des Juristes
Catholiques 3, rue du Midi - 92200 Neuilly/Seine, Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.53810552 - Fax 1.53810094 Email: jm.de.forges@libertysurf.fr |
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF EUROPEAN GUIDES AND
SCOUTS EUROPEAN SCOUTING FEDERATION |
ACRONYM |
UIGSE-FSE (Union
Internationale des Guides et Scouts d’Europe -
Fédération du Scoutisme Européen) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
CES - Confederation of European
Scouts |
ESTABLISHED |
1956 |
HISTORY |
UIGSE-FSE was founded in Cologne,
Germany, by young German and French scout leaders as
an international association with the purpose of
practising scouting within the framework of a
European ideal whose roots lie in Christianity.
Governed by a Federal Statute and a Constitution
which still form the basis of
agreement and cooperation among Christians of
different denominations within the same Federation,
the Union developed throughout Europe between 1962
and 1968 under the leadership of a French couple,
Perig and Liziz Géraud-Keraod. It was in those years
that the Constitution was revised, incorporating
much of the Scouts’ Catholic Charter which
was approved by the Holy See in 1962; the drafting
of the Charter of the Natural and Christian
Principles of European Scouting signed by the
Federated associations; the drafting of a new Federal Statute
which adopted the present name,
reaffirming its belonging to the Catholic Church. As
an NGO, the association has consultative status with
the Council of Europe. On 26 August 2003 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts
d’Europe - Fédération du Scoutisme Européen as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The purpose of UIGSE-FSE is to
bring together in the same community of faith,
prayer and action, the national associations that
strive to prepare and educate young people through
the practice of the traditional Scouting of
Baden-Powell, on the Christian bases which form the
foundations of European civilisation. It views
Scouting as a means of performing the apostolate in
the Church, and therefore as a tool for providing
Christian instruction for men and women practising
the Gospel values in their service to the world. The
member associations faithfully adhere to the legacy
of the Founders of Catholic Scouting, which
comprises the Scout Law, Promise and
Ceremonial. Guides and Scouts, which
constitute distinct and separate units, constitute a
single movement within the life of the
Union/Confederation in its spirit and management.
The educational basis of Scouting using the "troop
system" is used by all the member associations,
which work on the basis of the guidelines laid down
in the Charter of the Natural and Christian
Principles of European Scouting. |
ORGANISATION |
UIGSE-FSE is managed by a Federal Council,
a Federal Bureau and a
Federal Commissioner. The Federal Council
which comprises representatives of the member
associations, meets every year to lay down the
programmes and the guidelines for the Union’s work,
deciding on the admission or exclusion of
associations, adopting the Federal budget, and
electing members to the Federal Bureau and other
working groups or committees. The Federal Bureau
deals with the day-to-day management of the
Federation and comprises the Federal Commissioner,
the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary
of the Federal Council. The Spiritual Adviser
(Ecclesiastical Assistant) and the Federal
Commissioner’s co-workers attend the meetings of the
Bureau with a consultative vote. Consistent with the
principles of the Catholic Church on ecumenism,
UIGSE-FSE accepts associations belonging to other
churches and ecclesial communities as associate
members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
UIGSE-FSE has a membership of about
52,000, and 19 member associations (including one
Lutheran, one Orthodox, one Calvinist and one
Evangelical) in 15 countries as follows: Europe
(14), and North America (1). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nouvelles de notre Fraternité,
a quarterly newsletter; Lettre aux Commissaires
généraux, a quarterly liaison newsletter. The
member associations also have their own national
publications. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.uigse.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Union Internationale des Guides et
Scouts d’Europe 11, Grande Rue 10210 Prusy - France Tel. and Fax [+33]1.60742820 Email: uigse@scouts-europe.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
INTERNATIONAL YOUNG CATHOLIC STUDENTS |
ACRONYM |
IYCS |
ESTABLISHED |
1946 |
HISTORY |
Young Catholic Students was created
in Europe as part of the Catholic Action movements
that began to spread in the 1920s. Progress was
interrupted by the Second World War, but its
expansion began again with the constitution of the
International Documentation and Information Centre
in Freibourg, Switzerland, which in 1954 took the
name International Young Catholic Students. From the
original definition of IYCS as part of the
specialised Catholic Action tradition, the features
of an educational and apostolic movement for
evangelising secondary schools and higher education
establishments emerged; the importance of the basic
team as the cell of the student community; militant
commitment to transforming the world. It was in the
1970s that close cooperation with the International
Movement of Catholic Students (see page 171) led to
the creation of the IYCS-IMCS International
Coordination, and the drafting of a joint pastoral
Project. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, the IYCS is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, it has
consultative status with Ecosoc and UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
IYCS sets out to guide students to
become architects and agents of social change,
following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the Lord
of history, and bearing witness to the Gospel
values. The pedagogy used by the movement, based on
"revision of life", enables students to become aware
of situations, to analyse them critically in the
light of the Gospel and the faith, to undertake a
commitment to the pursuit of justice and peace, for
the comprehensive growth of individuals and for
sustainable development. IYCS performs its tasks by
cooperating with other organisations in the same
field, supporting the establishment of student
movements pursuing the same goals, and fostering
dialogue, exchange of experiences and mutual
assistance between the member movements. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of the
IYCS is the World Council, which meets every
four years chaired by a Praesidium,
comprising the Secretary General and three delegates
of the member or cooperating national movements. The
World Council is assisted by the General
Secretariat, composed of a permanent team made
up of the Secretary General, the Ecclesiastical
Assistant, and by a number of other members
according to the decision taken by the World
Council. The Continental Secretariats operate
in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and South America.
Members of IYCS can be member movements (associations of Catholic students recognised by
their bishops’ conferences) and cooperating
movements (associations of Catholic students at
the national level, or representing a major ethnic
community in a particular country). |
MEMBERSHIP |
90 affiliated movements in 104
countries belong to IYCS, as follows: Africa (39),
Asia (18), Europe (19), Middle East (5), North
America (2), Oceania (1), and South America (20). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newsletter, published
quarterly in English, French and Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.jeci-miec.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Jeunesse Étudiante Catholique
Internationale 171, rue de Rennes - 75006 Paris - France Tel. [+33] 1.45481472 - Fax 1.42840453 Email: jeciycs@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
LAY CLARETIAN
MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
MSC (Movimiento de Seglares
Claretianos) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Lay Claretians |
ESTABLISHED |
1983 |
HISTORY |
MSC was founded at Villa de Leiva,
in Colombia, by the Missionary Sons of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians). They decided
during the course of their 19th General Chapter in
1979 to help the lay apostolate associations that
they had promoted in the past as their own work to
organise themselves autonomously as members of the
Claretian Family. On 20 April 1988, the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the
Movimiento de Seglares Claretianos as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The members of MSC set out to adopt
the mission of Jesus in the world as their own, to
live the demands of the Kingdom and provide a
service of evangelisation to the Church, according
to the charism and the spirit of St Anthony Mary
Claret. Admission to the Movement is preceded by a
period of instruction to provide a basic Christian
education to candidates (in ecclesiology,
Christology, theology, the Lay vocation and
vocations in the Church) and to spread knowledge of
the life and charism of the Founder of the
Claretians. The ongoing formation of the members of
MSC prepares them for the work of evangelisation and
includes study of the Claretian identity and
spirituality, study of the socio-economic situation
of different countries, and professional training.
The members of the Movement perform their mission
both by Christian animation and by seeking to
transform temporal realities (the family, work,
economy, politics, trade unions, Art) and by
cooperating in building up the local Church as a
community of faith, hope and charity (missions,
catechesis, biblical and theological education,
participation on parish and diocesan pastoral
councils). |
ORGANISATION |
MSC is organised at the local,
regional and international levels. Membership of the
movement takes place through admission to one of the
local groups. All the groups of a given
regional area constitute the region. The
regions are coordinated by the Regional Assembly
and by the Regional Council. The
international coordination of the Movement is the
responsibility of the General Assembly - to
which the members of the General Council belong, together with the representatives of the
Regional Councils and the delegates of the local
groups - and the General Council, made up of
the Ecclesiastical Assistant and members elected by
the General Assembly. |
MEMBERSHIP |
MSC has 135 groups and is present
in 23 countries as follows: Africa (3), Asia (2),
Europe (2), North America (6) and South America
(10). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Revista Seglares Claretianos,
published quarterly. |
WEB SITE |
http://seglaresclaretianos.claret.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento dei Laici Claretiani c/o Missionari Figli del Cuore Immacolato di Maria
(Claretiani) Via del Sacro Cuore di Maria, 5 - 00197 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06-80910011 - Fax 06.80910047 Email: cmfsecgen@pcn.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
LEGION OF MARY |
ESTABLISHED |
1921 |
HISTORY |
The Legion of Mary was founded in
Dublin, Ireland, by a group of 15 people under the
guidance of Frank Duff, a young civil servant with
the Department of Finance, as a new form of
apostolate, paying visits to the sick and needy in
twos, like the Disciples. Prayer in common,
apostolic work and the weekly meeting which all the
members are required to attend, have been typical
features of the Legion from the beginning.
Throughout its history, the Legion of Mary has
always been viewed with favour and supported by the
ecclesiastical authorities in the dioceses where it
has developed. |
IDENTITY |
Rooted in Marian spirituality and
commitment to the Holy Spirit, the life of the
Legion of Mary is based on Faith in the joint action
of the Spirit and our Lady in the work of
Redemption, and the spread of the Kingdom of God
throughout the world. The priority objectives of the
Association are the sanctification of its members
through participating in the mission of
evangelisation by direct apostolate, particularly
among those who are far from the Church; home visits
to the sick, inmates, and needy families; teaching
catechism in the parishes; religious instruction for
young people; literacy courses for immigrants;
supporting drug dependents and prostitutes;
celebrating the liturgy of the Word and organising
prayer meetings in places without priests. In
addition to the weekly study meetings, the members -
encouraged to consecrate themselves to Mary
following the spirituality of St Louis de Monfort -
take part in annual spiritual retreats and undertake
to recite every day the "Catena Legionis", the
prayer to our Lady which is their bond of union. |
ORGANISATION |
The highly structured organisation
of the Legion of Mary is based upon that of the
Roman army, whose terminology it has adopted. The
highest authority of the Legion of Mary is the Concilium Legionis, in Dublin. The basic unit of
the Legion of Mary is the praesidium, a group
of people who work in the parishes following the
instructions of the bishops and the parish
officials. All of the praesidia in a parish
or several parishes in the same area constitute the
curia. The work of the curiae and the
praesidiae is coordinated by the Comitium.
The Regia and the Senatus cover
territories of large dimensions and whole countries,
respectively. People may join the Legion of Mary as
active members, who attend the weekly
meetings and devote two hours a week to apostolic
work; as praetorian members who undertake the
same obligations as the active members, attend daily
Mass and receive Holy Communion, and recite the
prayers of the Legion daily; as auxiliary members,
who support the active members in the apostolic work
with their prayers, and spread familiarity with the
Legion of Mary and devotion to our Lady; as adjutorian members, who undertake not only the
commitments of the auxiliaries, but also undertake
to attend daily Mass and the Eucharist. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Legion of Mary is present in a
large number of countries in every continent, and
more recently has also spread to Lithuania, Latvia,
Belarus, Estonia, Ukraine, Siberia and Kazakhstan. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Maria Legionis, published
quarterly in English. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.legion-of-mary.ie |
HEADQUARTERS |
Concilium Legionis Mariae De Monfort House, Morning Star Avenue, Brunswick Street - Dublin 7 - Ireland Tel. [+353]1.872 3153 - Fax 1.872 6386 Email: concilium@legion-of-mary.ie |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
LIFE
ASCENDING INTERNATIONAL |
ACRONYM |
VMI (Vie Montante
Internationale) |
ESTABLISHED |
1985 |
HISTORY |
The Vie Montante (Life Ascending)
experience began in Paris in the 1950s when groups
of elderly Christians began to meet with André
d’Humières. It was founded as an association in 1962
thanks to the support of Monsignor Stanislas Courbe,
the auxiliary Bishop of Paris and the first
Secretary General of French Catholic Action. It soon
spread from France to Belgium, Switzerland, Canada
and a number of African countries. In 1985, under
the advocacy of René Tardy and the encouragement of
the then President of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity, Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio, "Vie
Montante Internationale" was founded in Rome, to
expand the association to every continent. VMI has
the support of the Latin American Episcopal Council,
with which it coordinates its work in South America.
It is recognised by the Holy See as a Catholic
International Organisation and as an NGO has
consultative status with Ecosoc. On 25 March 1996,
the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of Vie Montante Internationale as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
VMI is made up of national
associations of pensioners and elderly people, who
promote the pastoral care of the third age, in
accordance with the teaching of the Church, the
Magisterium of John Paul II, and the guidelines of
the Pontifical Council for the Laity (cf. Dignity
and Mission of Older People in the Church and in the
World, Vatican City, 1998). |
ORGANISATION |
VMI is governed by the General
Assembly, that meets every four years in a
different continent and lays down guidelines for
action to be followed by the Association; the International Management Committee, which
implements the decisions of the General Assembly,
comprising the President and the Treasurer elected
by the General Assembly, and the continental
leaders, from among whom is elected the Vice
President and the Ecclesiastical Assistant; the Permanent Secretariat, whose members - all
Europeans - are appointed by the President whom they
assist. In recent years, in order to meet the new
needs of the Association, the post of General
Secretary has been instituted. |
MEMBERSHIP |
VMI has a membership of about
250,000 people in 44 countries as follows: Africa
(14), Asia (3), Europe (9), North America (8) and
South America (10). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Vie Montante Internationale,
a newsletter published twice a year in French,
English, Portuguese and Spanish. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Vie Montante Internationale
15, rue Sarrette -75014 Paris (Francia) Tel. [+33]1.43200822 - Fax 1.43200857 E-mail: vie_montante_int@hotmail.com |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
LIGHT-LIFE MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
RŚŻ (Ruch Światło-Życie) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Light and Life |
ESTABLISHED |
1954 |
HISTORY |
The beginnings of Light and Life go
back to the 1950s when, under the guidance of Fr
Franciszek Blachnicki (1921-1987) the experience of
the so-called Oases was started in the
dioceses of Katowice, in Poland, as 15-day spiritual
retreats for teenagers. Between 1963 and 1973, when
Light and Life worked mainly in the field of the
religious instruction of young people, the Movement
further clarified its character by making its
specific field of action the implementation of the
renewal brought about by Vatican II. Founded on the
Word of God and on the liturgy, the key ideas of Light-Life, new person, new community, new culture
emerged. After the 1970s, in addition to
teenagers, the movement began to organise retreats
for students, workers, priests, religious,
seminarians and in particular families, who, set up
as a community, were to take the name of "domestic
Church". On 11 July 1973 the Archbishop of Krakow at
the time, Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul
II, consecrated the Light-Life Movement to the
Immaculate Conception of our Lady, Mother of the
Church, which marked its official foundation. |
IDENTITY |
Light and Life sets out to foster
growth in the faith of its members; to build up communio
through evangelisation and religious
instruction; to develop works to transform the world
according to the spirit of the Gospel; to build up
the parish as a "community of communities". The
purposes, programme and pedagogical method of the
Movement are expressed and defined in terms of the
unity between the light shed by God, and action:
namely, the unity of known truths, and as such,
recognised, declared and acted upon. The formation
process of the members (deuterocatechumenate)
is a gradual one, beginning with an individual
evangelisation retreat or a basic retreat, to lead
the person to welcome Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Saviour (New Life Oasis, level I), and to
enter the group of Christ’s disciples. The first
stage of the deuterocatechumenate is based on 10
points, which are called the "Indicators of the New
Person", and prepares them for participation in the
New Life Oasis, level II. Liturgical
initiation that begins during these retreats
continues in the second stage of the course, which
is significantly characterised by participation in
the Easter Triduum and by the renewal of the
baptismal covenant. The third stage - mystagogy - (New
Life Oasis, level III) focuses on deepening the
meaning of belonging to the people of God, helping
them to discover their own place in the Church, and
to place themselves at the service of the various
diakonie. The course also includes systematic daily
work (self education), weekly meetings in small
groups led by an animator, and attending Communion
Days. The course for married couples, the purpose of
which is mutual sanctification and matrimonial unity
to implement a catechumenate within the family, is
underpinned by the spirituality of the Teams of Our
Lady (see page 259). |
ORGANISATION |
The Members of Light and Life form
small groups, creating communities within the
parishes. The head of the movement is the General
Moderator. There is also a Moderator at the
national, diocesan and parish levels. Moderators
perform their service with the assistance of a diakonia
made up of both members of the laity
and religious. Responsibility of the family branch
is entrusted, at every level, to a Moderator
together with a married couple. The officials of
Light and Life meet once a year for the National
Consultation of Leaders, which is a major
opportunity for praying and reflecting on the tasks
of the movement, in the light of the Magisterium of
the Church and the signs of the times. |
MEMBERSHIP |
There are no exact figures on the
number of members of the Movement. In Poland, there
are reckoned to be about 100,000. Light and Life is
present in 17 countries as follows: Europe (12),
North America (2), and South America (3). |
WORKS |
Light and Life gave rise to the Crusade for the Liberation of Man, which is a
social movement to combat alcoholism and other forms
of modern slavery. The Diakonia of liberation is particularly committed to serving alcoholics and
their families, for whom it organises evangelisation
retreats, and runs the Prevention-Training Centre at
Katowice. In recent years there has also been a
service to help persons with problems of
homosexuality. Another important initiative is the
commitment to protecting unborn children, which
involves above all the Diakonia of Life,
which organises retreats on this subject for youth
and adults. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Oaza, published every two
months; Eleuteria and Domowy Kościół,
published quarterly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.oaza.pl |
HEADQUARTERS |
Centrum Światło-Życie Ul. Ks. Franciszka Blachnickiego 2 34-450 Krościenko - Poland Tel. [+48]18.2623235 - Fax 18.2625641 Email: KopiaGorka@oaza.pl |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
"LIVING
IN" SPIRITUALITY MOVEMENT |
ESTABLISHED |
1958 |
HISTORY |
The "Living In" Spirituality
Movement was founded by Father Nicola Giordano after
he was inspired by the place where the apostle Paul
was martyred near the Tre Fontane in Rome. It spread
rapidly to various Italian cities and was
canonically approved by the Archbishop of Trani in
1968. It has now spread to other countries in the
world. On 8 December 2001, the Pontifical Council
for the Laity decreed recognition of the Movimento
di Spiritualità "Vivere In" as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Movement promotes and animates
Christian culture in every area of human life,
fostering the genuine humanism that is inspired at
all times by the only "new man", who is Christ. All
its work revolves around the two dimensions of man
as the imago Dei, and of human society as the
corpus Christi. The spiritual formation of
the members, underpinned by a human preparation
based on justice, truth and honesty, lasts for three
years and sets out to seek total configuration with
Christ through the loving study of the Word of God,
knowledge of Tradition, and the study of the Fathers
and the Magisterium of the Church. Participation in
the life of the Movement requires apostolic
commitment to bear witness to Gospel truths. The
specific areas of activity are the family, the
school, politics and society. |
ORGANISATION |
The structure of the Movement is
pyramidal, with Christ as the base and the peak, and
comprises different groups, each with their own
educational and apostolic programmes: children,
teenagers, young adults, adults, families and the
sick. Membership of the Movement is open to friends, sympathisers
and members.
Friends are kept briefed on all the activities, but
do not undertake any particular obligations, and
perform specific and co-ordinated tasks on a
voluntary basis. Sympathisers are introduced for an
initiation period of three years, during which they
deepen their understanding of Holy Scripture,
patristics and Christian sociology, before being
sent out on the apostolate of animation of their
respective life environments. Members undertake
specific Christian life commitments and forms of
participation in the life and the apostolate of the
Movement. Different groups meet together in Cenacles, which can be created or be
incorporated into existing ecclesial structures. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Movement has 15,000 members in
16 countries as follows: Africa (3), Europe (3),
North America (9), and South America (1). |
WORKS |
The Movement, which is linked to
the Secular Institute Iesus Victima and the
Priests’ Association "Gesù Nostro Signore",
collaborates in managing spirituality centres and a
retirement home in Italy, a Christian animation and
formation centre in San José, Costa Rica, and a
youth animation centre in Panama City. |
PUBLICATIONS |
"Vivere In", a spirituality
and cultural review published every two months; the
"In Luce" newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.viverein.it |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento di Spiritualità "Vivere
In" Via di Acque Salvie, 1/A - 00142 Roma - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.5943323 Email: viverein@tin.it - viverein@libero.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
MARIANIST LAY
COMMUNITIES |
ACRONYM |
MLC |
ESTABLISHED |
1993 |
HISTORY |
The MLC have emerged
from the Marian Congregations that were brought into
being by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (1761-
1850) in Bordeaux, France, in 1800 to guide the lay
faithful in serious personal spirituality, love for
our Lady Immaculate and practical apostolic
commitment within society, de- hristianised by the
Revolution. In 1808 the Marian Congregations were
also joined by members of the women’s youth
association founded in Agen by the venerable Mother
Adele de Batz de Trenquelléon. The experience
rapidly spread beyond France’s borders. A few years
later, when a number of Congregations declared their
readiness to embrace the life of total consecration
to God under the guidance and protection of Mary,
Father Chaminade founded the Daughters of Mary
Immaculate (1816) and the Society of Mary (1817),
his two Religious Congregations. The Marianists
Family was born, made up of laity, male and female
religious, priests, united in the single mission of
spreading knowledge and love for Mary, and in
particular educating the younger generations in the
faith. In 1993 the lay branch of the Family, whose
communities scattered throughout the world met for
the first time in Santiago de Chile, adopted their
own international government structure. In 1996 The
World Council of the Marianists Family was
established, comprising the MLCs’ International
Team, the representative of the Alliance Mariale and
the General Councils of the Daughters of Mary
Immaculate and the Marianists. On 25 March 2000, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Comunidades Laicas Marianistas as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The MLC are communities
of lay Christians who place themselves at the
service of the Church’s mission in the world
according to the charism of the Founders. Their
members strive to be strong in the faith and
persevering in hope; to accept Mary as their Mother,
model and teacher, for she accepted the presence of
the Spirit in her life in order to give God-with-us
to the world, and she invites us to put into
practice the words of our Lord so that we can
respond to the needs of all people; to live the
faith in small communities, following the example of
the early Christians; to be messengers of the
Gospel, watchful of the signs of the times, working
to spread the Kingdom of God and to build up a world
of peace and justice, with a preferential option for
the poor. |
ORGANISATION |
The MLC are structured
into local, national, and regional groups. Every
community at each level is headed by a person or by
a team. All the national groups make up the Regions, coordinated by Regional
Representatives. The international coordination of
the association is performed by the Assembly -
which meets every four years attended by the
members of the International Team, officials from
the national communities and their spiritual
advisers - and the International Team, which
represents the association and is responsible for
implementing the decisions taken by the Assembly. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The MLC are present in 31 countries as follows: Africa (7), Asia (4), Europe (9), North America (3), Oceania (1), and
South America (7). |
PUBLICATIONS |
The MLCs produce
national publications |
WEB SITE |
http://www.clm-mlc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Marianist Lay Communities
P.O. Box 395 Neepawa, MB
R0J 1H0
CANADA Tel. 1 204 476 5499
Email: president@clm-mlc.org
Secretariat
Curia Generalizia dei Marianisti
Via Latina 22
00179 ROMA, ITALIA
Tel.: +39 06 70475892
Fax: +39 06 7000406 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
MEMORES
DOMINI LAY ASSOCIATION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Memores Domini or Adult Group |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
The Memores Domini were
established in Milan under the guidance of Fr Luigi
Giussani by a number of lay people who had
previously been members of Gioventù Studentesca
(Student Youth - see page 68). Following 1968 the
members of Memores Domini felt the need to
practise the common life and set themselves up in
Families. The Association spread through Italy and
abroad, and in 1981 received canonical recognition
from the Bishop of Piacenza, Mgr Enrico Manfredini.
On 8 December 1988, the Pontifical Council for the
Laity recognised the Memores Domini Lay
Association as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Memores Domini Association is for people belonging to the
Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, who follow a
vocation of total devotion to God by living in the
world and practising the Evangelical counsels with
personal and private commitment as their purpose.
There are two main factors in their spiritual
project: contemplation, in the sense of living in
the continuing memory of Christ, and the mission, as
the passionate desire to bring the Christian message
into the lives of men and women, meeting them above
all in their work places, which is the normal field
in which they bear witness. The Memores Domini
practise the common life living in houses for men and for women, respectively, where they live
according to a rule of silence, personal and
community prayer, poverty, obedience and fraternal
love. The purpose of these houses is to enable
mutual edification in the memory of Christ, in terms
of the mission. The professed members attend four
spiritual retreats a year together, and once a year
a course of spiritual exercises. The aspirants join
a house after the first year of probation,
and throughout the period of their novitiate which
lasts at least five years, they attend instruction
and specially planned days of recollection every
month. |
ORGANISATION |
The house is the fundamental
unit of the structure of the Association. In
exceptional cases, individual members may continue
to live in their own homes while taking part in the
life of their house as their benchmark. The
general oversight of the Memores Domini is
exercised by a Board of Directors (Direttivo). |
MEMBERSHIP |
There are about 1600 Memores
Domini, and 400 aspirants. The Association is
present in 32 countries as follows: Africa (4), Asia
(3), Europe (13), Middle East (1), North America
(4), and South America (7). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.comunioneliberazione.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione Laicale Memores
Domini Via della Panetteria, 51
00187 Roma - Italy
Secretariat:
Via G. Marconi, 33 Fraz. Gudo G. - 20090 Buccinasco MI - Italy Tel. [+39]02.45708471 - Fax 02.45708501 Email: segreteria@memoresdomini.it |
OFFICIAL NAME |
MILITIA CHRISTI |
ACRONYM |
MJC (Militia of Jesus
Christ) |
ESTABLISHED |
1209 |
HISTORY |
MJC was founded in 1209, influenced
by St Dominic and the Dominican friars. Encouraged
across the centuries by numerous popes, it developed
as an order of chivalry whose members, courageous
faithful members of the laity, placed themselves at
the service of the Church to defend the faith. In
1870, the chivalrous Order of the Militia of Jesus
Christ was reorganised in Rome around a group of
papal officials assisted by the Master General of
the Dominicans, and with the encouragement of Pius
IX, to relaunch the spirit of the ancient
institution directing its members towards creating
the Kingdom of God in society. During the period of
reform between 1959 and 1973, the Order was
transformed into an association of the faithful and
its purposes were geared to meeting the needs of the
lay apostolate according to the teachings of Vatican
II. On 21 November 1981, the Pontifical Council for
the Laity decreed recognition of the Milice de
Jésus-Christ as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
MJC is open to membership by lay
men and women from all backgrounds and states of
life, who wish to commit themselves individually and
as an association to fostering the spirit of faith
and Christian values in the world. Its members live
the Evangelical counsels according to their specific
state of life and in a renewed spirit of chivalry,
practising works of doctrinal and ecumenical
education, Marian piety and social justice. In order
to support these three areas of action, MJC has
three departments, each led by a Director: the Department of Truth, which guarantees the
formation of its members based on Thomist philosophy
and theology, by teaching and guidance towards
reliable sources; the Department of the Rosary,
which corresponds to the Marian vocation of the
association and fuels the interior life and the
piety of the individual members, through spiritual
retreats, prayer vigils and moments of meditation;
the Department of Hospitality, which not only
guarantees mutual assistance among the members and
organises hospitality for them at meetings and
chapters, but more particularly to support and
promote works of solidarity and charity which are
inseparable from evangelisation. |
ORGANISATION |
MJC is governed by the Master
General elected for nine years and who may serve
more than one term, assisted by an Assistant
General, and who has responsibility for taking
decisions on the life of the association. The
Assistant General is assisted by the Magistral
Council comprising the General Secretary, the
Provincial leaders, the departmental Directors, and
members appointed pro-tempore. The
ecclesiastical ordinary is the Archbishop of Sens
(France). Membership of MJC is divided into affiliated members, committed members,
and consecrated members. The affiliated members are
persons who live the spirituality of the association
without being bound to it; committed members bind
themselves in a sequence of stages to the spirit of
service and militancy specific to the chivalrous
vocation and Dominican spirituality; consecrated
members vow to live the Evangelical counsels of
poverty and chastity in a special way according to
their specific state of life, or the demands of
special obedience to the Pope and to defend our
Lady, taking one or more temporary vows and
subsequently final vows. The members are grouped
together in houses headed by local Delegates.
Houses in the same country constitute a Province,
which is entrusted to the Provincial Delegate.
|
MEMBERSHIP |
MJC has 506 members in 9 countries
as follows: Africa (2), Europe (4), Middle East (1),
North America (1), and South America (1). |
WORKS |
The association manages the Opere Militia Christi
for solidarity between the
Provinces and for the support of charitable
projects; the Parrains pour le Liban initiative to provide aid for young Lebanese
students from poor families; the Marie porte du
Ciel initiative working in Brazil for
evangelisation, the construction of a shrine, and
the provision of palliative care. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Militia Christi, published
in French three times a year. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.militia-christi.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Milice de Jésus-Christ c/o Michel Quatre 22, avenue des États-Unis - 78000 Versailles -
France Tel. [+33]1.30213510 - Fax 1.30211071 Email:chancellerie@militia-christi.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
MILITIA OF THE
IMMACULATA |
ACRONYM |
M.I. (Militia Immaculatae) |
ESTABLISHED |
1917 |
HISTORY |
M.I. was founded in Rome at the
International College of the Conventual Franciscans
- which at that time was the "St Bonaventure"
Pontifical Theological Faculty -, by Father
Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), a Conventual
Franciscan and martyr of charity at Auschwitz who
was beatified by Paul VI and canonised by John Paul
II. Erected as a Pious Union on 2 January 1922 by
the Vicariate of Rome through Cardinal Basilio
Pompilj, M.I. was given special attention and care
by the Popes in the course of its history. In a
Brief issued on 18 December 1926, Pius XI granted it
indulgences and privileges, and on 23 April 1927 it
was elevated to the rank of a Primary Pious Union
with the brief Die XVIII mensis Decembris. Under the
altius moderamen of the Minister
General of the Order of the Conventual Franciscan
Friars Minor, and consistent with the Magisterium of
the Church, the association grew and spread to
different countries. On 16 October 1997 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed the Milizia
dell’Immacolata to be an international association
of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Father Kolbe presented M.I. as a
"global vision of Catholic life in a new form,
consisting of the link with our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception, universal mediatrix with
Jesus". The association sets out to promote the
expansion of the Kingdom of God throughout the world
through the work of our Lady of the Immaculate
Conception, stimulating all to place themselves at
her service in her mission as Mother of the Church.
The focus of the spirituality and formation in M.I.
is the consecration to Mary, which Father Kolbe
intended as "transformation into her": a style of
Christian life which achieves the extreme
consequences of love. There are three key ideas:
Mary Immaculate, love, and the mission, to provide
formation which commits Christians to grow in an
existential dimension (the primacy of the vocation
to holiness), an ecclesial dimension (love for the
Church and bearing witness to the Catholic faith), a
missionary vocation (Christian formation of
consciences and the new evangelisation), and a
cultural dimension (promoting life by serving people
in the Franciscan manner of fraternity, joy,
simplicity and hospitality). The specific areas of
unity of M.I. are catechesis, town and city
missions, religious instruction courses, updating,
Marian culture, publishing, radio broadcasting and
Informatics. |
ORGANISATION |
By its nature, M.I. is a unitary
association. The organisation comprises the Young
Knights, the Youth Movement, and Adults. It is structured into three levels:
M.I./1 is the movement, with no strict
organisational structure where the members mostly
act individually and spontaneously, according to the
Founder’s original Project; M.I./2 is the
movement broken down into groups, whose members work
according to the official programmes of the
movement; M.I./3 is the movement at its highest
level, at which the Knights choose to fully
and unconditionally give themselves to Mary
Immaculate, devoted solely to her cause: in the
missionary apostolate, in parish service, alone or
in active or contemplative life communities, using
all legitimate means. This rank is specific to the
City of the Immaculate, the Executive
Centres, and the Institutes inspired by
Fr Kolbe. A significant presence of the association
are those who suffer from sickness, poverty,
marginalisation and disabilities. They form the M.I. under the Cross. So much suffering, offered
as a gesture of consecration to Mary Immaculate
enables the whole association to participate in the
mystery of Christ’s redemption and renews the
missionary effort. Although legally autonomous, at
the pastoral level, all the institutes (secular and
religious) inspired by Kolbe share the same aims and
apostolic commitment: the Franciscan Sisters of the
M.I., the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculata, the
Franciscan Sisters of the Militia of the Immaculata,
the Franciscan Brothers of the Immaculata, the
Missionaries-M.I., the Missionary Sister Crusaders
of the Immaculata, the Kolbe Missionary Sisters of
the Immaculata, the Kolbe Teaching Missionaries. |
MEMBERSHIP |
M.I. has over 3 million members in
48 countries as follows: Africa (7), Asia (5),
Europe (25), North America (3), Oceania (1), and
South America (7). |
WORKS |
M.I. does not have any
institutionalised works of its own. When necessary
it provides voluntary services to meet specific
environmental and social needs. For example, the
social recovery of alcoholics and drug-addicts, and
assisting AIDS sufferers, providing medical and
nursing care in poor districts, humanitarian care
for young needy mothers, literacy courses for
adults, after-school activities, and parish
catechesis. It systematically conducts
evangelisation through the Rede Mariana de Rádio
e Televisao at Santo André (São Paulo, Brazil),
the printing shop and publishing centre Jardim da
Imaculada at Cidade Ocidental (Brazil), the
Marytown training and dissemination centre at
Libertyville, Illinois (USA). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Miles Immaculatae, a six
monthly magazine of Marian culture and Kolbian
formation. Founded by St Maximilian Kolbe,
specifically for priests and pastoral workers, it is
now the official organ of the International Centre.
There are over 30 periodicals being published to
support the apostolate of M.I. in different
countries, the majority of which bear the name
"Knight of the Immaculata", as an act of homage to
the first one founded by Fr Kolbe in Poland (Rycerz
Niepokalanej) and subsequently in Japan (Seibo
no Kishi). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.mi-international.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Centro Internazionale Milizia
dell’Immacolata Via San Teodoro, 42/44 - 00186 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]066793828 - Fax 0669941017 Email: MIinternational@ofmconv.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
MISSIONARY COMMUNITY OF VILLAREGIA |
ACRONYM |
CMV |
ESTABLISHED |
1981 |
HISTORY |
CMV was founded following a meeting
in Cagliari at the beginning of 1975 between Father
Luigi Prandin and Maria Luigia Corona, who
discovered they had a common specific vocation to
communion and mission, while pursuing different
paths towards it. A group of young people gathered
around them who wished to give themselves to God in
order to create a life of communion and relationship
receptive to the mission. The first Community was
set up in 1981 at Quartu Sant’Elena with the
blessing of the Archbishop of Cagliari, Mgr Giuseppe
Bonfiglioli. After beginning its work in Sardinia,
the missionaries arrived in Veneto where Mgr Sennen
Corrà, the Bishop of Chioggia at the time, erected
it as a pious institution in 1984, giving it
canonical recognition. On 26 May 2002 the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decreed the Comunità
Missionaria di Villaregia to be an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
CMV sets out to create a life of
intense communion, with the Holy Trinity as its
source and model; it is totally dedicated to the
mission ad gentes, and lives in confident
abandonment to Providence. The formation of the
members, which attends to the comprehensive
development of the individual person, is provided in
Community, and is designed to enable the members to
assimilate the charism; formation for the
missionaries includes theological studies; it is
completed in the apostolate and in relations with
the people of God. Every CMV centre provides an
organic route for human and Christian growth as well
as experiences of prayer and meeting with the Word
of God, evangelisation, missionary service and
cooperation, community and Christian friendship. The
task of evangelisation is carried out in the older
Christian countries and in the younger churches
where CMV takes on responsibility for parishes and
apostolic work, in terms of its own specificity; in
the old Christian countries, it works to revive and
nurture an ecclesiology of communion, with outreach
to the universal mission of the Church, through days
and weeks of community and missionary animation, or
broader evangelisation projects; in schools or with
groups of various kinds, in order to cooperate in
providing education in universality, conviviality
and solidarity. |
ORGANISATION |
CMV has full members and affiliated
members. The full members, who make up the
core group, are people united by the vocation to
live in community for the mission ad gentes,
the communion of material and spiritual goods, and
sharing a common apostolic Ministry. They give
themselves to God with private vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience (in the case of the men and
women missionaries) commitment to live their married
life in poverty and obedience in the case of married
couples. The fourth vow of living in community for
the mission ad gentes unites all in their
striving to place communion before all things, and
to spread it to the ends of the earth. The full
members are divided into four groups: missionaries
(priests and consecrated men),
consecrated missionary women missionaries in the
world, and missionary couples. Among the
first and second groups the dimension of prayer and
proximity to the poorest are particularly keenly
felt and tangibly practised through the ministry
performed by some of the brothers and sisters who
are called to dedicate themselves to intercession
and praise (the fraternity of the contemplative
life), or proclamation and compassion (the
fraternity of mercy). The affiliated members are
people who find within the Community the possibility
of growth and commitment, using and cooperating with
the service that the Community offers, participating
in its charism, cooperating to achieve its purposes.
The affiliated members are also divided into four
groups: volunteers, members of the Missionary
Commitment Groups, missionary animators, and friends
of the mission. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CMV has 450 full members and 8000
affiliated members, and is present in 6 countries as
follows: Africa (1), Europe (1), and South America
(4). |
WORKS |
Seeing human promotion as a
fundamental dimension of evangelisation, CMV has set
up development structures both in Africa and South
America such as drop-in centres for street children,
cultural centres to provide young people in
financial difficulties with a place to make friends
and to grow; literacy schools; medical centres to
provide health care to individuals who have no
opportunity to be treated in hospitals, and to
educate them in food and hygiene standards to combat
children’s diseases; running pharmacies and soup
kitchens/canteens. Thanks to the commitment of the
Community, over the past 15 years in these
geographic areas, two churches have also been built
together with 15 chapels with premises for the
catechumenate and catechesis. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Comunità Missionaria di
Villaregia, published every four months. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.cmv.it |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comunità Missionaria di Villaregia Fraz. Villaregia, 16 - 45014 Porto Viro
- RO - Italy Tel. [+39]0426.325032 - Fax 0426.325442 Email: posta.cp@cmv.it |
OFFICIAL NAME |
MISSIONARY CONTEMPLATIVE MOVEMENT "P. DE FOUCAULD" |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Centro Missionario "P. de
Foucauld" |
ESTABLISHED |
1951 |
HISTORY |
The Movement has its origins in a
community to help street children founded in Cuneo
as "Boys’ Town" by Fr Andrea Gasparino in the 1950s.
The diocesan authorities issued their first approval
in 1983. On 14 June 1990 the Pontifical Council for
the Laity issued a decree recognising the Movimento
Contemplativo Missionario "P. de Foucauld" as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The purpose of the Movement is
contemplation in serving the poor, and is made up of
fraternities whose members, men and women, live the
contemplative dimension in the form of small
monastic communities among the poor, with whom they
share their lives, to be a sign of God’s love among
them, and to bring the love of Christ and the gift
of prayer to them. The brothers and sisters receive
their formation through a trial period lasting two
years preparing them for their vows. Before they are
sent to missions in the Third World, the consecrated
members undergo a further six-year formation period. |
ORGANISATION |
The Movement is governed by an Executive Council
made up of two Brothers and
three Sisters. In addition to the consecrated members, there are also the
Fraternity of
families, friends and sympathisers. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Movement comprises 40
fraternities and is present in 11 countries as
follows: Africa (3), Asia (3), Europe (4) and South
America (1). |
WORKS |
The Movement manages canteens for
the poor in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Bangladesh; a workshop to train people to produce
jute articles in Bangladesh; people’s schools and
sewing schools. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Lettere dalle missioni,
published every two months. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.centromissionario.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento Contemplativo Missionario
"P. de Foucauld" Corso Francia, 129 - 12100 Cuneo - Italy Tel. [+39]0171.491.263 - Fax 0171.344.033 Email: cittàdeiragazzi@centromissionario.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
OASIS MOVEMENT |
ESTABLISHED |
1950 |
HISTORY |
The Oasis Movement was founded in
Rome on 1 November 1950, the day of the promulgation
of the dogma of the Assumption of our Lady, by a
group of students who took up the proposal made by
Fr Virginio Rotondi S.J. to commit their youth to
the pursuit of the ideal of holiness. Subjected to
discernment by the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith (in those days the Holy Office) it was
officially recognised in 1952. That same year, Pius
XII received its members in a special audience at
Castel Gandolfo, and delivered a policy address to
them which still remains to this day the Magna
Charta of the Movement. Since Pius XII, subsequent
Popes have also expressed their gratitude and given
encouragement to the pastoral work of the Movement.
The Movement is incorporated into the life of the
Church at the universal, national, diocesan and
parish levels. In June 1992, it was also welcomed
into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. |
IDENTITY |
The specific spirituality of the
Oasis Movement is to view one’s own life as a
service of love. This service is summarised under five points
or commitments that help young
people in particular to grow humanly and to mature
spiritually: "knowing how to serve", "being
interested in the world", "taking on the attitude of
a servant", "delivering oneself to Christ", and
"delivering oneself to our brothers and sisters".
Its specific charism is vocational in the modern and
ecclesial sense of that term: to lead people to see
themselves as an affirmative response to the
universal vocation to holiness; to any call of God,
the Church and our brothers and sisters; to the
quest for God’s will, to be done at all times in
one’s own social, professional, political or
ecclesial state of life. The Movement emphasises the
pastoral ministry of vocations for young people and
families, and sets out to bear witness to a spirit
of total devotion, generosity and total fidelity to
the Pope, the Church and her Magisterium. The formation pathway
of the members, which is
performed through a series of courses - the outline
of which is based on the words of Fr Rotondi that
"our life is perfected to the extent that it is
geared to and harmonised with the will of God" - has
four levels, each of which has a particular form of
commitment: service, promise, consecration,
animation. |
ORGANISATION |
Because of the spread of the
Movement to different countries, it became necessary
to establish an International Secretariat to
support the work of the animators throughout the
world. After the death of the Founder on 13 April
1990, an International Team was put in place,
made up of the national Oasis Animators and the
International Secretariat, which is responsible for
preserving and developing the Oasis concept,
faithful to the teachings of Fr Rotondi. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Since it is not a structured
association, it is difficult to put a figure on the
number of members of the Movement. Over 50 years it
has helped to form hundreds of thousands of people
in the spirituality of "serving for love", actively
committed in many different apostolic ecclesial
movements, associations or organisations. The Oasis
movement is now present in 8 countries as follows:
Asia (1), Europe (4), North America (1), and South
America (2). |
WORKS |
Villaggio Nuova Speranza at
São Matesu in the state of Espirito Santo in Brazil:
this is a social work which looks after about 500
children every day from the nearby "favelas" in the
kindergarten and five elementary school classes. The
school syllabuses, which are also designed for the
human development of the children, integrate farming
activities, and notions of handicraft and hygiene.
The children are given food every day. The aim is to
influence families through the children. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Crescere, published monthly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.movimento-oasi.it |
HEADQUARTERS |
Centro Internazionale Movimento
Oasi C.P. 14 Via dei Laghi, km 8.500 - 00040 Castel Gandolfo RM -
Italy Tel. [+39]06.9495831 - Fax 06.9495842 Email:
info@movimento-oasi.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
"POPE JOHN XXIII COMMUNITY" ASSOCIATION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Pope John XXIII
Community |
ESTABLISHED |
1968 |
HISTORY |
At the end of the
1950s, convinced of the importance of being present
with the young people to whom he was teaching
religion, Father Oreste Benzi (a priest of the
Rimini diocese) carried out a number of activities
to encourage "a friendly meeting with Christ". This
was to involve teenagers, most of whom were
accustomed to having decisive meetings with everyone
- except Christ. His plan also included building a
house in the mountains. Thousands of teenagers who
had drifted away from the Church and were at risk of
becoming offenders, could come here - and still do -
to undergo a liberating experience and choose
Christian values to make them part and parcel of
their own lives. In 1968, Father Benzi created the
"Pope John XXIII Community" Association with a group
of youngsters who were prepared to animate the
mountain holidays, and with a few other priests. The
meeting with people who "would never have managed to
make it in life on their own" (the disabled,
marginalised, excluded, forgotten) and the
willingness of a number of youngsters to work with
him full- ime, enabled him to open the first family
hostel in 1972. On 7 October 1998 the Pontifical
Council for the Laity issued the decree recognising
the Associazione "Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII" as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The vocation of the
members of the Community is to shape their lives in
the image of Christ who constantly does the will of
the Father. Prompted by the spirit to follow Jesus
in his poverty and service, they undertake to share
the lives of the least of their brothers and sisters
by sharing their experiences and helping them to
bear their plight. They place their shoulders under
the Cross borne by others. Love for their poor
brothers and sisters must urge them to try to
eliminate the causes of need, and lead the Community
to make a commitment to build up a more just world,
and to speak out for those without a voice. This
vocation requires space for prayer and
contemplation, living the life of the poor, being
led by obedience, and practising fellowship
according to the Gospel. |
ORGANISATION |
The Community is
governed by a central leader elected by the members.
The Association is divided into zones headed
by a leader elected by the zone members. The central
leader and zonal leaders constitute the Governing Council. The members are grouped into
units covering the whole territory in which
the Association is present. Each unit, headed by a
unit Leader, exists for sanctification, and it is
here that members help one another to live their
vocation. The general services that exist in the
Association are headed by animators elected by the
Governing Council. Each zone has a zonal service
animator elected by the members of the zone. The
Community has full members, who recognise
that they have a life vocation and have been
confirmed in it by the Governing Council; then there
are other members testing their vocation for a
period of time, playing a full part and fully
experiencing the life of the Community, and taking
part in the assemblies, without voting rights. This
trial period must last for at least a year. Other
people, who are not Community members, such as
conscientious objectors and volunteers, also take
part in the life and work of the Association. |
MEMBERSHIP |
There are 1,287 full
members and 215 members testing their vocation in 18
countries as follows: Africa (4), Asia (3), Europe
(6) and South America (5). |
WORKS |
The Community’s work
in the vast world of marginalisation has led to the
establishment of: numerous family hostels where
individuals or married couples act as temporary or
permanent fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of
disabled people, children in difficulties, former
drug addicts, alcoholics, and mentally disturbed
people; detoxing centres for addicts; houses of
prayer; facilities for street children; centres for
teenagers and young adults; social cooperatives
providing educational services and businesses
providing work for the disadvantaged; facilities for
shared holidays; general reception centres; hostels
for girls freed from prostitution; fellowship
houses, and SOS Centres. There are also numerous
initiatives for those who wish to work with the
Association, even for a given period of their lives.
These include voluntary service, civilian service,
"Operation Dove" (for a non-violent presence in war
zone frontlines), missionary work to promote
multisectoral projects for the self-sustaining
development of the poor countries. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Sempre, monthly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.apg23.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione "Comunità
Papa Giovanni XXIII" Via Mameli, 1 - 47900 Rimini - Italy Tel. [+39]0541.909700/55503 - Fax 0541.22365 Email: info@apg23.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
PRAYER AND LIFE
WORKSHOPS |
ACRONYM |
TOV (Talleres de Oración y
Vida) |
ESTABLISHED |
1984 |
HISTORY |
TOV was founded in Santiago de
Chile by Fr Ignacio Larrañaga, a Basque Capuchin
Franciscan, who saw the lack of a methodological
approach to prayer in various ecclesial communities
and felt the need to lead the faithful towards a
personal relationship with God. His experience with
the first group of lay people in Santiago prompted
the Founder to devote himself to the training of
leaders (guides) of different nationalities, to set
in motion "prayer workshops" in different countries.
In 1987, the first international Congress adopted a
"Prayer and Life Manual" that had been drafted by
the guides from 15 countries. TOV spread rapidly and
in 1993, 32 "consolidation weeks" were held in the
places in which it was present, to deepen the
charism of the Association. In 1994, at the second
International Congress the final version of the
Manual was presented and a new international
governance structure was adopted. On 4 October 1997,
the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
recognition of Talleres de Oración y Vida as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
TOVs provide a service to the
Church by supplying a practical method for learning
to pray in an orderly, varied and gradual manner,
from the first steps to the depths of contemplation.
The members are introduced to the prayer life, and
helped to combine prayer with engagement in
ordinary temporal activities; to revive their
awareness of their status and dignity as baptised
Christians, and their responsibilities towards the
mission of the Church in the world; to become
hothouses of lay vocations to the apostolate and
service of the Church in the dioceses and parishes.
The initial formation of the members lasts for a
year, and is designed to introduce them to the
history, charism and life of the Association, and to
learn different forms of prayer. After the members
have been sent out on mission, updating is provided
in monthly meetings to deepen the Word of God, the
significance of the sacramental life and the
Magisterium of the Church. |
ORGANISATION |
The TOV’s organs of government are
the International Coordination, Zonal
Coordinations (covering several countries), National Coordinations, and
Local
Coordinations (covering several towns in the
same country). Every Coordination comprises a
Coordinator, a Secretary and a Treasurer assisted,
in the case of the national and local Coordinations,
by a Formator and a Coordinator for young people.
The Prayer and Life Workshops are each headed by one
or two Guides. |
MEMBERSHIP |
TOV has 15,025 active members, and
is present in 36 countries as follows: Africa (5),
Asia (1), Europe (7), North America (12), Oceania
(1), and South America (10). Over 2,500 people have
links with it. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Espíritu y Vida, six-monthly
magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.tovpil.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Talleres de Oración y Vida Apartado Postal 22 Administración de correos Chuburná C.P. 97201 Mérida, Yucatán - Mexico Tel. [+52]999.9480222 - Fax 999.9448733 Email: c.internacional@tovpil.org -
tovcano@prodigy.net.mx |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
"PRO DEO ET FRATRIBUS
- FAMIGLIA DI MARIA"
ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
PDF-FM |
ESTABLISHED |
1968 |
HISTORY |
PDF-FM was founded in
1968 at Sessa Aurunca (Caserta) by Bishop Pavel
Hnilica SJ, to generate support for the persecuted
Church in Eastern Europe. It was originally known as
the Pious Union "Pro Fratribus" until 1993 when it
took its present name after receiving canonical
recognition by the Roznava diocese in Slovakia. On
25 March 1995 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of "Pro Deo et Fratribus
- Famiglia di Maria" as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
PDF-FM is a spiritual
family made up of people of different ages,
vocations and states of life who, in the light of
the message of Fatima and in a spirit of reparation
devote themselves to Our Lady of the Immaculate
Conception by practising Evangelical witness and
charity. The charism of the Association is Marian,
priestly, missionary and ecumenical and finds the
centre of its unity in love for and fidelity to the
Pope. Formation focuses essentially on deepening the
spiritual life (through prayer and the sacraments),
studying the Magisterium of the Church, with
particular attention to the teaching of the Popes
and the instructions issued by the local churches
within which the Association works, and providing
pastoral training (thanks to its experiences in the
missionary field, by agreement with the dioceses and
parishes). The specific areas of activity of PDF-FM
are the new evangelisation (missionary commitment of
the members, particularly in the regions of the
former Soviet Union), the "ecumenism of charity"
(pastoral and charity work), prayer for Christian
Unity, and heightening people’s awareness to new
evangelisation. |
ORGANISATION |
The membership of
PDF-FM comprises dedicated members and ordinary members. The dedicated members lead a
life of Christian perfection, embracing the
Evangelical counsels undertaken through a personal
and private commitment in the form of consecration
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and as far as
possible practising the common life in communities
of men or women. The ordinary members take part in
the activities of the Association and are committed
to pursuing its specific purposes. |
MEMBERSHIP |
PDF-FM has about 200
dedicated members and 500 ordinary members, and is
present in 15 countries as follows: Africa (1), Asia
(2), Europe (9), North America (1), Oceania (1), and
South America (1). |
WORKS |
PDF-FM promotes
above all works of charity on behalf of the poorest
churches in the territories of the former Soviet
Union. |
PUBLICATIONS |
"Trionfo del Cuore",
a monthly bulletin published in Italian, French,
English, Dutch, Slovak and German. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione "Pro Deo et Fratribus
- Famiglia di Maria" Via Monte Santo, 14 - 00195 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.37513783 - Fax [+39]06.37351549 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
PROMOTING GROUP OF THE MOVEMENT FOR A BETTER WORLD |
ACRONYM |
PG of the MBW |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Service of Community
Animation |
ESTABLISHED |
1952 |
HISTORY |
The Movement for a
Better World was established in Rome in response to
the appeal for renewal launched by Pius XII to the
Church in his radio message, known as the
"Proclamation for a Better World". The preaching of
Fr Riccardo Lombardi S.J. led to the dissemination
of the "Exercises for a Better World" from 1943 to
1956 and the opening at Rocca di Papa (Rome) of the
Pius XII International Centre which was donated by
that Pope for the training of community leaders.
Between 1956 and 1965 the Promoting Group gathered
around Father Lombardi, renewing methods and action
strategies. Between 1965 and 1975, the Movement
developed courses of study on change, dialogue,
secularisation, the Church as the people of God, and
the world; it launched the "New image of the parish"
project; it decided to decentralise, going beyond
the Pius XII Centre. From 1975 to 1989, it broadened
its study courses to the concepts of participation
and justice; pastoral projects were drawn up for
young people, families, ministries and religious
Institutes; the diocesan renewal- vangelisation
Project was launched. In the decade following the
death of Father Lombardi, in 1979, the Group
reorganised itself into local, regional and national
teams; it focused on the renewal of the local church
or diocese; it developed study courses on the signs
of the times, spirituality of communion, and
solidarity; it added to its traditional name the
words "Service of Community Animation". On 14
December 1988 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of the Gruppo Promotore del
Movimento per un Mondo Migliore as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The PG of the MBW is an
intervocational group at the service of the
renewal-conversion of the Church and society, in
universal unity, for the salvation of the world. The
purpose of the Group is to promote a movement for a
better world: "movement" in the sense of being the
spirit or the historical dynamism which is grafted
onto, and is lost in, the more global
dynamism of the Church and the world. It is a group
of animators. It begins with a reading of the signs
of the times, and by calling human groupings to conversion, it opens up ever broader horizons to
them. It promotes the spirituality of communion
through renewal- vangelisation projects for
religious Institutes, parishes and dioceses. It is
characterised by its community view. Loving God,
loving one’s neighbour and desiring the common good
implies building up everyone together as a People of
God, making them aware of methods which make it
possible to reach community holiness. Members
continue to belong to their own community of origin
which they represent as they place themselves at the
service of the whole project, and to which they
return at the end of their term or period of
service. |
ORGANISATION |
Every local Group
has a Directorate, comprising local, regional
and national teams, which promote the
renewal-conversion projects through sensitisation,
study and operational commitment. The local Groups
are organised internationally into geographic
areas, to experience communion and cooperation
through action and apprenticeship in apostolic work,
in terms of their respective plans. Every area has a
Coordinator and a Coordination Team. The
Coordinators, together with the General Directorate,
form the International Animation Group, which
meets every year. The culminating moment in the life
and mission of the association is the General
Assembly or Pastoral Cenacle, which meets
every four years, and at which the five-person General Directorate
is elected. The study and
research work is coordinated by the International
Reflection Team. Every four years, the PG of the
MBW conducts research, using the scientific
investigation method, in order to become more fully
conscious of the state of the Church and the world,
and to update its own patrimony and instruments of
service. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The PG of the MBW has
about 600 members, and is present in 37 countries as
follows: Africa (8), Asia (3), Europe (13), North
America (4), Oceania (2), and South America (7). |
HEADQUARTERS |
Gruppo Promotore del
Movimento per un Mondo Migliore Via Monte Altissimo, 23 00141 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.8185678 - Fax 06.87191893 Email: mondo.migliore@iol.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
REGNUM CHRISTI
APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT |
ESTABLISHED |
1959 |
HISTORY |
Regnum Christi was founded
in Mexico by Fr Marcial Maciel, the founder of the
Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, sharing
its spirituality focused on a personal love for
Jesus Christ. |
IDENTITY |
Regnum Christi is a movement
of lay Christians, men and women, of all ages, who,
out of fidelity to the Successor of Peter and
motivated by love of God and their neighbour, wish
to make the Gospel a reality in their own lives and
in society, responding to the universal call to
holiness and to the apostolate. The Movement aims at
reviving its members’ awareness of their baptismal
vocation, offering them the means to help them live
the Gospel in the daily circumstances of their
personal, family and professional lives; guiding
them and organising them so they will live and bring
about the civilisation of love and justice in
themselves and in society; helping them to see the
apostolic mission as participating in the redeeming
mission of Jesus Christ. Under the spiritual
guidance of the Legionaries of Christ who offer
their sacramental attention and moral guidance
through Christian and apostolic formation courses
(schools of faith) the members of Regnum Christi
become apostles ready to devote part or all of
their time to announcing and spreading the Kingdom
of God, realising the vital need for them to be
incorporated into the universal Church and the local
Church to which they belong. In order to persevere
in an authentic Christian life, the lay members of
Regnum Christi, who nurture a filial devotion
to the Virgin Mary as the paramount example of a new
humanity, undertake to pray daily, to participate
frequently in the sacraments, to read the Bible in
groups every week, and to periodically review
progress with their apostolic work. In cooperation
with the Legionaries of Christ, the members of the
Movement work above all in the following areas of
the apostolate: missions, the human and Christian
promotion of the socially more needy groups, the
spread of Catholic doctrine, the education of young
people and educational and teaching institutions,
the advancement of the family, the mass media, and
cooperation with diocesan priests. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Regnum Christi has over
47,000 members in 34 countries as follows: Africa
(1), Asia (1), Europe (14), Middle East (1), North
America (7), Oceania (3), and South America (7). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.regnumchristi.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento Apostolico Regnum
Christi c/o Legionari di Cristo Via Aurelia, 677 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.664991 - Fax 06.66499372 Email: lcrc@legionaries.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SALESIAN
COOPERATORS ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
ACS (Associazione Cooperatori
Salesiani) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Salesian Cooperators |
ESTABLISHED |
1841 |
HISTORY |
The Salesian Cooperators date back
to the origins of Don Bosco’s apostolic project to
help poor, abandoned boys: the Oratories. From the
early days in Turin, he engaged men and women of
different backgrounds and places to help him, within
the bounds of their possibilities. As he expanded
his work he realised not only that he was
increasingly in need of cooperators (including
priests, but above all lay people) linked to the
Salesian mission, but also to form an association
for them in order to give greater power to their
work. Initially, he wanted them to be "extern"
members of the Congregation of St Francis de Sales,
with a specific legal status in the Congregation’s
Constitutions. But the Holy See rejected this
proposal, and he decided to organise them in the
"Pious Union of Salesian Cooperators" (today’s ACS),
with its own Regulations which were approved by Pius
IX in 1876. The membership grew rapidly, and with
their active help, the Cooperators made it possible
to create and develop workshops for arts and crafts,
mutual aid societies, farm projects, printing shops,
day and evening schools, oratories, homes and
shelters, missions and orphanages. In 1895 the first
International Congress of Cooperators empowered them
to contribute to resolving the great social issues
created by the advent of industrialisation. This
work, based on the very ideals of freedom, justice
and fellowship which are themselves Christian
values, to this day continues in the business world,
schools, social work, politics and the media. |
IDENTITY |
The Regulations of Apostolic Life
were drawn up in 1986. Faithful to the ideas of the
Founder, they followed the Magisterium of the second
Vatican Council and set out the identity of
Cooperators as humanly mature people; convinced
practising Christians; laity aware of their vocation
as baptised Christians called to take part in the
mission of the Church in the world; authentic
Salesians striving for holiness, sharing and
bringing their concern for education everywhere, a
key element in Don Bosco’s apostolic project. The
founding element of their experience of faith and
the way they live and conduct themselves is "being
Salesians", namely, possessing that heritage of
spiritual and educational values bequeathed by Don
Bosco and by Mother Maria Domenica Mazzarello
(co-foundress with Don Bosco of the Institute of the
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) which leads
them to give pride of place to the following areas
of action: the family, to foster its growth
as a community of persons founded on love and
educational relations; the school and educational institutions, to provide a
comprehensive education to young people through a
pedagogy imbued with the Salesian spirit; youth
centres, to promote the healthy and creative use
of free time, receptive to such values as
friendship, solidarity, and commitment to others;
the parish and the oratory, to
cooperate in animating youth groups, combining
education with evangelisation; social
communication, which creates culture and
disseminates models of living among the people so as
to bring the love for truth, concern for education,
and preference for positive messages into the world
of the mass media; politics, social
services, voluntary service, to make the
institutions more attentive to the common good, to
young people, to the idea of prevention in order to
solve problems; the world of labour, to bear
witness and promote an ethic of service, solidarity
with the weakest and concern for the needs of the
unemployed, moving beyond the rationale of pure
economic efficiency. |
ORGANISATION |
The basic unit of the ACS is the Centre, which groups together the Cooperators
working in a given territory, forming the living
cell of the Association, and the place for formative
and operational exchange. The life and work of the
centre are governed and animated by the local
council. Centres are grouped by Province, and
are accountable to the Salesians’ Inspectorate
("Province"), and animated by the Inspectorate
Council. The Country or Region which
ensures contact and communion between the various
Inspectorates is created as a National Conference in
countries with a large number of Cooperators (Italy,
Spain, Poland and Argentina), and as a Regional
Conference in countries like India and Brazil. The
World Convention, made up of one member
elected for each Region of the Salesian
Congregation, and five members appointed by the
Rector Major, is responsible for animating the whole
Association and coordinating the educational and
apostolic activities under the guidance of the
Rector Major. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ACS has a membership of about
30,000, and is present in 58 countries as follows:
Africa (6), Asia (8), Europe (18), North America
(13), Oceania (2), and South America (11). |
WORKS |
Salesian Cooperators generally
place themselves at the service of the works of the
Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), sometimes holding
posts of responsibility. In some situations,
particularly in the Third World, they manage
oratories, schools and family hostels. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Salesiani Cooperatores,
published every two months in four languages. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sdb.org. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione Cooperatori Salesiani Via della Pisana, 1111 - 00163 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]066.5612636 - Fax [+39]066.5612556 Email: cooperatori@sdb.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SALESIAN YOUTH
MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
SYM |
ESTABLISHED |
1988 |
HISTORY |
SYM was founded on the centenary of
the death of Don Bosco, the founder and father of
the Salesian family. Don Bosco’s passion for
education notwithstanding, he could never have
imagined a movement and spirituality for youth in
the modern sense of these terms. However, his
educational ideas gave rise to the experience of the
Oratory, as a meeting place for creating friendship,
and fertile ground for stimulating the commitment
and activism of young people. Evidence of this comes
from the different forms of youth associations that
arose out of his original idea: those "companies" -
as he used to call them - to be considered as the
"work of the young people themselves", and which
were to develop worldwide until the 1960s. Following
Vatican II, the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians relaunched Don Bosco’s
"preventive system", seeking new forms of expressing
this educational practice based on the Gospel and on
reason. It could become a model for all those
working in the field of youth education and wishing
to use the "memory" of an experience that could be
tailored to suit the new conditions in which young
people were living. The subsequent establishment of
groups and associations prepared the ground for the
possibility of a "movement" in the early 1980s,
based on the Salesian spirituality of young people,
in communion with the Church and at the service of
youth. |
IDENTITY |
SYM comprises groups and
associations which accept the Salesian spirituality
and pedagogy. While remaining autonomous in
organisational and operational terms, they guarantee
a high quality educational presence in the new forms
of socialisation of young people, animating them to
have a meaningful experience of Church life. As a
movement "of young people for young people", defined
by reference to a common spirituality and communication between groups
that guarantees the
circulation of messages and values, SYM brings
together young people from every kind of background,
from those who are far from the Church and for whom
spirituality is barely a seed, to those who
explicitly and consciously take upon themselves the
Salesian proposal and apostolic commitment. One
particular purpose of the Movement is to form good
Christians and honest citizens, apostles of young
people, according to the possibilities of each
individual, at the school of Don Bosco and Mother
Mazzarello. |
ORGANISATION |
SYM has the minimum basic structure
to guarantee and coordinate the circulation of the
values of Salesian youth spirituality. Each group in
the Movement is therefore urged to find the most
appropriate ways of performing this coordination,
bearing in mind the following criteria:
incorporation into the local churches, increasing
the active participation of young people, analysing
the sociopolitical and cultural environment in which
they are working. |
MEMBERSHIP |
SYM is present in every country in
which there are activities of the Salesians of Don
Bosco, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and
laity who have been educated by them. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento Giovanile Salesiano c/o Salesiani di Don Bosco Via della Pisana, 1111 - 00163 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.6567121 - Fax 06.65612556
Movimento
Giovanile Salesiano c/o Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice Via dell’Ateneo Salesiano, 81 - 00139 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.872741 - Fax 06.87132306 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SANGUIS CHRISTI
UNION |
ACRONYM |
USC (Unione Sanguis
Christi) |
ESTABLISHED |
1808 |
HISTORY |
The USC was founded in Rome, at the
Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere, by Canon
Francesco Albertini, who called it the "Pious
Association in Honour of The Most Precious Blood".
Its primary purpose was to promote religious
culture, the sacramental life and works of mercy
among the lay faithful. It was erected as an
Archconfraternity by Pius VII, and very shortly it
was extended to take in religious and priest
members. St Gaspare del Bufalo, who considered it to
be a sound means of renewing Christian life, became
its most fervent promoter, and when he founded the
Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious
Blood, in 1815, he considered it to be spiritually
united to the Archconfraternity. In 1851 Pope Pius
IX constituted the Pious Union of the Most Precious
Blood. It moved from San Nicola in Carcere and was
placed under the Moderator General of the
Missionaries with its headquarters in the head
church of the Congregation. In 1951, Pope Pius XII
reconfirmed its organisation and approved the new
Statutes, which were once again updated following
the second Vatican Council. On 24 May 1988, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Sanguis Christi Union as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
USC, a spiritual family which grew
up around the work of St Gaspare del Bufalo, strives
to spread the spirituality of the blood of Christ
according to the rule of life which is summed up in
the words of the Gospel, "Greater love has no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends" (Jn 15:13). In order to respond to this
ideal of holiness, the members, who are admitted to
the Union after an appropriate period of formation,
dedicate themselves to listening to the Word of God;
they mature baptismal grace through frequent
participation in the sacraments of the Eucharist and
Reconciliation, and by participating in the public
worship of the Church through the celebration of the
Liturgy of the Hours, which prepares and extends the
praise, thanksgiving and memory of the mysteries of
salvation to different hours of the day; cooperating
in building up the Church and working for Church
unity and the spread of the Kingdom of God in the
world. The members of USC undertake to help create a
social order based on justice and peace among
peoples, within the bounds of their possibilities,
and individually or in groups they co-operate with
every initiative of the Church and civil society to
improve the life and foster the dignity of the human
person. |
ORGANISATION |
USC comprises individual members (laity, religious, priests) and
associates (religious congregations,
associations, confraternities) and is organised at
the international, regional and local levels. The
central director of the Union is the Moderator
General of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood
who, with the Council, is responsible for
animating the association, disseminating the
spirituality of the blood of Christ, and encouraging
communication of experiences between the various
regional units. At the regional and local levels,
the work of the Union is coordinated by regional and
local Directors, men and women. |
MEMBERSHIP |
USC has 10,800 members in 5
countries, as follows: Europe (2), North America
(1), and South America (2). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sangasparedelbufalo.pcn.net |
HEADQUARTERS |
Unione Sanguis Christi c/o Curia Generalizia Congregazione dei Missionari del Preziosissimo
Sangue Viale di Porta Ardeatina, 66 - 00154 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.5741656 - Fax 06.5742874 Email: cppsgeneralate@pcn.net |
OFFICIAL NAME |
SANT’EGIDIO
COMMUNITY |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Sant’Egidio |
ESTABLISHED |
1968 |
HISTORY |
The Community of Sant’Egidio was
established in Rome by Andrea Riccardi. In the
climate of renewal created by Vatican II, he began
to gather together a group of high school students,
of which he was one, to listen to the Gospel and put
it into practice. Within a few years, the experience
spread to other groups of students, and they began
to work on behalf of the marginalised. In the
working-class districts on the outskirts of Rome
they began their work of evangelisation which led to
the creation of communities of adults. In 1973 the
first church of the Community was opened in the
Trastevere district of Rome. In the church of
Sant’Egidio, it became the custom to hold evening
community prayer, and this has accompanied the life
of all the communities throughout the world ever
since. In the latter half of the 1970s, the
community also began to be established in other
Italian towns, and in the 1980s it spread in Europe,
and to Africa, America and Asia. From the outset,
specific features of the Community have been service
to the very poor and defence of human dignity and
human rights, together with prayer and the
communication of the Gospel. It has created ways of
helping and extending friendship where there is
poverty, both in its old and new forms (elderly
people living alone and unable to cope, immigrants,
homeless people, terminally ill and AIDS sufferers,
children at risk of delinquency and social
out-casting, itinerants and physically and mentally
disabled people, drug addicts, war victims, inmates
and people under sentence of death). The poor are
the daily companions of life and of the work of the
members of the Community, as their friends and part
of their family. It is precisely this friendship
that has given Sant’Egidio a clearer understanding
of the way that war is the mother of all forms of
poverty, and hence their explicit commitment to
working for peace. On 18 May 1986, the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decreed the Comunità di
Sant’Egidio to be an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Community of Sant’Egidio is a
community family rooted in different local churches.
The term "community" reflects, among other things, a
need for fellowship which is particularly deeply
felt because the members of the community live fully
within the world, in the anonymous life of the large
modern cities. Friendship is therefore the
distinctive feature of Sant’Egidio, both among
themselves, and as an attitude of friendship and
interest in the world and other ecclesial
experiences. The spiritual benchmarks of the
Community have always been the first Christian
community in the Acts of the Apostles, the Church’s
preferential love for the poor, and the primacy of
prayer. A pronounced sense of God’s mercy for the
sick and for sinners, Jesus’ compassion for the
crowds, his invitation to proclaim the Gospel of the
Kingdom and to heal all manner of disease and
sickness - this all nurtures the life and personal
spirituality of the members as they listen daily to
the Word of God and persevere in personal and
community prayer. Its lay character and the fact
that the communities are in the large towns and
cities has led to the development of a specifically
"urban" spirituality, which brings together the
people who are scattered by their daily lives and
responsibilities (family, professional, civil)
around the primacy of evangelisation and service.
One essential part of this "recomposition" is the
community evening prayer which is open to anyone
wishing to attend. |
ORGANISATION |
The Community is governed by the
President, assisted by a Council, and an
Ecclesiastical Assistant. The President and the
Council are elected every five years by the General
Assembly of the representatives of all the Community
groups (in countries where there are several
communities, if deemed useful, a national President
can be appointed). |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Community of Sant’Egidio
comprises a network of small fraternal life
communities, with about 50,000 members in 72
countries as follows: Africa (29), Asia (7), Europe
(23), North America (8), and South America (5). |
WORKS |
The Community of Sant’Egidio has
created various forms of assistance to the poor. In
addition to canteens, it runs language courses for
immigrants, centres that distribute aid, afternoon
schools for children, centres for the disabled,
centres for the elderly, outpatient units, and
centres for the mentally disturbed; the Community
runs an art school for the disabled, homes for
children and teenagers, hostels for the chronically
sick and the homeless, homes for non self-reliant
elderly people, and sheltered houses for partially
self-reliant elderly people. Sant’Egidio has also
set up a hospital in Guinea-Bissau for TB patients,
and a national centre to prevent and treat AIDS in
Mozambique. In the 1990s the Community also created
Il Paese dell’Arcobaleno (Rainbow Land - a
movement for children and youngsters), Scuole del
Vangelo for adults and families, Viva gli
Anziani, for the third age, Gli Amici,
for the disabled and sick, and Genti di pace,
for immigrants. A number of non-governmental
organisations are also linked to Sant’Egidio,
working in the field of development cooperation and
solidarity, for example in Kosovo, Albania, El
Salvador and Guatemala. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.santegidio.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comunità di Sant’Egidio Piazza Sant’Egidio, 3/a - 00153 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.585661 - Fax 06.5800197 Email: info@santegidio.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SCHOENSTATT WOMEN’S APOSTOLIC UNION |
ESTABLISHED |
1920 |
HISTORY |
The Schoenstatt Women’s Apostolic
Union has its roots in the Schoenstatt Apostolic
Movement, founded by Fr Josef Kentenich (see page
22) and in the Apostolic Union, and was the first
association generated by the Movement, for the
formation of Catholic apostolate leaders. Following
the admission of the first women into the Union,
Gertraud von Bullion and María Christmann sealed the
covenant of love with the Mater ter admirabilis
- the act of consecration to our Lady taken by
all the members of the Schoenstatt Apostolic
Movement - and started the Women’s Apostolic Union
(Schoenstatt-Frauenbund). Legally independent of the
Movement, the Union gave shape to the ideal of the
imitation of Christ in a life lived according to the
Evangelical counsels of virginity, poverty and
obedience, without vows but in freedom and as an
interior bond. On 15 September 1996, the Pontifical
Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the
Schoenstatt-Frauenbund as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Union sets out to provide
formation for Christian women who responsibly
perform the mission modelled on Mary. It is made up
of unmarried lay women who live a life of virginity
within the world, animating temporal realities
through the free giving of self, generous readiness
and detachment from worldly goods. The association
participates in the apostolate of the Church by
cooperating with other Schoenstatt communities and
other apostolic forces, and requires its members,
after receiving sufficient formation, to perform
permanent apostolic activities according to the
needs of the place, time and nation. The formation
pathway preceding final incorporation into the Union
lasts for nine years, with a Precandidature and a
Candidature period. Great importance is
given in the life of the members to caring for the
spirit by observing a rule, respecting community
uses and customs, setting up groups to deepen
specific dimensions (for example, adoration groups). |
ORGANISATION |
Ultimate responsibility for the
Union is vested in the International Directorate
elected by the Chapter, which is the
assembly of the delegates of the Union, chaired by a
Director assisted by a Spiritual Adviser. The Union
is structured into official communities (regions) and into
free communities (courses). The regions are made up of members
belonging to one or more dioceses, divided into
groups and under the guidance of a Regional
Director. Members of the Union belong not only to
their respective regions but also to the so-called
"courses", an essential element in the structure of
the association, made up of people who have begun
the period of candidature together, and remain
united throughout the whole of their lives. They are
defined as "free communities" because they are free
in terms of both the choice of the ideal that will
be cultivated and developed by each member
individually and as a community throughout their
lives, and of the election of the leader, the Mother
of the course. As places for the formation of the
members’ personality, the courses aim to combine
external freedom with an interior bond. In the Union
the leaders do not have any right to order the
members, who practise obedience by sharing
responsibility for the service they perform. Leaders
exercise their own moral authority in the manner of
a family, aiming above all to guide the community
and its members to the highest possible level of
interior freedom and generosity. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Union has about 350 members and
is present in 10 countries as follows: Europe (7),
North America (1) and South America (2). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Informaciones del Segretariado
Gertaud von Bullion, magazine published every
two months. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.s-fb.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Schoenstatt-Frauenbund Haus Mariengart Am Marienberg, 3
D-56179 Vallendar - Germany Tel. [+49]261.650030 or 65000 - Fax 261.650029 Email:
sekretariat@s-fb.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SCHOOL OF THE CROSS |
ESTABLISHED |
1965 |
HISTORY |
School of the Cross was founded in
the rural parish of St Isidro Labrador, in the diocese of Villarhermosa, Mexico, by Fr Francisco
Javier Asencio Dávalos, a professed brother of the
Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.
After spreading to about a thousand parishes and
virtually all the dioceses of Mexico, in 1987 it was
established by the Church authorities as a national
association of the faithful, and within a few years
it reached the United States of America. On 22 May
1994 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
Escuela de la Cruz to be an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
School of the Cross participates in
the Church’s mission by creating communities of
apostles to bear witness to the spirituality of the
Cross in the spiritual order and the temporal order.
The members of the association undertake to live in
intimate union with the crucified heart of Jesus
Christ, Priest-Victim-Altar, to "be priests with
their priest", and in particular to support their
own parish priest in the performance of his
ministry. They are united by the realisation that
they are sons of God, chosen by Jesus to take part
in his mission by helping one another to live the
Gospel and the spirituality of the Cross, to the
heroism of love. |
ORGANISATION |
Only men may join School of the
Cross, both laymen (indigenous, small farmers and
workers living in the most deprived parishes) and
priests, responsible for the pastoral care of a
parish. The association is structured into small
groups of 5-9 people. |
MEMBERSHIP |
School of the Cross has about
200,000 lay members and almost 200 parish priests,
and is present in two North American countries. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Escuela de la Cruz Mirador s/n, Esq. Andador Cocos Col. El Rosal - 10600 M. Contreras, D.F. - Mexico Tel. [+52]56.683943 - Fax 55.953583 |
OFFICIAL NAME |
SECULAR
MISSIONARY CARMEL |
ACRONYM |
CMS (Carmelo Misionero
Seglar) |
ESTABLISHED |
1988 |
HISTORY |
The CMS was founded by Marelia
Suárez, a young lay Catholic, attracted to Carmelite
spirituality and the missionary dynamism of Fr
Francisco Palau. In 1987 she put a proposal to the
Medellín Province of the Carmelite nuns of the
Sacred Heart, Colombia, to set up a lay association
to share their charism. The 16th General Chapter of
the Order agreed to this proposal and invited the
Congregation to respond to the promptings of the
Synod of Bishops regarding the vocation and mission
of the laity in the Church, devoting particular
attention to the comprehensive formation of the lay
faithful, and encouraging the constitution of the
CMS in every country where the Congregation was
present. On 20 March 1996, the Pontifical Council
for the Laity issued a decree recognising Carmelo
Misionero Seglar as an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
CMS brings together lay faithful of
all ages and sets out to promote the identity and
the mission of the lay person in the Church through
a commitment to discover the greatness of the
Christian vocation in the mystery of ecclesial
communion; to practise a prayer life as a sign of
friendship with God and as an experience of the
universality of the Church, in the light of the Word
and of history; to cultivate listening, reflecting,
and contemplating; to adopt an attitude of service
towards one’s neighbour, paying particular attention
to the urgent needs of the Church and society; to
contemplate Mary as a model, Mother and companion in
a constant search for communion with God and with
our fellows; to live a simple, joyful and
hard-working style of life; to work for the
construction of a more just and solidarity-based
society. Formation and guidance for members of CMS
focuses on the unity of life of the lay faithful,
and gives pride of place to the human, Christian and
missionary dimension according to the spirituality
of Francisco Palau, a Discalced Carmelite, preacher,
spiritual director and catechist. The members of CMS
perform their apostolate in groups and individually,
bearing witness through their lives to Gospel
values; they strive to help the marginalised; and
they seek to respond in practical ways to the needs
of their environment and of the Church. |
ORGANISATION |
CMS is organised into autonomous
groups whose work is coordinated by a Management
Board made up of a Coordinator, a Secretary,
Treasurer, and one or two members appointed by the
groups. At the national level, communion and
cooperation between the groups are guaranteed by an
Animation Committee. The ultimate guarantor
of the Association at the international level is the
Superior General of the Missionary Carmelite
Sisters. |
MEMBERSHIP |
CMS has about 500 members and is
present in 12 countries as follows: Africa (2), Asia
(3), Europe (1), North America (3), and South
America (3). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.carmelmis.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Carmelo Misionero Seglar Via del Casaletto, 115 - 00151 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.535472 / 06.5827216 - Fax
06.58232279 Email: carmis@rm.nettuno.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
"SEGUIMI" LAY GROUP OF HUMAN-CHRISTIAN PROMOTION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
"Seguimi" |
ESTABLISHED |
1965 |
HISTORY |
The pre-foundation phase of
"Seguimi" dates back to the 1960s, and occurred in
two cities: Modena and Rome. In Modena, a large
group of young people and adults felt the desire to
live radical Christianity in dialogue in the manner
and according to the needs of the modern age. In
Rome, after a meeting between Paola Majocchi, the
present President, and Father Anastasio Gutiérrez, a
Claretian Father and jurist (1911-1998) the idea
took shape of a new Lay Association, in harmony with
the thinking of Vatican II. Mgr Abele Conigli,
Bishop of Sansepolcro (Arezzo) gave "Seguimi"
canonical approbation as a Pious Union. Faithful to
its structure and charism, "Seguimi" moves forward
keeping pace with the times in the process of
deepening its identity. Following 1967, it spread to
other Italian dioceses and then gradually spread
worldwide. On 19 March 1984 the Pontifical Council
for the Laity decreed recognition of "Seguimi"
Gruppo Laico di Promozione Umano-Cristiana as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
"Seguimi" is a lay association
based on the following of Christ, with the intention
of achieving the full human and Christian self
fulfilment of the individual person by providing an
adequate formation and through the search for each
person’s own place in the construction of the
Kingdom, based on the potential of each one, and in
response to the needs of the world, to be able to
live here and now the full happiness of being the
children of God. In the pursuit of these objectives,
emphasis is given to the life of faith, with
personal and community daily prayer; mature
interpersonal relations in Christ, in a family
climate; the Christian Lay presence in every
professional and social sphere; providing formation
in responsible freedom; cooperation with works
focusing around the human person. The formation
itinerary proposed to the members is designed to
lead people to full maturity in Christ, both in
their professional and in their community lives,
using Holy Scripture and theology for the spiritual
and apostolic life. "Seguimi" excludes no area of
service whatsoever. At the present time, it is
concerned with human and Christian development,
assisting the elderly and disabled, supporting
families, welcoming in unmarried mothers, and
international cooperation. |
ORGANISATION |
"Seguimi" has four types of
membership: committed members, who live in
celibacy, organised into male and female
communities, which make up the Animation Centre;
affiliated members, who live a celibate life
individually; aggregated members, as
individuals and families; voluntary members,
who share its spirit and take part in its work.
Without prejudice to its lay character, "Seguimi"
also admits priests, some of whom are responsible
for providing doctrinal and ecclesial orientation to
the association, and to provide religious
instruction for the laity according to the wish of
the Second Vatican Council. Fidelity to the Gospel
and the Evangelical counsels is based on personal
commitment, without any vows, but based solely on an
informed and radical choice of Christ, which matures
in the concrete reality of daily life. In a climate
of self responsibility and the promotion of the
individual person which is characteristic of
"Seguimi", authority plays a subsidiary and
coordinating role. The Central Council encourages and appraises any personal initiatives,
adopting them and unifying them in a more universal
vision. The government is assisted by the Statutory Guarantees Superior Council, the
Economic Affairs Council, and the Education
and Culture Council. |
MEMBERSHIP |
"Seguimi" has about 800 members in
11 countries as follows: Africa (3), Europe (3),
North America (1), and South America (4). |
WORKS |
In Italy, "Seguimi" has set up a
sheltered home and a cultural centre for the
elderly; a farm; Orizzonti Nuovi and Solidart
Centres (handicraft workshops,
exhibitions and fairs for fundraising, organising
work and training camps on universalism); the PAD
centre (remote adoption of development initiatives
in three African countries); a youth centre; drop-in
centres; the Family and Life Centre for the
formation of family workers and parents, education
in sexuality, supporting nuclear families in
difficulty; a spirituality and conference Centre.
"Seguimi" has also given rise to the Association for
International cooperation and voluntary service
education, Granito de Paz in Spain; and
medical, nutritional and care centre for future
mothers and an agricultural development project in
the Democratic Republic of Congo; a home for
children in difficulties in Cameroon; a care centre
in the war refugee camps in Burundi. |
PUBLICATIONS |
SI VIS, published every two
months; Seguimi News, published every four
months. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.grupposeguimi.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
"Seguimi" Gruppo Laico di
Promozione Umano-Cristiana Via Clemente III, 29 - 00167 Roma - Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.6277806 Email: seguimi.sede@iol.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SERMIG |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
Sermig (Servizio Missionario
Giovani - Missionary service of young people) was
founded by Ernesto Olivero with his wife and some
young people at the Turin Diocesan Missionary Office
as a missionary support group, to eliminate the
scourge of hunger in the world "which could feed 30
or 40 billion people, instead of allowing 30,000 to
starve to death every day". In the heated years of
the student protest movement in the 1960s the group
did not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by angry
political denunciations. They developed the
conviction that Jesus Christ is enough, and that the
Gospel does not need to beg from ideologies to find
the vital seeds for changing the world. With the
encouragement of Cardinal Michele Pellegrino, then
the Archbishop of Turin, and Giorgio La Pira, a key
figure in its history, Sermig began to change from
being merely a working group to become a community
of life, basing its commitment on the meeting with
God through prayer, dialogue with his Word, and
"giving back" to our poor brethren our surplus time,
professionalism, cultural, material and spiritual
goods, for their development and to safeguard their
dignity. In 1983, Sermig was given the Turin
military Arsenal, a decommissioned weapons factory,
restructured with the help of thousands of people
(professionals, engineers, architects, building
companies), which is now called the Arsenal of Peace
and House of Hope for the disinherited. In 1997, the
commitment of the members of Sermig to be peace and
hope-builders was sealed by the twinning with the
Sacred Convent of St Francis in Assisi, emphasising
the desire to share the spiritual legacy of St
Francis. |
IDENTITY |
Sermig came into being as a group
of young people wishing to help the poor, and aims
to provide education for young people in the values
of solidarity, justice and peace, giving particular
attention to early childhood and to abandoned
youths. The heart of Sermig is the Fraternity,
structured into small communities of men and women,
married and single, living in contact with the
problems of the people, and whose spirituality is
rooted in the Word of God as the foundation, in
prayer as the vital life blood, in hope as the
Charism, and in "restitution" as the gift of self in
deep communion with the Church. Some of them feel a
particular call to abandon everything, and after a
period of preparation make unconditional pledges to
live according to a "rule" or "proposal of life"
inspired by Mary’s fiat; they live celibacy
in fraternity; they live in the Arsenals of Peace
and become officials of the Association, also in
legal terms. Sermig pursues its purposes by setting
up structures for specific purposes, conducting
peace missions, and organising week-long courses. |
ORGANISATION |
Sermig’s organisational chart
comprises the Assembly of Members, which
meets once a year and decides on the work of the
Fraternity, and appoints the Council; the Fraternity Council, which has the function of
governing, and is made up of between five and seven
members, including the President, the Vice
President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary; the
Ecclesiastical Adviser; the Board of Elders, and
Board of Auditors. Membership of the
Association is open to Full members, who are
persons that have undergone formation with a formal
commitment, and Associate members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Sermig, which has 52 full members
and 176 associate members, is present in 3 countries
as follows: Europe (1), Middle East (1) and South
America (1). Some 6000 volunteers also support its
activities. |
WORKS |
In addition to the Arsenal of Peace
in Turin, Sermig also manages the Arsenal of Hope in
São Paulo in Brazil, and the Arsenal of Encounter in
Amman, Jordan; it promotes development and emergency
relief activities in Italy and abroad, entrusted to
the CIS (International Development Cooperative) and
the RE.TE (Technological Restitution) Group; it has created the
Centri come noi as night shelters for the deprived, residential
homes for people in difficulty who wish to change
their lives, medical centres for people who are
unable to use the National Health Service. Its
educational work for young people includes the Sound Laboratory
and the School for Restorers. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nuovo Progetto, monthly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sermig.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
SERMIG Arsenale della Pace Piazza Borgo Dora, 61 - 10152 Torino - Italy Tel. [+39]011.4368566 - Fax 011.5215571 Email: sermig@sermig.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SHALOM CATHOLIC
COMMUNITY |
ESTABLISHED |
1982 |
HISTORY |
The Shalom Catholic Community was
created at the initiative of a group of
undergraduates headed by Moysés Louro de Azevedo
Filho. With the encouragement of the Archbishop of
Fortaleza (Brazil), they opened a sandwich bar and
an annexed bookshop to welcome and evangelise young
people. This was the first Shalom Centre. Very soon
the movement spread to families, children, and
people from all social-cultural backgrounds. In 1985
the first group of young people formed themselves
into life communities and in 1986 the first
covenant community was established, made up
of young people and adults. In 1998 the Community
received canonical recognition from the Archbishop
of Fortaleza. On 2008 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
issued a decree recognising the Shalom Catholic
Community as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. The association is a member of the
Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant
Communities and Fellowships (see page 27). |
IDENTITY |
The Shalom Catholic Community is
made up of married couples, consecrated men and
women, young people and adults seeking their
vocation, priests, all united by the call to live
the charism of Shalom. Its distinctive features are
contemplation, unity and evangelisation. The
Community’s commitment to evangelisation and
Christian instruction gives emphasis to the world of
education, culture and the arts, scientific
environments, the media, and human development. The
formation of its members, based on a personal
encounter with Jesus Christ, is nurtured by the
study of the Word of God and the Magisterium of the
Church, prayer, participation in the liturgy and the
sacraments, fraternal and missionary life, filial
love for our Lady, union with our Lord according to
the model of life shown by St Francis of Assisi and
the model of prayer shown by St Teresa of Avila. |
ORGANISATION |
Membership of the Shalom Catholic
Community is through the life communities,
which are cells made up of consecrated men and women
following a radical calling to give up their own
human plans (cf Lk 14: 25-37) to follow the Lord
Jesus Christ unconditionally by devoting themselves
totally to the Community; and the covenant
communities, made up of people who live fully
within the world and live this same vocation in
their professions and in family life. The Community
also comprises those who play an active part in its
work by belonging to groups under its guidance. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Shalom Catholic Community has
some 2,300 members and is present in 8 countries as
follows: Europe (4), Middle East (1), North America
(1), South America (2). About 30,000 people have
connections with the Community. |
WORKS |
In addition to numerous prayer
groups, evangelisation and catechetical instruction
centres for young people, families and children have
also sprung up at the initiative of the Shalom
Catholic Community. There are spiritual retreat
houses, art centres in which music, dance, drama and
fine art are placed at the service of
evangelisation, a school, a human development
association which manages kindergartens, homes for
the elderly and services for the sick and inmates;
projects to recuperate drug addicts, to rescue
street children, for the prevention of abortion, and
to take in the homeless and help restore their
dignity. The Community has also created 4 radio
stations, a publishing house and the Gaudium et
Spes Institute which provides training for
social and political commitment according to the
principles of the Church’s social teachings. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Shalom Maná, monthly
magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.comunidadeshalom.org.br |
HEADQUARTERS |
Comunidade Católica Shalom
Diaconia Geral
Caixa Postal 2681 60.120-970 Fortaleza - Ceará - Brazil Tel.
[+55]85.3308 7400 - Fax 85.3308 7431 Email: shalom@comunidadeshalom.org.br |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
SILENT WORKERS OF THE CROSS ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
SODC |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Silenziosi Operai della Croce |
ESTABLISHED |
1950 |
HISTORY |
SODC was established in order to
direct and coordinate and guarantee continuity to
the Apostolate of the Suffering (see page 131) which
had been founded in the 1940s by Mgr Luigi Novarese
(1914-1984) in cooperation with Sister Elvira Myriam
Psorulla. In 1952 Mgr Novarese led the spiritual
exercises for the first SODC group, and it was
decided to build houses for the sick and disabled
wishing to repeat the experience every year. The
first house was dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. In 1957 the first SODC community entered what
was to become the Mother House of the Association
near the Shrine of Vallelungo in the diocese of
Ariano Irpino (Avellino). In 1960 SODC was given
canonical approbation by the diocesan bishop, Mgr
Pasquale Venezia. The development of the work of the
Association led Mgr Novarese to make plans to expand
SODC beyond Italy’s borders in order to create what
he defined as the "world union of the sick". On 17
May 2001 the Pontifical Council for the Laity issued
a decree recognising the Associazione Silenziosi
Operai della Croce as an international association
of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The members of the SODC set out to
imitate Christ who was called and sent by the Father
to do his will to bring life and salvation to the
world (cf. Heb 10: 5-8). Consecrating themselves to
our Lord through Mary, they live their total
self-giving through the practice of the Evangelical
counsels. In the wide and varied world of suffering,
the SODC members set out to share with everyone else
a path of growth and maturity in the faith, so that
the light of Easter can enable all men and women to
discover that they are called to find the meaning of
their own suffering and to proclaim the joy of
salvation. This spirituality of communion with the
crucified and risen Christ is pursued through an
organic pastoral ministry, and an apostolate that
values the worth of each one who suffers without
distinction. |
ORGANISATION |
SODC is divided into a male branch
and a female branch, each headed by their respective
leaders. The Association is governed by a Council,
chaired by a Moderator who implements the
resolutions adopted by the General Assembly.
The members of the SODC take part in the life of the
Association in two ways: either practising the
common life, or living alone or with their own
families. Whichever they choose, this state of life
is considered to be permanent and is permitted
whatever the physical state of health. The members
have the same rights and the same duties, respecting
the differences and peculiarities of their own
particular state of life, the form of participation
they have chosen, and the branch to which they
belong. The clerical associates perform their
ministry for the purposes of the Association on the
basis of agreements between their bishop and the
members of the SODC. The bishops who wish to live
the spirit of the Association and support its
apostolate are known as aggregate members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
There are presently 150 members of
the Association in five countries: Europe (4), and
Middle East (1). |
WORKS |
SODC members work in the field of
social welfare and rehabilitation through different
types of structures depending upon the services
performed: they manage spirituality and
accommodation houses in Jerusalem, Fatima
(Portugal), Glogow (Poland); they organise courses
of spiritual exercises for the sick and the
ablebodied who are members of associations linked
to SODC. |
PUBLICATIONS |
L’Ancora, a monthly
information and educational magazine; L’Ancora
nell’unità di salute, a six monthly scientific
research and discussion magazine. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sodcvs.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Associazione Silenziosi Operai
della Croce Via dei Bresciani, 2 - 00186 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.6877127- 06.6877070 - Fax [+39]06.6868032 Email: apostolato@sodcvs.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
ST BENEDICT PATRON OF EUROPE ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
ASBPE (Associatio Sanctus
Benedictus Patronus Europae) |
ESTABLISHED |
1967 |
HISTORY |
ASBPE was founded after the
proclamation of St Benedict as the Patron of Europe
in 1964 by Paul VI in his Apostolic Letter Pacis
Nuntius. Considering the impetus that St
Benedict gave to all the peoples of Europe and to
the Christian European order and its spiritual
unity, the main purpose of the Association is to
promote and disseminate Christian culture in a
spiritually united Europe. Its purposes were further
confirmed in John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Sanctorum Altrix
on the topical relevance of the
Benedictine Rule and the Christian identity of
European culture, calling attention to a new
evangelisation fuelled by the lifeblood that has
permeated the peoples of Europe and the formation of
the European nations. On 11 July 1988 the Pontifical
Council for the Laity issued a decree recognising
the Associazione San Benedetto Patrono d’Europa as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
In compliance with the Rule of St
Benedict, the members of ASBPE aspire to put nothing
before Christ and unconditionally to obey the
commandments of God the Creator. They nurture their
personal prayer life by assiduous reading of the
Holy Scripture, they draw lessons to guide their
lives from the traditions of the Western and Eastern
Fathers, they are faithfully devoted to the Church
and defend its rights and cultivate its traditions.
They play an active part in the sacramental and
liturgical life of their own local Church, and
undertake to help it meet its needs. Guided by the
Church hierarchy they help to pave the way for the
unity of Christians in the Catholic Church,
undertake to take to heart the principles of the
Church’s social teaching, advocate and tenaciously
defend the sanctity of the family, concern
themselves with the development and subsistence of
the Catholic school as an effective means of
disseminating Christian culture. Lastly, they
promote the use of the Latin language, which was
once the common language of the whole of Europe and
an excellent medium of communication, culture,
science and education. |
ORGANISATION |
The members of the ASBPE, religious
and lay, are co-opted to membership after giving a
written undertaking to live and act according to the
principles of the Association. ASBPE is governed
collegially by a Steering Committee composed
of 12 members. The Association is headed by a
President, assisted by two Vice-Presidents and a
General Secretary, which among other tasks organises
the annual International Congresses in conjunction
with Benedictine abbeys on issues relating to the
Christian life in Europe. The President, the two
Vice-Presidents and the General Secretary are
elected by the Steering Committee. The
members of ASBPE living in the same city or region
meet in local groups. As far as possible, all the
members frequent Benedictine or Cistercian
monasteries with which they establish spiritual
relations. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ASBPE has over 500 members in 14
countries as follows: Europe (13), North America
(1). |
HEADQUARTERS |
c/o Dr Maddalena Gasperi Piazza Albania, 10 - 00153 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.5758729 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
ST FRANCIS
DE SALES ASSOCIATION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Lay branch of the
Society of the Daughters of St Francis de Sales |
ESTABLISHED |
1872 |
HISTORY |
The origins of the
Association date back to 1872 when Abbé Henri
Chaumont and Caroline Colchen Carré de Malberg set
up a group in Paris for members of the laity living
in the world, called the Missionary Catechists of
Mary Immaculate, which was canonically established
in the Archdiocese of Paris in 1891. In 1911 the
Holy See approved the Society of the Daughters of St
Francis de Sales. In 1954 the Catechists adopted the
name of Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate,
and in 1968 they were recognised as a religious
congregation within the Society of the Daughters of
St Francis de Sales and united with the Lay branch
(the St Francis de Sales Association) by a common
body, the Superior Council. On 22 May 1994 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity issued a decree
recognising the Association Saint François de Sales
as an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Association is a
spiritual family created to pursue the personal
holiness of its members, called to evangelise their
own environments according to the spirituality of St
Francis de Sales and with a particular devotion to
the Holy Spirit and our Lady. The formation
programme followed by the associates, which is based
on the methodology of a probationary period, lasts
for two years and ends with consecration without
vows, the renewal of the baptismal promises and
pledging allegiance to the Most Holy Trinity and to
Mary. Each associate is left free to undertake other
ecclesial commitments. |
ORGANISATION |
The Association is
headed by a General Council headed by a General Director, and is divided into
regions
corresponding to geographic zones, which
themselves are subdivided into groups. The
regions and groups are headed by Regional
Directors and Group Directors. In its
evangelisation work, the Association is assisted by
sensitisation and reflection groups such as "St
Francis de Sales Meetings", gatherings approved by
the Bishop of Versailles, and "Salesian Thought
Groups" headed by consecrated members, and "Salesian
Friendships" for single people. After the admission
of men in 1968, on an experimental basis, an
autonomous male branch was created. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Association has
3,029 members in 19 countries as follows: Africa
(5), Asia (1), Europe (7), North America (3), and
South America (3). There are 105 male associates. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Le lien salésien is published every two months in French, English,
Polish and German; Ecos is published
quarterly in Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.sfdsassociation.org/ |
HEADQUARTERS |
Association Saint
François de Sales 57-59, rue Léon Frot - 75011 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.43676060 - Fax 1.43704473 Email: centresa@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
TEAMS OF OUR LADY |
ACRONYM |
END (Équipes Notre-Dame) |
ESTABLISHED |
1947 |
HISTORY |
The Teams of Our Lady movement came
into being in France at the end of the 1930s through
a number of married couples who began to meet every
month in each other’s houses under the guidance of
Fr Henri Caffarel. Their purpose was to explore the
significance of the sacrament of marriage in depth,
to hold it up against their own experiences, and
then to try to work together to live coherently
within society as Christian families and couples. As
more couples sought to join them, the movement was
formally established with the promulgation, on 8
December 1947, of the Équipes Notre-Dame Charter.
The movement was created to meet a need felt by
couples who realised that married life is a
vocational pathway to salvation which is more than
procreation; the Teams seek to enhance their
experience in the light of the Word of God by
reading the signs of the times, and by reflecting
constantly on ways and means of implementing the
founding charism in different circumstances of
history. On 19 April 1992, the Pontifical Council
for the Laity decreed recognition of the Équipes
Notre-Dame as an international association of the
faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
As a movement of spirituality for
married couples, the Teams comprise groups of
married couples who wish to achieve holiness in and
through marriage, gathered around Christ to help one
another to progress in the love of God, to build
themselves up in Christ and to place their love at
the service of the Kingdom. The members follow a
course of study that includes Scripture, the truths
of the faith, and "apprenticeship in prayer". This
pathway, which is a means of verifying their
fidelity to the Lord, requires them to take a
dynamic view of Christian life, and introduces them
into a dimension of ongoing conversion through
mutual spiritual assistance, group sharing, frequent
attendance at Mass, family prayers, the Christian
education of their children, the spirit of outreach
and welcome, and giving testimony to the love of
Christ. The Teams method is based on the rule of
life, which accompanies the path of ongoing
conversion through a sequence of specific goals to
be achieved; the two-day annual spiritual retreat
which the married couples make to ask for the
help of the Spirit to discern and draw up new life
projects; the duty to ’sit down’ once a
month, to enable the couple to speak to one another
"before God", as a special vocation to view each
other through the eyes of the Father, and to allow
themselves to be converted by what the Lord is
asking of them through their spouse. The members of
the Teams are actively committed to family
apostolate pastoral programmes in the local Church,
where they also cooperate with other ecclesial
movements. |
ORGANISATION |
The Teams of our Lady are
structured on a collegial basis. The International Team
has overall responsibility
for the movement, and comprises married couples from
different countries assisted by a Spiritual
Counsellor. Each of the member Teams is composed of
between five and seven couples and a Spiritual
Counsellor, and they remain in contact with one
another through a liaison couple. Teams in
the same town (or geographical area) make up one or
more sectors, and the sectors make up regions. The life of the movement depends
entirely upon the voluntary offering of time, effort
and resources by the couples themselves. They work
to develop the Teams movement particularly in the
geographical areas where large distances and low
incomes are likely to cause a serious obstacle. |
MEMBERSHIP |
Throughout the world there are some
8,600 Teams in 48 countries as follows: Africa (13),
Asia (2), Europe (14), Middle East (2), North
America (7), Oceania (2) and South America (8).
|
PUBLICATIONS |
Lettre des Équipes Notre-Dame,
a periodical publication in French, English,
Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Arabic. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.equipes-notre-dame.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Équipes Notre-Dame 49, rue de la Glacière - 75013 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.43319621 - Fax 1.45354712 Email: end-international@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
TERESIAN
APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
TAM |
ESTABLISHED |
1977 |
HISTORY |
TAM has its origins in the
Archconfraternity of the Daughters of Mary
Immaculate and Teresa of Jesus founded in 1873 by St
Henry de Ossó in Tortosa, Spain, for young women
wishing to fully live their faith and bear witness
to Christ in a changing society, besieged by the
seeds of atheism and secularisation sown by the
changes in the 19th century. TAM was created in Rome
at the initiative of the Company of St Teresa of
Jesus of which it forms part and together with which
it makes up the Teresian Family. On 12 July 1977 the
Pontifical Council for the Laity officially
recognised the Movimiento Teresiano de Apostolado as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
TAM’s charism comprises three
dimensions: interiority, apostolic action and
community. Animated by the spirituality of St Teresa
of Jesus, the Movement sets out to stimulate its
members to know and love Jesus and to make him known
and loved. The essential means of formation are
daily prayer, spiritual retreats and community
prayer; participation in the Church’s liturgical
life and in particular the Eucharist; meditation on
the Word of God; devotion to Mary as Mother and
model of virtue; reading the writings of St Teresa
of Jesus. The formation pathway proposed by TAM,
which is strongly rooted in the Magisterium of the
Church, emphasises initiation in the knowledge and
love of Jesus, for children; the practice of
Christian virtues and the apostolate, for youths;
and for adults, doctrinal studies and apostolic
commitment. The specific fields of the apostolate
for the members of the Movement are family,
professional, social and political life, education,
the parish and welfare works. |
ORGANISATION |
TAM comprises three branches: Friends of Jesus
for boys and girls; Youths
for teenagers and young people of both sexes; Communities, for adults. The Movement, animated
by sisters from the Company of St Teresa of Jesus,
is governed by collegiate bodies and individuals who
work at the general, provincial and local levels,
under the guidance of their Company Superiors, who
normally entrust this responsibility to sisters
delegated by TAM. |
MEMBERSHIP |
TAM has about 37,600 members,
including children, youths and adults, in 21
countries as follows: Africa (3), Asia (1), Europe
(3), North America (6), and South America (8). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.teresians.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimiento Teresiano de Apostolado Via Valcannuta, 134 - 00166 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.6637053/06.6635892 - Fax 06.66510235 Email: secretaria.stj@pcn.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
TERESIAN ASSOCIATION |
ACRONYM |
T.A. |
ESTABLISHED |
1911 |
HISTORY |
The T.A. originated in Oviedo in
Spain where it was started by Fr Pedro Poveda
Castroverde, who was canonised by John Paul II in
2003. In view of the prevailing mentality that held
that faith and culture are incompatible, he felt the
urgent need to demonstrate that the advancement of
humankind and the transformation of society are only
possible when people receive a cultural education
rooted in the Gospel. The challenge was how to
educate people to live fully as baptised Christians
and to be a transforming presence in society. In
1913 Father Poveda met Josefa Segovia who was to
work closely with him and become the first President
of the Teresian Association. It was she who
presented it to Pius XI, and he approved it as a
Primary Pious Union in 1924. She went on to extend
the Association on the death of the Founder. On 21
November 1990 the Pontifical Council for the Laity
decreed recognition of the Institución Teresiana as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The T.A. promotes the relationship
between faith and culture as a means of human growth
and the transformation of society. It is committed
to the building up of a just society that shows
solidarity and is animated by the values of the
Gospel. Its members pursue these aims through their
work, by being present in the world as leaven, salt
and light, proclaiming the Gospel as the Word that
cannot be silenced. The preparation of members of
the T.A. is based on providing the cultural and
professional training to meet the needs of their
vocation and mission, as well as study in theology
and the human sciences. Specific areas of activity
are education in schools, university, the family,
the mass media and teacher training. The association
has consultative status with Ecosoc and it
collaborates in programmes promoted by UNESCO. |
ORGANISATION |
The T.A. is an association of
members joined by vocation who have different forms
of commitment. At the heart of the T.A. is the Primary Association
made up of women who are
totally dedicated to performing their mission
through promises to that end laid down by the
Founder. The primary Association is assisted by the
Cooperating Associations of the Teresian
Association (ACIT), which are local, regional,
national and international, made up of men and women
committed to cooperating with the T.A. mission of
which they form an integral part. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The T.A. has about 4,100 members
and is present in 32 countries as follows: Africa
(3), Asia (4), Europe (9), Middle East (3), North
America (5), and South America (8). |
WORKS |
The T.A. runs schools, university
residences, social-cultural centres,
teacher-training centres, youth organisations,
international cooperation programmes in Africa,
America and Asia, an international volunteer
programme, periodicals, publishing house, schools
for families. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Crítica a Spanish monthly
magazine dealing with current themes from an
interdisciplinary perspective. Novamérica a
bilingual journal in Spanish and Portuguese
published three times a year with monographic themes
by writers from different countries. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.institucionteresiana.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Institución Teresiana Via Clitunno, 33/35 - 00198 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.844351 - Fax 06.8443535 Email: secdirit@pcn.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
UNION OF
CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE |
ACRONYM |
UAC (Unione dell’Apostolato
Cattolico) |
ESTABLISHED |
1835 |
HISTORY |
UAC was founded by St Vincenzo
Pallotti (1795-1850) a Roman priest. After Holy Mass
one day, he was inspired by the Lord to establish "a
Pious Union to remain perpetually in the Church of
Jesus Christ like a Gospel Bugle, summoning all,
awakening the zeal and the charity of all the
faithful of whatever state, degree or condition, so
that all, in all times, may cooperate to enhance,
defend and propagate charity and the Catholic
faith". That same year, UAC received "every
blessing" from the then Cardinal Vicar, Carlo
Odescalchi and "a thousand blessings" from Gregory
XVI. On 28 October 2003, the Pontifical Council for
the Laity decreed recognition of the Unione
dell’Apostolato Cattolico to be an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
UAC is a communion of the faithful
which fosters in all baptised Christians the
awareness of their apostolic calling and
co-responsibility. The pedagogy of the association,
whose fundamental objectives are set out by the
General Coordination Council, are designed to
instruct the faithful in every state of life, in
respect for every vocation, to live the charisms
according to the mystery of the Church as communion,
and to direct them to apostolic cooperation.
Following the example of the Founder, the members
set out to enter into the dynamism of the infinite
and merciful love of the Trinity in order to
discover and live the image and likeness of infinite
Charity, which is impressed on us at the beginning
of creation, and to enable all baptised Christians
to give that love which renews all things. The means
used are those of every age: meditation on Holy
Scripture, the Eucharistic celebration, prayer,
sharing the faith, reconciliation and following
Christ with the acceptance of the Cross in every
situation in life. |
ORGANISATION |
The governing bodies of UAC are:
The General Coordination Council made up of
the President, the ex officio members and the
elected members, which is responsible for
guaranteeing the internal unity of the Union,
enhancing its apostolic effectiveness and
recognising the national structures; the National
Coordination Councils, which have authority over
the territory of the corresponding Bishops’
Conference, encouraging the opportunities and the
instruments for instruction, at the service of the
various parts of the Union, formally admitting the
members and managing the financial resources; the Local Coordination Councils, whose purpose is to
unite the members to perform the mission of the
Union, to be cenacles receptive to the signs of the
times, to attend to training and to help the local
Church; the Secretariat and the Secretary
General, the General Assembly and the General Congress. The Ecclesiastical Assistant
of the Union is the Rector General of the Society of
Catholic Apostolate. Individuals may join UAC, as
may members belonging to one of the de jure
communities, as co-workers. |
MEMBERSHIP |
UAC has some 9,500 members in 42
countries as follows: Africa (9), Asia (3), Europe
(18), North America (4), Oceania (2), and South
America (6). |
WORKS |
UAC manages cultural, spiritual and
charitable works, such as university institutes in
Brazil, Cameroon, Germany, India and Poland;
publishing houses and printing houses; catechesis
centres; youth and pastoral care centres; retreat
houses; spirituality and animation centres;
hospitals; and leprosy hospital in India; hospices
for the terminally ill in Poland; therapeutic
communities and centres for the disabled; orphanages
and family hostels; a social Secretariat for life,
in Rome. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Acta Societatis Apostolatus
Catholici, published yearly; UAC Newsletter,
published every two months; periodical publications
at the national level. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.pallotti-sac.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Unione dell’Apostolato Cattolico Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 - 00186 Roma -
Italy Tel. [+39]06.6819469 - Fax 06.6876827 Email: ccguac@libero.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORK OF MARY |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Focolare Movement |
ESTABLISHED |
1943 |
HISTORY |
At the beginning of the 1940s, in
the climate of hatred and violence of the Second
World War, Chiara Lubich - a young elementary school
teacher in Trent, her native city, whose thirst for
truth had led her to enrol at the Philosophy Faculty
of Venice University — discovered God is the only
ideal which endures when everything else is falling
down. With her first companions, in the shelters
during air raids, she only took the Gospels with
her. She was to write later that "those words seemed
to be enlightened with a new light". God is love. In
the commandment to love one another, thtey
discovered the heart of the Gospel; in the testament
of Jesus "that they all may be one", the divine plan
for universal unity and the purpose of their life;
in the crucified Jesus who called out that his
Father had abandoned him, the secret for the
building of unity everywhere. From their experience
of the Gospel lived in daily life, a specific
communitarian spirituality emerged, which gave rise
to the Focolare Movement. In 1948, Chiara met Igino
Giordani, member of Parliament, a writer, journalist
and pioneer of ecumenism. Recognised as the
co-founder thanks to the contribution that he made
to the embodiment of the spirituality of unity in
the social environment, he was to be the first
married Focolarino. Fr Pasquale Foresi is also
recognised as co-founder, and is the first
Focolarino priest, who made a major contribution to
the introduction of theological studies into the
Movement, founding the Città Nuova publishing house
and the Cittadella at Loppiano. On 29 June 1990, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Work of Mary (The Focolare Movement) as an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Work of Mary was given this
name because of its particular link with the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ and of all men and
women, of whom it wishes to be a reflection on
earth, as far as possible. The Marian nature of the
Movement is institutionally expressed in terms of
its Presidency, which is lay and female. The variety
of people that belong to it, its worldwide spread,
its purposes and the works that it undertakes, all
to a certain extent reflect the universality of the
Church. Its specific feature is the pursuit of the
ideal of unity which gives it its spirit, its
aims, its structure and its government. This is why
it is committed to working for ever greater unity
between the faithful of the Catholic Church; to
establish communion and a common testimony with
other Christian brothers and sisters in order to
restore full unity; to achieve, through dialogue and
common activities together with people of other
religions, union in God among all believers, as the
way of enabling them to come to know Christ; to
engage in dialogue with people of goodwill and to
work together with them for common purposes, to
strengthen universal brotherhood throughout the
whole world and to open up their hearts to Christ. |
ORGANISATION |
The Movement is governed by the General Assembly, and the
Centro dell’Opera,
comprising the President, co-President and Vicar,
and the General Councillors. The Movement is divided
into zones, with their own management bodies
which answer to the Centro dell’Opera. At the heart
of the Focolare Movement are "focolare centres" for
men and women who live life in common or married
life. An integral part of the Movement are the branches
for diocesan priests and deacons,
volunteers, and gens (children and young
people), and gen’s (young men with a vocation
to the priesthood), religious, and bishops who are
friends of the Movement, and also the following movements
(branches working in many different
ecclesial and civil fields): New Families, New
Humanity, Young People for a United World, Youths
for Unity, the Parish Movement. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Work of Mary has 140,440
members in over 180 countries. The countries where
Centers of common life ("Focolare") are present are
89 as follows: Africa (17), Asia (14), Europe (31),
Middle East (6), North America (8), Oceania (3), and
South America (10). There are about 4.5 million
other people who are involved more broadly in the
Movement, including 47,000 from other churches;
30,000 co-workers and sympathisers belonging to
other faiths, and 70,000 co-workers and sympathisers
without religious convictions. |
WORKS |
The Work of Mary has created a
large number of Mariapolis Centres, which are
places for spiritual and social formation and
ecumenical and interfaith meetings; Cittadelle,
which are places where members of the Movement can
stay and socialise, with training schools, craft
activities and farms; non-governmental organisations
for international cooperation, such as AMU and New
Humanity; publishing houses; audiovisual Centres;
international musical groups; artistic production
centres; the "Economy of Communion" project
implemented in the management of 761 companies; a
residential middle school and higher secondary
school in Cameroon; social schools for education in
ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; courses for
family mediators; vocational training schools. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Città Nuova, published
fortnightly (25 languages, 40 editions); Nuova
Umanità, a cultural journal published every two
months, with synopsis translated into five
languages; Gen’s, a journal for priests and
seminarians published every two months in five
languages; Unità e Carismi, published every
two months for religious in seven languages; Gen2,
a monthly magazine for young people in six
languages; Gen3, a magazine published every
two months for teenagers in eight languages; Gen4,
a magazine published every two months for children
in seven languages; Parola di Vita (commentary on words of Scripture), published
monthly in 80 languages and 16 local dialects; Economia di Comunione, published twice a year in
six editions and six languages. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.focolare.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Movimento dei Focolari Centro Internazionale Via di Frascati, 306 - 00040 Rocca di Papa (Roma) -
Italy Tel. [+39]06.947989 - Fax 06.94749320 Email: sif@focolare.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORK OF NAZARETH |
ACRONYM |
ODN (Opera di Nàzaret) |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Movimento di Compagnia
(Compagnia) |
ESTABLISHED |
1964 |
HISTORY |
ODN was founded in Reggio Emilia as
a de facto association with a group of young people
in the early 1960s who gathered around Professor
Giovanni Riva. As adults, they felt the need for
formation and a mission which was more consistent
with their new state of life. While keeping their
identity as a ’Compagnia’ in 1976 they took the name
of Opera di Nàzaret. Since then the Movement which
has developed around ODN has also attracted married
couples. It received canonical recognition by the
Archbishop of Mexico City in 1989, which marked the
beginning of its international spread. On 15 August
1999, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
its recognition as an international association of
the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
ODN sees its identity in the
realisation that without Jesus Christ man must
consider himself to be less human. Its primary
purpose is therefore to ensure that everyone is able
to find the face of Christ today, as mediator to the
Father and never dissociated from his love for
humanity’s destiny of happiness, in everyday life in
the family, society, the workplace and day-to-day
concerns, professions and environments. ODN also
encourages people to develop the experience of
practical charity so that, by contributing to new
social initiatives, they can meet the material and
spiritual needs of people, places and times,
following the paths of the One who "emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant" (Phil 2:7). The
spiritual plan of ODN includes prayer, formation and
apostolic, charitable and missionary work. The
formation process, steered through regular meetings,
is designed to study in depth the Magisterium of the
Church, addressing issues with a sociocultural
impact, and to develop a comprehensive Christian
education. |
ORGANISATION |
Individual members of ODN take part
in the single universal experience, which is
guaranteed by the Centre around the
President. The geographical areas (regions -
groups of nations - and within the regions -
diocesan level groups) are not federated, but
function both through catechesis and central
instructions, and through the local promotion of the
Christian community. Wherever necessary, a group may
also have subgroups. ODN is open to
membership by adults of all nationalities.
Individuals normally live the experience of their
region or their group, even though the Centre may
exceptionally make it possible for them to have a
different reference point. There is one particular
form for individuals committed radically to the
spirit of ODN who live according to the Evangelical
counsels. |
MEMBERSHIP |
ODN has 500 members and is present
in 17 countries as follows: Asia (2), Europe (6),
North America (6), and South America (3). In various
ways, about 5,000 people take part in its
apostolate. |
WORKS |
The members of the association, as
individuals or jointly, or in cooperation with
others, without involving ODN as such, promote civil
initiatives and work to meet people’s needs,
striving towards social peace, through such things
as charitable or solidarity foundations, voluntary
works, schools at all levels up to university,
cultural and publishing activities. ODN provides
their officers with the support of its study Centre,
to mobilise them to take on broader responsibilities
in society, to urge them to undertake free and
appropriate forms of coordination, and assist them
to establish synergies with companies working in a
communion economy, and to offer them ongoing
formation. Directly connected to ODN are "The Great
Company", an association of educators, "The Others",
an association of undergraduates, and "Le Domus", an
association of families managing youth residences.
|
PUBLICATIONS |
Compagnia, a newsletter in
Italian and Japanese. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.operadinazaret.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Opera di Nàzaret Via di Santa Maria Maggiore, 112 - 00185 Roma -
Italy Tel. and Fax [+39]06.47824763 Email: operadinazaret@libero.it |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORK OF SAINT
JOHN OF AVILA |
ESTABLISHED |
1919 |
HISTORY |
The Work of Saint John of Avila was
founded in Valencia, Spain, by Fr José Soto Chuliá
(1887-1975) who, as a parish priest, realised the
need to create groups of faithful within the
parishes living according to their baptismal
promises and bearing witness to revive the Christian
conscience of others. Under his direction, various
young unmarried women who saw this as their
particular vocation to a spiritual motherhood,
placed themselves at the service of the Church and
devoted themselves to setting up apostolic groups.
The experience spread gradually to other Spanish
dioceses, and in 1962, in Valencia, the Pía Unión
Obra del Beato Juan de Ávila was canonically
erected, and within 30 years had spread beyond the
borders of Spain and Europe. On 12 March 1994, the
Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition
of the Obra de San Juan de Avila as an international
association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Work of Saint John of Avila
aims at the Christian perfection of its members and
the formation of apostolic groups made up of young
men and women and married couples wishing to live
their baptismal promises in their own states of life
and professions. Its spirituality is characterised
by the constant exercise of virtue through grace,
participation in the sacraments and personal
commitment; an intense interior life, to strengthen
union with Christ. The formation of the members is
based on the study of Holy Scripture, the teachings
of Vatican II, the pontifical Magisterium, the
writings of the saints and the catechism of the
Catholic Church. |
ORGANISATION |
The Work of Saint John of Avila is
headed by the Director-General, assisted by a General Council
made up of the Deputy Director,
the Secretary, the Treasurer and two members acting
as Deputy Secretary and Deputy Treasurer. The
association comprises associates (with a
definitive commitment, renewable temporary
commitment, and aspirants), and members of apostolic
groups which participate in the charism of the
Movement even though they are not legally bound to
it. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Movement has 102 associates in
11 countries as follows: Europe (1) and South
America (10). There are 10,000 members of apostolic
groups. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Obra de San Juan de
Ávila Calle Cirilo Amorós, 29/6ª puerta - 46004 Valencia -
Spain Tel. [+34]96.3510800 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORK OF SAINT TERESA |
ESTABLISHED |
1938 |
HISTORY |
The Work of Saint Teresa was
founded at Málaga, Spain, by Fr José Soto Chuliá
(1887-1975). Driven by a great zeal for priests and
wishing to help them in every way possible, he began
to think of the possibility of training lay women
who, for love of Christ, would devote themselves
with an undivided heart to serve the Church
represented by the priests and by looking after
parish houses. Father Chuliá shared his idea with
some of his spiritual daughters, and they saw it as
their own vocation. The experience spread gradually
to the whole country, and in 1960 it was canonically
erected as a Pious Union in the diocese of Valencia.
On 2 February 1996, the Pontifical Council for the
Laity decreed recognition of Obra de Santa Teresa as
an international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
The Work of Saint Teresa is a
movement for women who live their baptismal vocation
by placing themselves at the service of priests.
Knowing the Christian life is lived through the
sacraments and the practice of virtues, they strive
to cultivate a deep interior life, nurtured by
prayer and by daily Communion, and to acquire an
authentic spirit of devotion to the Church taking
the hidden life of the Virgin Mary at Nazareth as
their model. Their formation is based on the Word of
God, the teachings of Vatican II, the pontifical
Magisterium and the writings of the Saints. The
members perform their mission in parish houses,
priests’ residences and seminaries. |
ORGANISATION |
The Work of Saint Teresa is
governed by a General Council made up of the
Director, Deputy Director, Secretary, Treasurer and
members appointed by them. Women can join the
association as aspirants, as associates
with temporary ties, or as full associates. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Movement has 62 members in 6
countries as follows: Europe (1), South America (5). |
HEADQUARTERS |
Obra de Santa Teresa Calle Carlet, 2 Apartado 175 46900 Torrente - Valencia - Spain Tel. [+34]96.1550945 |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNICATION |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
SIGNIS |
ESTABLISHED |
2001 |
HISTORY |
SIGNIS was founded by merging two
organisations that had existed since 1928: OCIC, the
International Catholic Organisation for Cinema, and
UNDA, the International Catholic Association for
Radio and Television. It is recognised by the Holy
See as an International Catholic Organisation, and
is a member of the Conference of ICOs, and as an NGO
it has consultative status with UNESCO, Ecosoc and
the Council of Europe. |
IDENTITY |
SIGNIS is a worldwide network of
associations, institutions and individuals working
in the mass media, with the aim of alerting
Christians to the importance of human communication
in every culture, and encouraging them to speak out
in this important sector. The Association, which
represents Catholic media in all the governmental
and non-governmental organisations and institutions,
is committed to lobbying for policies to encourage
communications that respect Christian values,
justice and human rights; to involving media
professionals in the dialogue on questions of
professional ethics, and to fostering ecumenical and
interfaith cooperation in the media sector. The
projects implemented by SIGNIS are extremely varied,
ranging from the promotion of television programmes
and films by setting up juries to take part in film
and television Festivals (such as Cannes, Berlin,
Venice, Monte Carlo, Prix Italia), setting up radio
broadcasting studios, producing and distributing
videos, supporting the development of communication
infrastructure (satellite telephony, Internet,
Intranet). One of the priorities of SIGNIS is to
guarantee everyone quality access to the media by
providing them with information including learning
how to interpret and view critically, and to acquire
new communication techniques and technologies. |
ORGANISATION |
SIGNIS is governed by the General Assembly,
the Assembly of Delegates,
the Board of Management, which comprises
the President, Vice President, General Secretary and
Ecclesiastical Assistant, the Treasurer, a
representative of the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications (of which the President and the
General Secretary of the Association are a member
and a consultor, respectively), representatives of
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America
and Oceania, and one representative of the
international organisations in contact with the
Association. National Catholic associations of
institutions and individuals working in the
audiovisual media or Catholic International Media
Organisations pursuing the same goals, may become Members
of SIGNIS, and institutions or
individuals working locally in the media, but in
contact with their national associations, may become
Associates. |
MEMBERSHIP |
SIGNIS has 150 Member
associations and 76 Associate associations
in 122 countries, as follows: Africa (39), Asia
(16), Europe (27), Middle East (3), North America
(7), Oceania (19) and South America (11). |
WORKS |
SIGNIS is a founder member of CIFEJ
(International Centre of Films for Children and
Young People). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Signis Media, a two-monthly
magazine, Signis Info, a two-monthly
newsletter, Signis Web News, a fortnightly
online newsletter. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.signis.net |
HEADQUARTERS |
SIGNIS 15, rue du Saphir - 1030 Brussels - Belgium Tel. [+32]2.7349708 - Fax 2.7343207/7347018 Email: sg@signis.net
Servizio Missionario SIGNIS -
Palazzo San Calisto 00120 Città del Vaticano Tel. [+39]06.69887255 - Fax [+39]06.69887335 Email: missions@signis.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD CONFEDERATION OF THE PAST PUPILS OF MARY HELP
OF CHRISTIANS |
ALSO KNOWN AS |
Past Pupils of the FMA (Figlie
di Maria Ausiliatrice) |
ESTABLISHED |
1908 |
HISTORY |
Early in the 20th century, a group
of former Oratorian pupils from Turin, under the
guidance of Fr Filippo Rinaldi and Sister Caterina
Arrighi, organised themselves into an association in
order to share and disseminate in their own
environments the values received from their
education in the schools of the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians (FMA). It was Father Rinaldi
himself who gave the inspiration for creating an
international Confederation which would be able to
hand on from generation to generation the
educational legacy of Don Bosco and Mother Maria
Domenica Mazzarello, who was canonised in 1951.
Those women showed incredible enterprise in
inventing forms of tangible solidarity and education
to get through to young people, children, mothers,
women workers, teachers and rural people. They set
up evening schools for housewives and for Italian
migrant women, free vocational schools for the
working classes, mutual aid/friendly societies, and
a Savings Bank, a secretariat for providing
information, travelling libraries, and drama groups.
In 1911, the first general Conference was convened
in Turin after which the association began to grow
not only in numbers but also in quality. In 1921 the
first issue of Unione was published, as the
information bulletin which to this day establishes a
link between the former pupils, men and women, of
the Salesians. In 1988, for the centenary of the
death of Don Bosco, the Rector Major of the
Salesians gave official recognition to the World
Confederation of the past pupils of Mary Help of
Christians as a Group within the Salesian Family. |
IDENTITY |
The Confederation is for men and
women who received their education in the schools of
the FMA, regardless of their religious, cultural,
social and ethnic backgrounds. Its purpose is the
sharing, deeper understanding of and witness to the
human and religious values into which the former FMA
pupils were educated according to the "preventive
system" (see page 228), which sums up the whole
educational experience of Don Bosco. It also fosters
the comprehensive Christian preparation of Catholic
ex-pupils in the light of the Gospel, by using both
the spiritual aids available to all the baptised,
and those specific to Salesian education,
encouraging them to be committed and to bear witness
to the faith and to participate in the Church’s
mission. The Association also endeavours to ensure
that non-Christian ex-pupils can draw on elements of
their Salesian education to become more appreciative
of the human and religious values of their own
cultures. The FMA past pupils undertake to nurture
solid ties among themselves in the ideal of using
their own lives to offer others the authentic values
which make men and women worthy of that name; to
cooperate with civic institutions and voluntary
associations by mobilising actions of solidarity to
meet the emerging needs in the world; to foster a
new self awareness among women and a culture which
sees being a woman as a resource and not a problem;
to launch, encourage and support initiatives to
assist young people in difficulties; and to use the
mass media as instruments for communicating values. |
ORGANISATION |
The basic group is the Union;
all the Unions make up the Federation; all
the federations make up the World Confederation.
At every level, the governance bodies are the Assembly,
a Council, and an Executive
Board made up of lay people. At the central
level is the "Collegio dei Probiviri"
and a
Board of Auditors. The FMA Institute, through
the Consulta has the task of providing
Christian instruction and spiritual direction. The
Consulta may attend all the meetings of the
Council and the Board and intervene in every stage
of the life of the Association. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Confederation has a membership
of over 40,000 in Italy alone, and millions
worldwide, including non Christians, and is present
in 49 countries as follows: Africa (4), Asia (7),
Europe (11), Middle East (4), North America (13) and
South America (10). |
WORKS |
The Confederation does not directly
manage any works of its own. But the FMA past pupils
are engaged in charitable, human development,
literacy, catechetical work and running youth
centres by cooperating in the Salesian lay style in
implementing the apostolic project of the FMA
Institute. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Unione, a monthly magazine
in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. |
WEB SITE |
. |
HEADQUARTERS |
Confederazione Mondiale Exallieve
ed Exallievi di Maria Ausiliatrice Via Gregorio VII, 133/B, int.4 - 00165 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.635692 - Fax 06.39375131 Email: unionefma@cgfma.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD FEDERATION OF NOCTURNAL ADORATION SOCIETIES |
ESTABLISHED |
1962 |
HISTORY |
The Federation was established at a
meeting of representatives of National Nocturnal
Adoration Societies, organised in Rome by the
Venerable Archconfraternity of the Nocturnal
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, of which they
are all members, enjoying the privileges and
benefits granted to the Archconfraternity by Pius X
in 1906. In 2000, the national nocturnal adoration
associations in eight countries in different
continents decided to broaden the horizons of the
Federation, opening it up to membership by groups
which encourage Eucharistic movements. On 6 December
2003 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed
the Federación Mundial de Adoración Nocturna a Jesus
Sacramentado y otras Obras Eucarísticas to be an
international association of the faithful of
Pontifical Right. |
IDENTITY |
Comprising national associations
whose principal purpose is the adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament during the night, and by other
territorial groupings which promote Eucharistic
works in various ways, the Federation coordinates
their activities to foster, enliven and disseminate
the worship of the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to
our Lady: attending international Eucharistic
congresses, organising pilgrimages to Marian
shrines, and performing missions entrusted to them
by the bishops. |
ORGANISATION |
The Federation is governed by the
General Assembly which convenes every four
years, coinciding with the International Eucharistic
Congresses, with the participation of the delegates
of the member associations; the Executive Board,
comprising the President, the Vice President, three
Directors including a canon lawyer, a Secretary-
reasurer, a Deputy Secretary and the Ecclesiastical
Assistant. |
MEMBERSHIP |
The Federation has 39 member
associations, with a total membership of about 2
million, and is present in 36 countries as follows:
Africa (12), Asia (2), Europe (8), North America
(9), and South America (5). |
HEADQUARTERS |
Federación Mundial de Adoración
Nocturna a Jesús Sacramentado y otras Obras Eucarísticas c/o Eduardo Moreno Gómez Presidente Avda. Alfonso El Sabio, 17-1°-A - 13001 - Ciudad
Real - España Tel. [+34]926224142 - Fax 926273048 Email: fmadnocturna@hotmail.com |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD
MOVEMENT OF CHRISTIAN WORKERS |
AKRONYM |
WMCW |
ESTABLISHED |
1966 |
HISTORY |
WMCW was created by the workers’
associations of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany,
Switzerland and the Netherlands in the 1950s, when
they decided to join forces to create an
international structure to encourage exchanges and
knowledge between individuals and different
situations; to stimulate solidarity between workers’
movements; to foster the spread of Christian
workers’ movements in the world; to develop the
apostolate in the labour world, offering a forum
where workers, whether Catholics or members of other
religious denominations, could meet; and to ensure
contact with the Church and civil authorities at
worldwide level. Founded officially in Rome to
coincide with the 75th anniversary of Rerum
Novarum, and recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, WMCW is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO it has
consultative status with Ecosoc, ILO and UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
As an educational and
evangelisation Movement, WMCW bases its commitment
on faith in Jesus Christ, the Gospel and the social
teaching of the Church. It is intended for men and
women workers, the unemployed, temporarily employed,
pensioners and housewives who are ready to take up
the challenges of the age and commit themselves
together with others - regardless of race, culture
or creed - to improve their living conditions and
build up a society without exclusions. The approach
used by the movement is based on the "revision of
life" and "see-judge-act" method. WMCW strives to
achieve recognition and support by the Church and
the political authorities of civil society for the
life and work of the weakest, so that workers may
take on professional, cultural and civic
responsibilities by cooperating with all men and
women of goodwill. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme organ of WMCW is the General Assembly
which meets every four years,
attended by delegates of the affiliated
associations, to draw up the priorities of action
for the Movement and to elect the officials: the
Executive Council, the Bureau and the General
Secretariat. The Executive Council, comprising members representing different
continents, implements the four-year programme
(international plan of work) decided on by the
General Assembly, and is responsible for animating
and coordinating the member movements. The Bureau
- whose members must be of different
nationalities and include at least two women -
comprises the President, the Vice President, the
Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General, and
the Treasurer and is responsible for implementing
the decisions of the Executive Council in
conjunction with the General Secretariat. The General Secretariat
comprising two Secretaries
General and General Ecclesiastical Assistant,
ensures contacts between the affiliated movements
and has a representative role. All educational and
apostolic movements of adult workers who organise
their work for the benefit of all workers can become
full members of WMCW, provided that they are managed
at all levels by the workers themselves, and are
recognised by the Church in their own countries. |
MEMBERSHIP |
WMCW comprises 46 full member
movements and 8 corresponding member movements which, together with a further 19 contact
groups, gives it a presence in 79 countries as
follows: Africa (27), Asia (13), Europe (17), Middle
East (2), North America (9), and South America (11). |
WORKS |
WMCW does not run works of its own,
but the national movements affiliated to it are
often engaged in implementing development programmes
and animating training centres. |
PUBLICATIONS |
INFOR, published every two
months in French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and
German. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.mmtc-infor.com |
HEADQUARTERS |
Mouvement Mondial des Travailleurs
Chrétiens 124, Boulevard du Jubilé - 1080 Brussels - Belgium Tel. [+32]2.4215840 - Fax 2.4215849 Email: mmtc@skynet.be |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD ORGANISATION OF FORMER PUPILS OF CATHOLIC
EDUCATION |
ACRONYM |
OMAEC (Organisation Mondiale
des Anciens et Anciennes Élèves de l’Enseignement
Catholique) |
ESTABLISHED |
1967 |
HISTORY |
The idea of setting up associations
of former pupils of Catholic schools - some of which
date back to the end of the 19th century - came
about in 1960 at the Eucharistic Congress in Munich,
Germany, presided over by Cardinal Agostino Bea, who
encouraged the delegates of the European former
pupils of Jesuit schools to organise themselves in
order to give a more institutional form to their
witnessing to Christ. The representatives of the
existing groups created a Commission of
International Understanding and Study which, in
1967, led to the foundation of the world
Organisation of former Pupils and Teachers of
Catholic Education. Recognised by the Holy See as an
International Catholic Organisation, OMAEC is a
member of the Conference of ICOs. It is linked by a
protocol of understanding with the Catholic
International Education Office (see page 33). In its
capacity as an NGO, OMAEC has consultative status
with Ecosoc, UNICEF, the ILO, FAO, and operational
status with UNESCO. |
IDENTITY |
The priority objectives of OMAEC
are to support the Catholic school in its commitment
to providing a comprehensive education for the human
person and the dissemination of a culture inspired
by Christian principles. The former pupils, which
OMAEC represents at the international organisations,
are called to cooperate in the pursuit of its
purposes by service to the Church, which means a
social commitment imbued with the principles that
inspired the education they have received. |
ORGANISATION |
OMAEC is officially governed by the
General Assembly, which meets every three
years, coinciding with a Congress convened to
study specific issues; the Executive Committee,
and the Executive Council, made up of the
delegates of the member organisations, whose
meetings are attended by a representative of the
Youth Commission created by the organisation in
1987. The member organisations can also create continental Unions
(there are two at the present
time: Unaec for Europe, and Ulaec for Latin America
and the Caribbean). |
MEMBERSHIP |
OMAEC comprises 11 international
organisations, 12 national organisations, and 2
continental Unions, to which about 150 million
people refer worldwide, some from other
denominations, who have received their education at
Catholic schools. |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nouvelles OMAAEEC, a
half-yearly newsletter. The member organisations
have their own publications (for example Confederex, published by the Italian
Association, and Cofaec, published by the
French Association). |
WEB SITE |
http://www.omaec.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Organisation Mondiale des Anciens
et Anciennes Élèves de l’Enseignement Catholique c/o Pontificio Istituto Pio IX Via Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro, 1 - 00193 Roma -
Italy Email: secretar@omaaeec.org |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD ORGANISATION OF THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT |
ACRONYM |
OMCC (Organismo Mundial de
Cursillos de Cristiandad) |
ESTABLISHED |
1980 |
HISTORY |
OMCC was established as an
organisation to coordinate the Cursillos de
Cristiandad Movement that was founded in Majorca,
Spain, at the end of the 1940s by a small group of
laymen and priests. They felt the need to provide
religious instruction for people to enable them to
restore a Christian impetus to a life that had
ceased to be Christian. Based on the conviction
that, through the strength of the sacraments of
baptism and confirmation, the lay faithful have a
specific role to play in the mission of
evangelisation, the Movement strives to set up
groups of baptised Christians to act as leaven for
the evangelisation of the places in which they live
and work. The aims of the Cursillos, which make
themselves available to serve the Bishops as an
instrument for their pastoral work, are achieved in
three phases: the precursillo, to identify
the environments that are in greatest need of
evangelisation, and within them, the leaders,
meaning the individuals that can "lead" others to
the good news; the cursillo, which is a short
spiritual experience of great intensity, during
which a team of priests and lay persons present the
selected people with the fundamental truths of
Christianity accompanied by their own personal
testimony of life. During the three days of the
"short course", many people both within and outside
the Movement offer our Lord their intentions,
that is to say, their prayers and sacrifices to pray
for the conversion of the participants in the
cursillo; the post-cursillo, to guarantee
perseverance in the life of grace, by assiduously
frequenting the sacraments, prayer and the weekly
meeting of the cursillo members (Ultreya), at
which they share their experiences, reflect on them
in the light of the Word of God, and then programme
their apostolic actions and the formation of
evangelisation groups. |
IDENTITY |
Officially recognised on 31 May
2004 by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as a
structure to coordinate, promote, and disseminate
the experience of Cursillos de Cristiandad, the OMCC
is at the service of the dynamic unity of the
Movement worldwide, and is responsible for
coordinating its initiatives and its policy and
organisational directives. It exercises its
authority over the international Groups, the
national Secretariats and the diocesan Secretariats
of the Cursillos, in order to support the Movement’s
fidelity to the Church and the Magisterium; to
preserve identity and unity in fidelity to the
original Charism; to promote unity and cooperation
between the international Groups, coordinating their
activities; and to spread the Movement to countries
where it is not yet present. |
ORGANISATION |
OMCC comprises its own Executive
Committee and the Executive Committees of
the Cursillos International Groups. The Executive
Committee is made up of the President, representing
the Movement which is all the international Groups;
the Vice President; the Ecclesiastical Assistant;
the Secretary and the Bursar. |
MEMBERSHIP |
OMCC is at the service of Cursillos
de Cristiandad which are present in 63 countries as
follows: Africa (5), Asia (17), Europe (18), North
America (3), and South America (20). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Bollettino OMCC, published
half-yearly. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.orgmcc.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de
Cristiandad c/o Juan Ruiz OMCC President 15839 Hillgate Dr. Whittier, CA 90604 U.S.A. Tel. [+1]5629477824 - Fax 5629432254 Email: jxruiz@adelphia.net |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD
UNION OF CATHOLIC TEACHERS |
ACRONYM |
WUCT |
ESTABLISHED |
1951 |
HISTORY |
WUCT dates back to 1908 when the
Presidents of the Catholic teachers’ associations of
Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany
launched the idea, at a meeting organised to deal
with problems in education, of creating an
international association of Catholic teachers. The
project took shape in 1912 with the foundation of
the Weltverband katolischer Pëdagogen (World
Association of Catholic Teachers). Its work was
interrupted by the two world wars, but began again
in 1951 with the foundation, in Rome, by the leaders
of national associations of 17 countries, of the
World Union of Catholic Teachers. Recognised by the
Holy See as an International Catholic Organisation,
WUCT is a member of the Conference of ICOs. As an
NGO, it has consultative status with the Council of
Europe, Ecosoc, UNESCO and Unicef. |
IDENTITY |
WUCT is at the service of the
national Catholic teachers’ associations. It brings
them together, coordinating their study and research
work designed to bring the teachings of the Church
into the world of education and the school; it
fosters and supports the establishment of Catholic
teachers’ associations throughout the world; it
disseminates knowledge about initiatives and
experiences with the religious, moral and vocational
training of teachers, and in the field of the
apostolate among teachers; it defends and advocates
respect for the rights and the educational freedom
of Catholic teachers. Its priorities are to create
an educational system which involves parents,
teachers and students, in order to give everyone
proper responsibility within the educational
community; to draft a "Teachers’ Charter" for every
country, setting out the legal, social and service
conditions of teachers, their rights and duties,
their cultural and teaching autonomy, and the level
of training required to exercise the profession. |
ORGANISATION |
WUCT is governed by the General
Assembly, made up of the delegates of the member
associations, which meets every four years; the Council, which is elected by the General
Assembly and comprises the President, the Secretary
General, the Treasurer, the Ecclesiastical Assistant
and seven members representing WUCT worldwide, which
meets once a year; the Executive Committee, made up of the President, the Secretary General and
the Treasurer, which meets twice a year, and is
responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the
General Assembly are implemented. Membership of WUCT
is open to full members, which are national
or regional organisations of Catholic teachers; corresponding members, who are teachers working
to create new teachers’ associations, and honorary members. |
MEMBERSHIP |
WUCT has a membership of 26
associations and is present in 28 countries as
follows: Asia (4), Europe (18), North America (1),
and South America (3). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Nouvelles UMEC, a newsletter
published three times a year in French, English and
Spanish. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.wuct-umec.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
World Union of Catholic Teachers Palazzo San Calisto Piazza San Calisto, 16 - 00153 Roma - Italy Tel. [+39]06.69887286 - Fax 06.69887207 Email: admin@wuct-umec.org |
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLD UNION OF CATHOLIC WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS |
ACRONYM |
WUCWO |
ESTABLISHED |
1910 |
HISTORY |
In 1910, a group of European and
Latin American women, with the support of the
International Catholic Society for Girls (see page
122) created the International Union of Catholic
Women’s Leagues to defend the faith, protect
religious freedom and organise social action based
on the principles of the Magisterium of the Church.
In 1913, the year in which Pius X approved the
Statutes of the Union, it already had a membership
of 27 organisations in 17 countries. The work of the
Association, which suffered seriously from the two
world wars, resumed vigorously in the wake of the
Second World War when it relaunched its commitment
to guaranteeing recognition of the role women play
in developing and establishing the right of
Catholics to take part in international life. In
1952, the Union adopted the present name. Recognised
by the Holy See as an International Catholic
Organisation, WUCWO is a member of the Conference of
ICOs, in whose foundation it played an important
part. As an NGO, it has consultative status with
Ecosoc, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, Unicef, and the Council of
Europe. |
IDENTITY |
WUCWO sets out to promote the
participation and joint responsibility of women in
society and in the life of the Church, thereby
fostering its evangelising mission and commitment to
human development. The Union pursues this aim by
encouraging the education of women, to enable them
to address the challenges of the contemporary world;
heightening their awareness to respect for cultural
diversity; encouraging its member organisations to
reach out to the international dimension;
cooperating with other international organisations
working to ensure respect for the rights of the
human person and above all the rights of women;
encouraging dialogue in an ecumenical and
interfaith environment. |
ORGANISATION |
The supreme governing body of WUCWO
is the General Assembly ü which meets every
four or five years. The supreme executive body of
the association is the Board, made up of the
members of the Executive Committee and the members
elected by the delegates of the organisations
affiliated to the Union, meeting once a year with
the participation of representatives of WUCWO at the
United Nations and the Council of Europe. The Executive Committee, which comprises the
President General, the Vice President General, the
Treasurer General, the Secretary General, the
Regional Vice Presidents and the Ecclesiastical
Assistant, meets twice a year. The association also
has Permanent Committees and Working
Groups. |
MEMBERSHIP |
WUCWO has 100 member associations
in 60 countries, as follows: Africa (19), Asia (8),
Europe (20), North America (4), Oceania (5), and
South America (4). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Newsletter and Voix des
Femmes, periodical newsletters. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.wucwo.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
World Union of Catholic Women’s
Organisations 37, rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs - 75006 Paris - France Tel. [+33]1.45442765 - Fax 1.42840480 Email: wucwoparis@wanadoo.fr |
LOGO |
|
OFFICIAL NAME |
WORLDWIDE
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER |
ACRONYM |
WWME |
ESTABLISHED |
1965 |
HISTORY |
Worldwide Marriage Encounter was
established in Spain by the Jesuit priest Manuel
Calvo whose work with young people made him realise
how important it is for the growth and upbringing of
children for parents to live in harmony. He designed
an instrument that would facilitate and deepen
dialogue between the husband and wife to strengthen
the "I will" that they bear in their hearts. After a
few years, it reached the United States of America
from where it spread rapidly to countries in other
continents thanks to the work of Fr Chuck Gallagher,
another Jesuit, together with a number of married
couples who enriched the movement by beginning to
organise "marriage encounter weekends" for married
couples and priests. |
IDENTITY |
The movement exists to help married
couples live their relationship responsibly, through
authentic dialogue, reference to a support community
and attendance at weekend marriage encounters
organised for couples who wish to learn to know one
another more deeply and to galvanise their married
life and their relationship with our Lord. The
meetings are animated by the testimony of three
married couples and a priest dealing with various
aspects of daily living. This experience is also
provided for priests and religious who wish to
authentically live their own vocation, and to
couples of nonbelievers. The movement fosters the
integration of married couples and families into the
parishes, encourages them to cooperate with the
parish priests in catechetical work for engaged and
married couples, and motivates them to place
themselves at the service of the Church by devoting
themselves to the sick, the elderly living alone,
and the poor. |
ORGANISATION |
WWME is governed at every level (local,
diocesan, regional, national) by Ecclesial Teams
made up of one priest and a married couple. At
the worldwide level, the movement is coordinated by
the International Coordination Team, assisted
by seven Ecclesial Teams which represent the
existing Secretariats for Africa, Asia, the United
States, Europe, Canada, Latin America and Oceania.
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MEMBERSHIP |
WWME is present in 82 countries as
follows: Africa (11), Asia (10), Europe (23), North
America (21), Oceania (5), and South America (12). |
PUBLICATIONS |
Monthly, two-monthly or quarterly
publications at the national level. |
WEB SITE |
http://www.wwme.org |
HEADQUARTERS |
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Agave, 60 Colonia Jardines de Coyoacán - Mexico, D.F. - Mexico Tel. and Fax [+52]56775671 Email: delamora@dsi.com.mx |
LOGO |
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LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA
© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice
Vaticana - 00120 Città del Vaticano Tel. (06) 698.85003 - Fax (06) 698.84716 ISBN 88-209-7763-X www.libreriaeditricevaticana.com
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