Associations of the faithful are groups of Catholics, clerics or laity or both together, who according to the Code of Canon Law jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote themselves to other works of the apostolate. They are not necessarily established or even praised or recommended by the Church authorities.
Contents
- Terms
- Ecclesiastical approval
- Relationship with institutes of consecrated life and the like
- Franciscan Brothers of Peace
- Amigonian Cooperators
- Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist
- References
A 20th-century resurgence of interest in lay societies culminated in the Second Vatican Council, but lay ecclesial societies have long existed in forms such as sodalities (defined in the 1917 Code of Canon Law as associations of the faithful constituted as an organic body), confraternities (similarly defined as sodalities established for the promotion of public worship), medieval communes, and guilds.
Terms
Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici of 30 December 1988 spoke of "the flourishing of groups, associations and spiritual movements as well as a lay commitment in the life of the Church" in the years following the Second Vatican Council, "resulting in the birth and spread of a multiplicity of group forms: associations, groups, communities, movements".
A Pastoral Note of the Italian Episcopal Conference issued on 29 April 1993 defined three of these terms as follows:
However, it added that these terms are often applied quite loosely. As an example, the Community of Sant'Egidio, which calls itself a community, is also described as a movement, and is listed as an association in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful.
Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, replaced in 1983 by a revised Code, associations of the faithful were called piae uniones ("pious unions").
Ecclesiastical approval
For a list of the officially approved associations of the faithful that exist on an international level, see Directory of International Associations of the Faithful. Approval for those that exist on a national level can be obtained from the country's episcopal conference, while it is for the local bishop to grant approval to those that exist only at diocesan level.
Relationship with institutes of consecrated life and the like
Institutes of consecrated life (religious institutes and secular institutes) and societies of apostolic life are not classified as associations of the faithful.
A group of people who intend to become a recognized religious institute, secular institute or society of apostolic life will normally come together at first as an association of the faithful, while awaiting the decision of the bishop, after consulting the Holy See, to establish them in the desired form.
Franciscan Brothers of Peace
The Franciscan Brothers of Peace, a canonically recognized Public Association of the Faithful was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1982. In keeping with their pro-life charism, the Brothers advocate for the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly and the poor. They operate a food pantry and working with the Center For Victims of Torture provide temporary shelter for international victims of torture who have arrived in the Twin Cities area..
Amigonian Cooperators
The Amigonian Cooperators was instituted by the Capuchin Tertiaries (Amigonian Friars). 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 recognized the Cooperadores Amigonianos as an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.
Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist
Founded in 2002 as a companion community to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, the Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist is a Public Association of the Faithful approved by the Archdiocese of Hartford. As their particular and primary charism is upholding the dignity of the human person, their ministry has included public pro-life prayer vigils, counseling the mentally ill, caring for the elderly and coordinating outdoor adventure programs for youth. Each Brother is assigned to work in a professional field suited to his personal talents and education. They also engage in manual labor, growing vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and raising small farm animals, such as chickens.