secular institute
In the Roman Catholic Church, a secular institute is an organization of individuals who are consecrated -- professing the Evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity -- while living in the world as lay people, not members of a religious order. Secular institutes first received papal recognition from Pope Pius XII in Provida Mater Ecclesia (1947). Currently, up to 60,000 members belong to more than 20 secular institutes. As lay ecclesial movements, secular institutes are included in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful, published by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
External links
- United States Conference of Secular Institutes
- Provida Mater Ecclesia at the Vatican website
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