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  • Fostering Communion Between the Apostolic See and Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life:2008 Guidelines for the Report in Canon 592 §1
  • Rose McDermott SSJ (bio)

Introduction

From earliest times the Church has had a deep appreciation and reverence for the divine gift of the evangelical counsels modeled on the life and teachings of Christ, and seeks to preserve and promote this gift through a careful interpretation of the various charisms, wise legislation, and stable structures.1 Such pastoral concern and hierarchical oversight did not occur all at once; rather, it was a gradual development, as more and more devout men and women inspired by the Holy Spirit attracted others to their way of [End Page 428] life and holiness and offered their gifts for approval to competent ecclesiastical authority.2

Through the inspiration and graces of the Holy Spirit, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council experienced tremendous insight regarding the identity of the Church as a communion of the Christian faithful guided by the Spirit to carry on the mission of Christ in the world. This understanding of the Church has significant implications for all juridic persons in the Church, not the least, institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life.3 Not only did the conciliar teaching affect these institutes and societies in their internal governance and structures; but it also addressed their relationships with ecclesiastical authorities, other institutes and societies, and those they serve. This notable development in communio can be easily recognized in several documents directed to religious institutes and applicable to societies of apostolic life since the Second Vatican Council.4

The post-conciliar revisions of the brief report required of supreme moderators in accord with canon 592 §15 by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) demonstrates this radical change in ecclesial relationships. This canonical obligation enjoyed a more than twenty year hiatus following the Second Vatican Council [End Page 429] from 19676 until 1988, at which time it was modified considerably and appeared as the 1988 "Report on the Status and Life of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life"7 (Report). After twenty years experience with this revision, CICLSAL considered the text not sufficiently informative, and supplemented it with a follow-up in 2008, "Suggested Guidelines for the Preparation of Periodic Reports on the Status and Life of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (cf. CIC can. 592 §1)"8 (Guidelines). Once recognized as a means of supervisory vigilance and corrective measures over institutes and societies, the Report and more recent Guidelines demonstrate an attempt on the part of CICLSAL to encourage a more convivial relationship between that dicastery and institutes and societies resultant from conciliar and postconciliar teachings.9

This article attempts to offer a brief historical overview of the various ways the Holy See exercised vigilance over institutes and societies that gradually took the form of a very complex periodic report required in the 1917 Code of Canon Law,10 experienced a hiatus in 1967,11 and then was substantially revised in 1988, five years subsequent to the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law.12 The article will then offer an analysis of the more recent 2008 Guidelines supplementing the Report and rooted in the apostolic exhortation Vita consecrata.13 The Report and supplementary Guidelines are an earnest endeavor on the part of CICLSAL to secure the necessary information for the theological, juridical, and pastoral reflection required in fostering the spirit, life, and apostolate of these institutes and societies, as well as promoting their trust and confidence in that dicastery.14 Hopefully, the [End Page 430] paper will be helpful to major superiors in understanding and responding to this responsibility that promotes their relationships with the Apostolic See, as well as assisting them in undertaking their own serious responsibilities of preparation for general chapters15 and the canonical visitation of their members and structures.16

I. Historical Overview

From the Church's earliest beginnings, the Holy Spirit inspired men and women to embrace the evangelical counsels in imitation of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. By the third and into the fourth...

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