Secular Institutes

[BarbTherese]

I don't know much at all about secular institutes and have two questions:

Are members of secular institutes consecrated into the life by a bishop ? 

Are there two types of secular institutes, one type consecrated by a bishop, the other is not ?

[Sponsa-Christi]

1 hour ago, BarbaraTherese said:

I don't know much at all about secular institutes and have two questions:

Are members of secular institutes consecrated into the life by a bishop ? 

Are there two types of secular institutes, one type consecrated by a bishop, the other is not ?

No, and no. Secular institute members are consecrated---or at least, incorporated into their institute of consecrated life---when they make vows (or in some cases, other kinds of commitments) received by the moderators of their institute. A bishop wouldn't normally be involved in a profession ceremony of a secular institute member, and as a rule he would certainly not be the one to receive the vows.

Generally right now these vows are considered private vows, but there is some highly technical debate about this among theologians and especially canon lawyers. The vows of secular institute members are generally intended to be lived as private, but the fact that they are received by an authority in the Church---i.e., the moderator of their institute---would seem to lend at least some some sort of technically public character to them. 

[Guest]

Thanks, Sponsa