Communal Secular Institutes, Or...secular Religious Communities...?

[HopeFloats]

Does anyone know if any secular institutes or active religious communities straddle the boundary between the two types of things?

What I mean is, like...are there any groups where the members, having vowed the evangelical counsels and perhaps even wearing some sort of habit...take jobs in the world like members of a secular institute, but then also live in community like religious, giving the money they earn from the job to the community, hearing mass together before work, returning to the house at night, on weekends, etc??

Like a family, except...consecrated persons. Living together (sleeping sex segregated, of course, but perhaps in two houses nearby or just in separate wings, like in a double-monastery) and supporting each other materially and spiritually. Praying together, growing in fraternal charity, perhaps doing some apostolate work in their free time (and of course the evangelizing work that by their nature they would be preforming even just by the fact of being visible Consecrateds in the world) but also having their outside jobs and, to a degree, outside friends and sometimes outside activities like members of secular institutes may have, as long as there are clear understandings (like in a family) of when members can attend stuff alone, what times are reserved for the community, what attendance is obligatory, etc.

I feel like some people (myself included) may feel attracted to the idea of consecrated life and even community living and prayer...but at the same time find the "full package" of religious life too repressive and overbearing, find that sort of institutionalization a little too all-consuming, but also find the idea of a Secular Institute and/or the diocesan priesthood a little too detatched and decentralized and left too much up to the individual alone. I'd like a vocation with the personal independence of a diocesan priest, but with the support network/community life of religious.

I wonder if there are any family-like groups that live as religious in community, but during the day supply for their material needs through taking jobs in the world like in a secular institute, and have a certain greater degree of independence and discretion and self-direction like members of a family do?

And by jobs I dont just mean teaching at Catholic schools or working at Catholic hospitals, nor within Church-run offices or apostolates or within the monastery or house itself. I mean regular jobs, out in the world, like members of secular institutes. But then living in community during the rest of the time. Getting up early and saying the Office in the morning and hearing Mass before work...then going to work...then coming home, saying vespers, having dinner together, a recreation, and compline. And spending the weekends together, or at least parts of the weekends and vacations, but also being able to meet their own friends outside of work sometimes, or attend events or holidays with family, etc.

Sort of like the early Christians who owned everything in common but, at the same time, presumably kept their old crafts and trades and still had some outside life. Perhaps the community would have a permanent priest (diocesan priests can be vowed members of secular institutes while remaining in the diocesan structure) who maybe would hold down the fort during the day, perhaps running a parish or parish-like apostolate, or have a few members who take care of the house work or the cooking or whatever while the others go to work.

Does anything like this exist? I can already imagine members of religious communities (especially the stricter ones) not liking this idea and fretting about the dangers of letting people go outside unaccompanied and the need to be absolutely dedicated to the community 24/7 etc. Yet, the principles dont seem incompatible with Christian life for any reason. People in secular institutes work in the world and have independence and personal discretion when it comes to most things, but at the same time are consecrated and take the evangelical counsels as vows. And it's not like every Christian in a family or who is single or every diocesan priest goes out and hires a prostitute every time they are allowed to go out (gasp!) alone. I wonder if a greater independence and secular aspects of life and occupation could be fit with the Community aspect of religious life.

And if such a thing existed, would it technically be simply a communal secular institute...or a new type of religious life. It seems to me that the essential difference between religious consecration and secular consecration is the living in community (though I know some members of secular institutes, accidental to the vocation, do happen to live together for mutual support). But this would include living in community as essential...so what would it be??

Edited May 18, 2008 by HopeFloats

[DiscerningSoul]

[url="http://www.thesacredcross.org/main.htm"]http://www.thesacredcross.org/main.htm[/url]
Hope this helps

[HopeFloats]

Interesting. That's sort of the concept I'm looking for. Inasmuch as it's people living rather independently.

Though, I'm a guy.

And, I'm not really looking for anything ecumenical.

And these sisters can live alone. I mean a group that, while working in the world and leading somewhat independent lives...do live and pray together, ultimately under a superior, in community, of necessity celibate and under Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience...etc. Though maybe there could be married associates.

[Alycin]

[quote name='HopeFloats' post='1531961' date='May 17 2008, 10:35 PM']Interesting. That's sort of the concept I'm looking for. Inasmuch as it's people living rather independently.

Though, I'm a guy.

And, I'm not really looking for anything ecumenical.

And these sisters can live alone. I mean a group that, while working in the world and leading somewhat independent lives...do live and pray together, ultimately under a superior, in community, of necessity celibate and under Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience...etc. Though maybe there could be married associates.[/quote]

The only org I know of that even comes close to that is Opus Dei, but even then I think it's the higher levels that do that... I think most Opus Dei members have familes.

[HopeFloats]

Yes! Like the Numerary members of Opus Dei living together in the Centers while at the same time leading their own life too in terms of work, education, friends, etc.

Like that, except...under vows, sharing everything they earn in common, saying the Office (or much of it) in common, having more common recreations, perhaps wearing a habit, at least at the house but also out in the world (inasmuch as their work will tolerate this). And I'd hope more clerical members than Opus Dei seems to have.

Edited May 18, 2008 by HopeFloats

[PrayerSupporter]

How about Miles Jesus? [url="http://www.milesjesu.com/"]http://www.milesjesu.com/[/url]

Don't know much about them, so you would want to check them out thoroughly and carefully.

[HolyHearts]

I do not live in the US & do not have the addresses, but you might want to try
looking into the Focolare (founded by Chiara Lubick -of recent memory) and
the Sisters of Mary of Schoenstatt (secular institute) w/ option to live in common
& wear the religious habit. They are a large international family of different
types of institutes but are not well-known in the US. I believe they have a convent
in Wisconsin and another on Staten Island in NYC.

[HolyHearts]

Oops, forgot the Franciscan Sisters of Mary; I have their website:
fsmcharism.net/home.html

[HolyHearts]

And also the Servants of the Sacred Cross out of Nova Scotia. They have members
who live & work in the world and members who live in community. However, those
in Common Life follow a contemplative lifestyle. They do not work outside the convent.
The community has grown already & a larger convent, etc. is needed. Just goole up Servants of the Sacred Cross. Mother Wendy, SSC is a wise & holy woman....

[HopeFloats]

I also feel called to the priesthood, and I'd hope that each house would have at least one priest, likely drawn from the diocesan priesthood. Like I said, perhaps he'd run a parish for the diocese during the day while they were out working their "day jobs". But if a group wanted to found itself somewhere else...they'd, strictly speaking, only need a chaplain.

I'd also imagine it to be very flexible. If a member did discern that they were called to the priesthood or whatever...perhaps, like when this happens in Opus Dei, an arrangement could be made with the diocese for them to attend theology classes at the diocesan seminary, "commuting" back to the house each evening, attending liturgy at the house but taking classes at the local seminary.

I'd also imagine that, like Secular Institutes, it would be more of a "franchise" model locally. There'd be a minimal central structure, but otherwise local groups of friends-in-Christ who wanted to form a chapter-house...would register with the group, apply the Constitutions locally, do their formation/novitiate under their own local bishop with the guidance of the central organization...but otherwise be very local and subsidiary. I imagine people who already know each other and are friends deciding to live like this locally, as opposed to being an institution somewhere that strangers "apply to" and enter as if it were a job or college. I imagine it to be much more personal, with most "recruitment" done just by making friends first with local people who may become interested as opposed to strangers from far away "applying" to get in.

Edited May 18, 2008 by HopeFloats

[HopeFloats]

Miles Jesu looks very good and somewhat similar to what I'm describing. Though they dont consider themselves a religious institute for some reason, even though their consecrated "domus" members take the vows and live in community. Of course, maybe that's because they consider their married members not just "associates" or "supernumeraries"...but full-fledged and equal members. What I'm looking for would probably be a religious congregation primarily, even if it had associates or tertiaries or confraters or whatever who were married or lived alone or whatever too.

Also, some things on their website confuse me. Like...under the "consecrated men" and "consecrated women" vocations it says their domus members live in community while working in their professions outside the community (which is what I was talking about)...but then in the section "our communities" it says the domus members rely almost entirely on begging. If they were working in professions...wouldnt they get paid, and therefore be self-supporting communities???

Edited May 18, 2008 by HopeFloats

[HolyHearts]

The Focolarini (MEN) of the Focolare movement live common life if they so
desire but have outside jobs - they are the leaven in the mass - and pray
before leaving each day & after returning. Some members are Priests within
the movement. They really have a number of branches. The Movement is
international w/main Center in Castelgondolfo near the Papal summer
residence. A few of their deceased members have had their causes al-
ready introduced in Rome. I would check them out if I were you....

[littlesister]

If you're in Europe - look at the Monastic Brothers (and Sisters) of Jerusalem. Their center is at the church of St. Gervais in Paris. They work part time and do beautiful liturgies. They've also re-introduced monastic life tp Mont St Michel after centuries without it. Don't know much more tnan that. God's blessing on your journey!

[EWIE]

[quote name='littlesister' post='1532383' date='May 18 2008, 01:49 PM']They've also re-introduced monastic life tp Mont St Michel after centuries without it.[/quote]

This is wonderful news. I thought Mont St. Michel was abandoned. Do you know any more about their situation there?

[littlesister]

The Jerusalem Fraternity has about a dozen brothers and sisters at the Mont. They've been there since 2001. I'm not sure if they stay all winter now, but liturgy is available all year long. It is thrilling. A single priest was there for several years after the mid 60's, and his group grew to about 13, but it didn't hold. Jeruslem took its place. For more details, the Mont has some very good English websites, while those of the Monastic Fraternities are largely in French.