General Governace in the Societies of Apostolic Life

Abstract

The original appeal to found the Societies of the Apostolic Life was to insist on the aspect of priestly sanctification and to concentrate on the missionary activity which took shape in Europe from the sixteenth century. Having undergone many processes the 1983 code is the authoritative document which defined and described the nature and identity of these Societies. According to Can. 731§ 1, the common and constitutive elements are: the apostolic activity, fraternal life in common, the striving for the perfection of charity. Another important aspect in Societies is the act of governance. The governance in Societies like in religious institute is accomplished in three ways: laws, bodies and persons. Laws include the universal law - as contained in 1983 Code and those issued by the Apostolic See – and the norms of the particular law issued by the particular Church and the proper law of the individual institute. Bodies may be collegial or non-collegial, e.g., chapter, councils and other lawfully designated groups. Persons are individuals who govern the institute in accordance with the norm of law and with personal authority.