More religious institutes and societies

By Msgr. Pedro Lopez-Gallo

I realize that the descriptions of religious congregations presented in my recent columns have been very brief, but I wanted to depict the charisma and goals of their members.

In this article I will describe the aims of more institutes and will later mention some societies of apostolic life as well as movements recently recognized by the Church which work for the sanctification of their own members and the evangelization of society.

The Order of St. Augustine (the Augustinians) dates from the 5th century. Members of this monastic order (OSA) live according to the Rule of St. Augustine. As well as telling his disciples to be "of one mind and heart on the way towards God," St. Augustine of Hippo taught that "nothing conquers except truth, and victoria veritatis est caritas (the victory of truth is love). The pursuit of truth through learning is the key to the Augustinian ethos.

This is balanced by the injunction to behave with love toward one another. Love is not earned through human merit, but received and given freely by God's gift of grace, totally undeserved yet generously given. This balanced pursuit of love and learning has energized the various branches of the order into building communities founded on mutual affection and intellectual advancement.

St. Augustine spoke passionately of God's "beauty so ancient and so new," and his fascination with beauty extended to music. He taught, "Qui cantat, bis orat" (who sings prays twice). Augustinians are involved in pastoral care, retreats, and pilgrimages at Sacred Heart Parish in the Ladner district of Delta.

The Congregation of Christian Brothers (CFC) was founded in 1802 in Ireland by Blessed Edmund Rice. The brothers believe that our greatest national resources are the minds and hearts of our children, and that the quality of education provided to children has a direct and profound effect upon the quality of life we all will share in the future.

The greatest investment we can make as a society for our children is to provide them with a strong, value-centred education that will enable these young people to grow into healthy citizens who can contribute positively to the community.

The congregation has successfully provided this education for almost 200 years in 250 schools and colleges throughout the world. In B.C., three schools are administered by the brothers: Vancouver College, St. Thomas More Collegiate in Burnaby, and St. Ann's Academy in Kamloops.

The Congregation of St. John the Baptist (CSJB) was founded in 1878 in Salerno, Italy, by Ven. Don Alfonso M. Fusco. Motivated by the social-political context of the time, when people were experiencing extreme poverty and moral decline, the mission of the Congregation was to evangelize and educate youth, especially those who were most poor, abandoned, and at risk.

Young boys and girls were brought in from the street and offered a basic moral, intellectual, and professional formation so that as adults they would be able to enter the workplace and become promoters of justice and peace. This Order is active in St. Francis Xavier Parish in Vancouver.

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement (SA) was founded by Father Paul Wattson in 1898 in New York. Father Wattson was inspired by the last word in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, 5:11: "We also exult in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement."

The word atonement stood out vividly to him as at-one-ment, so since its inception, the Friars' mission is reconciliation and healing through atonement. They promote the unity of men and women with God and with one another, and their ministries reach out to people of every race, religion, and walk of life.

Through their social ministries they serve the poor, the needy, the homeless, people living with HIV/AIDS, those in hospitals and prisons, and people seeking recovery from alcoholism and chemical dependency.

Their ecumenical work makes them leaders of the international movement to heal the divisions within Christianity, and among all faiths. Their pastoral ministries are a vigorous outreach to bring atonement to diverse people worldwide.

In our archdiocese, the friars minister to the sick at St. Vincent's Hospital in Vancouver and to parish needs in Richmond.

The Society of Don Bosco (SDB), founded in the late 19th century by St. John Bosco, is named after a bishop of Geneva, St. Francis de Sales; its members are known as Salesians. The Charter describes the society's mission as "the Christian perfection of its associates, obtained by the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys for the priesthood."

Salesian communities primarily operate shelters for homeless or at-risk youth; schools; technical, vocational, and language instruction centres for youth and adults; boys' clubs; and community centres. They run parishes, are active in publishing and other public communication activities, and are involved in missionary outreach in third-world countries.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Surrey is administered by Salesians.