In the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, an association of the Christian faithful or simply association of the faithful (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: ''consociationes christifidelium'') sometimes called a public association of the faithful, is a group of baptized persons, clerics or

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non- ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a lay ...

or both together, who, according to the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the second and current com ...

, jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote themselves to other works of the apostolate.Canon 298 §1
/ref> A 20th-century resurgence of interest in lay societies culminated in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, but lay ecclesial societies have long existed in forms such as

sodalities In Christian theology, a sodality, also known as a syndiakonia, is a form of the "Universal Church" expressed in specialized, task-oriented form as opposed to the Christian church in its local, diocesan form (which is termed ''modality''). In En ...

(defined in the

1917 Code of Canon Law The 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1917 CIC, from its Latin title ), also referred to as the Pio-Benedictine Code,Dr. Edward Peters accessed June-9-2013 was the first official comprehensive codification of Latin canon law. Ordered ...

as associations of the faithful constituted as an organic body),

confraternities A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...

(similarly defined as sodalities established for the promotion of public worship),

medieval commune Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup. C ...

s, and

guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

Terminology

Under the

, groups of laity that gathered with a common purpose and apostolate were called '' piae uniones'' ("pious unions" or "pious associations"). With the replacement of the former code by the

, they were referred to as associations of the faithful. A Pastoral Note of the

Italian Episcopal Conference The Italian Episcopal Conference ( it, Conferenza Episcopale Italiana) or CEI is the episcopal conference of the Italian bishops of the Catholic Church, the official assembly of the bishops in Italy. The conference was founded in 1971 and carr ...

issued on 29 April 1993 defined three of the terms: * Associations. Those whose structure is organic and institutional with regard to composition of governing bodies and membership. * Movements. Those united not so much by institutional structure as by adherence in way of life to certain dynamic ideas and by a shared spirit. * Groups. Those with a certain spontaneity in the way of joining them, wide freedom in self-structuring, and somewhat limited size, giving rise to more homogeneous membership. However, it added that these terms are often applied quite loosely. For example, the Community of Sant'Egidio, which calls itself a ''community'', is also described as a ''movement.'' Associations of the faithful are distinguished from

institutes of consecrated life An institute of consecrated life is an association of faithful in the Catholic Church erected by canon law whose members profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience by vows or other sacred bonds. They are defined in the ...

and societies of apostolic life. A group of people who intend to become an institute of consecrated life or society of apostolic life will normally come together at first as an association of the faithful, while awaiting the decision of the bishop, after consulting the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, to establish them in the desired form.

Ecclesiastical approval

Associations that are approved on an international level are approved by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (previously by the Pontifical Council for the Laity) and listed in the

Directory of International Associations of the Faithful The Directory of International Associations of the Faithful, published by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, lists the international associations of the faithful in the Catholic Church that have been granted official recognition."The Di ...

. Associations that exist on a national level are approved by a country's

episcopal conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

, while those at a diocesan level are approved by the local bishop. Since 2022, new associations of faithfuls which aim to later become "an

institute of consecrated life An institute of consecrated life is an association of faithful in the Catholic Church erected by canon law whose members profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience by vows or other sacred bonds. They are defined in the ...

or a society of apostolic life of diocesan right" must be approved by the Holy See before being created. Before that, the diocesan bishop could approve the erection of associations of this kind after a consultation of the Holy See, without the need of the latter's approval.

Examples

Franciscan Brothers of Peace

The Franciscan Brothers of Peace, a canonically recognized Public Association of the Faithful was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1982. In keeping with their charism, the Brothers advocate for the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly and the poor. They operate a food pantry and working with the Center For Victims of Torture provide temporary shelter for international victims of torture who have arrived in the Twin Cities area.

Amigonian Cooperators

The Amigonian Cooperators was instituted by the Capuchin Tertiaries ( Amigonian Friars). Their work among the laity following the charism of the Capuchin Bishop Luis Amigó y Ferrer (1854–1934) dates back to 1937. On 8 December 1992, the Pontifical Council for the Laity recognized the ''Cooperadores Amigonianos'' as an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.

Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist

The Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist, founded in 2002 as a companion community to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, is a Public Association of the Faithful approved by the Archdiocese of Hartford. As their particular and primary

charism A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of th ...

is upholding the dignity of the human person, their ministry has included public

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

prayer vigils, counseling the mentally ill, caring for the elderly and coordinating outdoor adventure programs for youth.

Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents

The Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents is a private association of the faithful recognized pursuant to ''CIC/83'' canon 299 §3 by the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend on March 25, 2019.Saint Francis Third Order Confraternity of Penitents
/ref>

References

External links

Pontifical Council for the Laity, "International Associations of the Faithful", Libreria Editrice VaticanaBrendan Leahy, ''Ecclesial Movements and Communities: Origins, Significance, and Issues'' (New City Press, 2011)

{{Catholicism