THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘SPIRIT’ AND ‘CHARISM' OF A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE
The word “charism” entered the Church vocabulary during the Second Vatican II sessions. It “appears fourteen different times in the documents but in no consistent way”1. However, it was rarely used subsequent Church documents until the magisterial document Vita Consecrata (1996). Charism and Spirit are words arbitrarily used by Consecrated Religious. Most Consecrated men and women fail to differentiate between the Charisms and the Apostolate of their congregation. “Charisms of an institute are gifts of the Spirit to and for the Church. Thus, they are too precious to be left to people who are careless of their inherent value or unmindful of their personal responsibility to embrace and live the practical consequences of the charism.”2 Charism is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the life of a particular Religious Congregation. It is Charism that brings out the uniqueness of each Religious Congregation. Charism is not limited to Religious Congregations. It is gift of the Holy Spirit received at baptism. However, the Founder/Foundress inspired by God through the Holy Spirit were able to respond to the challenges facing humanity of their times. They were “inspired to translate the Gospel into a particular way of life, to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the Church”3 and the society. The intention of this article is to explain Charism as the manifestation of Holy Spirit in relation to Religious Congregation and the importance of charisms in the foundation, progression and sustenance of a Religious Congregation.
Keywords: institute, religious, significance, ‘charism, ‘spirit’