Sodalitium Christianae Vitae

Sodalitium Christianae Vitae ("Association, or Community, of Christian Life" in English) is a Society of Apostolic Life founded by Luis Fernando Figari in Lima, Perú, in 1971 and approved by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SVC) is comprised mainly of consecrated laymen but it also includes priests, who make promises of celibacy and obedience and who live in community. Married couples may also participate. The Sodalitium is closely associated with the Christian Life Movement and the Marian Community of Reconciliation for consecrated laywomen.

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae is actively engaged in promoting the efforts towards holiness of its members and of other Roman Catholics. They are convinced that the truths contained in the Church’s Deposit of Faith constitute a glowing alternative way of life for all humanity. The Christian heritage is the key to the survival of the world as a civilization respectful of human dignity. From within its identity as sons of the Church, they commit themselves to working with other Christians and men and women of good will to achieve a more reconciled and just society according to God's Plan.

A Society of Apostolic Life

The Societies of Apostolic Life are a new form of consecration in the Church, quite different from the traditional religious life. The origin of this new form of associated life, fully dedicated to the apostolate, can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries, in foundations due to Philip Neri, Charles Borromeo, Pierre de Bérulle, Vincent de Paul, Louise of Marillac, Jean-Jacques Olier, Jean Eudes, and others.

However, Societies of Apostolic Life as considered in the Canon Law are actually a new form of life in the Church, blossoming in the impulse of the Vatican II and the new Code of Canon Law (1983). The members of these Societies are fully dedicated to the apostolate and live a fraternal life in community, with a formal commitment that order their lives to announce Jesus Christ in the world.

History

The Sodalitium started as a group of young enthusiastic Catholics around the Founder, Luis Fernando Figari, in 1971. Although several of the intuitions where implicit in the small group, no one really imagined what the Sodalitium would become in the future.

In 1972, after a meeting with the young Founder by the then Auxiliary Bishop of Lima, Most Reverend Germán Schmitz, Sodalitium was encouraged to freely thrive in the Archdiocese of Lima.

Later that same year, the Bishop of the Peruvian Andean diocese of Huaraz, Most Reverend Fernando Vargas Ruiz de Somocurcio, promulgated a "Decree of Praise," inviting the members of Sodalitium to carry out apostolic missions in the territory of the diocese. This missionary experience is still practiced today and encouraged by Sodalitium members.

In 1977, Cardinal Landázuri promulgated a canonical Decree erecting Sodalitium Christianae Vitae as a Pious Society, according to the Code of Canon Law of 1917.

In 1988, through another decree, this time according to the new Canon Law Code, the Cardinal Archbishop approved the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae as an Association of Public Right within the Catholic Church.

Apostolic Society of Diocesan Right - In 1994, after obtaining the official nulla osta ("No obstacles") from the Holy See, the new Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora, formally erected the Sodalitium as a Society of Apostolic Life of Diocesan Right.

Pontifical Approval - Three years later, in 1997 Pope John Paul II granted his Pontifical Approval to the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae as a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right.

The Sodalitium is the first male religious society in the whole history of Peru to have received the approval of the Vicar of Christ. By 1997 there were already Sodalit communities in other countries. Five years later, in an Audience at Castelgandolfo in 2002, Pope John Paul II gave the Founder and Superior General a Letter of encouragement and praise.

Charism

The Sodalitium have been called into existence as a community of faith by the Holy Spirit. It was born looking forward into the 21st century, with have an intense ardor for the endeavor of the New Evangelization, as it has been called by Pope John Paul II. They are convinced that human forces alone cannot accomplish this overwhelming task, but, conscious of this reality, we trust that the illumination and the force to carry out this mission will be given by God.

It is their understanding that the Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II) has a great significance for the Church and the world in this new century. They believe that in a de-Christianized society, under the siege of the "culture of death”, secularism and functional agnosticism, the lights that irradiate from Vatican II can help dissipate the darkness that threatens mankind. The world is in urgent need, to the followers of this organization, of Christian solutions.

pirituality

The Sodalitium, within the full communion of the Church, has its own spirituality, discipline and style. These establish the appropriate means to help its members to strengthen and consolidate their conversion, increase their self-understanding, and give themselves fully to live the Plan of God. According to the calling of each one, each Sodalit participates intensely in the evangelizing mission of the Church, and strongly desires that the dynamics of the Good News reach and transform whatever is "in contrast with the Word of God and the design of Salvation".

The central aspect of the Sodalitium's spiritual path can be summarized in part by two articles of its Constitutions:

"The Sodalits believe that in the economy of Reconciliation the initiative is from God's Love. Making an upright use of his freedom, man welcomes this initiative and communicates it. The infinite love of God leads the Son of Holy Mary, the eternal incarnated Word, to reconcile humanity with God, and to serve men as a reconciling model, announcing the Good News, by His life, deeds, and words. In the Altar of Reconciliation, He made explicit the mission of Holy Mary to be our Mother. As the Virgin cooperates with the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Annunciation-Incarnation, she also cooperates in the forging of the newly born Church and keeps doing it today."

"Walking in the company of Mary, the Sodalits learn how to live the full horizon of the Christian life, attempting to convert their own lives and work in a liturgical sign. Motivated by the fidelity to the Divine Plan, they participate in the apostolic work of Holy Mary, following her example and cooperating with God, under her maternal guidance."

Sanctity, with all that it means, is the highest purpose of the Sodalit life.

Formation

Formation for the consecrated life and priesthood has several stages. They all constitute a guarantee for the candidate as well as for the Society that enough attention is given to all the details of such an important process in the life of a person. The Sodalitium's formation program involves several stages. While these vary from community to community in name, length of time, and format, the following outline gives a general view of formation programs.

* Aspirant: One may consider that formation begins with a preliminary stage of discernment. It is the time for searching for the answer to questions like, “What does God want of me?” A process of deepening the discernment is established. The aspirant has meetings and participates in certain activities while continuing his education or work. On a yearly basis, a person may be an aspirant for at least one to a maximum of three years.

* Candidate: A more formal relationship with the community occurs when a person becomes a candidate. It really is the proper beginning of the person’s formative experience. It is a time of stronger commitment to Christian life and of discernment as to whether or not the consecrated life is God's call for him. At this stage candidates live with the community. This period enables the person involved to observe and participate in religious life from inside the community experience. It also gives the community an opportunity to see if the candidate has the characteristics, personal integrity and consistency required to live the Charism and the life of the community. The time span of this stage is two years.

* Trainee: This next stage of formation is called in some religious societies the novitiate. This is a special one to two year period which marks the person's official entrance into the community. Trainees spend time in study and prayer, learning more about themselves, the community, spirituality and their relationship with the Lord. Special periods of learning in practice are established to help make an assessment of the trainee’s readiness and consistency. These periods are established with special attention to the trainee’s requirements and to the principle of the convenience of change in environment in the formation process.

* Marian Consecration: At the end of the main formative years, the Marian Consecration is a stage that prepares the person for temporary promises or vows.

* Temporal Commitment: The person explicitly professes obedience, celibacy, as well as communication of goods and all other norms contained in the Constitutions approved by the Holy See. The temporal profession is renewed yearly. This period can have a duration of nine years. Final vows can be made after three years of temporary promises.

*Perpetual Commitment: After this process of basic formation the person makes promises of obedience and celibacy perpetually in the Society, becoming a full member. A man studying for religious priesthood also has seminary training, where his time is spent studying theology, the Bible, the teachings of the church, and the skills he will need to be a priest.

tructure of the Sodalitium

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae is ruled by the Constitutions approved by the Holy See. The Constitutions establish the structure and the way the Sodalitium is governed. This structure is quite similar to other societies of consecrated life approved by the Holy See.

* GENERAL ASSEMBLY -The General Assembly is the highest authority in the Sodalitium.
** Superior General - Elected by the General Assembly.
** Vicar General - Cooperates in the functions of service in authority with the Superior General, as well as in the duties of spiritual animation of the Society.

* SUPERIOR COUNCIL - There are five Assistant Generals. They are elected by the General Assembly and each one of them is responsible of one of the Departments and Organisms in which the life and apostolic service of the Sodalitium is divided.
** Regional Superior - For administrative reasons the Sodalitium is divided in Regions and Territories, which can be compared to that which most religious societies call Provinces and Regions. Responsible for exercising the service of authority in each Region is the Regional Superior, named with the consent of the Superior Council.
** Regional Council - It's analogous to the Superior Council for each Region.
** Superior of a Center - Centers are minor jurisdictions that may include one or more communities of common and apostolic life. Responsible for each Center is the local Superior.
** Member in Charge of a community - The figure of the Member in Charge is inspired in the figure of the monastic orders and other societies of religious life that have followed them; they have a Prior with responsibilities in the service of authority in a community. The Sodalit communities usually have a member in charge, who helps the local Superior in the service to the brothers and the apostolate.

Apostolic Work

Sodalitium's apostolic work concentrates in four main areas:

* Apostolate with youth.
* Solidarity with the poor and persons in need.
* Evangelization of culture.
* Promotion of families and family life.

The Sodalit spiritual family

The Sodalitium constitutes the nucleus of a spiritual family extended over four continents. Just as there are many members in an extended family, this particular Church reality has several branches which have come into being as a consequence of its development. Besides the Sodalitium, some of the different expressions of this spiritual family are:

* The Christian Life Movement (CLM), an international ecclesial lay Movement that is open to people of all ages. It was approved by the Holy See in 1994. With more than forty thousand members, it is by far the biggest branch of the Sodalit Spiritual Family.
* The Marian Community of Reconciliation, also known as the “fraternas”, a canonical association of consecrated lay women, on its way to becoming a Society of Apostolic Life.
* The Servants of the Plan of God, a canonical society of consecrated women who wear a habit. They are also in the process of becoming a Society of Apostolic Life.

Critics and Reported Scandals

Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV) is considered by liberal movements to be a conservative organization due to the organization's close connections to Cardinal Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne and Opus Dei, and the organization's opposition to legalization of same-sex marriage and abortion. At the same time, Sodalitium Christanae Vitae has been criticized because of its opposition to the marxist Liberation Theology within the Catholic Church in Latin America, which was influential during the 70's and 80's. It has been noted that SCV founder Luis Fernando Figari was involved in the founding of a falangist youth movement known as "Dios y Patria", or 'God and Country in the late 1960s and 1970s and was involved with the right-wing movement known as TFP (Tradition, Family and Property). It is reported that Figari maintained connections to the controversial falangist group he founded until the 1990s, but it is unknown if he still maintains such connections. [cite book | last = Peña | first = M. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Theologies and Liberation in Peru: The Role of Ideas in Social Movements | publisher = Temple University Press | date = 1995 | location = Philadelphia | pages = 222 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ]

There has also been speculation of deprivation and questionable practices, and psychological manipulation as methods used to test the faith of young members of the SCV, which have been published by two of Peru's media: Caretas and Agencia Peru, which produces the TV program "La Ventana Indiscreta". [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Los Once Mil Castos | date=2003 | publisher= | url =http://www.caretas.com.pe/2003/1763/articulos/sodalicios.phtml | work =Caretas | pages = | issue =1763 | accessdate = 2007-09-18 | language = Spanish ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Los Misterios del Sodalicio | date=2001 | publisher= | url =http://www.agenciaperu.com/sociedad/2001/nov/sodas.htm | work =Agencia Peru | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-18 | language = Spanish ] In response to the Caretas article, a high-ranking member of the SCV promptly replied and denied such allegations, as well as suggest intent to use legal recourse against the publisher. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Nos Escribe | date=2003 | publisher= | url =http://www.caretas.com.pe/2003/1766/secciones/nosescr1.phtml | work =Caretas | pages = | issue =1766 | accessdate = 2007-09-18 | language = Spanish ] The mother of a member of the SCV had also lodged a complaint to the Peruvian Government regarding the alleged kidnapping of her daughter by the SCV. [ cite news| | work= Congress of Peru | title=N/A url=http://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/ParCiudadana/requerim2002.nsf/4474f064ed1461ed05256b22005462df/90721031c1e334d005256d2d0070388a?OpenDocument |accessdate=2007-09-18 ]

In 2007, Daniel Bernardo Beltrán Murguía Ward, a 42 year-old SCV consecrated layman was found by the National Police in a hostel in Cercado de Lima with an 11 year-old boy, of whom he was taking sexually explicit pictures. The boy was initially lured by Murguía Ward in Miraflores, where he was given Pokemon figures in exchange for photos of his intimate parts. When Murguía Ward was caught, he had paid the boy 20 soles ($7 USD) for his services in the hostel. The police have reported that pictures of two other boys were also found on Murguía Ward's camera and that the boy has claimed he received oral sex from Murguía Ward. These charges have been denied by the accused. Murguía Ward has since been removed from the SCV for his alleged misconduct. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Detienen a ingeniero de sistemas por tráfico de pornografía infantil | date=2007 | publisher= | url =http://peru21.pe/noticia/69754/capturaron-pedofilo-cuando-fotografiaba-menor-11-anos | work =Peru 21 | pages = | issue = | accessdate = 2008-08-15 | language = Spanish ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Capturaron a pedófilo cuando fotografiaba a menor de 11 años | date=2007 | publisher= | url =http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/186033/34/ | work =Diario La Republica| pages = | issue = | accessdate = 2008-08-15 | language = Spanish ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Capturan a pedófilo que era laico consagrado | date=2007 | publisher= | url =http://www.terra.com.pe/noticias/articulo/html/act1018766.htm | work = Terra| pages = | issue = | accessdate = 2008-08-15 | language = Spanish ]

References

External links

* http://sodalitium.us/
* http://www.m-v-c.org/english/quees/index.html
* http://www.fraternas.org/english.htm
* http://www.clmusa.org/ (Christian Life Movement USA)