Recent News

CONGRATULATIONS! On Thursday, October 26, 2006, Bishop Gabino Zavala ordained our Claretian Missionary Quyen Nguyen, C.M.F., to the Order of the Diaconate.

Our Vows

Chastity

Consecrated chastity is a true charism, that is, a gratuitous gift of God (1 Corinthians 7:7; Mt 19:12). Not all are called to receive this gift, nor can all undertake it (Mt 19:11). Therefore, it presupposes a divine vocation.

Chastity is a gift that we have received in fragile vessels and therefore it requires the continual help of Christ's power and that of the Holy Spirit, who works admirably in his Church, as well as our own continual collaboration.

As a true virtue, chastity has primarily a spiritual foundation. Therefore it must be supported by a great faith and by an ardent and impassioned love for Christ. It must be embraced after a conscious, free and joyful choice, realising that it involves both God's election and a generous response on the part of the one who professes it.

Chastity constantly increases our zeal and bears witness to our love for all people. In the practice of the apostolate, chastity, along with maturity and apostolic serenity, will enable the missionary, following the example of Jesus Christ (Luke 8:2-3; Matthew 27:55; John 11: 5; Mark 15:40-41), of the Apostles (Romans 16:1-16; 1 Corinthians 9:5) and of our Founder, to co-operate in working for the Kingdom of God and his Church.

Poverty

For us, Saint Anthony Mary Claret is always a relevant and authentic model of our way of living evangelical poverty. He regarded poverty as a primordial and characteristic element in his apostolic vocation and lived it accordingly, both as a way of following Christ and imitating the Apostles, and as a witness to the value and truthfulness of his ministry.

The authentic Claretian sense of poverty should impel us to adopt a simple lifestyle, to live as one with the humblest and simplest people, to avoid basing our apostolic enterprises on material considerations, and to seek to use goods solely for bettering our service of spreading the Good News.

Our Holy Founder wrote the following concerning the early life of the Congregation: "We are living in community...a truly poor and apostolic life."

For us, poverty must be a means of expressing our solidarity with the poor and our total trust in God. Effective poverty, which shares all goods in common, witnesses to the spiritual communion that unites the members of the community and our radical commitment to God's Reign. It is a prophetic act which proclaims our faith in God and passionate love for God's People-especially the poor and oppressed.

Obedience

We must live obedience as a consecration and a mission, recalling the words and example of our Holy Founder, who wished us to be perfect in obedience from the very outset of our religious life. Out of love for Jesus Christ we should obey in everything, even in matters that are non-obligatory and difficult, obeying not only our superiors, but also their delegates in their respective orders and offices, even when they are not expressly imposing a precept, but only giving a simple insinuation of their will. We Claretian Missionaries must regard obedience as an essentially apostolic virtue, recalling the words and example of our Father Founder who, as a missionary himself, always acted under the governance and direction of his superiors. This holds true for every occupation and ministry. Hence we should avoid accepting apostolic ministries, charges or offices, whether ecclesiastical or civil, which are marginal to the interests of superiors (Can. 671; CC 50) or of the community. The entire community has the mission of doing God's will. Superiors and the other brothers constitute a unity within their different, yet always complementary, functions. Dialogue demands an attitude of receptiveness, understanding and mutual respect, as well as a basic attitude of conversion, and should always unfold in a climate of charity. When it is necessary, in virtue of the functions inherent in all authority, superiors can and should adopt clear positions, set down proper guidelines and make the decision they prudently consider most fitting.