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What is the Secular Branch?
Since its origin, the Congregation has had a secular branch. Its members commit to live the mission and the spirit of the Congregation.
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It has been more than 200 years since Pierre Coudin and Henriette Aymer were inspired by the Holy Spirit to found this spiritual family.
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In the midst of the French Revolution, a bloody and violent time, the founders heard God’s call to serve His people. Fr. Coudrin was ordained in secret in 1792 and soon after was condemned by the state forcing him to go into hiding. At this time, he had a vision during prayer of a society of missionaries, of men and women.
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Henriette Aymer de Chevalarie was a woman of nobility who was imprisoned with her mother for harboring persecuted priests. The founders met in 1794 in Poitiers after Henriette’s release and the young priest became her spiritual director ministering in secret at much risk to his life. In Poitiers, a group of women formed the Association of the Sacred Hearts in 1792 with Coudrin as the chaplain. Henriette Aymer was accepted as a member in 1795. They prayed before the Blessed Sacrament seeking divine mercy and grace for France. It was reparative prayer for the injuries done to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They performed tasks for the good of souls and for the Church, e.g. instruction of the young, assistance to the sick in their bodily and spiritual needs, and support of the priests and religious.
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Henriette experienced a strong desire to consecrate her life to God and shared this with other lay members of the group. Under the spiritual direction of Fr. Coudrin, they became known as the Solitaires within the Association. This was the seed of the female branch of the Congregation. Fr. Coudrin worked to establish a similar group formed by men. The vision he had witness was becoming true. After obtaining the necessary approvals, the founder and foundress took their vows on Christmas Eve 1800. “A religious congregation of men and women dedicated to the mission, consecrated to the hearts of Jesus and Mary.”
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Some members of the Association of the Sacred Hearts wanted to join the newly formed congregation while remaining lay people, and became known as the Exterior Association of the Sacred Hearts. The religious had to practice in secret risking their lives, but the Congregation continue to grow during this difficult time. The “External Association” began in each new location. The laity were called to the ministry of Perpetual Adoration. Pontifical approval for the Congregation came in 1817 with its first Constitutions and Statutes which is called the Rule. The Preliminary Chapter had 4 articles dedicated to the Exterior Association indicating the importance it had in the family of the Sacred Hearts. The Exterior Association – the lay extension of the Congregation with the same purpose. For many years the Exterior Association was in prayerful communion with the Congregation.
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“The superiors of all the houses of the Congregation can admit to a special communion of prayer those faithful who, living in the world, desire to live a more Christian life.” Bull of 1817, Art. 46
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In 1824, the 2nd General Chapter of the Congregation name St. John Regis as Patron of the Exterior Association. He was a French Jesuit priest whose feast is June 16. Vatican II’s decree on the Apostolate of the Laity emphasized the role of the laity in the church and in the world. The Congregation was inspired to re-evaluate and renew the Exterior Association. The statutes were updated with the aim to make the Association a vital branch of the Congregation.
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“All this opens up real possibilities for the future. If we can count on having a really active and dynamic SECULAR BRANCH in our different apostolate,…a marvelous multiplication of apostolic energy will be unleashed for the service of the Mission of the Congregation.” Pat Bradley, ss.cc.
Approval of the new statues of the Secular Branch by the Holy See in 1993 was an important step meant to boost the emerging communities of lay people.
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Rooted in their baptismal commitment “as lay persons, they share in the mission of the Congregation according to their own vocation: to live and spread the Gospel and build a more just world, realizing the Kingdom of God in the Church and the world today.”
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Their mission must be carried out in the milieu that is proper to the laity; but the concrete tasks will always be the fruit of a process of discernment and prioritizing in the light of the ‘mission’ of the Congregation. The Program of Life for the Secular Branch members is one of prayer, community and apostolic life in solidarity both internally and internationally. The Secular Branch is made up of communities grouped in sectors all with provisions for admitting new members and providing for initial and ongoing formation.
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It is truly evident that God is calling people to live this charism in our own time. This is a spiritual journey. We all need a plan, a spiritual bank as it were.
St. John Paul II’s universal call to holiness is a call to everyone. He urged us to “imitate the zeal of the Apostle Paul: ‘Straining forward to what lies ahead I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.”
Is there something here that is calling to you?
In what condition is your spiritual bank?
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