blessed alberione and the pauline cooperator

The Pauline Cooperators

A Historical Survey

The foundational years

Alberione’s first and original inspiration was

a lay organization for the good press.

Influences – Spiritual DirectionVenerable Canon Chiesa

(1874-1946) Godfather of the Pauline Family, Father Francesco Chiesa was the spiritual director of Alberione and advised him to “never work alone.”

Alberione believed the Church was called to use technology to respond to the needs of these times.

Influences – Church DocumentsRerum novarum (1891) inspired Alberione to

open his foundations to the laity in a unique way within the Pauline Family. It remains an essential document, beginning a

Spirit initiated chain-reactionSpirit initiated chain-reaction renewing the Church’s self-awareness as communion.

Influences – Church DocumentsLeo XIII (1878-1903)

Rerum Novarum set the stage for our modern understanding of evangelization’s social dimension and lay participation.

Alberione’s dream…“That new apostles would restore true meaning

to law, school, literature, the press, public morality; that the Church would have a new missionary impulse; that the new means of apostolate would be better used; that society would absorb the great teachings of Leo XIII’s encyclicals, especially those dealing with social questions and the liberty of the Church.”

Abundantes Divitiae Gratiae Suae,17-19.

Influences – Economist

(1985-1918) Developed theories of Catholic social teaching which formed a middle path between the laissez-faire economics taught by followers of Adam Smith and state-centered socialism taught by followers of Karl Marx.

Blessed

Influences – Economist“He had fully grasped Toniolo’s calm but profound and

fascinating speech. He had read Leo XIII’s invitation to pray for the coming century. Both spoke of the Church’s needs, of the new means of evil, of the duty to combat the press with the press, organization with organization, of the need to get the gospel across to the people, of social issues…. Particular enlightenment came from the Host.”

Abundantes

Influences - Novels

Antoni Fogazzaro(1842 – 1911) was a lawyer from Turin turned novelist. His novel Il Santo was banned by the Holy See.In his works we find a constant conflict between sense of duty and passions, faith and reason. He found new interpretations in positivist and evolutionist theories.

Later the Society of St. Paul printed this title which was ahead of its time.

Piux X (1835-1914) & Pius XI (1857-1939) encouraged Catholic Action which inspired Alberione continue his foundations of “co-workers for the good press” along side of the priests and religious.

Foundations - The House“There is a kinship bond among them, because

all of them were born from the Tabernacle.”

Abundantes

The Charismatic image of the building of God was from Paul, “You are being build together into God’s dwelling place in the Spirit.” Eph. 2:19-20

Foundations - The HouseIn 1 Corinthians 3:9 the word “cooperator” is

used by St. Paul in connection with “building” – “We are God’s co-workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

Everyone is included in the mission and called to transform the world in Christ.

Influences - Pastoral

written by the young priest James Alberione during the years 1912-1915

He saw the good press and other new methods as means to introduce the Word of God and voice of the Church in enviroments not stricly ecclesial.

Influences - Pastoral“Apostles among their

companions they will know how to suggest practical things, which often the priest with all his knowledge is not capable of seeing; since they know the needs better than we do.”

Influences Saints of Turin

In 1876 Bosco founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor. In 1875 he began to publish the Salesian Bulletin.

Influences Saints of TurinHe helped begin the magazine “The

Voice of the Worker” (1876), and was the initiator and main leader of the “Association for the good books and journals” (1883), that promoted many small popular libraries that circulated educational and religious publications.

St. Leonardo Murialdo


St. Joseph Cottelengo founded monasteries, convents, communities of priests, and brothers, and organized groups of lay volunteers. His legacy of charity stands today at the heart of Turin city as a sign of what it means to love and serve others in an evangelical way.


One of the ‘Social Saints’ of Turin included with Giuseppe Cottolengo, John Bosco, Maria Domenica Mazzarello, and Leonardo Murialdo, who ministered to the dispossessed, marginalized and often criminal elements of a city in the throes of industrialization.

Influences - 3rd OrdersLay Dominicans are

men and women, singles and couples living a Christian life with a Dominican spirituality in the secular world.

Influences -Pastoral Experience

The parish of Blessed Timothy GiaccardoSt. Martin’s in Narzole.

June 1907 he was ordained a priest. His time as assistant pastor in Narzole (Cuneo) was brief but decisive from the perspective of pastoral experience. He later served in two other parishes.

Foundations - Organization

His initial idea was for a Catholic organization of writers, technicians, publishers, and bookstores to whom he would give direction. This original idea never left his thoughts.

Foundations - Organization

Bishop Joseph Francis Re (1889-1933) confirmed and ordained James Alberione. He wrote the official letter requesting Papal Recognition of the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul. He signed the Decree recognizing the Association of Pauline Cooperators as a third order house of the Pauline Family.

Foundations - The House

“The Pious Society of St. Paul is composed of two branches: one

masculine and one feminine, both having a common life and the vows;

and a third branch made up of

Cooperators of the good press.” 1921 transmission to the Holy See

by Bishop Giuseppe Re of Alba

Foundations – The House

Prophetically before Vatican II (1954) Alberione asked consecrated Paulines to include the laity in their projects, assist them in organization, share their joys and sufferings, and continue formation with the Cooperator magazine.

Foundations – The House“The Cooperators are persons who understand

the Pauline Family and are united in spirit and purpose with it…. For its part, the Pauline Family desires to promote their Christian education, to guide them to live an exemplary life, and to make them sharers in the goods of the Congregation and in the merits of the apostolate.” Alberione, 1954

Influences – The House

“All together we have a union of persons who aim to help one another to promote the Glory of

Go and good will among people.”

Foundations“There is the Union of Pauline Cooperators. These are

ordinary Christians who wish to live better lives than many Christians. they will be in harmony with the Pauline apostolic life by their prayers, offerings, and works carried out in the Pauline spirit.”

Alberione,1960

Influences – Church Documents

Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) For the first time instruction for the laity is found in an encyclical, Mater et Magistra, in 1961. It emphasised the responsibility of the laity to discern and act.

Influences – Vatican II

With Vatican II came a renewed emphasis

on baptism. The council affirmed that all people are called to holiness and that each member of the

Church has the vocation to

evangelize.

Influences – Vatican IIThe council’s Pastoral Constitution on the

Church, Gaudium et spes (1965) invited the laity to participate actively in the entire life of the church not only to animate the world with the spirit of Christianity but also as witnesses to Christ in all circumstances and at the very heart of the human community.

The Church redesigns her own identity

Lumen gentium changed the Church’s vision from a society of faithful Christians to a people of God. Through their baptism and confirmation all are commissioned to that apostolate by the Lord Himself.

Influences – Vatican IIThe renewed ecclesiology of Vatican II (1962-

1965) was the result of decades of grappling with the emerging theology of the laity.

Influences – Vatican II“Lay people, too, sharing in

the priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ, play their part in the mission of the whole.” Vatican II Decree on Apostolate of the Laity, 1965

Yves Congar, O.P.(1904-1995) affirmed that the two-fold decisive elements are not priesthood and laity but ministry and community.

Alberione compared the Pauline Family to a great parish with diversity in unity.

Influences – Vatican II

Influences – Church Documents Pope Paul VI(1897-1978)

“The task of evangelization is the duty of every

believer, and it is proper to the laity and not just for

the ordained. In fact ‘the Church exists in order to

evangelize.”

On Evangelization, 1975

New Signs of the TimeThe way Alberione

lived the charism was to seek wisdom in the era and the place in which he lived.

New Signs of the TimePaulines today reclaim this passage for the 21st century:

“The 20th century is ours and it is in this century that we are to live and act. We must be in this century, that is, seek to understand its needs and provide for them. This is easy because God has given us the temperament and customs relating to our times and not the times of the past….Today organization is the thing, so let us organize the good....”

Alberione, Women Association with Priestly Zeal

New Signs of the Time

Medellin (1968) Church of the Poor; New Evangelization

Justice in the World (1971) Reading signs of the times; Ecology; social mission as a dimension of evangelization

On Evangelization (1975) Church exists to evangelize; Addresses the role of every Christian in evangelization

New Signs of the Time Puebla (1979) need a well-founded

ecclesiology Redeemer of man (1979) emphasized the

dignity of the human person, human rights and personal freedom

Mission of the Redeemer (1990) “The commitment of the laity to the work of evangelization is changing ecclesial life” (RM 2).


“The commitment of the laity to the work of evangelization is

changing ecclesial life.”

1979 John Paul II Redemptoris missio, on the ecclesiology of communion

promoted by Vatican II.

New Signs of the Time“In this vision of Church-

communion each of the members lives in

relation with the others, without losing

their uniqueness which enriches the whole.”

John Paul II

Christefidelis Laici, 1988

New Signs of the Time“The fundamental objective

of the formation of the lay faithful is an ever-

clearer discovery of ones vocation and the ever-

greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one’s

mission.” John Paul II

Christifideles laici,1988

New Signs of the Time“The laity should be conscious

of their own standing in the Church: not as mere recipients of doctrine and the grace of the sacraments, but as active and responsible agents of the Church’s mission to evangelize and sanctify the world.” 1993

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ON THEIR "AD LIMINA" VISIT


“Share the riches of your charisms with all those involved in the one mission of the Church which is to build up the Kingdom.”

Benedict XVI, 2001


“Laypeople share in the responsibility of the Church’s ministry. There should be a renewed awareness of our being Church and of the pastoral co-responsibility that, in the name of Christ, all of us are called to carry out.”

Pope Benedict XVI, 2009

Our journey: laity in mission“In this vision of communion, the starting point

is found in common sources, a common mission, a common spirit, so as to then emphasize diversity, the different ways of participating in the single mission of the Church; we start out from unity so as to then differentiate the various forms of living it.”

Pauline Document Laity in Process of Redesign, 2011

Living the Pauline charismBaptized into communion with God in Christ through the Spirit we

form a communion of believers sent in mission. Every Christian remains unique and unrepeatable. The call to mission is fulfilled by each person placing their gifts and talents at the service of the Church and in turn receiving and making their own the richness common to the whole Church.

Pope Francis, 2013

“It would be insufficient to

envisage a plan of evangelization to be

carried out by professionals while

the rest of the faithful would

simply be passive recipients.”

St. Paul with co-workers Aquila and Prisilla.

CommunionThis is the Church’s symphony, the rich variety of gifts

and charism freely given by the Holy Spirit as he wills, all working together in harmony (Eph. 4:11).

“What does it take God to stir up Cooperators for the Pauline Family? With one Fiat God created the heavens. Alberione, 1924