The Pallottine Family – Union
of the Catholic Apostolate
St. Vincent Pallotti’s foundation had a very
remarkable and touching history. From the beginning it took on a new form
of an “Association”
and immediately in 1835 it received the approval of the competent
ecclesiastical authority. It is a community, which unites priests,
religious, lay people and takes as name “Catholic Apostolate”. The spring-like
beginning witnessed many new initiatives answering to the manifold needs of
the Church (Foreign Mission, Popular Mission, Retreat work) and in the City
of Rome (Evening
Schools, a soup kitchen, orphanage – Pia Casa di Carità, etc.).
But the new ideas soon met with suspicion, many people could not understand
his ideas and Pallotti had to defend his vision and his foundation again
and again. After his death the name of his foundation was changed into “Pious Mission Society”
and there remained only the community of priest and brothers and the
community of sisters. But the members of these communities never forgot
that the idea of Pallotti was more than their present realisation.
Today St. Vincent Pallotti's idea has become a reality again. On October
28th 2003 the Union of the Catholic
apostolate received the official approval and blessing of the the universal Church from the Pontifical Council of the
Laity. This happened only after much study of St. Vincent's charism and
reformulation of their individual Guidelines by the various pallottine groups that have continued to hold St. Vincent as their founder. Hence the reason
for the name -- Union of
the Catholic Apostolate. We are men and women, lay,
religious and priests working together for glory of God and the spread of
Jesus name, while fostering His love among all peoples.
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