Becoming a member of the Company of St Ursula

The constitutions of the Company of St Ursula, the Secular Institute of St Angela Merici, necessarily adhere to the principles articulated in Canon Law for Institutes of Consecrated Life. Hence a woman wishing to become a member of the Secular Institute of St Angela Merici, will follow a path similar to that for joining other Institutes of Consecrated Life.

For the Secular Institutes of St Angela Merici, the Initial Journey has two phases, the first phase being a period of vocational orientation or friendship. There is no set time frame for this period. Following this period of vocational orientation, the person may formally request to be admitted to the second phase of this initial journey. This second phase is a two year period during which the person undertakes "to study in depth the identity of secular consecration", the spirit of the Foundress, to verify her own vocation, and to experience the form of life that is to be undertaken. At the end of this two year period, the person may request to be admitted to temporary profession. Final vows may be taken after five years of temporary vows.

Because this vocation is a secular vocation, none of the above requires a person to move from where they are living or to resign from their current employment. This formation period is undertaken concurrently with normal life, as this is the manner in which the vocation is lived out. It does require a commitment to developing a deep prayer life, and to finding time for regular dialogue. It also demands a maturity, independence and strength of commitment to assume personal responsibility for developing her understanding of this vocation and commitment to it. While dialogue supports it, the day to day living of this vocation is an independent one, demanding a firm and courageous commitment.

Charism and the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

In the school where I work, I have been part of a formation committee, whose task was to attempt to articulate an understanding of Ursuline charism contained within the school motto of Serviam; and then to develop a formation program to ensure the ongoing faithfulness to and formation in the charism as the school community changes over the years. However, very early in the process it became necessary to even develop a common understanding of the word "charism" itself. Eventually the committee favoured an understanding of charism as a "window onto the Gospel". In pondering the readings for today's solemnity, it seemed to me that the underpinning reality being celebrated today is that window - a window through which the Merician charism comes face to face with the Gospel.

Culturally the celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus raises to mind pictorial images, not necessarily artistic images, perhaps more reminiscent of a day when catechetics was delivered predominantly by pictures. The perpetration of this pictorial image does not help to invite the current generation to ponder the richness of the reality being celebrated. Remarkably, the readings for the day revolve around the image of the shepherd - the shepherd who looks after the sheep, the tenderness of the shepherd, the shepherd who will not let even a single one of the flock be lost, the foolishness of heart that goes after a single lost sheep, the shepherd who knows each one by name, who lays down his life for his sheep. The profundity of such a love is a sacred reality - it breaks all bounds.

But it is the same imagery that St Angela uses when addressing the leaders of the Company of St Ursula and how they should look after the members of the Company. They should be like watchful shepherdesses, not lose one member, and "have them all engraved in your heart, one by one, for this is how real love acts and works." And to the members of the Company, St Angela, encouraged them "to always keep the flame of love burning in their hearts." It is this love that underpinned all of her teachings, the love of the good shepherd. This was her model. This was her key entry point into the Gospels, into her knowing of God.