I. Charism - La Salle.org

V. CHARISM IN THE RECENT INSTITUTE DOCUMENTS 181
V. Charism in the recent Institute documents
1. The Declaration (1967) rarely uses the term Charism.
In a generic and Pauline sense, the Church “only achieves her full
apostolate through the diversity of ministries and charisms which
are complementary to one another” (10.1). “Sacrament of the presence
of God among men”, the Church is missionary and invites its
members to apostolic influence, while “respecting the diversity of
charisms” because “she recognizes that the Spirit lives in each one”
(10.2). In the same sense the Chapter affirms “the interior liberty
of each Brother and the beneficial diversity of charisms” (14.4). It
is therefore both a personal and community aim. The gifts, coming
from the same Spirit and received by each one, are diverse and, “to
each, the manifestation of the Spirit is given in view of the common
good” (I Co 12, 4-7).
With the mention of the CHARISM OF THE FOUNDER, we are at the
level of the very principle which is at the origin of the Institute and
its renewal. The personal gifts received by St. John Baptist de La
Salle led him to found “a community of Brothers with whom he
shared his apostolic ideal and who in turn passed on this ideal to
others”. We are in a process of tradition and it would be advisable
then to use the expression CHARISM OF THE INSTITUTE which is not
found in the Declaration, doubtless because its priority was to
assure fidelity to the spirit of the Founder and to his specific intentions,
as Vatican 2 required of the Institutes. (PC 2b).
“This charism of the Founder involves institutions only through the
mediation of men… Fidelity to the specific intentions of the
Founder and to the tradition of the Institute is therefore confided to
us as living men… Although confided to men, it is not given to them