I. Charism - La Salle.org

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III. CHARISM IN THE CHURCH
Testificatio (The Evangelical Testimony of the Religious Life), 29
June 1971, he uses the word charism for the first time in a papal
document in relation to religious life: “Reawaken hearts to the truth
and to the divine love according to the charism of your founders...
The charism of the religious life... is the fruit of the Holy Spirit,
who is always acting in the Church”. (No. 11). He also mentions the
individual charism of the founders, “a constancy of orientation
while allowing for internal growth and change.” (No. 12).
Michael J. Buckley, SJ, notes this “categorical shift from religious
life classified primarily as a canonical reality,” that is, juridically and
constitutionally, “to a charismatic reality,” structured and evaluated
according to the new conciliar ecclesiology. “Charism has been
given a priority over status.” Paul VI’s deliberate choice of charism
as the defining category asserts “that religious life is directly
dependent upon the Spirit, both for its origins and for its continually
new forms.” 15
Mutuae Relationes (Mutual Relations Between Bishops and
Religious in the Church, 14 May 1978, issued jointly by the Sacred
Congregations for Religious and Secular Institutes and for Bishops)
includes three topics: (1) what bishops expect from religious, (2)
what religious expect from bishops, and (3) what means are to be
used to arrive at orderly and fruitful cooperation between bishops
and religious.
These directives apply the word charism to religious and secular
institutes and give considerable attention to the need for the discernment
of charisms. Bishops are “entrusted with the duty of caring
for religious charisms, all the more so because the very indivisibility
of their pastoral ministry makes them responsible for perfecting
the entire flock.” (Nº 9c).
15
Michael J. Buckley, SJ, The Charism and Identity of Religious Life, in Review for Religious 44 (Sept-
October 1985), p. 657.