Consecrated in the World
The Dominican Secular Institute is a community of women living the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience in the midst of the world. Secular Institutes are the newest form of consecrated life within the Church. The Institute’s members are totally consecrated to God, seeking to be a presence of Christ in the heart of the world.
Like all Catholics, they aim to show the love of Christ to others, to help others to follow Christ, and to follow Christ more closely themselves; like all Dominicans, the means they use to do this are prayer, study, conversation about God and the things of God, and preaching of various kinds. They seek to share with others the fruit of their contemplation.
Members are committed to participating daily in the Eucharist (as far as possible), and praying the Divine Office and the rosary. While dispersed in the world, they are called to live in a profound fraternal unity, seeking to form bonds along the lines of the first Jerusalem community, where the brothers had one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32).
Some members work in secular jobs, others in Church ministry and mission; some live alone, others in groups or within their families. Much of their preaching takes place through relationships within their parishes, among family, friends and work colleagues, as well as through various forms of charity work. From within, the members of the Institute contribute to the transformation of the world and the building of a civilization of love.
The Institute is international, and its members are organized in ‘groups’ according to region, meeting regularly for prayer, study and fraternity. They have an annual retreat and annual study days residentially, as well as participating in wider events within the Dominican Family.
The Dominican Secular Institute of Orleans, which has a regional group in England, was founded in France by Jeanne Leplâtre, in the late 1800s. From 1885, the idea of a consecrated life in the world matured in Jeanne Leplâtre under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Her vision was that each person belonging to the community would lead an apostolic life in their existing life situation, based on Dominican spirituality. In 1890, Jeanne met Father Rajmund Boulanger OP, an event that confirmed her original idea and provided the impetus for the creation of The Little Dominican Group of Jesus Crucified.
To find out more, visit: The Dominican Secular Institute of Orleans