OUR FAMILY
- The Secular Institute of Apostolic Oblates founded in Rome,Italy by Servant of God Bishop Guglielmo (William) Giaquinta on May 1st,1950. It is recognised as Pontifical in the year 1994.
- Patron – St.Joseph, Feast March 19
- Patroness – Mary,Mother of Trust, Wednesday before the Lent season.
- Founder – Servant of God Bishop Guglielmo (William) Giaquinta (1914 – 1994).
Charism
It is a Secular Institute founded at Rome by Servant of God Bishop William Giaquinta. The members strive for the perfection of charity through the profession of the evangelical counsels and devote themselves to the apostolate of spirituality and the spreading of the Universal call to Holiness. The call to Holiness is foretold in the Old Testament, repeatedly taught in the New Testament and reiterated by the Vatican Council II.
This institute was started during the period of Second World War. As the result of the war people became so cruel and revengeful. They were killing each other. After prolonged prayer and reflection our founder understood that the lack of faith and of love is the cause of all these violence, injustice and hatred. He found that the only remedy for this problem is Christ’s maximum love. This is not other than the new commandment which He gave us. “Love one another as I have loved you”. This is the formula of Holiness. God is love. He loved us in the maximum degree. Hence every human being has an obligation to respond to His love.“Be perfect as your Heavenly father is perfect”(Mt.5:48).Perfection of love is Holiness. And therefore the CHARISM of the Oblates is to promote the Universal call Holiness and encourage others to deepen their interior life ,that is, to adhere unconditionally to the demands of God’s love.
We carry out our charism through:
– Spreading God’s infinite love for all people and their duty to respond to His love
-Promotion of the doctrine of the “Universal Call to Holiness, understanding this vocation as a generous and total response to God’s love for us.
-Offering practical means to others that will enable them to grow and mature in the life of the Spirit, thus pursuing their call to Holiness.
-Faithful collaboration with the Hierarchy inorder that Holiness be the soul of every pastoral activity.
The oblates strive to make of their lives a continuous response of Maximum love to the infinite love with which Jesus, the Redemer, perfect image of the Father ,has loved us. This response of love must be made practical through a desire for and an effort toward Holiness expressed by a total and joyous adherence to the will of God Who calls everyone to perfection. The apostolate of the Apostolic Oblates aim to elicit from others a full response of love by helping them know His divine project of salvation–Holiness. They live their commitment to the church deeply and joyously, placying their specific charism of leading people to Holiness at her service.
Apostolic Oblates do their apostolate through Pro-Sanctity Movement, a worldwide Movement founded by the same founder. Inorder to spread their charism The Apostolic Oblates:
- Penetrtes social structures through the work of it’s members, inorder to bring about it’s specific apostolate of the call to holiness.
- Offers through various activities, opportunities for a deep spiritual formation as an initial step on then journey toward Holiness.
- Creates and developes structures – retreat centres, house of prayer,formation centres, publishing centres and the like – inorder to promote interior life and to pursue the universal call to Holiness not only at the personal level but also at communal and social levels.
- Establishes and developes lay apostolic organizations such as PRO-SANCTITY Movement ,to make known and to help live the vocation to Holiness.
- In this world, there is no place for ‘minimum’.A Christian life which is satisfying with minimum cannot change the world. Everywhere we need perfection. And this perfection comes only from “MAXIMUM’. And our apostolate is of Maximunm love and that is Holiness.
- Founding and Growth of the Institute . This institute was started during the period of Second World War. As the result of the war people became so cruel and revengeful.They were killing each other. After prolonged prayer and reflection Bishop Giaquinta understood that the lack of faith and of love is the cause of all these violence, injustice and hatred. He found that the only remedy for this problem is Christ’s maximum love. This is not other than the new commandment which He gave us. “Love one another as I have loved you”. This is the formula of Holiness. God is love. So he founded these institutes to respond and make others respond to God’s call to holiness. Now these institutes are present in Italy, U.S.A, India, Malta, Latvia and Canada. In India Apostolic Oblates started in 1975 at Manganam, Kottayam. There is only one province in India having headquarters at Manganam, Kottayam. Under the Indian Province Apostolic Oblates Secular Institute has 11 houses of which two in Maharashtra state and one in Canada. The Apostolic Oblates dedicate themselves totally to their sisters and brothers to help them respond to God’s call to holiness. The Generalate house is at Rome.
Co-operatives
The Cooperatives are members of the Institute of the Apostolic Oblates called to marriage and are entrusted with the particular mission of bringing the call to holiness to family life.
Apostolic Sodales
The Institute of Apostolic Sodales started in 1962 in Roma, strive to live the gift of their vocation in the spirit of the cenacle. Priestly union and sanctity spreads through the cenacle. Together they create a deeper bond between the Hierarchy andtheir brother priests, emphasizing in their ministry that holiness and fraternity are essential dimensions of each and every Christian life. The unity among priests deepens the spirituality of the cenacle and enables to help as well as share mutually.
In India the Institute of the Apostolic Sodales was started in 1983 and Rev.fr.Mathew Vellanickal was appointed to guide the Institute by the Founder. Today our sodales are from the diocese of Changanacherry, Kanjirappally and Pala. Now Fr. Mathew Vellanickal is the General Majour father of this Institute and Rev. Dr. Sebastian Kollamkunnel is the National Majour Father in India.
General Major Father Rev. Fr. Malpan Mathew Vellanickal
Spirituality Center, Manganam, Kottayam
Tel: 0481 2578192, 2574434, Mob: 9847824702
E-mail: vellanickalmathew@gmail.com
National Major Brother Fr.Sebastian Kollamkunnel
St.Thomas Forane church.Erumeli p.o
Mob. 8547666219
kollamkunnel@gmail.com
Social Animators
The Institute of Social Animators found in Rome by Bishop William Giaquinta in 1962, were recognized as an Ecclesial Association on March 12th 1994. The Ecclesial Association is composed of laymen–single or married–who strive to answer the call to holiness in their personal lives, within their families and in society. They commit themselves to the apostolate of social spirituality, social holiness and universal brotherhood. Social Animators spread their message of social fraternity and sanctity through fraternal groups [ the main field of their apostolate].
In India the Institute of Social Animators was started in 1979. The members of this Institute are from Changanacherry, Kanjirappally and Pala. They are spreading the message of social fraternity and holiness through different fraternal groups.
Abraham Punnadamplakal
National Majour Brother
Mob.9847112760.