The religious vocation is in itself a great wealth for the Church and for the people. So too the Pallottine charism and vocation bring a specific beauty to the world.

Called to carry out the same mission of Jesus Christ, Apostle of the Father, the Pallottine Sisters live, with great joy, the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

In this way, they assume the mission of proclaiming the gospel wherever Our Lord calls them. 

The Pallottine Sisters daily live the mission left by their founder, Saint Vincent Pallotti :

“to revive faith and rekindle charity in all the members of the People of God and spread them throughout the world, so that as soon as possible there may be one flock and one Shepherd”.

But beyond these aspects of the charisma, do you know the history of the Pallottine Sisters well? 

We list 5 facts about the Pallottine vocation that you will really enjoy discovering, follow until the end! 

 

#1 The female congregation was not the first Pallottine vocation

 

Saint Vincent Pallotti founded in 1835 a new institution in the Church composed of some priests, religious and lay people, which took the name of “Catholic Apostolate”. 

The first three years for the Catholic Apostolate were one of great expansion, thus giving rise to other works and new projects. 

But in 1838, a series of bad events and some misunderstandings nearly brought the new Institute to an end. However, it was thanks to the members of the Catholic Apostolate, who fought hard to defend the work, that the mission remained. 

However, as time passed, the communities founded by Pallotti grew separately. Thus emerged and stood out the 3 communities of consecrated life: the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (Palottine Sisters) and the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate. 

And in 2003, the ” Union of the Catholic Apostolate” was officially recognized as an international and public association of the faithful. All the faithful, also lay people, who live the charism left by Saint Vincent Pallotti are part of this association.

 

#2 The Pallottine vocation was born to care for poor girls

 

At first, the wish of Fr. Vicente Pallotti was not to found a congregation of religious life. But, as time went by, working with street girls required that there be a house to accommodate them. 

At that time, members of the “ Union of the Catholic Apostolate” (UAC) group were working, but they were not able to fully meet the needs of this project.  

Over time, and in discernment, Fr. Vicente Pallotti realized the need for consecrated women to welcome and educate poor girls who were taken from the streets of Rome. 

Thus began the women’s foundation together with the acquisition of the  “Pia Casa de Caridade ” opened in Rome on the feast of Pentecost in 1838 . 

It was then in this house that they welcomed the poor girls, giving them education, affection and spirituality. In this way, the first mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate – an integral part of the AUC – also emerged.

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#3 The charism of the Pallottine vocation is to be and form apostles 

 

Following the greatest legacy left by its founder Saint Vincent Pallotti, the charism of the congregation is to unite all the forces of the Church to revive the faith and rekindle the Charity of Christ among Catholics and spread it throughout the world. 

In other words, the Pallottine mission is to make every baptized person aware of his vocation as an apostle in the Church, so that as soon as possible “one flock and one shepherd” (cf. Jn 10:17). 

So every lay Catholic must also embrace the call to spread the gospel and the love of Christ. 

Vincent Pallotti’s concern was to demonstrate that the Catholic apostolate is universal for everyone , and for this reason every Christian is an apostle:

 “Therefore, everyone: great and small, nobles and plebeians, sovereigns, priests and lay people can, in their position, exercise the apostolate of Jesus Christ”. (Saint Vincent Pallotti)

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#4 The first Pallotina work in Brazil was a school

 

In 1933 the Palotina Sisters arrived in Brazil at the invitation of the Italian colony that lived in Dona Francisca – RS.  

With the desire to promote the education of children and young people of Italian descent, they built the first school on the site.   

As the project was very successful, the sisters began to receive several pastoral invitations to various states in Brazil.  

The sisters’ pastoral work expanded in the most diverse areas: educational, cultural, social and missionary. 

In this way the mission of the Pallottine Sisters spread throughout Brazil. 

 

#5 Congregation today is divided into 5 provinces 

 

Currently, the Pallottine Sisters’ family is divided into 5 provinces around the world. 

In Italy is the Queen of the Apostles province, currently with 106 sisters; In the United States, the province of the Immaculate Conception , which has 16 sisters; And the most recent in India, called Sagrada Familia , where 126 sisters live. 

Two remain in Brazil: São Vicente Pallotti , based in the city of São Paulo, where 56 sisters currently live, and the province of Nossa Senhora Aparecida , based in Porto Alegre, where 57 sisters reside.   

When the first Pallottine Sisters arrived in Brazil, these two provinces were just one that remained based in Rio Grande Do Sul. But, over the years, the work of the sisters has greatly expanded, thus creating the need to divide them for better administration of the provinces. 

There are currently approximately 360 Pallottine Sisters around the world. 

On mission in Brazil, the Congregation of Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate is present in 09 states: Pará, Tocantins, Bahia, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Goiás, Rio De Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande Do Sul.

 

To be Pallottine is to be a response of love

 

So, did you already know all these facts about the history of the Pallottine sisters?  

After that, if you also want to be the answer to the world, as an apostle of Christ and live the charism that Saint Vincent Pallotti left in the world, get to know the mission of the Pallottine sisters more closely!

Just as Saint Vincent Pallotti motivated us:

“The spirit of all the members of our Society find ever new ardor in the love that Christ brought to earth in the person of Jesus, Apostle of the Eternal Father. He manifested that God is Infinite Love and calls man, created in his image and regenerated anew in grace at his death, to give himself unreservedly to God and to his neighbor, cooperating in the salvation of the world”.

 

If you also want to be a co-worker in this mission, contact Vocational Service and discover the joy of being a Sister of the Catholic Apostolate.