Contemplative-Dimension-en


Contemplative-Dimension-en

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THE CONTEMPLATIVE DIMENSION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE
(Plenaria of the Sacred Congregation for Religious and for Secular Institutes, 4-7 March
1980)
INTRODUCTION
On the basis of extensive research, the Plenaria of the Sacred Congregation for Religious and for
Secular Institutes of 4-7 March 1980 considered the contemplative dimension of religious life. The
theme had been chosen at the Plenaria of 1978, which dealt with the specific role of religious in the
Church's mission for integral human promotion, especially in its socio-political aspects. In
highlighting at the time the fundamental importance of the spiritual in all forms of consecrated life,
the Fathers of the Plenaria saw the need and the urgency to stress the absolute primacy of life in the
Holy Spirit.
The choice of this theme, which was approved by the Holy Father, was prompted by:
• - the emergence of many forms of prayer and new forms of contemplative life among the
People of God and in many religious communities, and
• - the need to do away with the harmful dichotomy between interior life and activity in the
personal and communal lives of religious in reaction to a certain period of down-grading of
prayer and recollection, which has not yet completely disappeared.
The Plenaria did not wish to indulge in a theoretical, theological study; but, on the basis of a
sufficiently concrete and accepted doctrinal specification, it desired to draw up some practical and
formative guidelines
• - to encourage the integration of the interior life and activity in institutes of so-called active
life and
• - to promote vitality and renewal in the specifically contemplative institutes.
In presenting here the principal guidelines formulated by the Plenaria, account has been taken not
only of the conclusions reached by the Fathers at the time of voting but also of the main ideas that
emerged in other sessions (for example, in the group discussions) and which complemented the
thought of the Fathers. Furthermore, appropriate headings were sought for the subject matter of the
conclusions, their content was arranged in order, and subdivisions were introduced in order to
clarify and make more explicit the guidelines, which were very much condensed in the final
proposals.
The synthesis consists of three parts:
I. Description of the contemplative dimension.
II. Guidelines for institutes of the active life.
III. Guidelines for specifically contemplative institutes.
I.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEMPLATIVE DIMENSION
1. The contemplative dimension is basically a reality of grace, experienced by the believer as God's
gift. It enables persons to know the Father (cf. Jn 14:8) in the mystery of trinitarian communion (cf.
1 Jn 1-3), so that they can enter into the depths of God (1 Cor 2:10).

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It is not the intention here to discuss the many and delicate aspects of different methods of
contemplation, nor to analyze contemplation in so far as it is an infused gift of the Holy Spirit.
We describe the contemplative dimension fundamentally as the theological response of faith, hope,
and charity, by which the believer opens up to the revelation and communication of the living God
through Christ in the Holy Spirit. "The concentration of the regard of one's heart on God, which we
define as contemplation, becomes the highest and fullest activity of the spirit, the activity which
today, also, can and must order the immense pyramid of all human activities" (Paul VI, 7 December
1965).
As the unifying act of all human movement towards God, the contemplative dimension is expressed
by listening to and meditating on the Word of God; by participating in the divine life transmitted to
us in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist; by liturgical and personal prayer, by the constant
desire for God and the search for his will in events and people; by the conscious participation in his
salvific mission; by self-giving to others for the coming of the Kingdom. There results, in the
religious, an attitude of continuous and humble adoration of God's mysterious presence in people,
events and things: an attitude which manifests the virtue of piety, an interior font of peace and a
person who brings peace to every sphere of life and apostolate.
All this is achieved in continual purification of heart under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit,
so that we can find God in all things and people and become the "praise of his glory" (Eph 1:6).
The very nature of consecrated life stands out in this way as the profound source which nourishes
and unifies every aspect of the lives of religious.
2. "The subject chosen for the Plenaria must, therefore, be considered of prime importance," the
Holy Father said in his letter to the participants, "and I am certain that from this meeting of yours
there will result for all religious precious encouragement to persevere in the commitment to bear
witness before the world to the primacy of the personal relationship with God. Strengthened by the
directives which will issue from your meeting in Rome, they will not fail to dedicate with renewed
conviction sufficiently long periods of time to prayer before the Lord to tell Him their love and,
above all, to feel loved by Him" (1).
3. The Plenaria, which considered this subject, dedicates these reflections to institutes of the active
life and to specifically contemplative ones (cf. PC 7-8). It is also concerned for new forms of
religious life in which there is a notable desire for the contemplative life, and it hopes that their
particular identity will become clearer in the ecclesial body for the service of the People of God.
II.
GUIDELINES FOR INSTITUTES OF ACTIVE LIFE
A) Integration of activity and contemplation.
B) Renewed attention to life in the Holy Spirit.
C) Community animation.
D) Contemplative dimension in formation.
E) Developing the contemplative dimension in the local Churches.
A. Integration of activity and contemplation

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4. - What kind of "activity"? -- For religious, it is not a question of any and every kind of activity.
The Council speaks of "apostolic and charitable activity" (PC 8), inspired and motivated by the
Holy Spirit. This is the only form of activity that "is of the very nature of religious life" since a
sacred ministry and a special work of charity have been consigned to the institutes by the Church
and must be performed in her name (cf. PC ibid.).
The special characteristic of this activity is that it is inspired by the love nourished in the heart of
the religious, considered as the most intimate sanctuary of the person where grace unifies interior
life and activity.
It is necessary, then, to form a personal and communitarian awareness of the primary source of
apostolic and charitable activity, as a lived participation in that "mission" (of Christ and the Church)
which begins with the Father (and) requires that those who are sent exercise their awareness of love
in the dialog of prayer" (MR 16).
"In the case of religious of apostolic life, it will be a question of promoting integration between
interiority and activity. Their first duty, in fact, is that of being with Christ. A constant danger for
apostolic workers is to become so much involved in their work for the Lord, as to forget the Lord of
all work" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 2).
5. Renewal of prayer. -- Prayer is the indispensable breath of every contemplative dimension. "In
these times of apostolic renewal, as always in every form of missionary engagement, a privileged
place is given to contemplation of God, to meditation on his plan of salvation, and to reflection on
the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel, so that prayer may be nourished and grow in quality
and frequency" (MR 16). In this way, prayer, open to creation and history, becomes
acknowledgment, adoration and constant praise of God in the world and its history and the echo of a
life of solidarity with one's brothers and sisters, especially the poor and the suffering.
This prayer, personal and communitarian, will come about only if the hearts of religious reach a
high level of vitality and intensity in dialog with God and in union with Christ, Redeemer of
humanity (cf. PC 8; ET 10, 42). Therefore, in the sometimes exhausting rhythm of apostolic
commitments, there must be well-ordered and sufficiently prolonged daily and weekly periods of
personal and community prayer. There must also be more intensive moments of recollection and
prayer every month and throughout the year (cf. Synod of Bishops 1971, AAS 1971, 913-914).
6. - The nature of apostolic and charitable activity. -- The very nature of apostolic and charitable
activity contains its own riches which nourish union with God. It is necessary to cultivate every day
an awareness and deepening of it. Being conscious of this, religious will so sanctify their activities
as to transform them into sources of union with God, to whose service they are dedicated by a new
and special title (LG 44).
Moreover, a strengthening of the concrete apostolic spirituality of their own institutes will help
them still more to benefit from the sanctifying riches contained in every ecclesial ministry (cf. LG
41; PO 14; OT 9).
The Church's mission, to which the evangelical counsels unite religious in a special way (LG 44),
can never, in fact, consist simply "in the activity of the exterior life.... The Church's mission is by its
very nature nothing else than the mission of Christ continued in the history of the world. It consists
principally in co-participation in the obedience of Him (cf. Heb 5:8) who offered Himself to the
Father for the life of the world" (MR 15).

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7. Constant use of appropriate means. -- Constant use of the means which favor the contemplative
dimension is an indispensable consequence of fidelity to the theological demands of every religious
life, according to the special nature of each institute. Among the means to be pursued there are some
which are particularly suited for the achievement of a profound harmony between the active and
contemplative dimensions.
This Plenaria indicates these in the following guidelines and appeals to the superiors of every
institute and to all religious to make careful use of them.
B. Renewed attention to life in the Holy Spirit
8. The Word of God. -- Listening to and meditating on the Word of God is a daily encounter with
"the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ" (PC 6; ES II, 16, 1). The Council "forcefully and
specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful, especially those who live the religious life, to learn
this sublime knowledge" (DV 25).
This personal and community commitment to foster the spiritual life more abundantly by giving
more time to mental prayer (cf. ES II, 21) will be effective, actual and even apostolic if the Word is
heard not only in its objective richness, but also in the historical circumstances within which we live
and in the light of the Church's teaching.
9. Centrality of the Eucharist. -- Devout participation in the celebration of the Eucharist, "the source
and apex of all Christian life" (LG 11), is the irreplaceable center and animating force of the
contemplative dimension of every religious community (cf. PC 6; ET 47-48).
• - Priest religious, therefore, will give a preeminent place to the daily celebration of the
eucharistic sacrifice.
• - Each and all religious should take an active part in it every day (SC 48) according to the
concrete circumstances in which their community lives and works. "That more perfect
participation is highly recommended, by which the faithful, after the priest's communion,
receive the Body of the Lord from the same sacrifice" (SC 55; cf. ET 47; Synod of Bishops
1971).
"The commitment to take part daily in the eucharistic sacrifice will help religious to renew their
self-offering to the Lord every day. Gathered in the Lord's name, religious communities have the
Eucharist as their natural center. It is normal, therefore, that they should be visibly assembled in
their chapel, in which the presence of the Blessed Sacrament expresses and realizes what must be
the principal mission of every religious family" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 2; cf. ET 48)
(2).
10. Renewal in the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. -- The sacrament of
reconciliation, which "restores and revives the fundamental gift of conversion received in baptism"
(Const. Poenitemini, AAS 1966, 180), has a particularly important function for growth in the
spiritual life. There can be no contemplative dimension without a personal and community
experience of conversion.
This was stressed by this Sacred Congregation in its decree of 8 December 1970, in which it
reminded religious and, in particular, superiors of the necessary means for a proper appreciation for
this sacrament (cf. AAS 1971, 318-319).
The Fathers of the Plenaria again appeal for:

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• - an appropriate and regular personal reception of this sacrament;
• - the ecclesial and fraternal dimension which is made more evident when this sacrament is
celebrated with a community rite (cf. LG 11; Const. Poenitemini, I, I, c), while the
confession remains always a personal act.
11. Spiritual direction. -- Spiritual direction, in the strict sense, also deserves to be restored to its
rightful place in the process of the spiritual and contemplative development of religious. It cannot in
any way be replaced by psychological methods. Therefore that direction of conscience, for which
PC 14 asks due liberty, should be fostered by the availability of competent and qualified persons.
Such availability should come especially from priests who, by reason of their specific pastoral
mission, will promote appreciation for spiritual direction and its fruitful acceptance. Superiors and
directors of formation, who are dedicated to the care of the religious entrusted to them, will also
contribute, although in a different way, by guiding them in discernment and in fidelity to their
vocation and mission.
12. The liturgy of the hours. -- "The divine office, in that it is the public prayer of the Church, is a
source of devotion and nourishment for personal prayer" (SC 90). It is "designed to sanctify the
whole course of the day" (SC 84).
The willingness with which religious communities have already responded to the Church's
exhortation to celebrate the divine praises with the faithful shows how much they appreciate the
importance of this more intimate participation in the Church's life (ES II, 20).
The contemplative dimension of the lives of religious will find constant inspiration and nourishment
in the measure that they dedicate themselves to the office with attention and fidelity. A greater
appreciation of the spiritual riches in the office of readings could also help achieve this.
13. The Virgin Mary. -- The Virgin Mary is a model for every consecrated person and for
participation in the apostolic mission of the Church (ET 56; LG 65). This is particularly evident
when we consider the spiritual attitudes which characterized her:
• - the Virgin Mary listening to the Word of God;
• - the Virgin Mary at prayer (Marialis cultus, 17-18, AAS 1974, 128-129) -- "a most excellent
model of the Church in the order of faith, charity, and perfect union with Christ (LG 63), that
is, of that interior disposition with which the Church, beloved spouse, is closely associated
with her Lord, invokes him and through him, worships the Eternal Father" (Marialis cultus,
16);
• - the Virgin Mary standing courageously by the Cross of the Lord and teaching us
contemplation of the Passion.
By reviving devotion to her, according to the teaching and tradition of the Church (LG 66-67;
Marialis cultus, 2nd and 3rd parts), religious will find the sure way to illuminate and strengthen the
contemplative dimension of their lives.
"The contemplative life of religious would be incomplete if it were not directed in filial love
towards her who is the Mother of the Church and of consecrated souls. This love for the Virgin will
be manifested with the celebration of her feasts and, in particular, with daily prayer in her honor,
especially the Rosary. The daily recitation of the Rosary is a centuries-old tradition for religious,
and so it is not out of place to recall the suitability, beauty and efficacy of this prayer, which
proposes for our meditation the mysteries of the Lord's life" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 2).

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14. Indispensable personal and community asceticism. -- A generous asceticism is constantly
needed for daily "conversion to the Gospel" (cf. Const. Poenitemini, II-III, 1, c; Mk 1:15). It would,
therefore, seem indispensable for the contemplative dimension of every religious life also.
For this reason, religious communities must be manifestly praying and also penitential communities
in the Church (cf. ES II, 22), remembering the conciliar guideline that penance "must not be internal
and personal only, but also external and social" (SC 110).
In this way, religious will also bear witness to the "mysterious relationship between renunciation
and joy, between sacrifice and greatness of heart, between discipline and spiritual liberty" (ET 29).
In particular, growth in the contemplative dimension certainly cannot be reconciled, for example,
with indiscriminate and sometimes imprudent use of the mass media; with an exaggerated and
extroverted activism; with an atmosphere of dissipation which contradicts the deepest expectations
of every religious life. "The search for intimacy with God involves the truly vital need of silence
embracing the whole being, both for those who must find God in the midst of noise and confusion
and for those who are dedicated to the contemplative life" (ET 46).
"To achieve this, their entire being has need of silence, and this requires zones of effective silence
and a personal discipline to favor contact with God" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 2).
All these means will be more effective and fruitful if they are accompanied by the personal and
communal practice of evangelical discernment; by a periodic and serious evaluation of activities; by
the uninterrupted practice of an ever more profound interpretation of the sacramental significance of
everyday realities (events, persons, things), with the explicit aim of never allowing the activities of
religious to be downgraded from their ecclesial level to a mere horizontal and temporal one.
C. Community animation
15. The religious community. -- The religious community is itself a theological reality, an object of
contemplation. As "a family united in the Lord's name" (PC 15; cf. Mt 18:20), it is of its nature the
place where the experience of God should be able in a special way to come to fullness and be
communicated to others.
Mutual fraternal acceptance helps "to create an atmosphere favorable to the spiritual progress of
each one" (ET 39).
For this very reason, religious need a "place for prayer" in their own houses, a place where the daily
search for an encounter with God, the source of unity in charity, finds constant reminders and
support. The real presence of the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist, devoutly reserved and adored, will be
the living sign of that communion which is daily built up in charity.
16. The superior of the community. -- According to the "grace of unity" proper to every institute (cf.
PC 8), the superior of the community exercises the dual role of spiritual and pastoral animator (MR
13).
Those called to the ministry of authority should themselves understand and then help others
understand that in communities of consecrated persons, the spirit of service towards all the
members is an expression of the love with which God loves them (PC 14).
This service of unifying animation demands, then, that superiors not be strangers to or indifferent to
pastoral needs; neither should they be absorbed merely in administrative duties. Rather they should

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feel and in fact be accepted primarily as guides for the spiritual and pastoral growth of each
individual and of the whole community.
D. The contemplative dimension in formation
17. Religious formation. -- The principal purpose of formation at its various stages, initial and
ongoing, is to immerse religious in the experience of God and to help them perfect it gradually in
their lives. With this in mind, there is need to "duly emphasize the apostolate itself" (MR 27). The
primary objective of active institutes should be to integrate the interior life and the active life so that
each religious will increasingly cultivate the primacy of life in the Spirit (MR 4), from which flows
the grace of unity proper to charity.
The strongly ecclesial dimension of religious life (LG 44; ET 50; MR 10) demands that formation
in every aspect be imparted in profound communion with the universal Church. This should be done
in such a way that religious may be able to live their vocation in a concrete and effective way in the
local Church and for the local Church to which they are sent, according to the mission of their
institute.
"By your vocation," the Pope said, "you are for the universal Church; by your mission you are in a
definite local Church. Your vocation for the universal Church, then, is exercised within the
structures of the local Church. You must make every effort to carry out your vocation in the
individual local Churches, so as to contribute to their spiritual development, in order to be their
special strength. Union with the universal Church through the local Church: this is your way" John
Paul II, to Superiors General, 24 November 1978).
18. Deepening the knowledge of one's institute. -- Knowing the special character (MR 11) of the
institute to which one belongs is an essential element in formation for the contemplative dimension.
Under this aspect also, it is important to implement that general principle of renewal which
Perfectae Caritatis defines as "a constant return to the sources."
19. Solid intellectual formation. -- A solid intellectual formation, suited to the purposes of the
vocation and mission of one's own institute, is also basic for a balanced and rich life of prayer and
contemplation. Therefore, study and updating are recommended as components of a healthy
renewal of religious life in the Church and for society in our times (PC 2, c-d; ES II, 16). "Studies
should not be programmed with a view to achieving personal goals, as if they were a means of
wrongly understood self-fulfillment, but with a view to responding to the requirements of the
apostolic commitments of the religious family itself, in harmony with the needs of the Church" (MR
26).
20. The need for suitable qualified formation personnel. --Those who are responsible for formation
need to have:
• - the human qualities of insight and responsiveness;
• - a certain experiential knowledge of God and of prayer;
• - wisdom resulting from attentive and prolonged listening to the Word of God;
• - love of the liturgy and understanding of its role in spiritual and ecclesial formation;
• - necessary cultural competence;
• - sufficient time and good will to attend to the candidates individually, and not just as a
group.

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E. Promotion of the contemplative dimension in the local Churches
21. The bishop as "sanctifier of his flock." -- The pastoral ministry of the bishop, who is primarily
concerned with sanctifying the Church entrusted to him, highlights his mission: "to sanctify his
flock, zealously promoting the sanctity of the clergy, religious and laity, according to the vocation
of each one" (CD 15; cf. MR 7).
For this reason, the pastors of the local Churches will be mindful, especially in promoting the life of
prayer and the contemplative dimension, that they are both "sanctifiers" of their people (MR 7, 28)
according to the vocation of each one and witnesses by their own personal sanctification (MR 9d).
Under this aspect, their pastoral care for vocations, including vocations to all forms of consecrated
life, assumes greater importance (MR 32) together with their concern to ensure that already existing
communities not lack spiritual assistance.
Furthermore, there will be a more voluntary and fruitful collaboration between religious and clergy
if the bishop promotes an understanding and esteem for religious life as such, independently of the
activities of the various institutes (cf. MR 37). This will also better guarantee the preparation of
qualified priests to support and accompany religious in their spiritual and apostolic lives according
to the nature of religious life itself and the purpose of each institute.
"On their part, women religious must be able to find in the clergy, confessors and spiritual directors
capable of giving them help to understand and put into practice their consecration in a better way.
The influence of priests is, moreover, very often a determinant in encouraging the discovery and
subsequent development of the religious vocation" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 4).
To achieve this, the study of the consecrated life in its various forms and under its various aspects
appears necessary right from the initial stage of seminary education, so that diocesan clergy may
have a complete ecclesial formation (cf. MR 30a, ibid. 49,1).
22. Ecclesial participation of religious. -- Religious, on their part, must give witness that they
effectively and willingly belong to the diocesan family (cf. CD 34). They will do this not only by
being available for the needs of the local Church according to the charism of their institute (cf. CD
35; cf. MR passim), but even moreso by sharing their spiritual experience with the diocesan priests
and by facilitating prayer groups for the faithful.
"There is, furthermore, a particularly important matter which deserves to be mentioned today: that
of the close relations between religious institutes and the clergy regarding the contemplative
dimension that every life dedicated to the Lord must have as its fundamental element. Diocesan
priests need to draw from contemplation strength and support for their apostolate. As in the past,
they must normally seek help from experienced religious and from monasteries that should be ready
to receive them for spiritual exercises and for periods of meditation and renewal" (Pope's message
to the Plenaria, n. 4). Besides, their participation in prayer experiences promoted by the local
Church could contribute to the growth and enrichment of the spiritual life of the whole Christian
community (cf. MR 24, 25).
23. Co-responsibility and harmonious collaboration. -- Co-responsibility, harmonious collaboration
and the spiritual growth of the local Church will be greatly helped by periodic meetings between
bishops and superiors of religious institutes in the diocese, and likewise by the creation of well-
ordered, appropriate structures at the level of Episcopal Conferences and Conferences of Religious
(cf. CD 35, 5-6; ES II, 42-43; ET 50; MR 29, 36, 50, 54, 56, 59, 62, 65).

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III.
GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFICALLY CONTEMPLATIVE INSTITUTES
24. Importance of such institutes. -- The Plenaria recognizes the fundamental importance of
institutes of men and women dedicated to the specifically contemplative life. It is very happy to
express its esteem and appreciation for what they represent in the Church. Of its nature, the Church
has the characteristic of being "zealous in action and dedicated to contemplation," so that "in it the
human is directed towards and subordinated to the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to
contemplation" (SC 2). Convinced of the special function of grace that these institutes have among
the People of God, the Plenaria exhorts them to continue faithfully to make the contribution of their
specific vocation and mission to the universal Church and to the local Churches to which they
belong.
It exhorts them also to preserve and nourish their rich spiritual and doctrinal contemplative heritage
which is a reminder and a gift to the world as well as a reply to the people of our times who are
anxiously searching, even outside the Christian tradition, for contemplative methods and
experiences which are not always authentic (cf. Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 3).
25. Actuality of the specifically contemplative life. -- Those called to the specifically contemplative
life are acknowledged as "one of the most precious treasures of the Church." Thanks to a special
charism, "they have chosen the better part (cf. Lk 10:12), that is prayer, silence, contemplation,
exclusive love for God and complete dedication to his service.... The Church relies a great deal on
their spiritual contribution" (Pope's message to the Plenaria, n. 3).
For this reason, "no matter how pressing may be the needs of the active ministry, these institutes
will always have an honored place in the Mystical Body of Christ.... For they offer to God an
exceptional sacrifice of praise, they lend luster to God's people with abundant fruits of holiness,
they motivate this people and by their hidden apostolic fruitfulness they make this people grow"
(PC 7). Therefore, they should live in a realistic way the mystery of the desert to which their exodus
has brought them. It is the place where, even in the struggle with temptation, heaven and earth,
according to tradition, seem to meet; the world rises from its condition of arid earth and becomes
paradise anew... and humanity itself reaches its fullness" (Venite Seorsum, III, AAS 1969, 681).
For this reason it could be said that "if contemplatives are in a certain way in the heart of the world,
still more so are they in the heart of the Church" (ibid.). Indeed, the decree Ad Gentes affirmed that
the contemplative life means belonging to the fullness of the Church's presence, and it appealed for
its establishment everywhere in the missions (18, 40).
26. The apostolic mystery of such institutes. -- The way of life of these Institutes -- "a particular way
of living and expressing the paschal mystery of Christ which is death ordained towards
resurrection" (VS, I) -- is a special mystery of grace which manifests the Church's holiness more
clearly as a "praying community" which, with her Spouse, Jesus Christ, sacrifices herself out of
love for the Father's glory and the salvation of the world.
Their contemplative life, then, is their primary and fundamental apostolate, because it is their
typical and characteristic way in God's special design to be Church, to live in the Church, to achieve
communion with the Church, and to carry out a mission in the Church. In this perspective which
fully respects the primary apostolic purpose of the cloistered life, in which contemplative religious
give themselves to God alone (cf. PC 7), they offer assistance -- without prejudice to enclosure and

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the laws that govern it -- to persons in the world and share with them their prayer and spiritual life
in fidelity to the spirit and traditions of their institute (cf. MR 25).
27. Necessity for appropriate formation. -- It must be emphasized that there is need for appropriate
initial and ongoing formation for their vocation and their contemplative life of seeking God "in
solitude and silence, in constant prayer and willing penance" (PC 7). There must be a serious effort
to base this formation on biblical, patristic, liturgical, theological and spiritual foundations, and to
prepare persons who are qualified to form others.
Special attention must be given to the developing Churches and to monasteries in isolated localities
and in need of the special help and means to accomplish this. In collaboration with the Sacred
Congregation for Eastern Churches, ways and means should be studied to give effective help to
those monasteries in the area of formation (formation teams, books, correspondence courses, tapes,
records...).
28. Esteem and sensitivity in relationships. -- The relations of the bishop as pastor, guide and father
with contemplative monasteries, already stressed in a previous Plenaria, require continuing study of
the various aspects of the matter so that, with the help of the hierarchy, the presence and mission of
these monasteries in the particular Churches may be truly a grace which reflects the diversity of
charism in the service of all the People of God.
The Fathers of the Plenaria also recommend that bishops seek to promote an understanding of and
esteem for the specifically contemplative life among priests (even from their seminary formation,
cf. OT 19; MR 80b) and among the faithful. This way of life does not make those called to it "aloof
from the rest of humanity.... In solitude where they are devoted to prayer, contemplatives are never
forgetful of their brothers and sisters. If they have withdrawn from frequent contact with them, it is
not because they are seeking their own quiet comfort, but to share more universally in the fatigue,
sufferings, and hopes of all humanity" (VS III).
29. Papal enclosure. -- The Plenaria expresses its esteem for monasteries of nuns of papal
enclosure. If separation from the world is of the essence of the contemplative life, this enclosure is
an excellent sign and means of achieving that separation according to the spirit of the different
institutes. Therefore, the Plenaria, fully in accord with the request of the Second Vatican Council
for a suitable renewal of norms which take into account the particular circumstances of time and
place (PC 16), strongly exhorts these monasteries to preserve faithfully, according to the charism
and traditions of each institute, the special separation from the world which is a most appropriate
means for promoting the contemplative life.
CONCLUSION
30. The contemplative dimension. -- The contemplative dimension is the real secret of renewal for
every religious life. It vitally renews the following of Christ because it leads to an experiential
knowledge of him. This knowledge is needed for the authentic witness to him by those who have
heard him, have seen him with their own eyes, have contemplated him, and have touched him with
their own hands (cf. 1 Jn 1:1; Philip 3:8).
The more open religious are to the contemplative dimension, the more attentive they will be to the
demands of the Kingdom, intensely developing their theological depth, because they will look on
events with the eyes of faith. This will help them to discover the divine Will everywhere. Only

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those who live this contemplative dimension will be able to see the salvific plan of God in history
and to accomplish it in an effective and balanced way.
"Your houses should be especially centers of prayer, of recollection, of dialog -- personal and, above
all, communitarian -- with him who is, and must remain, the primary and principal Person with
whom you converse in the busy round of your daily lives. If you succeed in cultivating this
atmosphere of intense and loving union with God, you will be able to carry out, without traumatic
tensions or dangerous aberrations, that renewal of life and discipline to which the Second Vatican
Council has called you" (John Paul II, 24 November 1978)
EDUARDO CARDINAL PIRONIO,
Prefect
+ AUGUSTINE MAYER, O.S.B.,
Secretary
(1) Cf. L'Osservatore Romano, 8 March 1980.
(2) For a deeper understanding and evaluation of the "mystery and cult of the Most Holy Eucharist,"
it will be to the advantage of all religious to reread and reflect on the Letter of John Paul II To All
Bishops of the Church (Holy Thursday, 1980). Likewise and especially from a formative point of
view, it will be necessary to consider seriously the Instruction on liturgical formation in seminaries
which was issued by the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education on 3 June 1979, and the
Circular Letter of the same Congregation, dated 6 January 1980, on some "Aspects of Spiritual
Formation in Seminaries." Cf. also the Instruction of the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments
and Divine Worship, Inaestímabile Donum, on some norms concerning the cult of the eucharistic
mystery, 3 April 1980.