Secular Institute

A secular institute is an official form of consecrated life in the Catholic Church in which the Christian faithful, living in the world, strive for the perfection of charity and work for the sanctification of the world especially from within (CCC 928).

Leaven in the World

Unlike members of religious orders, members of secular institutes do not live in traditional religious communities or wear distinctive habits. They live ordinary secular lives—working in everyday professions, living in standard housing—but are fully consecrated to God by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their mission is to act as leaven in the world, bringing the light of the Gospel directly into politics, education, business, and secular society (CCC 928–929).