In the Catholic Church, an association of the Christian faithful or simply association of the faithful is a group of baptized persons, clerics or laity or both together, who, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, jointly foster a more perfect life or promote public worship or Christian teaching, or who devote themselves to other works of the apostolate. A 20th-century resurgence of interest in lay societies culminated in the Second Vatican Council, but lay ecclesial societies have long existed in forms such as sodalities, confraternities, medieval communes, and guilds.
Terminology
Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, groups of laity that gathered with a common purpose and apostolate were called piae uniones. With the replacement of the former code by the 1983 Code of Canon Law, they were referred to as associations of the faithful. Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici of 30 December 1988 spoke of "the flourishing of groups, associations and spiritual movements as well as a lay commitment in the life of the Church" in the years following the Second Vatican Council, "resulting in the birth and spread of a multiplicity of group forms: associations, groups, communities, movements". A Pastoral Note of the Italian Episcopal Conference issued on 29 April 1993 defined three of the terms:
Associations. Those whose structure is organic and institutional with regard to composition of governing bodies and membership.
Movements. Those united not so much by institutional structure as by adherence in way of life to certain dynamic ideas and by a shared spirit.
Groups. Those with a certain spontaneity in the way of joining them, wide freedom in self-structuring, and somewhat limited size, giving rise to more homogeneous membership.
The Franciscan Brothers of Peace, a canonically recognized Public Association of the Faithful was founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1982. In keeping with their pro-life charism, the Brothers advocate for the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly and the poor. They operate a food pantry and working with the Center For Victims of Torture provide temporary shelter for international victims of torture who have arrived in the Twin Cities area..
The Amigonian Cooperators was instituted by the Capuchin Tertiaries. Their work among the laity following the charism of the Capuchin Bishop Luis Amigó y Ferrer dates back to 1937. On 8 December 1992, the Pontifical Council for the Laity recognized the Cooperadores Amigonianos as an international association of the faithful of pontifical right.
The Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist, founded in 2002 as a companion community to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, is a Public Association of the Faithful approved by the Archdiocese of Hartford. As their particular and primary charism is upholding the dignity of the human person, their ministry has included public pro-life prayer vigils, counseling the mentally ill, caring for the elderly and coordinating outdoor adventure programs for youth. Each Brother is assigned to work in a professional field suited to his personal talents and education. They also engage in manual labor, growing vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and raising small farm animals, such as chickens.
