Australia’s Lay Salvatorian community is celebrating its recent recognition by the Vatican as an international association of the faithful. Source: The
Bridge.
Sammantha Da Luz, chair of the Lay Salvatorians in Australia, said the February 8 ceremony in Rome, during which the decree of recognition was
delivered by the office of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, was a moment of great joy for the community.
“This is something that’s been in the pipeline for the past 16 years or more, to get these statutes recognised and accepted,” she said. “There’s been a
lot of hard work from the international Salvatorian community.”
Officially known as the International Community of the Divine Saviour (ICDS), Lay Salvatorians form one of the three branches of the Salvatorian
family, along with the Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers, and the Salvatorian Sisters.
The Vatican’s recognition of the Lay Salvatorians is validation of the community’s significant international spread – there are more than 1800 Lay
Salvatorians in 18 countries – and of the spiritual and apostolic fruits borne by its members around the world.
There are 108 other ecclesial communities that already have this recognition – including the Legion of Mary, Couples for Christ and the Neocatechumenal Way, according to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life’s website.
The origins of the Lay Salvatorian community in Australia go back about 20 years, when a group of Salvatorian priests began inviting members of their
parishes to explore the lay apostolate.
There are now 15 committed Lay Salvatorians in Australia – one in South Australia, five in Western Australia and nine in New South Wales. All 15
members meet regularly for prayer, fellowship and meetings online, while local groups meet weekly.
The Salvatorians were founded in 1881 by Fr Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that a branch of the community for laity
was established.
FULL STORY
Lay Salvatorians rejoice at international recognition (By Matthew Biddle, The Bridge)
