The Divine Charity Associates is a group of men and women who have a calling to share in the charism of the Sisters while living their own vocations as lay members of the Catholic church. Visit the Associates page to discover who the Associates are, what their role is and how to become a member.
The Second Vatican Council did much to open the doors to fuller participation by the laity in the life and work of the Church. In addition to a desire for fuller participation in the life of the Church, there is also a thirst for spirituality in America today.
Because of this, a movement has taken root involving a partnership between vowed religious and the Catholic faithful. The faithful are requesting affiliation with religious communities in order to join them in prayer, work, and a sense of community. Lay Associates are defined as laypersons who are outside the vowed membership of religious institutes, but who share in their mission and goals. Each religious congregation has its own charism and mission, and each defines the role of its Associates.
Associates are attracted to a religious community either because they are drawn to the founder/foundress or they identify with the group’s particular spirituality and mission.
Recognizing that the experience of God’s love and the desire to make it known to others touch many women, the Daughters of Divine Charity invite others to share their spirituality and mission.
The purpose of being an Associate is twofold: to provide the members with a means of personal growth through participation in the prayer life and community experience of the Daughters of Divine Charity, and to further the charism of the Congregation, which is to bring others “to make God’s love visible”.
Members share in the mission to make God’s love visible in the circumstances in which they find themselves in everyday life. The program includes men and women of all walks of life-wives and mothers; principals and teachers on the elementary, high school and college levels; and other professionals from the areas of law, journalism, health care, human resources and placement; small business owners and financial management.
There are currently Associate groups centered in New York (22 members), Midwest (25), and California (5).
If you wish to know more about the Associate Program, please contact Sister M. Josita at [email protected].