
The idente spirit conforms to three
principles
desired by Christ for the Institute:
the commandment:
Be holy as your
Heavenly Father is Holy
the promissory counsel:
Where two or three are gathered together in
my Name, there am I in the midst of them
and the apostolic command:
Go into
all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation
Fernando Rielo
The
Idente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer, an Institute of Consecrated
Life of Pontifical Right, and composed of both men’s and women’s
branches, was founded in Spain by Fernando Rielo in 1959. Today its
international expansion includes some ninety residences distributed in
twenty-five nations. The institute maintains a close working
relationship with the various dioceses where these foundations are
located.
“Idente”
The name “Idente” has its root in
the imperative “Id” of the Spanish verb “to go”; joined to the ending
“—ente” of the Latin participle —ens, —entis, it signifies walking or
journeying forward while uniting ourselves permanently to the divine
filial awareness of Christ: the consciousness of being a son.
The
Idente spirit conforms to three principles: the commandment, “Be holy
as your heavenly Father is holy” (Mt 5:48); the promissory counsel of
Christ, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I
am in their midst” (Mt 18:20); and the apostolic imperative, “Go
throughout the world and proclaim the Good News to all” (Mk 16:15).
Vows and Spirituality
The
Idente Missionaries, following Christ through the action of the Holy
Spirit, consecrate themselves entirely to the Father and, faithful to
their founding spirit, embrace the Evangelical Counsels through vows in
fulfilling the ends of the Institute: the aspiration to holiness in
community, the imperative of announcing the Gospel to all peoples, and
the defense of Peter and his Magisterium.
The contemplation of
things divine together with the inspiration to live a continual dialogue
with God, is the first and foremost duty of all Idente Missionaries.
Their intimate, silent, constant, loving prayer is the substance of
their vocation and, therefore, their primary apostolic mission.
Flowing
from our spiritual lives, the social sensitivity of the Institute makes
its own the frustrations denounced by human indigence: sickness,
illiteracy, injustice—in short, all human suffering. This piety
advocates particularly for the young who are defenseless in the face of
human cruelty. In our Founder’s words, “Your aim, dear sons and
daughters, is the same as Christ’s: to go through life doing good to
all.”
Apostolate
One
of the distinguishing characteristics of the Idente Missionaries is to
be in the world with civil professions and employment from which they
carry out their apostolate, in close collaboration with the Church in
general and the Dioceses in particular, always disposed to meet the
needs of these as also those of the human person. For this reason, there
are many activities that, consistent with its ends and charism, are
being carried out in various parts of the world where the Institute is
present.
The
apostolic character of the Idente Missionaries is found specifically in
apologetic dialogue with intellectuals for the defense of revealed
truth, and in outreach to youth, especially those who have either lost
their Catholic faith or who have never had such a faith.
The
Institute is open to other apostolic missions and to the promotion of
humanistic development, always preserving faithfulness to Christ and His
Gospel, to the Church and Her mission in the world, and to the
Institute’s own patrimony. It therefore adopts the spiritual and social
needs of human life, establishing various kinds of foundations to
benefit humanity and especially the Church. In carrying out their
apostolate, all the members are intent on defending the Chair of Peter
and the Magisterium, holding dear the words of Christ to the Prince of
the Apostles: Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam
meam (Mt. 16:18).