Formation of Clerics Regular Minor: The vision of founders
Abstract
This dissertation is a descriptive study of the founding members' vision of formation in the Clerics Regular Minor, a religious order in the Roman Catholic Church established in Italy in 1588. The study is historical and it utilized primary documents dating back to the time of the order's foundation from 1588 until 1632. This study is a pioneering one. It is the first study to look into the foundation of the order of the Clerics Regular Minor as well as the vision of the founders regarding the formation of its members. The study describes the milieu of the foundation of the order, the background of the times—sixteenth century European Church history, the Reformation, the renewal within and outside the Catholic Church, the Council of Trent, specifically its canons on establishing seminaries, the renewal of religious orders and the foundation of new ones, particularly the Clerics Regulars. It is noteworthy that prior to Trent, there were no seminaries that trained candidates to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. The research traces the beginnings of the order through the life histories of its three founding members: Augustine Adorno, Francis Caracciolo, and Fabrizio Caracciolo and their apostolate or pastoral ministry before and after the foundation of the order. Their vision of formation for the members of the religious order was delineated by this study and it is primarily the charism and spirituality that they first lived out in their apostolate that they wanted to impart to the members of the order. The study is undertaken within the context of religious education, specifically formation in a religious community. Gabriel Moran, in his work entitled Religious Body: Design for a New Reformation, states the need for a religious body “to live from its own roots and traditions.” Thus this historical study revisits the past of the Clerics Regular Minor, with emphasis on the formation and education of its members following the founding members' vision of formation.
Subject Area
Religious education|Clergy|Religious history
Recommended Citation
Abog, Nestor M., "Formation of Clerics Regular Minor: The vision of founders" (2004). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3148710.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3148710
