Identification Of Church Research Articles

Reimagining Religious Life and Social Apostolate The Case of the Auxiliaires de l'Apostolat

From their beginnings in 1917 in the Archdiocese of Mechelen in Belgium, the Auxiliaires de l’Apostolat shaped a new form of apostolate: being active as lay women in the modern world, while pursuing a life towards religious perfection. Although this new vocation was not unique, and a number of similar groups emerged at the same time, there was no institutional framework for such groups yet. Therefore, the life and position of these women was an often hard-to-understand identity in church and society, requiring them to constantly negotiate their own identity vis-à-vis institutional normative frameworks. This stalemate was in part a result of a rigid preconciliar belief that the lay faithful were excluded from a life of perfection. Besides, since they were women, there was no possibility to both take vows and at the same time live in the world – a possibility that men did have, for instance in the capacity of a priest. As such, it was partially a gendered concern. In addition, the case of the Auxiliaires de l’Apostolat offers the opportunity to reflect on other areas of tension, for instance when it comes to agency, or tensions between the local and global, as a seamless diocesan recognition did not result equally seamless in recognition by the Sacred Congregation of the Council. The present contribution develops this case in three major phases – their establishment and early development in the 1920s and 1930s, their search for canonical recognition between 1928 and the early 1960s, and the breakthrough that comes during the Second Vatican Council with the almost unpremeditated integration of their identity into the Church's self-understanding, more specifically in the conciliar constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 41.

Reimagining Religious Life and Social Apostolate The Case of the Auxiliaires de l'Apostolat

From their beginnings in 1917 in the Archdiocese of Mechelen in Belgium, the Auxiliaires de l’Apostolat shaped a new form of apostolate: being active as lay women in the modern world, while pursuing a life towards religious perfection. Although this new vocation was not unique, and a number of similar groups emerged at the same time, there was no institutional framework for such groups yet. Therefore, the life and position of these women was an often hard-to-understand identity in church and society, requiring them to constantly negotiate their own identity vis-à-vis institutional normative frameworks. This stalemate was in part a result of a rigid preconciliar belief that the lay faithful were excluded from a life of perfection. Besides, since they were women, there was no possibility to both take vows and at the same time live in the world – a possibility that men did have, for instance in the capacity of a priest. As such, it was partially a gendered concern. In addition, the case of the Auxiliaires de l’Apostolat offers the opportunity to reflect on other areas of tension, for instance when it comes to agency, or tensions between the local and global, as a seamless diocesan recognition did not result equally seamless in recognition by the Sacred Congregation of the Council. The present contribution develops this case in three major phases – their establishment and early development in the 1920s and 1930s, their search for canonical recognition between 1928 and the early 1960s, and the breakthrough that comes during the Second Vatican Council with the almost unpremeditated integration of their identity into the Church's self-understanding, more specifically in the conciliar constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 41.

The dawn of the secular state? Heritage and identity in Swedish church and state debates 1920–1939

This article provides a study of political positions concerning the role of religion in modern society in Sweden between 1920 and 1939. It aims to increase understanding of the Swedish secularization path, with special emphasis on issues related to heritage and national identity, by comparing the dominant perspectives on these issues in the Church of Sweden and in the Social Democratic Party during that period. It addresses how these positions have influenced policies during the period, as well as some of their implications for later path dependence. It explores relations between religious issues and the concept of national heritage, as well as how the fact that both were at that time commonly seen as legitimate tasks of the state came to influence the development of Swedish church-and-state relations and heritage policies. Special attention is given to the positions of the Young Church Movement, a movement within the Church emphasizing its role as a national church with a central position in national identity, as well as to the views of Arthur Engberg, the anti-clerical Social Democratic government minister responsible for church, education, and culture in the 1930s.

The Architectural Expression of Primitive Christianity: William Beveridge and the Temple of Solomon

On the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, a resurgent religious identity in church and state was informed by identifying the English nation with the biblical Israel, and the worship and buildings of the Church of England with those of the Temple in Jerusalem. The dedication of the Church of St Peter, Cornhill (rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and designed by Christopher Wren) in 1681 by the Revd William Beveridge was an expression of the Church of England's confidence in its identity with the ‘primitive Church,’ and as the Church of a chosen and favoured people.

Identification of church from photographs

Identification of church from photographs Get access F. H. C. F. H. C. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s12-III, Issue 59, 10 February 1917, Page 109, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s12-III.59.109b Published: 10 February 1917