Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation: Secular Institute
The Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation is a secular institute for single Catholic women.
The nature and purpose of the Institute is:
"To confer on everyone the maximum good, to help everyone with prayer, advice, word, minstry and example."
" I resolve not to miss any opportunity offered me by the Lord for the practice of Charity."
Blessed Fr. James Alberione
This secular institute is a work of The Society of St. Paul and is associated to it. The Society of St. Paul is the
"altrice" Congregation (The source of Spiritual Guidance) of The Pauline Family which is composed of five religious
congregations, four secular institutes, and one lay collaborators association, founded by Blessed Fr. James Alberione,
in which the Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation is a part of.
The Pauline Family mission is to spread the Gospel and love of Jesus using all the means of modern media
technology (Social Communications), and to address the spiritual needs of the world in a modern way.
The Institute has the characteristic of "secularity." The members while living within their own home and parish and
working in their own places of employment, publicly profess the Evangelical Counsels: the vows, of chastity, poverty
and obedience recognized by the Church. The members have no outward sign of belonging to the institute. In their
secular situation and in the context of their lives the members devote themselves, "for an effective evangelization" to
the spread of the message of salvation principally through the apostolate and the spirit of the Society of St. Paul and
of the Pauline Family, thus bringing to bear on many and various sectors the action and influence of the Pauline
Family's specific mission.
Members of the Institute are called to "develop all their Christian and evangelical abilities, so that the divine message
of salvation may become known and accepted by all mankind."
The Institute has as its "patrons" Jesus the Divine Master, St. Paul the Apostle and Mary of the Annunciation.