G
grace88
Guest
Can someone please explain to me what is the difference between secular institute and lay people?? i dont understand the difference
You say this but then you go on and say…Members of Secular Institutes can be either clergy or lay. Full members of secular institutes take vows or promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to their statutes. Members retain their lay or clerical states, but live a consecrated form of life. Members may live in common or alone as is laid out in their statutes. The vows/promises of secular members are semi-public. That is, they are not public (and so do not constitute them in the consecrated state) but they are not totally private either (because they are accepted by the Church which private vows are not).
Which contradicts what you first said and is also wrong.Lay persons are neither ordained (priests, bishops, deacons), consecrated (consecrated virgins) nor under public (religious, diocesan hermits) or semi-public vows (secular institute members). All the lay faithful are called to holiness. Most lay persons live out their call to holiness through the vows of marriage.