1. Foundation:

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The Voluntas Dei Institute is a Secular Institute with Pontifical Right founded by Rev. Fr. Louis-Marie Parent OMI on July 2, 1958 in Canada.

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2. Patron:

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Blessed Virgin Mary is the patron and model for the members of the institute Voluntas Dei. We follow the model of Mother Mary the Annunciation for she said YES to the will of God. Our founder Louis-Marie Parent said YES on March 25, 1958 to the will of God to begin an institute to do the will of the father following footsteps of Jesus Christ and to be PEACE MAKERS in the midst of the world. Hence the Institute Voluntas Dei celebrates its feast on March 25, the day of Anunciation.

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3. Founder:

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Rev. Fr Louis-Marie Parent OMI founded the Institute Voluntas Dei on July 2, 1958 in Canada for priests, celibate, Laymen and Married couples.

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4. Charism, Apostolate and Spirituality: 

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Institute Voluntas Dei is a Secular Institute that is composed of baptized and consecrated people who live the evangelical counsels of Obedience, Poverty and Chastity, in the midst of the people of all walks of life and sharing their life conditions but living with a difference like the ‘salt of the earth,’ the ‘light of the world’ and the ‘leaven in the dough.’ Their Christian presence would be silent but vibrant bringing great transformation in the society. This permeating presence would also make the Gospel values relevant and vibrant in the changing times and situations.

 

The three vital elements, namely, Consecration, Apostolate and Secularity, define the Voluntas Dei Institute. The members commit themselves totally and fully to the will of God, for His honour and service under the banner of the Institute. They pledge themselves to witness Christ in the temporal world, working with the power of love and grace of Jesus in the world, contributing their share of the spread of the Gospel and the evangelization task of the Universal Church. They proffer their total dedication to the different walks of life and varied life conditions in which they find themselves. They do not live in communities as the religious do, instead Voluntas Dei's live in team. They share in the communion and evangelization of the Church through their fellowship and brotherhood in the model of Secular Consecration. They are called to be elements of peace and brotherhood in Jesus Christ in all walks of their life.

 

The charism of the Voluntas Dei Institute is to be an instrument of Christ carrying out the will of God in the manner of Mother Mary of the Annunciation sharing the life conditions of the present times in the world. The permeating and vibrant presence of Christ works as a catalyst to transform the world from within strengthening, peace, brotherhood, positivity, collective endeavours and collaborative ventures participating in the secular consecration and renewal of constant “yes” to the will and plan of God like Mother Mary. It is a spiritual self-surrender of all members to the will and plan of God, allowing God to draw the road map of our lives and steering our lives to be an instrument of peace and brotherhood.

 

The missionary spirit of the members is vital as the Institute aims at witnessing to a life geared by the will and plan of God in all the ways and manners. Hence, the Voluntas Dei Institute proposes to do the will of the Father like Jesus and Mary in the manner of the Spirituality of the Three Fives (5-5-5).

 

The first Five invites all members to a life of intimacy with the Lord through prayer, meditation, reading and reflection of the Word of God, celebration of the Holy Eucharist, special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and devotion to the Blessed Mother and the recital of the Holy Rosary.

 

The second Five calls the members of the Institute to develop the spirit of contemplation, humility and fraternal charity through the filling of the active presence of God in the daily routine, through positively avoiding all kinds of criticism and complaints, and through becoming ambassadors of charity and peace.

 

The third Five invites the members to seize all the opportunities that present themselves daily to do the small and big acts of charity, at least five acts of charity daily in the given life situation, following the compassion of Jesus Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and become a ransom for many.

 

5. Foundation and Growth of the Institute: 

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Rev. Fr Louis-Marie Parent gathered his first recruits together at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec on July 2, 1958.  He wanted to give to the Church Christians who would be ready to share in his own apostolic ambitions and Christian ideal in a real service to the Church; he also wanted to offer others a form of Christian commitment capable of irresistibly drawing everyone closer to God in order to celebrate and live together the joyous hope of our salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

After five years of experiment as a Pious Union, the Voluntas Dei Institute received its first approval from the Sacred Congregation for Religious May 31, 1963 as an Association of Perfection. On Pentecost Sunday, June 6, 1965, this Association of Perfection was canonically elevated to the ranks of Secular Institute.

 

The Institute Voluntas Dei unites under a common ideal Christians - either clerics or laymen, celibate or married - whose only aim is to know the will of God, cling to it, love it and carry it out.  Thus, the Institute consists of Priests, single men and married couples. All have same rights and obligations except those proper to their state of life. The married couples commit themselves to live the ideal of Christian perfection proposed by the Gospel within the secular mission of the Church. Their presence and activity do witness to the Gospel values as the ‘leaven in the dough’ transforming the society from within. They live their sacramental commitment of marriage and witness to the evangelical values in the midst of their family and social life.

 

The hierarchy of the Institute consists of Director General and his Council, District Director and his Council, Regional Director and his Council and Team Facilitators for local teams. At the end of 2016 the Institute had 974 members.  They included 1 Bishop, 218 Priests, 8 Permanent Deacons, 66 Candidates to Priesthood, 55 Single Men and 626 Married couples.

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One of our member Luk Sy has been beatified on December and his companion and the only eye witness of his martyrdom Rt. Rev. Louis Marie Ling has been raised to the rank of Cardinal.

 

The Voluntas Dei Institute came to India in 1992. The leadership of the pioneer missionaries in India gave wider scope of the spread of the Institute and the family apostolate. The early emphasis was laid on the vocation to the families and vocation to the ordained ministers.

 

In a short span of thirty years the Institute of Voluntas Dei has grown. The priests support various Dioses in Kerala, TamilNadu and few states in North East.

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The Tamil Nadu region was erected on March 1, 2017. Fr. Joseph Sengol IVD was appointed as the Regional Director, Fr. John Churchil Bass IVD as the Assistant Director, Fr. Jones Cletus as the Council Member and Mr. Rex Lourdraj and Mrs. Poornama Jaya as the council members. The Tamil Nadu region has its headquarters in Madurai.  At present there are 25 Priests and 27 major seminerians and 77 married couples as members in Tamil Nadu region. The priests and seminerians hail from the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telungana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Priests of the Voluntas Dei Institute work in the Dioceses of Chennai Mylapore, Chengalpat, Tiruchirapalli, Sivagangai, Madurai, Kottar, Kuzhithurai in Tamil Nadu; In the diocese of Ellur in Andhra Pradesh, in the diocese of Hyderabad in Telungana and in the diocese of Aisol in Assam. 

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