Letter to women religious / Pope John XXIII.




Translation provided by NCWC News Service

NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W.

Washington 5, D. C.



Letter of His Holiness, Pope John XXIII To

Women Religious—urging sisters throughout the
world to lead lives of greater sanctity to assure

the success of the Ecumenical Couticil.

July 2, 1962

The greatest Church of Christendom is preparing to welcome
the Fathers of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. On
October 11 there will begin the great celebration on which is

centered the prayerful expectation of all Catholics and, We
might say, the expectation of all men of good will.

This is a solemn hour for the history of the Church. It
involves, therefore, increasing the fervor of its efforts for spirit-

ual renewal, which are always at work, in order to give new
impetus to the works and institutions of its millennial life.

The clergy is already reciting their daily breviary in union
with Us for the happy outcome of the ecumenical council 1 . The
laity, invited more than once to offer prayers and sacrifices
for this purpose—especially the children, the sick and the aged
-are responding with generous promptness. All wish to col-

laborate in order that the council may become “as a new Pente-
cost” 2.

1 Apostolic Exhortation Sacrae Laudis, Jan. 6, 1962, Acta
Apostolicae Sedis LIV, 1962, pp. 66-75.

2 Prayer for the council, cf. A.A.S. LI, 1959, p. 832.

3



It is natural that, in this atmosphere of intense preparation,
those who have given themselves completely to God and who
have become familiar with the exercise of prayer and of most
fervent charity should distinguish themselves.

Beloved daughters, the Church has welcomed you under
its mantle, it has approved your constitutions, it has defended
your rights, it has derived and still derives benefits from your
works.

You deserve that the words of the Apostle Paul should be
applied to you as an expression of gratitude of all that you
have done until now, and as a joyful wish for the future: we
remember you in our prayers “that the God of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you the spirit of wis-
dom and revelation in deep knowledge of Him; the eyes of
your mind being enlightened, so that you may know what is
the hope of His calling, what the riches df the glory of His in-
heritance in the saints” 3 .

Make this letter an object of consideration. Hear in the
words of the humble Vicar of Christ whatever the Divine Mas-
ter may suggest to each of you. The preparation for the coun-
cil demands that souls consecrated to the Lord according to the
forms approved by canonical legislation should reconsider with
renewed fervor the commitments of their vocations.

Thus, in its time, the response to the decisions of the coun-

cil, having been prepared through a more intense personal sanc-
tification, will be prompt and generous.

In order that the life consecrated to God corresponds always
more perfectly to the desires of the Divine Heart, it is neces-
sary that it should in reality be (1) a life of prayer, (2) a life

of example and (3) a life of apostolate.

I. Life of Prayer

We turn in Our thoughts especially toward the nuns and
Sisters of the contemplative and penitential life.

On the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple, Feb-
ruary 2, 1961, while We were redistributing the gifts of candles
which We had received on that day, We said: “The first destina-

3 Eph. 1:15-18.

4



tion (of the candles) to the religious houses of more rigid morti-
fication and penance is intended to affirm once again the pre-

eminence of the duties of worship and of complete consecration

of life to prayer over any other form of apostolate; and at the
same time it emphasizes the greatness and the necessity of vo-
cations for this kind of life” 4 .

The Church will always encourage its daughters who, in

order to conform more perfectly to the call of the Divine Mas-
ter, give themselves in the contemplative life.

This corresponds to a universally valid truth, also for the

women Religious of a chiefly active life: that is, that the only
foundations and soul of the apostolate is the interior life.

May all of you meditate on this truth, beloved daughters,
who are justly called “quasi apes argumentosae” (like indus-
trious bees), because you are in the constant practice of the four-
teen works of mercy in sisterly community with your other fellow
Sisters. You also who are consecrated to God in the secular
institutes must derive all the efficacy of your undertakings from
prayer.

The life offered to the Lord entails difficulties and sacrifices
like any other form of coexistence. Only prayer gives the gift
of happy perseverance in it. The good works to which you dedi-
cate yourselves are not always crowned with success. You meet
with disappointments, misunderstanding and ingratitude.

Without the help of prayer you could not continue along
on this hard road. And do not forget that a wrongly under-
stood dynamism could lead you to fall into that “heresy of ac-
tion” which was reproved by our predecessors. Having over-
come this danger, you can be confident that you are definitely
cooperators in the salvation of souls, and you will add merits
to your crown.

All of you, whether dedicated to a contemplative or an ac-
tive life, should understand the expression “life of prayer.” It
entails not a mechanical repetition of formulas but is rather the
irreplacable means by which one enters into intimacy with the
Lord, to better understand the dignity of being daughters of
God and spouses of the Holy Spirit, the “sweet guest of the
soul” Who speaks to those who know how to listen in recollection.

4 Discourse, messages and allocutions of Pope John XXIII,
voi. Ill, p. 143.



Your prayer draws nourishment from the sources of a deep
knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, particularly the New Testa-
ment, and from the liturgy and the teachings of the Church in
all its fulness.

The Holy Mass should be the center of your day, so much so
that every action converges on it as a preparation or as a thanks-

giving. Let Holy Communion be the daily food which sustains,
comforts and strengthens you.

Thus you will not run the risk, as happened to the foolish
virgins of the parable, of leaving the lamp without oil. You

will always be ready for everything: for glory or for ignominy,

for health and for illness, to pursue your work and to die. “Be-
hold the Bridegroom is coming, go forth to meet Him!” 5

It would be fitting at this point to recall to you that prac-
tice, repeated on many occasions, of the three devotions which
We consider fundamental also for the simple faithful of the
laity: “Nothing is better for enlightening and encouraging the
adoration of Jesus than to meditate upon Him and invoke Him
in the threefold light of the Name, the Heart and the Blood” 6 .

The Name, the Heart and the Blood of Jesus: this is the
substantial nourishment for a sound life of piety.

The Name of Jesus! In reality “nothing is sung more sweet-
ly, nothing heard more joyfully, nothing more gently contem-
plated than Jesus the Son of God” 7 .

The Heart of Jesus! Pius XII of venerable memory, in the
encyclical Haurietis aquas, of May 15, 1956, which We recom-
mend for attentive meditation, teaches thus:

“If the arguments on which the worship given to the
wounded heart of Jesus are rightly weighed, it is clear to all that
we are dealing here, not with an ordinary form of piety which
anyone may at his discretion slight in favor of other devotions,
or esteem lightly, but with a duty- of religion most conducive to

Christian perfection” 8 .

6 Matt. 25:6.

6 Discourse at conclusion of the Roman Synod, A.A.S. LII,
1960, p. 305.

7 Hymn at Vespers of the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
8 A.A.S. XLVIII, 1956, p. 346.

6



The Blood of Christ! “This is the highest mark of the re-
deeming sacrifice of Jesus, which is renewed mystically and

really in the Holy Mass, and gives sense and orientation to

Christian life'’ ».

II. The Life of Example

Hear the words of Jesus: “For I have given you an example,
that as I have done to you, so you should also do” 10 . Here
there is presented to souls who wish to follow faithfully in the
footsteps of the Lord the practice of the evangelical counsels
which are “the royal life of Christian sanctification” n .

1. Evangelical poverty

Jesus was born in a stable. During His public life He had
no place to rest His head at night 12 and He died naked on the
cross. This is the first requirement that He makes of anyone
who wishes to follow Him: “If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure

in heaven” 13 .

You were attracted by the example of the teaching of the
Divine Master, and you offered Him everything: “the joyful
oblation of all” 14 . In the light of the imitation of Christ who
made Himself poor, the vow acquires full value.

It makes us satisfied with the day to day necessities. It
makes us give to the poor and to good works the superfluous
of our goods according to obedience. It leads us to entrust the

unknown future, sickness and old age, to the care of Divine
Providence, while not excluding prudent foresight.

Detachment from earthly goods attracts the attention of all,
showing them that poverty is not pettiness nor avarice, and it

» Discourse to the Religious Family of the Most Precious
Blood, June 2, 1962, cf. Osservatore Romano, June 3. 1962.

10 John 13:15.
11 Enc. Letter Sacredotii Nostri primordia, A.A.S. LI, 1959,

pp. 550-551.

»2 Cf. Matt. 8:20.

13 Matt. 19:21.

14 cf. II Paralipomenon 29:17.

7



makes one think more seriously of the Divine saying: “For what
does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the
loss of his own soul?” 15 .

Live integrally the vow or the promise which makes you
like Him who, though being rich, became poor that we might
become rich through His poverty 16.

Temptations are not wanting* in this respect, such as the
search for small comforts, the satisfaction of food or the use

of goods. You know that poverty has its thorns which must
be loved in order that they may become roses in Heaven.

On other occasions, the legitimate need for modernization
could exceed limits in ostentation of construction and of fur-
nishings. These things have sometimes given rise to unfavor-
able comments, even though such novelties may not have con-
cerned the modest lodging of the Sisters.

Understand Us, beloved daughters: We do not mean that
that which is necessary for physical health and for wise and

fitting recreation is in contrast with the vow of poverty.

But We like to be confident that the eyes of the Divine
Master may never be saddened by that elegance which could
even have a negative influence on the interior life of persons

consecrated to God when they live in an environment lacking
an atmosphere of austerity. May poverty be given great honor
among you.

We would like to direct a word of comfort especially to the
cloistered nuns for whom “Sister poverty” often becomes “Sister
destitution.” Jesus the Son of God Who became poor, will come to
comfort you.

Meanwhile, in His name, We Ourself extend for you a hand
to your fellow Sisters who are in more secure economic condi-
tions and to generous benefactors. We encourage undertakings
of this sort by the Federations of Cloistered Convents, affiliated
with the Sacred Congregation of Religious, reminding all of the
Divine promise: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom
of God” 17.

is Matt. 16:26.

is cf. 2 Cor. 8:9

17 Luke 6:20.

8



2. Angelic chastity

The Gospel tells us of all that Jesus suffered, of the insults
that fell upon Him. But, from Bethlehem to Calvary, the bril-
liance that radiates from His divine purity spread more and
more and won over the crowds. So great was the austerity and
the enchantment of His conduct.

So may it be with you, beloved daughters. Blessed be the
discretion, the mortifications and the renouncements with which
you seek to render this virtue more brilliant.

Pius XII wrote about them in a memorable encyclical let-
ter 18. Live its teachings. May your conduct prove to all that
chastity is not only a possible virtue but a social virtue, which
must be strongly defended through prayer, vigilance and the
mortification of the senses.

May your example show that the heart has not shut itself
up in sterile egoism, but that it has chosen the condition which
is necessary for it to open itself solicitously to its neighbor.

For this purpose We urge you to cultivate the rules of good
conduct—We repeat it—cultivate and apply them, without giv-
ing ear to anyone who would wish to introduce into your life a
conduct less befitting the thoughtfulness and reserve to which
you are bound.

In the active apostolate reject the theory of those who
would speak less or not at all of modesty and decency in order
to introduce into the methods of education criteria and ten-
dencies which are in contrast with the teachings of the sacred
books and of Catholic tradition.

Though theoretical or simple practical materialism on the
one hand or hedonism and corruption on the other threaten to
break every barrier, Our mind is quieted by thought of the
angelic legions who have offered their chastity to the Lord and
who through prayer and sacrifice obtain prodigies of Divine
mercy for the errant in propitiation for the sins of individuals
and nations.

3. Spirit of obedience

The Apostle St. Paul develops the concept of the humiliation
of Jesus made obedient unto the death of the Cross 19. In order

18 Enc. Sacra Virginitas, A.A.S. XLVI, 1954, p. 161.
Phil 2:8.

9



to follow better the Divine Master you have joined Him with
the vow and promise of obedience.

This constant sacrifice of your “ego,” this annihilation of

self can cost much, but it is also true that herein lies the vic-

tory 20
,
for heavenly graces correspond to this spiritual cruci-

fixion for you and for all humanity.

The teaching of the Church on the inalienable rights of the
human person is clear and precise. The special gifts of every
man must be free to be duly developed in order that each may
correspond to the gifts received from God. All this is acquired.

But, if one passes from the respect of the person to the
exaltation of the personality and to the affirmation of personal-
ism, the dangers become serious. May the words of Pius XII
in the exhortation Menti Nostrae be of valuable direction also
for you:

“In an age like ours, in which the principle of authority is
grievously disturbed, it is absolutely necessary that the priest,
keeping the precepts of faith firmly in mind, should consider
and duly accept this same authority, not only as the bulwark
of the social and religious order, but also as the foundation of
his personal sanctification.” 21 .

Here We address Ourself to those who have duties of direc-
tion and responsibility.

Demand a most generous obedience to the rules, but also be
understanding of your fellow Sisters. Favor in each of them
the development of natural aptitudes. The office of superiors
is to make obedience sweet and not to obtain an exterior re-
spect, still less to impose unbearable burdens.

Beloved daughters, We exhort all of you to live according to
the spirit of this virtue, which is nourished by deep humility, by
absolute disinterestedness and by complete detachment. When
obedience has become the program of one’s whole life, one can
understand the words of St. Catherine of Siena:

“How sweet and glorious is this virtue in which all the other
virtues are contained! Oh, obedience, you navigate without ef-
fort or danger and reach port safely! You conform to the only-

2° cf. Prov. 21:28.
21 A.A.S. XLII, pp. 662-663.

10



begotten Word . . . you mount the ship of the most holy Cross
to sustain the obedience of the Word, to not transgress it or
depart from its teaching . . . You are great in unfailing perse-
verance, and so great is your strength from Heaven to earth
that you open Heaven’s gates” 22 .

III. Life of Apostolate

St. Paul teaches that the mystery revealed to us by God is
the plan ordained from all eternity in Christ which is to be
realized in Him in the fulness of time, that is: “to reestablish all
things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the
earth” 2«.

No soul consecrated to the Lord is dispensed from the sub-
lime duty of continuing the saving mission of the Divine
Redeemer.

The Church expects much from those who live in the silence
of the cloister, and especially from there. They, like Moses,
have their arms raised in prayer, conscious that in this prayer-
ful attitude one obtains victory.

So important is the contribution of women Religious of the
contemplative life to the apostolate that Pius XI wished to haVe
as copatron of the missions—and a rival therefore of St. Fran-
cis Xavier not a Sister of the active life but a Carmelite, St.
Theresa of the Child Jesus.

Yes, you must be spiritually present to all the needs of the
Church militant. You may not be alien to any disaster, to any
mourning or calamity. Let no scientific discovery, cultural con-
vention, social or political assembly lead you to think: “These
things do not concern us.”

May the Church militant feel that you are present wherever
your spiritual contribution is needed for the good of souls, as
well as for real human progress and human peace. May the
souls in purgatory have prayers so that they may be hastened
to the beatific vision. Continue to repeat with the choirs of
angels and saints the eternal alleluia to the august Trinity.

May those who are dedicated to the active life realize that
not only prayers but also works can bring about a new course of

22 Dialogue, ch. 155.
23 Eph. 1:10.

11



society which is nourished by the Gospel, and in which all things

work toward the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Since the areas of education, charity and social service re-

quire personnel who are prepared for the increased demands
imposed by the present-day order of things, you must strive in

obedience to study and obtain the degrees which will allow

you to surmount every difficulty.

Thus, in addition to your merited and proven capability, you

may be better appreciated also for your spirit of dedication, pa-
tience and sacrifice.

There is, moreover, the presage of further demands in the
new countries which have entered the community of free nations.
Without lessening one’s love for his own country, the world has
become more than ever before a common fatherland.

Many Sisters have already felt this call. The field is im-
mense. It is useless to deplore the fact that the sons of this

world arrive before the apostles of Christ. Lamentations solve

nothing: one must act, forestall and trust.

Not even the Sisters dedicated to contemplation are exempt
from this duty. The people in certain regions of Africa and the
Far East feel a greater attraction to contemplative life, which
is more congenial to the development of their civilization.

Certain of the more cultured social classes almost complain
that the dynamic life of the missionaries can have a lesser in-
fluence on their manner of conceiving religion and of following
Christianity.

You can see, beloved Sisters, how many reasons prompt the
encouragement of meetings among superiors general which have
been arranged by the Sacred Congregation of Religious on the
national and international level. In such meetings you can bring
yourselves more up to date on present-day conditions, profit by
mutual experience and comfort yourselves in the thought that
the Church has a host of brave souls who are capable of facing
any obstacle.

The consecrated souls in the new secular institutes should
know also that their work is appreciated and that they are en-
couraged to contribute toward making the Gospel penetrate
every facet of the modern world.

It is right that those who are able to attain positions of more
outstanding responsibility should make themselves appreciated



for their competence, diligence, sense of responsibility and also

for those virtues which are exalted by grace.

By doing so they may prevent that those who depend almost

exclusively upon human cleverness and upon the power of eco-

nomic, scientific and technical means should prevail. “But we

call upon the name of the Lord our God.” 24

We invite all of you, souls consecrated to the Lord in the
contemplative or active life, to draw close together in fraternal

charity. May the spirit of Pentecost prevail over your chosen

families and may it unite them in that fusion of souls which was

seen in the Cenacle where, together with the Mother of God

and the Apostles, several pious women were to be found. 25

Conclusions

These are Our wishes, Our prayers and Our hopes. The

Church has called upon all the faithful on the eve of the Second

Vatican Council, proposing to each of them an act of presence,

testimony and courage.

May you, beloved daughters, be among the first to cultivate
holy enthusiasm. The Imitation of Christ has a touching word

on this point: “Every day we ought to renew our purpose, and
stir ourselves up to fervor, as if it were the first day of our

conversion.

And to say: Help me, O Lord God, in my good purpose, and
in Thy holy service, and grant that I may this day begin indeed,
since what I have hitherto done is nothing.” 26

May the Mother of Jesus and Our Mother fire you with new
fervor! Trust in this heavenly Mother, and at the same time
remain familiar with her Spouse, St. Joseph, who is also the
Patron of the Second Vatican Council.

Pray also to those sainted men and women who are held
in special honor in your individual institutions, so that they may
join their efficacious intercession to the purpose that the “holy

Church, gathered in unanimous and intense prayer around Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, and guided by Peter, may spread the King-
dom of the Divine Saviour, which is the Kingdom of truth,
justice, love and peace.”

24 Ps. 18:8.

25 cf. Acts 1:14.
26 Bk. I, ch. 19, para. 1 (Cath. Book Pub. Co. edition).

13



We impart to all the religious communities and to each
individual consecrated to God the most abundant apostolic bene-
diction, which We intend to be a token of heavenly favors and
an encouragement to live and act well “in the Church and in
Christ Jesus.” 27

From the Vatican Apostolic Palace,
year of Our pontificate.

July 2, 1962, the fourth

POPE JOHN XXIII

27 Eph. 3:21.

14