16 this gift—although granted to a single person and non-transferable as such—is, however, not a personal but a communal gift, because it involves more than one person in the historic realization of God’s plan. Third, it is an ecclesial gift, because, through the mediation of the founder and the new community, it is being offered to the Church for her new dynamic development, growth in holiness, and the undertaking of new challenges in a constantly changing world. It seems important to distinguish between a charism, which the founder has for his new community and his personal charism. In Italian this difference is marked by the use of the article: di fondatore [founder’s] or del fondatore [of the founder]. The fi rst defi nes the person and the special gift granted by the Holy Spirit to be at the foundation of the new religious family, regardless of its future historic realization and characteristics of its spirituality. The other defi nes the specifi c matter of the charism of the founder that needs to be understood, accepted, interpreted and realized in a concrete historic situation. The personal gift is non-transferable, but what can be transferred is the specifi c path of the spiritual life of the disciples and the initial community, which are rooted in the so-called “founding experience.” Four principal elements can be identifi ed in this gift: 1) a special manner of perceiving and experiencing Jesus with a singular accent on some aspect of His mystery; 2) a singular manner of imitating Jesus and making Him present by practicing the evangelical counsels with an emphasis on their certain aspects; 3) specifi c paths of action, defi ned by the environment, outreach, and specifi c goal, the historical context of which infl uences the choice of means for its attainment; 4) a specifi c form of the communal life, which involves the current needs of the apostolate.17 It is necessary to emphasize that the founding charism’s authenticity is also manifested though “a certain element of genuine originality and of special initiative for the spiritual life of the Church. In its surroundings, it may appear troublesome and may even cause diffi culties.”18 The charism does not guarantee a peaceful entry into any established situation, especially if it upsets the comfort of those who accepted the situation and either see no need for changes or believe them to be too risky. 17 MR 11, 12, 51. 18 MR 12.
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