24 Conferences of Bishops of Latin America on March 9, 1983—“new in its zeal, methods, and expression.” The Birth of an Institute as an Institution Seeing that each charism is given in the Church and for the Church, it must be subordinate to the Church’s shepherds. Their duty is to discern and evaluate the charism. This is the reason why the founders strive to get their charism recognized by the Church. This ratifi cation is a condition upon which the charisms may work for the communal good in the Church, in the entirety of their diversity and mutual complementarity. Therefore, the important element of the founding charism is the founder’s concern for its being authorized by the Church, which means its legal recognition as a gift of God and its protection, as well as the offi cial birth of an institute and giving it a name. Naturally, nothing occurs automatically, spontaneously or all by itself. It is necessary to petition and to endeavor for it, while ascertaining the institute’s quantitative and qualitative growth. It is necessary to secure the favor of the local Church, to seek the protection and the acceptance of the hierarchy, to manifest a steadfastness of intentions, and to prove its usefulness and originality. In regards to ratifying new foundations, the Church is cautious and careful in granting approval to the founders’ proposals. The whole process often takes years and thus the founders and the founding generation must arm themselves in patience and humility, obedience, steadfastness and determination. Clashes between the charism and hierarchy ought to be seen in the light of the mystery of the cross. The following words may be applied to every founder: “The true relation between genuine charism, with its perspectives of newness, and interior suffering, carries with it an unvarying history of the connection between charism and cross, which, above every motive that may justify misunderstandings, is supremely helpful in discerning the authenticity of a vocation.” 26 It is actually in agreement with the Gospel: in is necessary to die to produce fruit. This process of “dying,” experienced by every founder (which may last throughout the good portion of his life and sometimes even after death) is important for the “life,” in other words: it helps to decide the development of the charism and the fruits that it will produce in the Church. In spite of the “way of the cross” that the founders had to follow to get the Church’s approval, they always had, as John Paul II noted: “a lively sense of the Church, which they manifest by their full participation in all aspects of the 26 MR, 12.
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