MALE AND FEMALE MISSIONARY RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS. – In the conversion of the peoples of northern Europe, the Benedictine monks played a most important role, while, from the twelfth century onward, the Dominicans and Franciscans worked zealously in Africa and Asia, arousing the missionary movement which, after the great geographical discoveries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, underwent greater development.
At the beginnings of the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide, in the mission territories—which included not only Asia, Africa, and America, but also a large part of Europe, including certain areas of France and Italy infested with heresy—the following religious institutes exercised the apostolate. They are listed in vol. XIV of the Acts of the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide, ff. 231–34, where the reform of the faculties granted to missionaries is discussed: the Benedictines in India and England; the Cistercians in Ireland; the Dominicans in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America (that is, in the East and West Indies); the families of the Franciscans, or Friars of the Observance, in the same regions; the Jesuits in the same regions; the Augustinians in Asia and in the East and West Indies; the Reformed Friars of S. Francis in Europe and Asia; the Conventual Friars only in Europe; the Minims in England and Scotland; the Capuchins in Europe, Asia, and Africa; the Theatines in Asia, Europe, and the East and West Indies; the Mercedarians in the West Indies; the Piarists only in Germany; the Hermits of S. Paul only in Europe; the Calced Carmelites in Europe; and the Discalced Carmelites in Asia and the East Indies.
The list, which comprises sixteen religious institutes, enumerates Orders and C. R. established not long before 1622, when the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide was instituted. None of those religious institutes had been founded exclusively or principally for the missions. The Jesuits themselves, who immediately sent S. Francesco Saverio and others on mission, did not have solely the propagation of the faith as their purpose. Therefore, before Propaganda, one cannot speak of true C. R. M. whose exclusive purpose was the propagation of the faith among infidels. This new need gradually became apparent after the institution of Propaganda, which immediately recognized the necessity of having all missionary personnel directly dependent upon it and entirely at its disposal. The two colonial powers, Spain and Portugal, opposed this work of reorganization, invoking the rights of patronage granted by the popes in earlier times. A struggle ensued, in which the missionaries also took part, since they all belonged to C. R. The idea thus gradually matured of having personnel wholly independent of alleged rights of patronage and devoted exclusively to missionary work. For obvious reasons, the idea could be implemented neither in Portugal nor in Spain, but it was realized in France, where in 1650 the Seminary of the Foreign Missions of Paris was begun. It gathered priests from the French dioceses in order to send them to the missions in East Asia entrusted by Propaganda to French Ordinaries. This was not a c. r. established with distinctive characteristics, but an initiative intended to overcome the difficult situation in which the missions of East Asia in particular found themselves. The example of the Paris Seminary was not followed by others, partly because the historical vicissitudes through which the missions passed in the eighteenth century did not create the need to send them an ever greater number of missionaries.
Instead, during the revival of missionary activity that began with the pontificate of Gregory XVI in the last century, numerous C. R. and other seminaries of the type of those in Paris arose, with an exclusively missionary purpose and dependent upon the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide. The vast majority of these religious institutes arose in the mission territories themselves through the work of bishops and devout souls, while the others arose in Europe. Thus there came to be two categories of C. R. M. The first comprised the C. R. that had originated in mission lands in order to collaborate directly in works of the apostolate; the second included the
others, which, although established in Europe, had the purpose of sending their members exclusively to mission territories, to the exclusion of other aims. These C. R. may properly be called missionary, unlike the others, in which missionary apostolate is one part of the multiple works of charity that they carry out in the universal Church. They soon became very numerous, and many of them are still flourishing today.
In regulating the internal organization of the aforementioned C. R., the S. Congregation of Propaganda had no need of special authorizations, but made use of its ordinary faculties, all the more since the other religious missionaries also depended upon it in everything. Through the constitution Sapienti consilio of 1908, not only were large territories removed from its jurisdiction, but it was also deprived of competence over missionaries insofar as they were religious; consequently, all the C. R. passed as a whole under the new S. Congregation of Religious. But a year later several institutes were again placed under the jurisdiction of Propaganda, once more affirming the principle that these institutes, whose purposes were specifically missionary, should depend upon Propaganda in everything. This principle also prevailed after the Code, which in canon 252 § 5 repeats verbatim the provisions of the 1908 constitution. Thus, even today, the situation prior to the aforementioned constitution has again been established: namely, that the C. founded in mission territories to assist the local apostolate depend upon Propaganda, as do the C. or societies established elsewhere with a specifically missionary purpose. It should be noted, however, that the first criterion has not always been applied in every case, especially in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
At present, a large number of religious institutes of diocesan right depend upon Propaganda; almost all were founded in mission territories. Some were founded in dioceses of common law, namely: Little Servants of the S. Heart (diocese of Nice, papal audience, 24 April 1933); Sisters of the Foreign Missions (diocese of Toulouse, papal audience, 8 May 1933); Missionary Dominicans of Namur (diocese of Namur, decree, 21 November 1937); Medical Missionaries of Mary (diocese of Armagh, decree, 21 May 1940); Medical Mission Sisters (Philadelphia, U. S. A., Letter of the Secretary of State, 30 December 1941).
Various C. of pontifical right also continue to depend upon Propaganda. The male C. (1949) number 7, and the female ones 20.
In addition to the aforementioned C. R., other missionary institutes also depend upon Propaganda. Although they have particular constitutions, they are societies without vows and at present (1949) number 13. In the missions, besides the C. R. and societies without vows that are specifically missionary, more than eighty male C. and more than two hundred female C. are active, some of which have a numerous body of missionaries. – Vedi tav. XV.