“The Association of Pauline Cooperators is essentially open to all the laity – men and women, youth and adults – who intend to assume a definite role within the vast range of sectors of the Pauline apostolate, so as to leaven their own surroundings and their own parishes.”
As members of the Pauline Family, Pauline Cooperators are imbued with and share the Pauline charism by growing in relationship with Jesus the Divine Master, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and giving him to the people of today through the mission of evangelization with the modern means of communication.
Cooperators make a Promise to commit themselves to the proclamation of the Gospel according to their particular state in life, in the spirit of the Pauline Family, for the glory of God and the sanctification of their brothers and sisters.
Pauline Cooperators are called to carry out the Pauline mission in all its forms “such as providing catechesis in the family, writing and diffusion of the Gospel through media” (Handbook of Pauline Cooperators, p. 3). They participate in the Pauline mission, which is the very mission of Christ, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God: the glory of God and the salvation of men and women. Cooperators collaborate with different institutes of the Pauline family. In the United States and English-Speaking Canada, we have Pauline Cooperators who collaborate with the Daughters of St Paul at their various locations.
Members are called to cooperate in the Pauline mission through prayer, works, and offerings.
Pauline Cooperators participate in the mission of evangelization first of all through prayer. It is the most important cooperation of the Pauline Cooperator for the spread of the Gospel and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Cooperators participate in personal and communal prayer and invite others to join them in prayer according to their state in life. Pauline Cooperators also offer their prayers and sufferings in reparation for sins committed through the media.
Pauline Cooperators’ participation through works looks different for every cooperator according to their state in life. At the heart of each apostolic initiative, however, the Pauline Cooperator’s aim is to spread the Gospel through the modern means of communication. For some, this involves working in a secular communications job or using social media to promote a culture of life, while others volunteer in a Pauline Books & Media center or incorporate media into the work that they do in their parishes. The works that Pauline Cooperators do to spread the Gospel are diverse in order to allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate all aspects of society.
Pauline Cooperators generously promote the evangelization efforts of the various institutes of the Pauline Family through material support according to their means. In his work of evangelization, St. Paul received alms from Christians which helped further his missionary endeavors. “In the person of the Apostle, generous Christians honored and served God himself. Their help became, therefore, “a pleasing smell, the sacrifice which is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18), and they merited to receive greater spiritual graces: “My God will fulfill all your needs out of the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).”
Formation is the process by which a lay person, single or married, becomes a Pauline Cooperator and learns the Pauline way of allowing Christ to live in and work through him/her. It is a particular time of intense prayer and discernment that includes study of the Pauline charism, spirituality, and lay vocation as well as participation in the Pauline mission. These periods of formation help the lay person to discern whether God is calling him/her to grow in holiness of life as a Pauline Cooperator.
The Inquiry Phase is the first official step in the formation of a Pauline Cooperator. This phase consists of six sessions during which the candidate engages in a time of prayer and reflection and learns about the Pauline charism, especially its history, spirituality, and mission. The candidate becomes part of a group of laity that is guided through the formation program by a Daughter of Saint Paul and a Pauline Cooperator.
The Time of Preparation is the second stage of formation to become a Pauline Cooperator. This stage consists of twelve sessions with in-depth coverage of our Pauline donations, ecclesial and charismatic sources, including Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the founder, Blessed James Alberione, and the co-foundress of the Daughters of St Paul, Mother Thecla Merlo, together with other holy men and women of the Pauline family. Also presented are the call of the laity and the Church’s mission of evangelization using the means of social communication. This time of formation culminates in the making of the Pauline Cooperator Promise which is then renewed yearly.
After making the Promise, each Pauline Cooperator takes on full responsibility for a life-long journey of ongoing formation to allow Christ to live within oneself (Gal 2:20). This involves deepening one’s knowledge and experience of the Pauline charism learned during initial formation and growing in a deeper love for the Church and its ministry of evangelization with the means of communication.
Ongoing formation is offered monthly to all Pauline Cooperators in the form of study sessions offered synchronously and asynchronously to deepen knowledge and living of the Pauline charism in one’s life.
Over 100 Promised Pauline Cooperators collaborate closely with the Daughters of St. Paul in the U.S. and Canada, advancing the mission of evangelization through social communication.
Pauline Cooperators anchor their lives in the Pauline spirituality which is centered on Jesus our Divine Master, Way, Truth and Life. The Pauline Cooperator brings the totality of his/her person to be transformed in Christ so that he/she can go forth to proclaim Him with boldness, in the spirit of St Paul, to the people of today. The Eucharist and the Word of God are the fonts of Pauline Spirituality. It is from these that we receive the life of Jesus, the Divine Master, and nourish our relationship with him in order to allow him to live in us as we witness to the Gospel with our lives.
Jesus called his twelve disciples to collaborate with Him in his ministry. St Paul found the need to work with men and women collaborators of his time for the propagation of the Gospel. Blessed James Alberione followed in his footsteps. What about you?
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