Institute Id of Christ the Redeemer

institutE id of christ the redeemer

WHO ARE THE IDENTE MISSIONARIES?

The Idente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer, an Institute of Consecrated Life of Pontifical Right, and composed of a men’s and women’s congregation, was founded in Spain by Fernando Rielo in 1959. Today its international expansion includes some ninety residences distributed in twenty-five nations. The institute maintains a close working-relationship with the various dioceses where these foundations are located.

The name idente is a neologism constructed with the imperative id of the Spanish verb to go and —ente of the Latin participle —ens, —entis, signifying to walk uniting oneself permanently to the divine filial awareness of Christ. The idente spirit, then, conforms to three principles: the commandment Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy (Mt 5:48); the promissory counsel of Christ Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst (Mt 18:20); the apostolic imperative Go throughout the world and proclaim the Good News to all (Mk 16:15).

The apostolic character of the Idente Missionaries is found, specifically, in apologetic dialogue with intellectuals for the defense of the revealed truth and in outreach to youth, especially those who have either lost their Catholic faith or who have never had such a faith.

Stainglass of Saint Joseph at the Chapel of the Idente Missionaries in the Cathedral of Madrid, Spain

The idente spirit conforms to three principles desired by Christ for the Institute:

the commandment:
Be holy as your Heavenly Father is Holy;

the promissory counsel:
Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them..;

and the apostolic command:
Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.

Fernando Rielo

The Institute is open to other apostolic missions and to the various forms of humanistic promotion, always preserving faithfulness to Christ and His Gospel, to the Church and Her mission in the world, and to the Institute’s own patrimony. It, therefore, adopts as its own the spiritual and social needs of human life, establishing with this objective any and all kinds of foundations to benefit Humanity and, especially, the Church. In carrying out their apostolate, all the members are intent on defending the Chair of Peter and the Magisterium, holding dear the words of Christ to the Prince of the Apostles: Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam (Mt. 16:18).

The Idente Missionaries, following Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit, consecrate themselves entirely to the Father and, faithful to their founding spirit, embrace the Evangelical Counsels through vows in fulfilling the ends of the Institute: the aspiration to holiness in community, the imperative of announcing the Gospel to all peoples, and the defense of Peter and his Magisterium.

The contemplation of things divine together with the inspiration to live a continual dialogue with God, is the first and foremost duty of all Idente Missionaries. Their intimate, silent, constant, loving prayer is the substance of their vocation and, therefore, their primary apostolic mission.

The social sensitivity of the Institute makes its own, in all its aspects, the frustrations denounced by human indigence: sickness, illiteracy, injustice and, in general, the sorrow of life. This piety implores most especially on behalf of a beloved infancy that, before human cruelty, appears sadly without defense. Your aim, dear sons and daughters, is the same as Christ’s: go through life doing good to all. .

Concerning the activities of the Institute, it is necessary to consider the distinguishing characteristics of the Idente Missionaries, i.e., to be in the world with civil professions and employment from which they carry out a peculiar form of apostolate, as well as in close collaboration with the Church in general and the Dioceses in particular, always disposed to meet the needs of the same as also those of the human person. For this reason, there are many activities that, consistent with its ends and charism, are being carried out in various parts of the world where the Institute is present.