Catholic Vocab Word of the Week: Sodality

The word "sodality" comes from the Latin word sodalis, which means "companion". In the Catholic Church, a sodality is a voluntary organization of the faithful who seek to work together with like-minded people for the strengthening of their own religious commitment and advancing the Kingdom of Christ to others.

• Sodalities aim to increase the personal holiness of their members.

• Sodalities train their members in charitable work for others.

• Sodalities aim to spread the faith by loving Jesus and His Blessed Mother, and by loving their neighbors.

• Sodalities can include people of all ages, including lay people, priests, nuns, cardinals, and bishops.

Membership can be open to people with similar ideals, such as professionals, seniors, or young people.

All sodalities, pious associations, and confraternities may be divided into three classes, although those classes are not absolutely distinct from one another.

1. The first class, A, includes the confraternities, which seek mainly to attain piety, devotion, and the increase of love of God by special veneration of God, of the Blessed Virgin, the angels, and the saints.

2. The second class, B, consists of those sodalities which are founded chiefly to promote the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

3. The third class, C, may be considered to include those associations of the Church the main object of which is the well-being and improvement of a definite class of persons.

Examples

• Sodality of Our Lady: Founded in 1563 by Jesuit Priest Jean Leunis, this sodality aims to increase the personal holiness of its members and train them in charitable work.

• The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin was founded in Rome (1563) by Rev. John Leunis, S.J., for the students at the Roman College. At the time of its quadricentennial, the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin was established in more than one hundred countries. During the first four centuries of its existence, it had deeply influenced the lives of several million persons, through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Devotion to Mary, and the active apostolate in the world.

• Many canonized saints had been Sodalists, including St. Francis de Sales, whose Introduction to the Devout Life for the laity is a practical expression of the Sodality way of life. In 1971 the Sodality became a new organization, the Christian Life Communities.

For a more recent and “local” example, I found the following online from a Catholic parish in Massachusetts. Many of the recent activities run by their Sodality will be very familiar to anyone involved with modern-day parish life.

From their website:

“Within our Blessed Trinity Parish, the Sodality was first formed in Saint Anne’s Parish in March of 1955, under the spiritual direction of Revered Edward Desmond. Its membership currently includes a total of 125 Sodalists.

Some of the events the Sodality has organized in the past include:

• The Valentine “Heart-to-Heart” Project – Confirmation candidates work with Sodalists to put together cookie and fruit containers to deliver to approx. 140 recipients across the region.

• Sponsor and award a $600 Scholarship in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus, to a deserving college bound parishioner.

• Participation in Littleton Holiday Bazaar – Sodalists bake and sell cookies, chili, and breads of different kinds, as well as raffle multiple donated items. Proceeds help fund the Sodality’s charitable events.

• Organized the Wine Tasting Festival – Proceeds from this event have helped fund gifts to the Parish such as the Easter candle, etc.

• Host speakers throughout the year to present on inspirational topics related to community outreach and works of mercy.

“The Sodality of Our Lady welcomes new members of all ages. We meet four times a year and are currently looking for suggestions on new events. If you are interested in joining this remarkable and rewarding ministry or if you are interested in sharing any feedback, please click on their name…”

Does your parish have its own Sodality? Let me know!

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