Pope Benedict XVI, Vicar of Christ
I. PRIVATE ASSOCIATION OF THE FAITHFUL
Transitus Oblates of the Last Martyrdom, in accordance with Canons 298-311, is defined as a “Private Association of the Faithful”, which is a self-formed, self-governed, and self-propagating organization within the Catholic Church for the purposes of devotion, spiritual growth, acts of charity, and evangelization.
Transitus is not a religious order, an institute of consecrated life, a society of apostolic life, or even a “third order”, a secular institute, a public association of the faithful, or an official ecclesial movement. Yet the association is free to organize itself “by means of a private agreement made among themselves” (Can. 299 §1) according to a common Rule, admission process, and form of government with a distinctive “habit”, spirit, mission, and apostolate.
Transitus may, in time, develop into another kind of association as it gains its proper identity and status within the universal Church through submitting itself to the necessary process of testing and formation in cooperation with the proper ecclesiastical authorities; all of which will take many years. For now, our legitimate status as a “Private Association of the Faithful” (Can. 299 §2) is appropriate and sufficient for establishing a solid foundation upon which to build and grow as an association of “lay monastics” in obedience to the vocation and apostolate we have received from Christ through Holy Mother Church.
II. CATHOLIC
Transitus, in accordance with Canons 215-216, cannot officially call itself “Catholic” without ecclesiastical approval. Therefore, Transitus claims no jurisdictional personality as “Catholic” nor does it act as an official representative of the Catholic Church (universal or particular), the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, any religious order, institute or society, or any of their representatives.
However, it is to be rightfully understood that no “official” or authorized teaching or activity within Transitus?though the association nor any of its members claim to teach in the name of the Catholic Church?will be contrary to the Dogmatic and Infallible Teachings of the Catholic Church as defined in the Ecumenical Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents, governed by Canon Law and determined by the Extraordinary, Universal, and Ordinary Magisterium of the Church [Lumen Gentium, No. 25] but held whole and entire in complete and absolute conformity to Catholic Tradition while maintaining communion with the Pope (the Apostolic See of St. Peter in Rome) and the Bishops and the Faithful (Can. 204 §1) in union with him.
III. “AUTONOMY & JURISDICTION”
Transitus was established on October 3, 2007 in the Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis, where it will base its international headquarters. Transitus retains its autonomy appropriate to its particular nature and purpose according its Rule and School of Perfection and canonical status as a “Private Association of the Faithful” within the Catholic Church. The association, which was free to form itself and establish its own laws, remains self-governing and free to fulfill its mission according to its own initiatives.
However, in accordance with Canon 323, Transitus will be subject to the jurisdictional supervision and guidance of its immediate overseers and Bishop Protector, all under the supreme authority of the Holy See.
IV. COMMUNION, "ECUMENISM", CATECHESIS, & SALVATION
Membership within Transitus does not and cannot serve as an official means to communion with the Catholic Church, which is acquired and sustained individually and publicly by way of the Sacraments with the proper catechetical formation, profession of Faith, and canonical initiation.
One’s adherence to the Catholic Faith and all that pertains to it defines one’s relationship to the One Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church and therefore to Christ. It is a matter of one’s personal responsibility and duty before Almighty God--apart from one’s membership in Transitus--to adhere to the fullness of the Christian Faith within the Church established by Christ, which has been perpetuated through an unbroken Apostolic Succession of Bishops in union with the Successor of St. Peter (Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ) to the present, and will continue until the end of time.
Though catechesis and “ecumenism” (the evangelization of non-Catholic Christians) are not the primary goals of Transitus, participation within the association serves as a unique and accessible, challenging but non-threatening means for investigating the Catholic Churc--namely Her faith and morals, and liturgical and sacramental life--while also providing an orthodox and thorough preparation for entering into the Catechumenate (the preparatory stage before entering the Catholic Church), or simply as a continuation of one’s on-going intellectual and spiritual formation.
Nevertheless, Transitus must not ever be a direct or indirect source of weakening, injuring, or breaking one’s communion with the Church nor should it ever cause scandal, confusion, or doubt to the Dogma Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (“Outside the Church there is no salvation”). “For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.” In fact, one’s participation in Transitus should only build, strengthen, and solidify one’s relationship to Christ and His Church, and one’s knowledge of and fidelity to Tradition.
Transitus in no way whatsoever constitutes a church, a sect, a secret society, or a para-church organization, nor is it to reflect an “inter-denominational” or “ecumenical” spirit (which can lead to indifferentism and apostasy); all such things are contrary to the purpose and mission of the association and the very ecclesiology of the Church. All members are explicitly forbidden, no matter how sincere their motives, to undertake any such activities on behalf of Transitus or even upon their own initiative as it pertains to their membership within the association, and it is strictly forbidden to portray Transitus in such a manner or to use the association for any such initiative.
In short, the highest degree of charity is expected from each member to treat one another as the Gospel reveals Christ treated others, most especially those who are still emerging with “burning hearts” upon the “road to Emmaus.” “The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”
The “life of monks” is more than a matter of life and death, but a matter of eternal life and eternal death. That is why the supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls. And it is according to this law (the salvation of souls) that all other laws, actions, words, and souls are subject and bound. “For God so loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not His Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by Him.”
