What Makes the Sodality Different?

The Marian Sodalities can be categorized as a “pious association of the faithful,” similar to many other lay movements. A “pious association of the faithful” is a category used to describe all types of lay groups committed to living their Catholic faith and participating in the mission of the Church. They have a long history in the Church and have exhibited great variety, existing in different forms since the early Church. In the Middle Ages, pious associations of the faithful were given more formal structures, often called confraternities, or lay congregations or societies, with each focusing on a particular spirituality and specific ministerial works. Since the Council of Trent, these associations have grown in number and variety. With the Second Vatican Council, a new impulse of the Holy Spirit has led to new forms of associations, often called today “lay ecclesial movements.”

The Sodality and the Third Orders

Sodalities of Our Lady are most akin to the Third Orders of other religious traditions, such as the Third Order Franciscans. The Third Orders began in a way very similar to the Sodality, as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon lay people who were inspired and desired to follow, in their own way, the religious lives of the orders. The Franciscan Third Order, for example, was founded by St. Francis to incorporate all of the lay people who were inspired by the Franciscans and wanted to participate in their life and work. The Sodality too originated as an inspiration to have students formed and sent out in a manner similar to the Jesuits. Many structures of the Third Orders — such as rules, promises, commitments, and hierarchical organization — are similar to those of the Sodality. The differences are that the Sodalities are based on Ignatian spirituality rather than Franciscan or Dominican; they are tied to the Jesuits; they have a strong devotion to Mary; they originated as student groups before adult groups emerged, thus maintaining a focus on youth; and they have a strong apostolic orientation, not merely emphasizing growth in personal holiness.

The Sodality and Lay Ecclesial Movements

The lay ecclesial movements of the post-Vatican II era — such as the Neo-Catechumenal Way, Focolare, and Communion and Liberation — are different from the Sodality and Third Orders in that they are not associated with a religious order and do not draw from a specific spiritual tradition. They are mostly lay-founded and lay-led, which gives their movements a focus on the family and life in the world. They are similar to the Sodality and Third Orders in that they are a community of lay Catholics committed to a common way of life and have an apostolic orientation.