“A passion for the glory of Christ and life as witness to that passion.”
— Servant of God Fr. Luigi Giussani (1922–2005)*

“Go into all the world and bring the truth, the beauty, and the peace which are found in Christ the Redeemer.”
— St. John Paul II

These were the words of John Paul II to the Ecclesial Lay Movement Communion and Liberation (CL)** in 1984. The following year, accepting the Pope’s invitation, Msgr. Massimo Camisasca, now bishop, and six other priests who followed the Movement, signed the founding act with which the story of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Charles began, and the order was recognized in 1999 as an Institute of Pontifical Right.

THE VOCATIONAL PATH

As described by the founder, Msgr. Massimo Camisasca:

PRIESTLY
“The priestly vocation [...] is a continuous communion with God and man. [...] It acts as a bridge between heaven and earth, represents a fundamental link in the history of salvation, and also serves as an important figure in the journey towards unity among men.”

FRATERNITY
“The Fraternity is a companionship made up of people that are placed together by an Other. [...] Each of us [...] is continually accompanied by Christ through his brothers. Thus, the Fraternity is the place which, through our conversion, makes the memory of Christ easier and continuous.”

MISSIONARY
“Mission [...] consists simply in entering within the same mission for which God sent His own Son into the world, for which the Son sent the Apostles, and for which, in turn, the Apostles sent other brothers, until the visible echo of that event touched even us.”

The priests of the Fraternity live together in houses of three or more. They are willing to be sent around the world wherever the Church has a need, according to the wishes of the bishop of the diocese in which they reside.

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*Servant of God Fr. Luigi Giussani (1922–2005)

**”Faith, lived out in communion, is the foundation of the true liberation of man”
(Servant of God Fr. Luigi Giussani). Communion and Liberation, in its essence, is a proposal for education in the Catholic faith. It is an education that doesn’t end at a certain age, but lasts a lifetime because it is always being renewed and deepened.