Institute
of the
Contemplative
Incarnate Word
Life
Our Purpose
“We commit all our
strength to inculturate
the Gospel...
to extend the Incarnation “to all men, in the
whole man, and in all of the manifestations
of man...”
Const. 5
Our Founder
Rev. Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela
He
was
ordained
a priest
7th,
1971,
in
Renowned
founded
the
a “Institute
preacher
and
of October
the
a great
Incarnate
promoter
Word”
Since
theas
beginning
of on
his
priesthood
he
has of
the
crypt
of
the Institute
Sanctuary
of Ignatius
Our
Lady
ofLoyola,
Lourdes
(IVE)
Spiritual
and
Exercises
the
Saint
“Servants
of
of
the
Lord
and
hein
dedicated
himself
toofpastoral
work
with
the
youth,
Santos
Lugares
(Buenos
Aires,
Argentina);
the
next
the
has
Virgin
alsothat
of
founded
Matará”
three
(SSVM),
Houses
feminine
of Charity
for
of
convinced
the Church
takes
care
of branch
the
youth
day,
celebrated
his
first
inasthe
private
handicapped
the he
Religious
children
and
of
orphans,
the
Incarnate
well
Word.
as two
“not
as
a Family
tactic
but
asMass
a
vocation.”
chapel
of
Our
Lady
ofand
Luján.
Both institutes
have
high
both
schools.
active
contemplative
branches.
Religious Vows
Poverty
Chastity
Obedience
Marian
Slavery
Through the profession of
religious vows, the monks take
the most excellent and fastest
means to achieve their aim:
loving union with God.
By the fourth vow, they do
everything “with Mary, in Mary,
through Mary, and for Mary”
Directory of Contemplative Life, 3
Monastic Life
“is integrally
ordained to
contemplation; its
members
dedicate
themselves only
to God, in solitude
and silence, in
assiduous prayer
and generous
penance”
Directory of Contemplative Life, 5
Those who are moved by
God to embrace monastic
life within our religious
family will consecrate
their lives to
contemplate and
live the mystery of
the Incarnate
Word, especially
in the maximum
expression of His
humility, the
Cross.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 8
“Pray continually and never lose heart”
Lc 18, 1b
Ora …
Life of Prayer
“Every aim of the monk and perfection of
heart tend to persevere in continuous and
uninterrupted prayer”
Collations, 9,7
“The contemplation of the divine
truth and the assiduous union with
God in prayer must be the first and
principal duty of all religious.”
This is particularly true for the
monk, who spends all his life in
contemplation and seeking that
union.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 14.15
Liturgical prayer is the
holy action par excellence,
with an efficacy unlike
any other action of the
Church.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 21
A religious community is never more
united than when it is around the altar
Holy
Mass
for the Eucharistic Sacrifice, sign of
unity.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 27
Psalmody
“When you would pray, seek to do it with all perfection.”
“Sing with all diligence spiritual chants
in the presence of God.”
Saint Basil
Eucharist Devotion
“As a manifestation of their
love to Jesus Christ
present in the Most Holy
“We the
adore
Jesus
Eucharist,
monks
will Christ for all who do
“The
Eucharist
shows
itself
the
source
and the
notthe
adore
Him,
all as
who
forget
Him,
adore
Most
Holy for
apex Sacrament
of
the whole
of preaching
the Gospel”
abandon
Him,
scorn
Him, and offend
… work
Him.”
Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.
Const. 135 – A quote from Saint Peter Eymard.
…one hour at the beginning
of the day and for another
hour at the day’s end”; thus
they will have a “whole day
of the worship of God”
Monastic Rule,19.
Marian
Praying the Holy Rosary,
preferably daily, we
meditate on the work of
Redemption consummated
by Jesus to which He
associated his Mother.
Devotion
Every monk,
in moments of trials,
ought to look for her
solace, because she is still
at the foot of the cross of
each one of her sons.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 38.
Const., 136.
Penance
“It makes me happy to be suffering for you now,
and in my own body to make up all the hardships
that still have to be undergone by Christ for the
sake of His body, the Church.”Col. 1,24
Silence
This is a necessity of
the contemplative soul;
it manifests, in the
deepest way possible
that in the presence of
God, there is nothing
else to say.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 56.
The Cell
In solitude, the monk
imitates Our Lord, who
lived thirty years of His
life hidden in Nazareth
and who, even in His
public life, looked for
solitude.
Monastic Rule, 28.
The religious of our Institute
must wear the Holy Habit,
which is a sign of their
consecration and a witness
to their poverty.
Const. 150
The Gown and The Cowl
Joined to the gown, at the uppermost
The monk,part,
by using
the
gown, reflects
is the
cowl.
the mysteries
of and
the Life
of Christ.
It covers
the head
its shape
points
All of us, by ourto
religious
heaven.consecration,
are called
be the
a concrete
footprint
It reminds
alltothat
monk has
been
that the Trinity
in history
consecrated
totallyleaves
to God,
to live not
assuming
life that but
Christ
on
only
in Histhe
presence,
alsolived
to live
onlyearth.
for God.
The
has
to to
vest
himselfan
with
the
For Monk
this, he
has
conserve
attitude
transcendent
virtues: faith,
and
of continual withdrawal,
nothope
reducing
charity,
the virtuesofofthe
humility,
his
prayerand
to moments
day, but
obedience,
prayer, oblative
to attain thatpenance,
praying attitude;
it is like
silence,
etc.in God.
sinking
the soul
The Leather Belt
They
It binds
consecrate
the cowl, and
themselves
is a sign of
to
God
the penance
in virtue of
that
their
theoffice,
monkthat
is
is tocalled
say, like
to practice,
victims and
hostsoffor
first ofspotless
all, by reason
histheir
special
salvation
and for theirwith
pursuit
of and configuration
Christ, neighbors
and as a mean of
reparation for his own sins, for
by the in
It is onethose
of thecommitted
ways to participate
of the Religious
the members
work of salvation
of souls, for
Family,
for those
of the
which Christ
shed
HisChurch,
blood.
and for those of the whole
world.
The Scapular
On
chest
Thethe
back
andis
the
the
needle-worked
chest
are protected
coat
of scapular
arms of of
by the
the
of the
theInstitute
Virgin, imitating,
Incarnate
particularlyWord,
as
as
a signthe
of Word
monks,
belonging
to it,
and
who offered
Himself
of
toparticipating
the Father, in
the
same
charism,
hidden
and
in
specific
silence,purpose,
in the womb
and
apostolate.
of Mary.
The
Theywhite
do not,
color
symbolizes
however, belong
the in
Transfiguration,
just any way, butthe
with
robes
a life of
whitened
prayer and
by
the
penance;
blood of
“They
the are
Lamb,
in the vanguard of
all the
and
theapostolic
three “white
works”,that
being “the
things"
keystones ofthe
the
characterize
apostolic
endeavor
Catholic
Church:
of our
Institute” The
The
Eucharist,
Blessed Virgin Mary
and the Holy Father.
The Holy Habit
This sign
“expresses the
consecration of a
religious and
makes evident the
eschatological end
of religious life.”
Let us, then, love
the habit, which
should be as our
very own skin.
Saint Francis of
Assisi said that
the simple
presence of a
religious dressed
in the holy habit
was a way of
preaching.
Const, 150.
… et
Labora
Monks will search the
enjoyment of the Truth,
through “meditatio”,
“contemplatio” and “lectio”
in order to be wise
according to the ways of
God.
Intellectual Formation
The supreme rule of
religious life is the
following of Christ, the
Supreme Truth.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 107.114
Monastic Work
Monastic life consists in
searching for God.
Whatever the work is to be
done, the monk will always
have present his principal
aim: union with God.
Monastic Rule, 55.
Apostolate
The principal apostolate
of a monk will be his life
testimony through
prayer and sacrifice .
Monastic Rule, 64.
In our monasteries, it
could be done certain
activities in coordination
with members of
apostolic life (catechism,
retreats, etc.)
The recreation of the monks will be a rest for
the soul at the same time that is an occasion
for practicing virtues, earning merits and
encouraging community life.
Monastic Rule, 59
Community and
Recreation
By the virtue of Eutrapelia, the monk “could
manifest the supernatural spiritual joy, of
whom has contemplated the mystery of the
Incarnate Word”.
Directory of Contemplative Life, 147.
Our Monastery
Saint Raphael, Mendoza, Argentina.
Dinning Room
Cells
Grotto of
Entrance Saint Rita of Cascia
Working the land
House for Spiritual
Exercises
Far end of the monastery
Plantation of Alfalfa
The
Temple
Activities during Holy Week
Feast of Saint Rita
Procession with the Image
The Holy Mass
Preparing the
Traditional
“Locro”
Brotherhood of Saint Rita of Cascia
Deo Gratias.
Benedicamus
Domino…