Christian Life Communities

WHAT IS CLC?
CLC is a way of life for lay persons who wish to serve Christ, the Church, and the world in the tradition of Jesuit or Ignatian Spirituality.

HOW EXTENSIVE IS CLC?
CLC is an international movement. It is active in 68 countries including the United States. The Mid-Atlantic Region enjoys a relationship with the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Communities have been established in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Mooresville, and Charleston, SC. Vietnamese and Korean Communities are especially active in Washington and Northern Virginia.
 

WHAT DO YOU DO?
CLC members gather usually twice a month to:
1. share their life, the Scriptures, and a topic from the General Principles
2. deepen their experience in the spirituality of Ignatius Loyola
3. decide how to serve others individually & collectively both in charity & in justice
What happens in between meetings is as important as what happens at meetings

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CLC?

1. CLC is a COMMUNITY - of 6 to 17 people, centered in the Eucharist, progressing through faith-sharing, and supporting one another in decision-making
2. CLC is grounded in the SPIRITUALITY of St. Ignatius Loyola. His Spiritual Exercises include: an awareness of being loved by God, being a loved sinner, inner freedom, following Christ, choosing to do God’s will, and finding God in all things
3. SERVICE is an essential element of Christianity. Members use their own skills and resources and help one another to meet the needs of people in the home and workplace and to change the unjust structures of society
4. CLC includes a SENSE OF THE CHURCH. Where is the church going today? That is the direction in which we in CLC go
5. Finally, MARY, the mother of Jesus, is seen as a model or pattern for living the Christian life

WHO CAN BECOME A MEMBER?
Any person who is:

1. 13 years of age or above, (Young adults comprise 1/3 of the communities)
2. Is open to growth
3. Is attracted to live by all the characteristics of CLC
4. Desires to serve the world as well as the church and Christ
5. Can commit himself/herself to meet, work, and share with others

WHEN DID CLC BEGIN?
While still a layman, St. Ignatius gave the Spiritual Exercises to other lay people. The First Jesuits did the same thing, adapting the existing confraternities to the Jesuit “way of proceeding.” The present CLC national office in USA is in St. Louis. Its website is www.cvx-clc.net.