Q. Would you describe your order as conservative or liberal?

A. We are just Catholic. That means we believe absolutely in the authority of the Pope and the Magisterium of the Church, and follow them without reservation and with great joy, knowing that in so doing we are humbly obedient to Christ's authority here on earth. Among other things, it also means that:

We don't think praying the Rosary every day is just for old ladies (although we thank God for those old ladies)!

We believe our apostolic efforts will be fruitless if they are not rooted in an intense prayer life, and so we spend an hour every day in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

We wear our religious habit.

We obey our superiors.

We don't monkey around with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Period.

Q. How long does it take to become a priest in your order?

A. Usually, 8 years—one year of novitiate, three years of philosophy and four years of theology. Sometimes guys enter who have already completed some of the necessary studies for the priesthood, in which case the period would likely be shorter (but this is not a given). It might seem like a long time, but since there's nothing more important than proper formation for a priest, its well-worth it.

Q. Where do members of the IVE study?

A. The IVE has its own houses of formation for its seminarians, because we want to ensure that our guys get well-rounded formation that is entirely faithful to the Church and to the charism of our congregation. That said, we have five seminaries in the world: in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, the United States (just outside of Washington, DC) and in Italy (in Segni, just outside of Rome). Generally speaking, American seminarians would study at the seminary here is the United States, although we occasionally send some seminarians to Segni to study there as well, especially for the latter part of their theologate.

Because of the importance we place on the intellectual apostolate, and the fact that we want our priests to be able to teach both in our seminaries and elsewhere, the IVE also sends many of its priests and seminarians to outside (Pontifically recognized) universities, especially in Rome, in order to get advanced degrees (this is seperate from their priestly formation). More than 1/3 of our priests have gotten or are in the process of getting an advanced degree in various fields—philosophy, theology, liturgy, sacred scripture, canon law, etc. In the US, we have also begun sending seminarians to do graduate studies at Catholic University of America while continuing their formation at our seminary—the goal is to have some guys earn their Licentiate degree even before their ordination so that they are in a better position to teach if necessary.

Here's what our Constitutions say on the issue:

In order to fulfill this ongoing formation we desire that all the members of our Institute, according to their capacities and talents, take ecclesiastical or civil courses after the seminary. These will be taken preferably in the Pontifical Universities of Rome or in those recognized by the Holy See, to receive the qualifying title of Doctor or Licentiate. We already have a priestly community in Rome in which normally two years are spent for this reason. The formation in Rome implies the attainment of a Roman spirit (romanità), which entails a crown of virtues: universal openness, fidelity to the Magisterium, a missionary spirit, longanimity and magnanimity.

Among the places we have sent students are:

Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Lateran University
Pontifical University Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)
Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce)
Pontifical Patristics Institute (Augustinianum)
Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum)
Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music
Pontifical John Paul II Institute (Both in Rome and Washington, DC)
Pontifical Atheneum Saint Anselm
Pontifical Atheneum Regina Apostolorum
Catholic University of America

In addition, some students study at the Saint Bruno of Segni Center of Higher Studies that the IVE recently founded.

The IVE's Center for Graduate Studies in Segni, Italy

Q. How big is your religious family?

A. The Religious Family of the Incarnate Word has three parts:

The Institute of the Incarnate Word (the male branch), which has roughly 900 members—350 priests, 525 men in formation, and a small number of lay brothers.

The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (the female branch, whose habit is a distinctive blue and gray), which has about 1,000 members—perpetually professed sisters and those still in formation

The Third Order of the IVE (the lay branch) has several thousand more members, and consists of married, single, and consecrated laypeople who want to share in the charism of our order.

So we're about 1,900 religious all together, plus thousands more lay faithful!

Q. Do you accept lay volunteers to any of your missions?

A. Yes! Many of our missions would love to have lay volunteers. In the past, we have arranged mission trips for laymen (the sisters also arrange for female volunteers)—both individually and in groups—in many of the countries where we work, including Argentina, Guyana, Peru, Russia, Italy and the Holy Land. In theory, however, we could arrange something for any of the countries where we have missions, depending on the circumstances. Some of the volunteers worked in our houses of charity (orphanages, etc.) or schools (teaching English, for example) and even doing manual labor, while others worked in their professional fields (as nurses, engineers, etc.)—but the possibilities depend on the individual and the location.

Of course, you have to be willing to live with our priests & brothers, since none of the missions has permanent quarters set up for volunteers, just plain old-fashioned hospitality! Because there are almost no expenses other than your plane ticket, this is a wonderful opportunity for those who want to give their time to serve the Church and bring souls closer to Christ—especially for students (or teachers) during summers, Christmas break, and after graduating high school or college. If you want to know more about this possibility, please check out this page, which has lots more details.

Q. Does the IVE follow the charism of a particular saint?

A. One of the greatest treasures of the Catholic Church is the wealth of saints who we have as examples, and whose teachings and apostolates have won such a great harvest of souls through the centuries. Because the specific charism of the IVE is broad-based—the conversion of the whole of culture, and the redemption of everything in it that is authentically human, the IVE wants to draw on that wealth of the saints in order to best work toward our mission. So we have adopted many aspects from different saints—we consecrate ourselves to Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort, we preach the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and seek to have an Ignatian spirit of self-sacrifice when it comes to our missionary work, while we devote much study and give great weight to Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila in matters of prayer life and spirituality. We do popular missions according to the method of St. Alphonsus Liguori and organize oratories for children as St. John Bosco did, but we also seek to imitate the light-hearted and joyful spirit of St. Philip Neri in our community life, and so on. The bottom line is that we seek to reflect the depth and breadth of the saints in our prayer life, our community life and in our apostolate.

Q. Do seminarians in the U.S. stay in the U.S. once they're ordained? Do you get to decide where you will go?

A. In some religious orders, each province is very independent, and all the priests/religious for a given province are "owned," so to speak, by their home province. That is not the case in the IVE—after ordination, it is the general government in Rome that decides where each priest will be assigned, and once they are assigned to a given province they are under the authority of that province until/unless the general government moves them to another province. There are many factors that influence where a given priest will work—his physical condition, his intellectual abilities, what his native language is, his facility for learning foreign languages, etc. all affect whether a priest might be assigned to the Sudan or China, or teach in a seminary, or remain in his country of origin, etc.

Of course, where our members go depends on where we have been asked to begin foundations (take a parish, teach in a seminary, etc). Currently we have requests from bishops all over the world, but almost half of these requests have come from bishops in the United States. This means, of course, that its very likely that priests who feel that their vocation is to remain in the United States will be able to do so. Indeed, the IVE does like to have people working in their country of origin as well, since because they know their culture intimately, they are best equipped to inculturate the Gospel.

The individual in question does have some input as well, insofar as some priests (or seminarians)—after much prayer and careful discernment—offer themselves for a particular country or region. That does not mean, of course, that someone will definitely be assigned to the place for which he has offered himself, and all our members must be ready to embrace the will of God as expressed through the desires of their superiors.

Q. How many monks are there in the IVE? And where does your contemplative branch have monasteries?

A. About 10% of the IVE worldwide are contemplatives. We currently have seven monasteries in the world--in Argentina, Spain (two), Italy, Jordan, Tunisia, and Israel. We are hoping (and praying hard) that we'll be able to found a monastery here in the United States in the very near future. Usually guys enter the monastery after their philosophy studies are completed, and continue their studies while living in the monastery. The situation is a bit more complicated here in the U.S., since we don't have a monastery yet, but that will change soon!

Q. Do you all study Latin in the seminary?

A. We do—usually everybody gets 3 years of Latin. The goal is that our seminarians and priests can read St. Thomas Aquinas, the Western Church Fathers, etc. in the original Latin. FYI, we also study Greek—usually three years—so that we can read the New Testament and even the Eastern Church Fathers in the original. Obviously, this depends substantially on the abilities of the individual seminarian, but that's the goal.

Q. You guys have really nice vestments-where do you get them?

A. The sisters! One of the beautiful things that the sisters in our religious family do for our priests and our parishes is to make vestments. Its one of their ways of adding to the dignity and beauty of the liturgy (one of the special concerns of our congregation)...

Q. Isn't it normal to study two years of philosophy—why do you guys spend three years? And what kind of philosophy do you study?

A. The study of philosophy is a very important part of the formation of our priests, and we want to give as much time to it as we feel is necessary. Most of the problems our society faces today are predicated upon a deeply flawed philosophical understanding of reality and our ability to understand that reality. In order to combat those errors, it is necessary to have proper philosophical formation. Of course, proper philosophical formation doesn't just mean you study for a long time, it also means that you study the right philosophy. Too often, the philosophical formation provided in seminaries isn't established within a good (i.e., a realist) philosophical framework. When this happens, progressivists have already won half the battle, because those priests will be unable to confront the errors the Church faces within a wider context, and will be unable to see the flawed understandings that underlie the criticisms against the Church and Her teaching. Furthermore, a proper philosophy is necessary for a proper theology. As Pope Pius XI says in his encyclical Studiorum Ducem, theology "will be all the more perfect in man in proportion as he is the better acquainted with the evidence for faith and has at the same time a more fully developed and trained faculty of philosophizing." In our seminaries, the philosophical formation is deeply Thomistic—that is, based on St. Thomas Aquinas—whose philosophical system most perfectly explains reality and its causes, and which has been hailed as the ideal philosophical system by more than 75 popes (including John Paul II and Benedict XVI) over the last 750 years. We do not understand our study of St. Thomas as something peculiar to our charism—we understand it as a necessary part of formation for all priests, and indeed, the Church itself has declared that She values St. Thomas' philosophy above all others. One can look at Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Aeterni Patris for an eloquent explanation of why this is the case. Perhaps Pope Pius XI put it best in Studiorem Ducem when he said, "If we are to avoid the errors which are the source and fountain-head of all the miseries of our time, the teaching of Aquinas must be adhered to more religiously than ever."

Q. Do you also study St. Thomas Aquinas in your theological formation?

A. Absolutely. The beauty of St. Thomas' work is the synthesis of a realist philosophy and a sound and comprehensive Catholic theology. It was for this reason that so many popes have held up St. Thomas as the model for theological study and endeavor. In fact, it is patently the case that without a foundation in Thomistic theology (and philosophy), one cannot even understand the terminology used when the Church formulates the truths of our Faith, let alone the substance of the teaching.

In the encyclical (Studiorem Ducem) that we quoted above in response to an earlier question, Pope Pius XI speaks very strongly in about the necessity of studying St. Thomas' theological teaching—in fact, he lauds him more for his theological system even than his philosophical teaching, and underlines the necessity of studying St. Thomas for all aspects of theology.

There can be no doubt that Aquinas raised Theology to the highest eminence, for his knowledge of divine things was absolutely perfect and the power of his mind made him a marvelously capable philosopher. Thomas is therefore considered the Prince of teachers in our schools, not so much on account of his philosophical system as because of his theological studies. There is no branch of theology in which he did not exercise the incredible fecundity of his genius.

The bottom line: We would not be teaching our seminarians what the Church instructs us to teach them if our formation were not based on the work of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Q. Does your order only celebrate the Novus Ordo mass?





Q. You seem very focused on academics—is the IVE exclusively an order of “academics” or intellectuals?

A. By no means are we exclusively focused on academics (either in the seminary or in our missions)! We have seminarians of very differing academic/intellectual backgrounds, interests, and abilities, and this makes sense to us given the very different types of apostolates in which we are engaged. We have priests who work as missionaries in remote regions of Peru and Russia, as parish priests in the U.S. and Europe, and who run orphanages in Argentina and Egypt, as well as teaching in seminaries and working in other more intellectually-focused apostolates (this latter actually comprises a significant minority). We care very much that all the formation we give be intellectually sound and faithful to the Church, and we challenge our seminarians, but always within their individual abilities. One of the advantages of having our own seminaries (and also sending seminarians for graduate degrees in Pontifical universities) is that we are able to tailor the program of studies on an individual basis. It is also important to note that a vital part of our seminarians’ formation is not just academic, but also spiritual and pastoral, and so much time is spent in prayer and apostolic work as well as on more domestic duties—cooking, cleaning, serving tables, landscaping, plumbing, etc.—since we do almost everything for ourselves. This latter work type of work is a part of our poverty, and is an integral to developing a great spirit of humility and great generosity of heart, which are of more value in a religious and priest even than great learning.
















Q. What are the newest IVE foundations? (in the whole world)

A. In honor of our 25th anniversary (on March 25, 2009), Fr. Buela (our founder) promised to make a "rosary" of new foundations (that is, 50)—with 25 being founded by our sisters and 25 by the Incarnate Word priests. By the end of 2009, we were already about halfway there. Outside of the United States, we (the male branch) have established (among others) two foundations in the Gaza Strip (the only Catholic parish there and also a home for handicapped children); Pumpėnai, Lithuania (a school for boys); Madaba, Jordan; Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Aleppo, Syria; Baghdad, Iraq; Nuuk, Greenland; Lyon, France; Manresa, Spain; and Athens, Greece. Another one of our upcoming foundations will be on the banks of the Jordan River in Maghtas, where (God willing) we will care for the Sanctuary of the Baptism of the Lord. Here in the United States, our most recent foundations are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mankato, Minnesota; and Dallas, Texas (Diocese of Dallas).






Q. What is the cut-off age for acceptance into the IVE?

A. There isn't one, as such. Certainly most of our seminarians are on the young side, but the oldest man to become an IVE priest was Fr. Samuel Leonard, who was ordained at 70—he was a widowed father of 10 grown children! We make a determination on an individual basis of whether we think someone is called to the priesthood and would be a good fit with the charism of our Institute, and then give it a shot. Certainly older vocations need to have great humility to work on an equal footing with much younger men, and to embrace the challenging way of life that our seminarians and priests live, but all things are possible with God...

Q. What is the minimum age for entry in the IVE?

A. Canon Law (643 §1) requires that a person be 17 in order to enter the novitiate for a religious congregation. So technically no one can enter the IVE until that age. However, we do have a minor seminary (grades 7-12) for boys who feel called to the priesthood. Obviously, entry into the minor seminary requires the permission of your parents, and there is no obligation or vow of any kind (you can leave at any time if you discern you vocation lies elsewhere), but we still consider our minor seminarians very much a part of our religious family!

Q. Where does the IVE have priests teaching in diocesan seminaries?

A. Because we recognize the vital importance of proper intellectual and spiritual formation of future priests, we give a high priority to teaching in diocesan seminaries. We give a special priority to mission areas that have difficulty getting qualified priests for their seminaries. We currently have priests teaching at diocesan seminaries in the Holy Land, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, and Ukraine.

Q. Do you have more than one or two priests together when you have a parish? Is there some sense of them being accountable to each other as well as encouraging and supporting each other, as opposed to being virtually on their own?

A. As religious, community life is very important to us, and so we do not send priests on mission alone (with very rare exceptions and for a fixed time)—so we want to have at least two priests or more in our parishes. Of course, even when there are only a couple of priests, we focus a lot on the importance of community life: the priests cannot simply be living in the same house, but living together as brothers—they try to have their meals together, spend time in recreation together, meet at least once a week with other IVE priests in the general area, etc. This certainly involves accountability between them and, most importantly, fraternal support. Indeed, it is very difficult to even make a parish function, much less to effect any significant changes or renewal in a parish (which every parish needs) if the priests do not have the friendship and support of the other priests in their community.

Q. Is the IVE a "Latino" or "Hispanic" order?

A. Because the IVE was founded in Argentina and is still a very young congregation, the great majority of our priests right now are Argentinean. In the United States, given the great need for Spanish-speaking priests, most of our parishes are in areas with a large Spanish-speaking population, and we have been blessed with many Latino vocations from these apostolates. However, our charism is not specifically oriented toward working with Latinos (it is much broader than that), and we also have many native English-speaking members (from Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, etc.) as well as majority English-speaking parishes and apostolates. It is also worth mentioning that we are a worldwide order, and so we also have vocations from Ireland and the U.K., as well as from Italy, and Kenya, and China, etc. Simply put, we are not a "Latino" congregation, although we were founded in Latin America and have many Spanish-speaking members.


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Created on 08/29/2007 11:26 AM by ive2007 Updated on 07/30/2010 08:21 AM by Admin