The Pallottine spirituality has its basis essentially in the spirituality of St. Vincent Pallotti, which reflects in our times above all in the spiritual diaries of the Founder. St. Vincent Pallotti is often called “apostle and mystic”. This means that there existed an intimate relationship between the active and contemplative dimensions in his spiritual life. Each spirituality is defined through a series of characteristic concepts and it manifests a specific image of God and of man, through a set of values and a concrete style of life. It expresses itself also through the official prayers and the liturgical celebrations. The essential traits of the Pallottine spirituality are found in the idea of “catholic” or “universal” apostolate.
We can say that all the elements of the Pallottine spirituality stand in relation to the universal apostolate of all the faithful. In a concise way, the essential elements of Pallottine spirituality are expressed in the Law of the Society: “All members of our Society live in a spirit which is ever renewed by the love which Jesus brought to earth. As the Apostle of the Eternal Father, he makes known to the world that God is infinite love. He calls man and woman, first created in God’s own image, and later restored to grace through his death, to give themselves entirely to God and to the service of their fellow human beings and to work for the salvation of the world”.
Members of the Society “are guided by a spirit of generous love which desires not only to serve and does not seek its own interests (cfr. 1 Cor 13). This is the source and the strength of our apostolate and of our community living. It assures a basic harmony between our apostolic work and our own spiritual life (…). In the Holy Family of Nazareth and in the first community at Jerusalem we find models for our communal way of living the life of love, and for our common apostolate”. (Law SAC nn. 10 e 13).
