«Make me The Work of the Church! With all that i have given you, you already know what you have to do».
“Make me The Work of the Church!” But along with it there also came the manner for her to carry out all this: “with all that I have given you” ; since this is the very essence and richness of this Work.
This expression: “all I have given you,” comprises God’s communications to Mother Trinidad that lasted many years. Gradually, God has been depositing into Mother’s soul, as if into a precious coffer, mysteries full of light and wisdom: The mystery of the Trinitarian life, the mystery of creation and man’s redemption, the hidden mystery of Christ’s soul, the wonder of grace Mary is, the mystery of the Church in both Her divine and human reality… etc. A veritable treasure trove of theology, Catholic doctrine and supernatural life.
At the same time that He was giving Mother Trinidad the knowledge of these mysteries, however, God made her understand that the reason why she was given such treasures was not for her being a special soul, but simply for being a daughter of the Church, since it is this Holy Mother that contains in Her bosom all this treasure which God was giving her to participate in and live.
Mother Trinidad has not been silent about all that God has made her live and know in such a powerful way. Ever since the very beginning, God Himself instilled in her soul the clearest possible awareness that everything she was receiving was for her to tell everyone. And thus, driven by God’s Love, she burns with the need to sing to all men the treasure of light and life that is enclosed within Holy Mother Church.
What is its mission?
This is therefore the mission of The Work of the Church: “to live and to manifest.” To live together with Mother Trinidad the mysteries contained within the Church and to manifest them through wisdom and love to all of God’s children.
To this end, The Work relies on a most valuable source: the more than 1,000 talks that Mother Trinidad has recorded and her numerous writings, where she communicates with simple and profound language the mysteries God has poured out in her soul. Therefore, thanks to this medium, mysteries as great as the Divine Family, the Incarnation and the Eucharist… become simple, attractive and closer to us, nourishing the Christian spiritual life of those who receive them.
As they listen to Mother Trinidad, a legion of souls arises at her side who, ‘following the Lamb wherever He goes’, consecrate themselves totally to God, making it their first and foremost task to live the mystery of the Church in depth and to make it known to all people, so that everyone may be filled with Life. This legion also includes all kinds of people: men and women, the elderly and children, priests and laypeople who, each according to their own state in life, wish to live their Christian life deeply, being living witnesses before the world of what it means to be the Church. Thus, every vocation, every state of life and every path finds its place in this common mission of Christian evangelisation.
Mother Trinidad: One life, one mission, one vocation that only God knows in its full depth and transcendence.
Mother Trinidad de la Santa Madre Iglesia went to Rome after overcoming countless and numerous hurdles with the only purpose of talking personally to Pope Saint John XXIII. Since such a private audience was not granted to her, she could only stand before the Pontiff with a group of pilgrims on July 18, 1959.
Mother Trinidad de la Santa Madre Iglesia
Mother Trinidad: One life, one mission, one vocation that only God knows in its full depth and transcendence.
Mother Trinidad, together with the Bishop of The Work of the Church, Rt. Rev. Laureano Castán Lacoma, Cardinal Ugo Poletti, General Vicar of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, Auxiliary Bishop Mgr. Remigio Ragonesi and a group of consecrated members of The Work of the Church, with His Holiness, Pope Saint John Paul II. (01-18-1981) (18-01-1981).
The Work of the Church was founded by Mother Trinidad Sanchez Moreno on March 18th, 1959, and erected as a Pious Union on December 8th, 1967 by the then Archbishop of Madrid, Rt. Rev. Casimiro Morcillo González.
In June 1990, the Cardinal Archbishop of the same Diocese, Rt. Rev. Angel Suquía Giocoechea, with previous approval from the Apostolic See, acknowledged the elements of consecrated life which are at the basis of The Work of the Church and therefore approved its Constitutions, making use of Canon No. 605 of the Code of Canon Law for the first time.
At the end of this itinerary, the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, in a decree signed on December 20th, 1997, approved The Work of the Church and declared its status of Pontifical Right. Given its singularity, it has not been classified under any of the previous existing canonical forms of other Institutes of consecrated life, yet it has indeed been granted the supreme and definitive approbation that belongs to the Pope’s authority, having being raised therefore to pontifical right. Pope Saint John Paul II, after having personally met Mother Trinidad and having fathomed God’s unique workings in her soul, wanted this to be expressly reflected in the decree of the pontifical approval of The Work of the Church, and to this end he established March 18th, 1959, as the unique moment of such workings, and as the date of foundation of The Work of the Church.
Who belongs to The Work of the Church?
The very purpose of The Work of the Church has moulded it into a legion of souls who, standing by the Pope and the Bishops, may help them carry out the mission the Lord has entrusted to them. It is made up of three branches of consecrated life: priests, laymen and laywomen, around which there are the other branches: Adherents, Militants and Collaborators.
The range of The Work of the Church is as vast as its vocation: like in the Church, there is room for everyone: priests and lay members, consecrated and non-consecrated persons, families, youth and children. One only Work and the same mission, one only task that each person carries out according to the respective vocation, state, condition or group of each member.
Responsible members
Men and women consecrated to God by virtue of professing the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They lead a community life in the homes of The Work of the Church; priests and laymen live together in the same communities, while laywomen live together in separate houses.
Adherents
Including bishops, diocesan priests, male and female members of religious institutes or lay people privately consecrated to God, who even if they don’t live in community in the homes of The Work of the Church, are considered full members and do take part in its mission wherever the will of God may place them.
Militants
Youth and married adults, or non-married persons and widows, who, without being consecrated to God, seek to live the perfection of their state of life in the midst of the world.
Collaborators
People in any state of life who partake to their own measure of the spirit and mission of The Work of the Church and co-operate with it to the extent of their possibilities.
Children
Children, boys and girls, who from their early years –after the age of 7– learn the motto of Mother Trinidad: “To make God be content, and make others happy.”
Sympathising collaborators
People who do not formally belong to The Work of the Church, yet find their nourishment in all the spiritual riches that God has placed within it, they are united with all members by means of their prayers and share one common goal which is to live and make everyone live what it is to be Church.
The Work of the Church in the world
Currently, The Work of the Church has permanent centres in Spain (Madrid, Guadalajara, Seville, Toledo, Valladolid, Cádiz, Avila), Italy (Rome, Albano Laziale, and Rocca di Papa), Equatorial Guinea (Malabo) and Ecuador (Quito), from them conducts its preaching apostolate in other countries.
The Work of the Church, in virtue of its ultimate aim to help the Church and Bishops to present the true face of the Church to the whole world, is in contact with more than 1,500 Bishops on the five continents.
The “Ad Limina” visit that Bishops periodically make is a precious occasion to welcome them and help them during their stay in the Eternal City. Taking advantage of this occasion The Work of the Church assists them; and therefore, besides accompanying them to ease and facilitate their meetings at the different Roman congregations, the celebrations in the Basilicas and the encounter with the Holy Father, they are also offered the possibility of free hospitality in any of the houses of The Work, wherever they may be located.
Stemming forth from this simple yet sincere relationship is missionary co-operation with the Bishops who request it, whether it be by means of the writings of Mother Trinidad, which are sent to them on a monthly basis providing them with a precious help for their spiritual life, or by organising retreats for their priests, seminarians or the laity in their respective dioceses.