This pious Society is called of the Catholic Apostolate, not because it claims to have in itself the Catholic Apostolate, but so that it might be in the Church of Jesus Christ like an evangelical trumpet, perpetually call­ing everyone, inviting everyone and awakening the zeal and charity of all the faithful of every class, rank and condition so that all may humbly, lov­ingly and religiously respect and vene­rate the Catholic Apostolate as it is instituted' by Jesus Christ in His Church.

 

***************

Pallotti was forty years old and seventeen years a priest when, in 1835, he founded the pious Society of the Catholic Apostolate. The founding of the Society was not without God's in­spiration to which Vincent most wil­lingly yielded. We learn from his wri­tings that God prepared Vincent for this great work. 

In his writings prior to 1835 we read that Pallotti's concern was twofold: to love God and to shower this love on others. With humility and confidence he strove for complete renunciation of self and the world, and for the most perfect imitation of the attitudes of Jesus. Embraced by Jesus Christ, he desired to live in the salvific mystery of Christ, the Apostle and High Priest. Realizing the impossibility of the desire «to penetrate into every corner of the earth and convert all men», he tried to do as much as he could. He prayed and encouraged others to pray to the Lord «to send workers into His vineyard who would be - if possible - infi­nitely holy» (OOCC X, 23). He also worked unselfishly and rallied as many as possible to work for the propaga­tion and revival of faith and charity.

Illustrative and prophetic of Vin­cent's future life as a founder are the words he wrote on August 22, 1818, a few months after his ordination: « Praise the Lord, praise Mary; let us save souls, let us honour God; let ­us always remember that the most divine of all divine things is· to coope­rate in the salvation of human beings». These words, which recur quite often in his later writings, can be said to be his motto and the goal of all his undertakings.

Certainly God prepared him for the task. This preparation can be seen in Pallotti's ardent desire to convert everyone to God, to practice charity towards all, and to give God, if possible, an infinite glory. This period of discernment can be seen in Vincent's involvement in the aposto­late. He had resolved: «I intend to commit myself to the good of the Church and of the human race as if the Eternal and Universal Priesthood, given by the heavenly Father to our Lord Jesus Christ, my most beloved, were also entrusted to me». The great extent of his acti­vities in the Roman churches, hos­pitals, jails, night schools, retreat hou­ses, convents, monasteries and seminaries and his work on behalf of the poor and the foreign missions attested to his total commitment.

In The beginning Pallotti was alone.  However, seeing the many needs, he tried to gather some pious persons in a bond of emulating charity. Privately in 1834 and then publicly in 1835, Fr. Vincent united «priests and laymen» into the pious Union of the Catholic Apostolate.

The Union received the blessing of Pope Gregory XVI on July 11, 1835 as a Society of the Catholic Apostolate and began its work in a more orga­nized way. All - priests, religious and laypersons of both sexes - were invited to join the Society and to participate in its work. Pallotti, despite the many difficulties he encountered, never abandoned the idea of « Catho­lic Apostolate» namely, that all the members of the People of God are called to share in the apostolate of the Church. The Society in its organizational form developed slowly, but it was al­ways faithful to the ideals of its founder.