VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, on Saturday will celebrate a thanksgiving Mass in St. Peter´s Basilica for the recognition of the spiritual family «The Work,» as an institute of pontifical right.
The spiritual family was founded in Belgium in 1938 by Mother Julia Verhaeghe. It includes a community of consecrated women, and a priestly community, to which priests, deacons, and lay brothers belong.
The spirituality of The Work is characterized by a strong biblical, sacramental and ecclesial sense. It works in parishes, and in medical, social and educational centers.
For many years, The Work (http://www.daswerk-fso.org) has been committed to the development of the person and the thought of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th-century English convert.
