The Emmanuel Community is an "International Public Association of the
Faithful" of pontifical right under Canon Law. Its Statutes were officially
approved by the Pontifical Council for the Laity on December 8, 1992. By
granting it "public" status, the Holy See recognizes that the Emmanuel
Community acts in the name of the Catholic Church, that is not only for the
particular good of its own members but for the common good of the whole
Church, participating in this way in the renewal of missionary conscience
among all the baptized.
The Emmanuel Community gathers more than 8,000 members around the world and
is present in 57 countries. It brings together families, single people, 
priests (233), seminarians (100), and
consecrated lay people living in
celibacy for the kingdom (25 brothers and 170 sisters). Four bishops have
already been appointed from priests of the Emmanuel Community.
The mission of the Emmanuel Community is to offer a path to its members to
answer God's call to holiness and proclaim Christ in today's world. It is
particularly through Eucharistic adoration, compassion, and evangelization
that its members are called to manifest God's presence with us (
"Emmanuel").
The Emmanuel Community proposes concrete ways to its members to grow
spiritually, notably through the attendance of daily mass, the invitation to
take long times of silent adoration each day, the call to leave a joyful and
simple life with a constant heart of praise, and various communal
activities, including praying together and sharing on a weekly basis on the
Word of God and evangelization efforts.
The Emmanuel Community carries out significant evangelization events around
the world, such as its famous five-day
summer retreat sessions in
Paray-le-Monial
(France), which gather over 30,000 people every year. The
Emmanuel Community is regularly entrusted major responsibilities in the
organization of the World Youth Days. As a sign of trust and proven track
record in the field of evangelization, numerous bishops around the world
have given to the Emmanuel Community the responsibility of more than 60
major diocesan parishes as well as numerous pilgrimage sanctuaries. Since
1984, the Emmanuel Community has been charged by the Pontifical Council for
the Laity to coordinate the Pope's International San Lorenzo Center for
Young People just off Saint Peter's Square. The Emmanuel Community also
runs several evangelization schools around the world, such as the
Emmanuel School of Mission in Rome.
The Emmanuel Community has been present in the United States since 1992,
particularly through a vibrant prayer group in New York City that remained
in existence for twelve years (first at Old Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Church, then at New York University Holy Trinity Chapel). It has also
organized numerous evangelization events throughout the United States.
Go to the
homepage for links to international websites of the Emmanuel Community.
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