The Christian Life Community is an international association of lay Christians who have adopted an Ignatian model of spiritual life. The 'Community' is present in almost sixty countries. The CLC draws its inspiration from the teachings of Ignatius of Loyola, and receives spiritual guidance from the Jesuits. The experience of making the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius is of paramount importance
to the members of the CLC. Members are encouraged to adhere to a lifestyle which is gospel-based and simple, to serve the poor and to integrate contemplation and action. As Ignatian spirituality has an essential apostolic dimension, members of the CLC do reflect also on how to bring Gospel values in all aspects of life of the world of today. The CLC has its origins in the World Federation of Marian Congregations which was founded in 1563, and adopted its current name in 1967. The CLC’s General Principles were approved in 1971 and revised in 1990. The World Christian Life Community is governed by the General Assembly, which determines norms and policies, and by the Executive Council which is responsible for their ordinary implementation. Christian Life Community® traces its roots to St. Ignatius Loyola, who, as a courtier recovering from his battle wounds, was given an extraordinary grace of conversion. That mystical experience of God led to his total dedication to Christ and His mission. After his conversion, Ignatius sought to help others by speaking with them singly or in groups about God’s presence in their lives. He guided many towards God by drawing on his own spiritual experiences and gradually formulated the Spiritual Exercises to help future guides lead others to God. The Exercises thus formed the foundation of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and many congregations of lay persons. These later developed into the Sodalities of Our Lady, from which the Christian Life Communities developed after Vatican II. After the Society of Jesus was suppressed in the late1700s, the link with the Spiritual Exercises and the Sodalities faded until its rediscovery in the 20th century and especially after Vatican II. In 1563 in Rome, a young Jesuit, John Leunis, S.J founded the first CLC by gathering a group of young lay students at the Roman College to help them unite their lives — jobs, studies, families, relationships with Christian values. The movement, originally called the Sodality of Our Lady, grew and was confirmed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1584. Over the years the movement spread dramatically. In 1920 there were 80,000 Sodalities worldwide. In the 1950s in the U.S., there were over two million teenage members and numerous adult members. When Vatican II urged groups like the Sodality to rediscover their original roots, some sodalities continued as before, while others became Christian Life Communities. The Jesuits and the Spiritual Exercises have continued in a close relationship with the CLC.
