Why St. Paul?

James Alberione, a man who was entrusted with the gift of Pauline Spirituality for the people of our time, found that it truly was St. Paul who was the teacher par excellence of the following of Christ; in a sense, the Pauline spirituality originated with the Apostle. In 1953, when Fr. Alberione was insistently asked to write something about his life as a man and a founder, he replied: "This seems important to me, and I would like this to be known: namely, that after my death, no one should speak any further of me, but only of St. Paul. He is the founder, the model, the father, the one who inspires us."

Alberione explains further, "Before placing [it, the Institute, the Pauline Family] under the protection of the Apostle Paul, there was very much prayer. It needed a saint who excelled in holiness and who at the same time, would serve as an example for the apostolate. In himself, St. Paul united holiness and apostolate." There was an interior process of study that prepared him for the encounter. "Admiration and devotion began especially after study and meditation on the Letter to the Romans. From this Letter, Paul's personality emerged, his holiness, his heart, his intimacy with Jesus, his dogmatic and moral efforts, his imprint on the organization of the Church, his zeal for all the people, and all these became subjects of meditation. He seemed truly the apostle, and every apostolate was to be received from him. The Family became consecrated to St. Paul, and [my recovery from serious illness] is to be attributed to St. Paul" (Io sono con voi, pg. 17).

At the Center: Jesus Master | Prayer to Jesus Master | Why St. Paul | Getting to Know Paul the Apostle
Mary, as Mother, Teacher and Queen | Apostolic Spirituality and Holiness | Communicating Christ