''Primo Feliciter'' was a

motu proprio In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term '' sua sponte'' for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a d ...

issued by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

on March 12, 1948.''The Church in the Modern Age (Vol 10)'' by Hubert Jedin, Gabriel Adriányi, John Dolan , Hypeion Press page 327 ''Primo Feliciter'' was issued a year after the constitution ''

Provida Mater Ecclesia ''Provida Mater Ecclesia'' was an apostolic constitution by Pope Pius XII, that recognized secular institutes as a new form of official consecration in the Catholic Church. Promulgated on February 2, 1947, the constitution recognized secular co ...

''. This motu proprio confirmed and blessed

secular institute In the Catholic Church, a secular institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in which consecrated persons profess the Evangelical counsels of celibate-chastity, poverty and obedience while living in the world, unlike members of a relig ...

s within the Catholic Church. Along with ''Provida Mater Ecclesia'' and ''

Cum Sanctissimus ''Cum Sanctissimus'' was an instruction issued on March 19, 1948, by the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes of the Catholic Church. The instruction clarified specific issues with respect to the approving religious institut ...

'', ''Primo Feliciter'' provided the basis for Catholic secular institutes to receive their own

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

.''Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition'' by Jordan Aumann 1985 page 272

Notes

References

''Primo Feliciter'' at the Vatican website
Pope Pius XII {{RC-document-stub