Our Beginnings

In 1914 Blessed Fr. James Alberione founded the Pauline Family.  The Pauline Family first started with

The Society of St. Paul and then grew into 10 distinct religious institutes within Fr. Alberione's lifetime.

                                                            The Society of St. Paul

                                                          The Daughters of St. Paul

                                              The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master

                                                 The Sisters of Jesus Good Shepherd

                                                      The Queen of Apostles Sisters

                                                             Institute of Jesus Priest

                                                   Institute of St. Gabriel the Archangel

                                                 Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation

                                                             The Holy Family Institute

                                                     Association of Pauline Cooperators

Each and all of these institutes are charged with the mission of bringing Jesus Christ,

Way, Truth and Life, to mankind by using all the modern means of Social Communications.

The Pauline Family was born in Italy, and became an international congregation that has

spread throughout the entire world.

In 1958 Fr. James Alberione visited The Sister Disciples of the Divine Master in Rome, Italy.

In their chapel he asked the sisters to pray for a specific request of his.  The request was

that the sisters pray for a new institute that would develop within the Pauline Family

This institute was: The Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel.

Fr. Alberione told the sisters that the institute was something that was needed in the Church.

The institute was for single Catholic men who would be consecrated to God, and they would

live their consecrated lives out in the world.  These consecrated men would work the

apostolate while living out in the world.

Through the prayer of the sisters, The Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel was born.

Men called by God came to enter the Institute.  These men that came to enter into this life

within The Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel have become to be known to The Pauline Family

as the "Gabrielites"

The founder would state to them:

"You are lay persons, without any religious mark of distinction.  You shall live at home, work in

schools, offices, factories and you shall carry out your witnessing within these institutions.

You, however, shall be consecrated persons....You shall be 'salt' and 'leaven' in the contemporary

world...You shall be consecrated to God and dedicated to the apostolate in the world and with the

means of the world...in order that to all men and women Christ may be proclaimed and to give

Jesus Christ to the world, totally, as He defined Himself: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

Herein are specified the vocation and the mission of these Pauline men of consecrated secular life. 

So, our Founder, Fr. Alberione saw the realization of The Institute of Saint Gabriel the Archangel,

for single men, who are called to live a consecrated life while remaining in the world and carrying

out the Pauline Apostolate, become approved by the Holy See on April 8th, 1960.

                                                                   Blessed Fr. James Alberione

                                                                                  1884-1971