When John XXIII convoked the second Vatican Council he used the very typical Italian expression, Aggiornamento, which signified a bringing up-to-date, a renewal conceived in a very positive and dynamic way. He was aware that the Church was about to confront a new world and that she had to face up to it in order to bring it Christ’s message. That was especially true of the Consecrated Life in all its forms. There were certainly many things it had to examine and to change without, however, disowning itself. In view of all that we have seen, the Council had many advantages to offer the Holy Family. It could accelerate the movement of reflection already begun and help the community to recover the essence of its being.

However, there is one problem here; it is always difficult to analyse recent events. Nevertheless, this study is somewhat facilitated by a certain speeding up of history. The years 1960-1970 are, in one sense, very close to us and, in another, rather distant. We are now entering another world. This gives the impression of remoteness, which makes it possible to carry out a preliminary study from a relative distance in time.