Distinguished from other forms of Consecrated Life, members of secular institutes seek "to live out their consecration to God in the world through the profession of the evangelical counsels in the midst of temporal realities; they wish in this way to be a leaven of wisdom and a witness of grace within cultural, economic and political life. Through their own specific blending of presence in the world and consecration, they seek to make present in society the newness and power of Christ's kingdom, striving to transfigure the world from within by the power of the Beatitudes. In this way, while they belong completely to God and are thus fully consecrated to his service, their activity in the ordinary life of the world contributes, by the power of the Spirit, to shedding the light of the Gospel on temporal realities." (VC 10 ¶ 2) Open to women or men, this vowed form of secular life is lived in community. Many secular institutes flourish throughout the world as a form of consecrated life. More information may be found at www.secularinstitutes.com.