Abstract
Secular institutes are a form of consecrated life that only came into being in the last century and therefore do not have a long history. For this reason, there are also only a few canonical and ecclesiastical documents. Since the characteristics of secular institutes, in contrast to traditional monastic communities, are rather unknown, this article aims to contribute to making them somewhat better known and to present the regulations on various elements, such as spirituality, community life, governance and asset management. However, the codified norms only form a legal framework here, which leaves concretisation to the institutes' own regulations, so that there is a wide range. What all institutes have in common, however, is the connection between action and contemplation, which is also their main characteristic.