The primacy of God is the foundation of Spiritan spirituality. It arises from an encounter: that of a heart which discovers that God has gone before it, that he loves it, that he calls it to a life greater than itself. One cannot truly be a Spiritan without this foundational encounter. Poullart and Libermann, each in their own story, experienced this inner transformation.
This novena seeks to help us welcome the Spirit’s work of renewing the grace of our vocation. May it become for each of us a time of visitation: may the Spirit surprise us, console us, send us forth, and fashion us — even today — into Spiritans after God’s own heart.
D. Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti: as a Spiritan, it was a joy to help coordinate the Pope’s visit to Angola. Among those who greeted him at the conclusion of the meeting with missionaries was Father Bernard Duchene, CSSp, who is celebrating 50 years of missionary service in Angola.