Calendar

August 1900

01 Aug - 01 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 352, 1837.

I abandon myself and surrender myself to the heavenly Father’s disposal, so that he may do in everything and particularly in me, all that seems good to him. In life…

01 Aug - 01 Aug

We who come from different cultures, continents and nations and who have different outlooks are brought together by the Spirit of Pentecost into one larger community, the Congregation. Cultural diversity…

02 Aug - 02 Aug

Cf. Commentary of Saint John, 322.

Plunge me, submerge me and drown me in your heavenly waters. Oh yes! Lord, I implore you, drown me in these most desirable and desired waters, drown my concupiscence, my…

02 Aug - 02 Aug

Guide for Spiritan Formation, 59-60

The purpose of the noviciate is to allow the candidate to the Spiritan religious life to deepen his vocation. It guides him towards that moment when he chooses freely and…

03 Aug - 03 Aug

Cf. Commentary of Saint, 615, 616.

Jesus is waiting for souls. He draws them to him with an infinite kindness and by an interior gentleness that he gives and sometimes through the events of her divine…

03 Aug - 03 Aug

Fr. Timmermans: Report to the 15th General Chapter, 1980

We have taken the following conviction as basic in all our animation: a) It is false to say that from now on anything and everything is mission - that everything…

04 Aug - 04 Aug

Spiritual Writings, 79, 1836.

If the Lord gives us his Holy Spirit, it is not so that, we may live, even partly according to our own spirit. He must be our leader, our love,…

04 Aug - 04 Aug

Louis Bouic: Rule of 1834, no. 58

The Superior must work for the good of the Congregation. His principal duty if to support the whole house by his fidelity to prayer and union with God, and to…

05 Aug - 05 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, III, 102, 1842.

In order that all the powers of our heart be thus surrounded, enveloped and filled by the Spirit of Jesus, we must be dead to ourselves and everything. That is…

05 Aug - 05 Aug

Maynooth: 1.19. Gary Warner

We do not come empty-handed; we bring valuable experience, talents and skills to the Congregation. As lay people, we can work with you to forge new or deeper patterns of…

06 Aug - 06 Aug

Cf. Commentary of Saint John, 380, 1840.

The supreme rule for all souls wishing to live for Jesus, is to give little importance to themselves and much more to others.

06 Aug - 06 Aug

Archbishop Moisés Alvés de Pinho, Pensamentos. 1956

When I speak of prayer, I am not thinking of the multiplication of formulas, however beautiful they might be, or a string of devotional practices. Real prayer, the prayer to…

07 Aug - 07 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 64, 1834.

May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your soul and make it conform interiorly to the most holy and admirable interior of Jesus and Mary!

07 Aug - 07 Aug

Paul VI:Evangelii Nuntiandi, nº78

The preacher of the Gospel will be a person who, even at the price of personal renunciation and suffering, always seeks the truth that he must transmit to others. He…

December 8, 1975

08 Aug - 08 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 414, 1838.

When we enter this way of pure faith disengaged from the senses, we see ourselves as a heap of misery. For all that, we must not trouble ourselves or get…

08 Aug - 08 Aug

The Spirit of the risen Lord, working in the Church and in the world, gives life and direction to our entire apostolic life. This apos-tolic life 'contains in itself the…

09 Aug - 09 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, III, 102, 1842.

All that we have to do, all that our soul must apply itself to, is for it to dispose itself to using the help of the grace which is very…

09 Aug - 09 Aug

Rule for Brothers of the Congregation: 01.03.1851. N.D.XI, p. 487-515

Brothers are received to serve God in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Heart of Mary in order to help the missionaries in their apostolic work and…

10 Aug - 10 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 301, 1837.

Be holy, my dear friend, because the Father of our Lord is holy and because his Spirit who must live and act in you is holy.

August 10, 1900

10 Aug - 10 Aug

Formula for Vows: Réglements of 1849, no. 259

Please unite my sacrifice to your own which you offered on Calvary and which you continue to offer each day on our altars. Give me a share in that strength…

August 10, 1900

11 Aug - 11 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 282, 1839.

May your souls increase in gentleness, peace, joy and the holiness of the holy love of Jesus.

August 11, 1900

11 Aug - 11 Aug

From the introduction to Guide for Spiritan Archivists, 1998

Perhaps we are still not sufficiently aware of the duty we owe to the Church and Society to protect and preserve the unique archives that we have in our possession.…

August 11, 1900

12 Aug - 12 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 301, 1837.

There must be no hint of anything foreign to this Spirit of holiness and love in you. Your soul must experience no sentiment or sensation or impression whatsoever, it must…

August 12, 1900

12 Aug - 12 Aug

Joseph Shanahan, 01.01.1942, Before the Golden Bowl is broken, p.41

I would request of you now a special favour that you will surely obtain for me from Our Lady - that I may keep on ever with my face towards…

August 12, 1900

13 Aug - 13 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, VII, 418, 1845.

If you notice that you have a repugnance or hatred for certain persons, you will take the resolution to go to her and show her a lot of friendship.

August 13, 1900

13 Aug - 13 Aug

John Paul II: "Redemptoris Missio", no. 57

A vast field lies open to dialogue, which can assume many forms and expressions: from exchanges between experts in religious traditions or official representatives of those traditions to cooperation for…

August 13, 1900

14 Aug - 14 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 319, 1839.

One thing which greatly consoles me is that, in any case, whether I succeed or not, I will have had the happiness of sacrificing myself for the love of Our…

August 14, 1900

14 Aug - 14 Aug

Libermann to P.Logier, 16.05.1851. ND XIII, p.138-139

My dear brother, there are two ways of working for the salvation of souls - one active and another passive. The active way consists in teaching and carrying out the…

August 14, 1900

15 Aug - 15 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, VIII, 206, 1846.

Be with Mary like a little child is with his dear Mother. When he has a bruise, he goes to show it quickly to his mother. He is less preoccupied…

August 15, 1900

16 Aug - 16 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, I, 496, 1838.

May Jesus and his cross fill our souls! This cross has weighed very heavily on me for a long time, may the holy name of God be praised and adored!…

August 16, 1900

16 Aug - 16 Aug

John Paul II: "Ecclesia in Africa", nº33

The glory and splendour or the present period of Africa's evangelisation are illustrated in a truly admirable way by the Saints whom modern Africa has given to the Church. Pope…

September 14, 1995

17 Aug - 17 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, I, 502, 1838.

Another very important thing it pleased Our Lord to show me in this circumstance, is our extreme uselessness and incapacity. You have no idea of what we are worth or…

August 17, 1900

17 Aug - 17 Aug

Memoire of Pierre Thomas: Prayer of Poullart des Places

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you through your holy grace with all my heart, all my soul and all my strength. I beg you to…

August 17, 1900

18 Aug - 18 Aug

Cf. Notes and Documents, I, 502, 1838.

In all these miseries, it pleased God to let me see my own which is doubtless the greatest. He is the Master of all things and it is not for…

August 18, 1900

18 Aug - 18 Aug

Pierre Schouver, Superior General: Christmas Letter, 1997

After the enthusiasm of early days, difficulties are never far behind. The Spiritan comes up against opposition, perhaps criticism; he soon realises his limitations. Perhaps he looks around for excuses:…

August 18, 1900

19 Aug - 19 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 226, 1839.

It is the night of the cross, of privation, of interior darkness, where the senses have no part to play and are worthless and dead. It is the time to…

August 19, 1900

19 Aug - 19 Aug

Libermann: Commentary on St. John's Gospel. Jn 1:14

Incomparable love of God, of Jesus, what must I do to love you as you love me? I can do nothing but remain in my nothingness in the face of…

August 19, 1900

20 Aug - 20 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters I, 503, 1838.

We must distrust ourselves all the time, in everything we do and, and in everything that we say and think. We have to be careful and not act with that…

August 20, 1900

20 Aug - 20 Aug

Règlements 1849, no. 182

The Superior's Council in a community will be made up of his two assistants; he will consult them as much as possible regarding the community and its works so that…

August 20, 1900

21 Aug - 21 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 226, 1839.

This night of the cross is excellent, for it is in it and through it that souls are brought to perfection and little by little they shed their abundant faults.

August 21, 1900

21 Aug - 21 Aug

I/D no. 54, May 1997

If we are aware of our history today, it is largely thanks to our predecessors who took care to record and preserve what was happening, the great events as well…

August 21, 1900

22 Aug - 22 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 392, 1839.

Never want to advance further than is given to you from on high. Be contented to aim at renouncing yourself in everything and having a peaceful desire to live for…

August 22, 1900

22 Aug - 22 Aug

Itaici no. 27: Birth of the East African Province

Our history and the thrust of our mission is mainly rooted in the spirit and charism of our elder confreres who gave their lives on our African soil. Some of…

August 22, 1900

23 Aug - 23 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 363, 1837.

All that you have to do is to keep yourself docile and pliable in the hands of the Spirit of life whom our Lord has placed in your soul to…

August 23, 1900

23 Aug - 23 Aug

Libermann: Commentary on St. John, 4:28

'The Samaritan woman left her bucket at the well and went back to the village'. We can see here how powerful are the words of grace that come from the…

August 23, 1900

24 Aug - 24 Aug

Cf. Commentary of Saint John, 380, 1840.

It is necessary that souls to develop a very strong habit of never stopping to ponder over the graces of Our Lord in them. Their mind must be borne towards…

August 24, 1900

24 Aug - 24 Aug

Libermann to the community in Bourbon, 25.02.1844. N.D. VI, p. 76

It is wrong to think that we must first of all embrace what is assured of success before we take on anything less certain. If St. Paul had reasoned along…

August 24, 1900

25 Aug - 25 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 392, 1839.

Make no demands on him or on yourself either. Say calmly “My Jesus, you know well that I am nothing, that I can do nothing and that I am worth…

August 25, 1900

25 Aug - 25 Aug

When you come up against big obstacles in your pastoral ministry, don't get worried or discouraged; at times like that, it is the devil who tries to blind and upset…

August 25, 1900

26 Aug - 26 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 142, 1835.

whosoever breaths only for the holy will of God takes everything as they are, rejoices in them and always keep his soul well united to God, will soon acquire the…

August 26, 1900

26 Aug - 26 Aug

From the letters of Daniel Brottier, military chaplain from 1914-1918

May the good Lord spare those who have survived so far and bring these terrible days to an endÀThe weather is awful and the African soldiers are suffering greatly for…

August 26, 1900

27 Aug - 27 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 300, 1839.

I have left Rennes. I have not a single person or creature on earth in whom I can put my trust. I have nothing, and I do not know what…

August 27, 1900

27 Aug - 27 Aug

Guide for Spiritan Formation, no. 86

The aim of on-going formation is to help us to continually update our response to God's on-going call, in faithfulness to our tradition and in openness to the signs of…

August 27, 1900

28 Aug - 28 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 319, 1839.

On my own part, you see my situation, abandoned and cut off from all help, not even having a means of support or a way to earn my livelihood, or…

August 28, 1900

28 Aug - 28 Aug

Guide for Spiritan Formation, no. 88, The need for on-going formation

We believe that our Christian and apostolic vocation brings with it a continuing opportunity of an overall personal growth and the possibility of attaining a greater quality and fullness of…

August 28, 1900

29 Aug - 29 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 319, 1839.

That is the sort of work that I am going to undertake, I am going to talk to the great and the powerful, will they even look at me? I…

August 29, 1900

29 Aug - 29 Aug

Guide for Spiritan Formation, no. 88 (The need for on-going formation).

Today, the world is constantly changing and some of these changes are on a world scale and of un-paralleled extent and we ourselves are being transformed. By taking time to…

August 29, 1900

30 Aug - 30 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Writings, 555.

Fidelity to the divine grace draws a greater predilection of God for us, that is to say a greater superabundance of his graces and of his union with us, and,…

August 30, 1900

30 Aug - 30 Aug

Prayer of the Seminaire du Saint-Esprit as reported by Nicolas Warnet

Holy Mary, my mother and my queen, humbly kneeling at your feet I beg for your help. Help me, your servant, to dedicate myself to your Spouse, the Holy Spirit,…

August 30, 1900

31 Aug - 31 Aug

Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 282, 1839.

It is Jesus who must be the unique and amiable of all our souls. Let us therefore empty our souls of all selfish love and all improper love for creatures,…

August 31, 1900

31 Aug - 31 Aug

Guide for Spiritan Formation, no. 88. The need for on-going formation.

Our contact with the people to whom we minister stimulates us to improve the quality of the service that we give by developing our skills and professional conscience. This encourages…

August 31, 1900