“We consider as a constitutive part of our mission of evangelization: the integral liberation of the human person, action for justice and peace, and participation in development.”
For Spiritan missionaries, development is an essential expression of evangelization. The Good News becomes tangible when human dignity is upheld, the poor are empowered, and communities are transformed.
Through Spiritan International, our Central Development Office established in 2019, we coordinate a global network of Local Development Offices to strengthen impact, promote accountability, and foster collaboration across our missions.
Inspired by Laudato Si’, we embrace an integral ecology that recognizes the deep interconnection between people and creation (LS, 91). Guided by Fratelli Tutti, we promote a culture of fraternity and inclusion where no one is left behind (FT, 66). The Spiritan vision renewed at the Bagamoyo Chapters calls us to a mission of proximity, compassion, and prophetic engagement.
Working often in fragile and underserved contexts, we walk with communities, supporting sustainable, people-centered development that addresses the root causes of poverty and injustice.
In this way, development becomes a sign of hope, bringing the Gospel to life through justice, peace, and care for our common home.
In February 2019, the Congregation established the Central Development Office, known as Spiritan International, to give renewed impetus, coordination, and coherence to our development initiatives worldwide. This decision marked a significant step in strengthening our commitment to integral human development as a core dimension of our missionary vocation.
Integral development, as we understand it, embraces the whole person and every person. It seeks not only economic improvement but also social inclusion, environmental sustainability, cultural respect, and spiritual growth. It is closely aligned with our mission of evangelization, which calls us to promote justice, peace, and the integrity of creation in all contexts where we serve.
Spiritan missionaries are deeply rooted in the communities they serve. Often living among the poorest and most marginalized, they build long-term relationships of trust that form the foundation of meaningful and sustainable development. Their presence is not temporary or project-driven; it is a shared journey with the people, marked by listening, accompaniment, and solidarity.
Many of our missionaries serve in fragile and challenging environments conflict zones, remote rural areas, and regions affected by poverty and exclusion where others may not easily go. Their commitment is sustained by a profound belief in the dignity of every human person and a passion to see lives transformed. Through their witness, development becomes a lived expression of the Gospel, bringing hope where it is most needed.
The primary goal of Spiritan International is to bring together and strengthen the diverse development initiatives of the Congregation across the world. By federating our projects and local development offices, we seek to avoid fragmentation, promote synergy, and ensure that our efforts are both effective and impactful.
Today, this vision has taken concrete form through the establishment of multiple Local Development Offices across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. These offices serve as vital hubs for planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects at the grassroots level, while remaining connected to the Central Development Office in Rome.
Through this global network, we are able to:
This coordinated approach enables us to respond more effectively to emerging needs while maintaining a unified vision rooted in our missionary charism.
As Spiritan missionaries, we see ourselves as bearers of hope in a world marked by inequality, environmental degradation, and social fragmentation. Our development work is not merely technical or humanitarian; it is deeply spiritual and prophetic. It is about “inventing a new story” of a future where justice, peace, and human dignity prevail.
We are committed to working together as a global missionary family “One Heart and One Spirit”—to build communities where every person can flourish. This commitment calls us to engage in processes that empower people, especially the most vulnerable, to become agents of their own development.
In today’s rapidly changing world, our understanding of development continues to evolve. We are increasingly aware of the interconnected challenges facing humanity, including climate change, forced migration, economic inequality, and social injustice. In response, we embrace a development approach that is:
Guided by Catholic Social Teaching and inspired by recent Church teachings, we reaffirm our commitment to care for our common home and to promote a culture of solidarity and fraternity.
The development we promote is one that is attentive to the state of our planet and its people, a development that restores hope, fosters resilience, and builds a future rooted in justice and peace. It is a development that calls for courage, creativity, and collaboration.
Far from withdrawing in the face of global challenges, we choose to engage actively and constructively. We believe in a shared vision of development that transcends borders and unites us in a common mission: to create a world where all can live in dignity, harmony, and peace.
As we continue to write this new chapter of our missionary journey, we remain committed to a development that is truly at the heart of evangelization, bringing the Good News to life through concrete actions that transform our world.
🌍 Our Vision
To build a shared future of hope by promoting integral human development where social progress, human dignity, and care for creation are at the Centre of our missionary service.
✝️ Our Mission
Participation in development is a constitutive part of our mission of evangelization. We are called to be advocates, companions, and defenders of the poor, promoting justice, peace, and the integral development of every person and all peoples.
(cf. Catholic Social Teaching; Laudato Si’, 139; Fratelli Tutti, 66*)
🤝 Our Core Values
Service · Responsibility · Integrity · Consistency · Respect · Commitment
🎯 Our Strategic Priorities
🌱 Our Key Areas of Action (Aligned with SDGs)
🛤️ Our Development Approach
🌐 Global Missionary Network
We leverage our international presence to respond across borders, cultures, and contexts, embodying a spirit of universal fraternity (Fratelli Tutti).
⏳ Long-Term Presence
Our sustained commitment within communities builds trust, credibility, and locally rooted solutions.
🤲 Witness and Solidarity
Through a simple lifestyle and closeness to the poor, we affirm human dignity and foster authentic relationships.
🔥 Prophetic Vision
Inspired by the Gospel and the Spiritan charism, we respond creatively to emerging challenges with courage and innovation.
👥 Holistic, People-Centered Approach
We promote development that respects the dignity of the whole person—social, economic, spiritual, and ecological—reflecting the call to integral ecology (Laudato Si’).
Fr. Kenneth Okoli, CSSp
Coordinator
Central Development Office
