“The evangelization of the ‘poor’ is our purpose. Therefore we go especially to peoples, groups, and individuals who have not yet heard the message of the Gospel or who have scarcely heard it, to those whose needs are the greatest, and to the oppressed. We also willingly accept tasks for which the Church has difficulty in finding workers.”
(Spiritan Rule of Life, 4)
Our rapidly changing world impacts on our mission: We recognize the great diversity of missionary activity in all parts of the world; Fields of evangelization change and so do methods and partners.
More than ever, evangelization is seen as the living incarnation of the Word of God: It penetrates different cultures and finds a home in the hearts of the people; It is always a source of new life which leads people towards the Father.
Spiritans are committed to the renewal of evangelization in a healthy and respectful manner, going to meet other people and religions without seeking to dominate them. We must first – through education and community service — help the oppressed and disadvantaged overcome the problems that make every day a struggle. This service becomes our witness to God’s love for the poor. From our witness and service, we then hope to introduce people to the Word of God.
The spirituality of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit springs from a profound openness to the Holy Spirit and from the missionary zeal of our founders, Claude Poullart des Places and François Libermann. Their vision shaped a community entirely dedicated to the poor and to those most in need, and continues today to inspire our way of living and serving.
We seek to keep this tradition alive at the heart of our communities, nurturing it as a gift for the whole Church. Recognising in our founders and in other Spiritan figures luminous witnesses for our time, we also work to promote their causes for canonisation, convinced that their example continues to enrich, guide, and strengthen the Church’s mission.
Sacred Scripture, the Social Teachings of the Church, the charism of our founders and over 300 years of lived missionary experience, inspire members of the Congregation in advancing Justice, Peace and integrity of Creation (JPIC).
Interreligious dialogue is an integral dimension of the Spiritan mission in today’s world.
“We engage in dialogue and collaborate loyally with the leaders and believers of other religions, as well as with those who do not believe in God; and we trust in the Holy Spirit who leads us all towards the whole truth” (cf. Jn 16:13). (SRL 16.3)
“We consider as a constitutive part of our mission of evangelization: the integral liberation of man, action for justice and peace and participation in development.”
This conviction lies at the very heart of our identity as missionaries. Evangelization, for us, is not limited to proclamation in words alone; it is embodied in actions that promote human dignity, restore hope, and foster integral human development. Inspired by the Gospel and attentive to the signs of our times, we understand development as a vital expression of God’s love in action, transforming lives, communities, and structures.
Spiritan founder, Claude Poullart des Places, felt called by God to found a community dedicated to educating poor seminarians. Today, in our missions in Africa and elsewhere, the Spiritans continue to live out the vision of Claude Poullart des Places. Apart from formal education carried out in our schools, Spiritans see education as vital in all our ministries. Basic education is the first step out of poverty and toward the Gospel.
Spiritan formation is a lifelong journey that enables the aspirants/candidates to Spiritan life and members of the Congregation to acquire necessary knowledge and “savoir-être” in becoming the witnesses of the Gospel according to the Charism of our founders Claude Poullart Des Places and Francis Libermann. It is divided in two major parts namely: the initial and ongoing formation.
Our Spiritan mission promotes an “integral liberation of man” and asks us to be “advocates, supporters and defenders of the weak and the little ones” (SRL 14). The General Chapter considers the crucial issue of the protection of persons to be a constitutive part of our mission today. (Bagamoyo 2021)
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