Joining hands with all those who are inspired by the same Spirit, such as our lay partners in mission and those who belong to other organizations, cultures and religions.
Joining hands with all those who are inspired by the same Spirit, such as our lay partners in mission and those who belong to other organizations, cultures and religions.
Communion with Others is a broad concept that embraces the vast spectrum of the cultural and religious diversity of God’s people through dialogue and witness of life. Today more than ever, our mission is increasingly taking the form of dialogue, encounter and collaboration. Our 14th General Chapter Directions puts it this way:
We are called to join hands with all those who are inspired by the same Spirit, such as our lay partners in mission and those who belong to other organizations, cultures and religions.
The Theme for this year is: Building Bridges of Friendship. We are beginning the year on the Solemnity of the Epiphany 2018 – even though it is celebrated on a different date in some Oriental Churches- because of its universal appeal as the celebration God’s revelation to all people. In a similar manner we will close the year on 25 January 2019 because it marks the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In this page we will be sharing some general orientations, Pentecost novena, resources, links, articles and multimedia materials from the provinces, regions and communities. We look forward to your interest and contributions during this year.
Together let us move toward Communion with Others, Building Bridges of Friendship.
Having concluded the memorial days of our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection, we look ahead now to the celebration of the great feast in honor of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost Novena 2018 was specially prepared for this year’s focused response to our 14th General Chapter Direction of Communion with Others.
We would like to gratefully acknowledge the participants and staff of the recently concluded 12th SSpS International Formators’ Course who prepared the novena. May God bless them abundantly for their generosity!
We trust that all communities in all provinces and regions will adapt this novena framework to the local context and share with our lay partners in mission. It is our fervent hope that this resource material will help each one to be open to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, and thus be empowered to move deeper into Communion with Others, Building Bridges of Friendship.
God of life,
we praise you for Christ our Saviour and the gift of your Holy Spirit.
We thank you for the voice of Jesus calling us to follow him.
We offer to you the 2018 World Mission Conference meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.
We pray for your blessing on those who prepare the conference,
those who attend, and on all your people.
May we so move in your Holy Spirit that we will be transformed disciples transforming our world.
All for your glory, through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sr. Katarina Pavelová, SSpS - Rome
On the Feast of the Epiphany, we open the Year of Communion with Others.
The word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek word epiphaneia which means ‘manifestation’. The feast celebrates the revelation of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, who lived as one of us (Jn. 1:1-14). The liturgy of today reminds us of a triple revelation. The first is the miracle at Cana where Jesus reveals his glory and opens up the faith of believers. The second is at the baptism in the Jordan, where the Father reveals Jesus' divine filiation through the Spirit. The third is the visit of the wise men, where God is revealed to the people through the child Jesus.
A special department of the Roman Curia for relations with the people of other religions
