Could I be a Spiritan?
Perhaps as you discover more about the Spiritans, their life in community and their ministry with the poor and abandoned, you've wondered, "Could I make the commitment? Could I be a professed member of the Spiritan community?
Take some time to read and reflect on the information gathered here. You can meet Spiritans, learn more about how we live and the process of becoming a Spiritan, and gain a better understanding of what we believe and how we put those beliefs into action every day.
Enter the lives of the people who need you:
The Spiritan way is to go beyond traditional ministry and missionary work. Should you become one of us, you will not only work with poor and forgotten people, but you will live with them, offering them the love, attention, and respect others deny them. You'll be continuing the work that Father Claude des Place and his brothers started with the chimney sweeps of Paris and the rural poor, continuing with the work of the Spiritans in Africa from the 1800s to today. You will enter into the community efforts in mission and education, nationally and internationally, serving in over 72 countries, continuing to build faith in adversity.
The people form the faith:
Since the Spiritan's beginnings we have been committed to crossing cultural, national, and social boundaries to spread the good news of the Gospel around the world.
In our early days, Father Francis Liebermann, our second founder, struggled to bring the Gospel to Africa. He felt that rather than impose the Western Catholic Church on Africa, the African people should bring their culture and experiences to bear on the Gospel, aware that God was already there, that the Spirit was already at work. It would be a church formed by their culture and informed by the Gospel.
A life in quiet service to the poor:
On the island of Mauritius in 1850s, the Spiritan call was lived by Fr. Jacques Laval. A doctor and priest, he took seriously the call of the Gospel to help free the oppressed. He lived and worked with the island's freed slaves, the most despised and poorest people in the society. He took on the wealthy former slave owners and the power structure of the country to advocate for the rights and dignity of the poor. Today, he is remembered as a man who loved the former slaves as he found them, who fought for their rights, and taught them to believe in themselves and their inherent human dignity. Such was his impact, that upon hearing of his death the people of Mauritius, Christian and Non-Christian alike, declared the anniversary of his death a national holiday.
The children no one wanted:
The Spiritan commitment to caring for the poor and most lost can also be found in the 1920s and 30s in France in the work of Father Daniel Brottier. He dedicated his life to transforming a rundown orphanage where boys were underfed and harshly treated, into the now famous Auteuil Institute, which by the 1960s was a network that cared for the boys no one would adopt and gave them dignity, confidence, and the skills they needed to make it in the world. Over the years, tens of thousands of street kids came to the institute frightened and unloved, but left knowing that they were cared for and loved by God. Today, orphans and refuges continue to be sheltered there, receiving training to assume their rightful place in society.
The path that leads to a Spiritan life:
What is the journey to a Spiritan commitment like? It's not a decision that is made quickly or with little thought. To help each man who feels he is called to be a Spiritan brother or priest understand the commitment and discover if he is truly called by the Holy Spirit to this life, we walk with him, guide him in reflection, and share our own experiences. We will guide you through this process which we call discernment and help you discover God's call in your life.
Answering the call:
The first step is a feeling of curiosity or a call to learn more about life as a Spiritan. Spiritan brothers and priests will talk with you and answer any questions you have about their life as Spiritans or how they sensed the call of the Holy Spirit before joining the order. There's a great deal of information on this site, but we're always happy to provide you with more. If you have a question, click on contact us and send it to us. Feel free to ask any questions, we'll answer them honestly.
Next, you'll have a chance to meet some Spiritans and continue your discussion and investigation of the Spiritan community. We'll ask you some questions; give you time and guidance as you seek the answers. If we both feel that becoming a Spiritan is the life you are called to live, you'll be invited to take part in what we call the "formation process," or more simply, the process of becoming a Spiritan. During this time, you'll be invited to discern more deeply God's call in your life.
If you need more information please contact our Vocation Team:
Rev Fr Anselm Njoku (Vocation Director)
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
56A Berg Street
P.O.Box 280
Standerton 2430
tel. / fax: 017 712 3126
E-mail: anselm.njoku@yahoo.com
Rev Fr Michael Nkosinathi Nkabinde (Assistant Vocation Director)
Our Lady of Africa Mohlakeng
P.O.Box 318
Randfontein 1760
tel.: 011 414 1885
E-mail: michaelnathi@yahoo.com
Rev Fr Adrien Hebert (Postulancy Director)
Spiritan Postulancy
14 Cilliers Street
P.O.Box 473
Vrede 9835
tel. / fax: 058 913 4102
E-mail: drien@xsinet.co.za
Holy Mary, my mother and my queen, kneeling humbly at your feet I implore your help. Assist me, your servant, to dedicate, consecrate and devote myself to the Holy Spirit, your divine Spouse. Despite my weaknesses, I want today to make a serious commitment in his honour. My dear Mother, please listen to me; all-powerful Spirit hear her prayers for me and enlighten my mind and inflame my heart with your love, so that in this Congregation which is dedicated to you I might do all that is pleasing to you, everything that will bring you glory, achieve my sanctification and build up and strengthen my brothers.
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