“Pope Francis Encourages Society of the Holy Spirit to Continue Preaching Gospel to the Poor and Where No One Wants to Go”

(Vatican News Network)On the morning of May 8, Pope Francis received the President of the Society of the Holy Spirit, its senators and other members in the Vatican. The pope described the charism of their order as the hand of God that “touches people, touches each of you friars: the gentle God always caresses” all.

In his speech, the Pope emphasized some fundamentally important values ​​of the religious charism: “courage, openness and total trust in the actions of the Holy Spirit in order to allow him to do new things”. The pope first said that these values ​​were evident from the very beginning of the order’s founding in 1703. He mentioned that Claude-François Poullart des Plac, the patriarch of the Society of the Holy Spirit and a young deacon, together with the 12 seminarians of the monastery, “propelled by the Holy Spirit, bravely set foot on the An unexpected adventure”.

“He gave up the prospect of a quiet future, subjected himself to sacrifices, misunderstandings and opposition for a mission that still had to be explored, and died young from a very fragile state of health,” the Pope said. Faced with many unforeseen events, many obstacles, his “action of obedience to the Holy Spirit” transformed all this into a courageous response of “yes”, so that “God began something new in him every time, and through him also in others.” Start something new with you.” Thus, all those brethren who continued his work “ready to respond to the new signs of the times”, to serve the poor seminarians, to serve the people, to spread the Gospel in all parts of the world, “to keep people from being frightened by the religious persecutions caused by the French Revolution “.

The pope then referred to “another special moment” of the order, namely, its merger with the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1848. The SCM was founded by the venerable Father François Libermann, but has a different life history than Claude. At that time, the Pope explained, they needed to “overcome fear and jealousy”, but “the brothers of the two religious families took up the challenge to join hands and share what they have, to welcome a new beginning”. A century and a half later, the fruitful results of this merger are seen, with religious orders spread widely in 60 countries on five continents, with some 2,600 friars and many lay collaborators.

So the Pope said to the Holy Spirit priests present: “Thanks to your acceptance of change and perseverance, you have remained true to your original spirit: to evangelize the poor, to go where no one wants to go, Preferring to serve the most outcast, respecting peoples and cultures, nurturing local Church clergy and lay people for the integral development of humanity, all in a life of fraternity, simplicity of life and constant prayer.”

Afterwards, the Pope emphasized: “The most important thing is to pray, don’t give up praying, don’t pray formally, don’t pray without words, pray seriously!”. Also, it is equally important not to give up the “courage” and “inner freedom” that are cultivated and made “living qualities of your apostolate”, especially in a world that so needs evangelism.

Finally, the Pope urged the Paxos to let themselves be led by the “fresh and vital breath” of the Holy Spirit, the “true protagonist” of all missions. The Pope encouraged: “Let him inspire you, guide you, move you where he wills, unconditionally and without excluding anyone from the fulfillment of his mission, because only he knows the needs of every age and every moment. .”

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