Since a few weeks the actual issue of the
is online and you can find it with the link above. It has a nice Fa. Jordan prayer inside!
Click here, if you have a request!
Let’s pray in common for our concerns.
Since a few weeks the actual issue of the
is online and you can find it with the link above. It has a nice Fa. Jordan prayer inside!
Click here, if you have a request!
Let’s pray in common for our concerns.
How quick the time goes by … St. Valentine’s is on the calendar again. You know already that we started in the last years some communication impulse within the ICDS = Lay Salvatorians worldwide community. – Yes? – No?
However – the most of you know that people of many countries celebrate the feast of St. Valentine on February 14th. It’s often not a day of vacation but many persons give presents of love to others who are in their hearts. The legend behind you can read on Wikipedia in several languages.
Maybe someone will say now, St. Valentine’s is not a Salvatorian feast – that’s right, in the first view. But if you read in the lines of Fr. Jordans diary and also in his chapter speeches you will find something like that:
„Treat your neighbors with the same love as if he were Christ himself.“
And not at least with that
„Others will be attracted to join in our community,
if they see how love reigns here.“
the universal call to LOVE to your next and especially to the sisters and brothers within the own Salvatorian community is to recognize. Therfore feel invited to set a sign of mutual love on this day to your Lay Salvatorian sisters and brothers. The General Committee of the ICDS took this date to improve our worldwide communication. We invite all Lay Salvatorians and certainly all members of the Salvatorian family to participate in this action of brotherly/sisterly friendship and love.
What to do? – Send a short message to someone you know in the Salvatorian family. Or much better be to someone you have only an address, but do not be in constant contact – e.g. someone from another continent. Give a little „hello from …“ and include in the message a line or verse of a psalm or a text you like – or maybe a short prayer. If you want, you can include the picture of St. Valentine from this posting.
That all may discover and experience God’s love and the one whom you sent …
St. Josephine Bakhita
February 8 is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy. Once Josephine was freed, she became a Canossian nun and dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. She was declared a Saint in 2000 and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General has designated February 8 as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking.
On February 8, Catholics all over the world are encouraged to host or attend prayer services to create greater awareness about this phenomenon. Through prayer, we not only reflect on the experiences of those that have suffered through this affront to human dignity, but also comfort, strengthen, and help empower survivors.
Many Salvatorians over the world (religious and lay) are working in this field in several units. If you don’t have information about the salvatorian work against Human trafficking and modern slavery get into contact with your unit leaders. They should know more or contact members of the International Salvatorian Committee for justice, peace and integrity of creation.
It’s necessary that all people get the awareness about this serious crime, to free this modern slaves and end modern slavery – because it’s unfortunately often more close to you as you expect. By the way, how many slaves work for you? – No one, no idea? Be sure, there are working some. How many, you can find out here at slaveryfootprint.org – it’s really shocking and you would not belive.
Therefore the General committee of the ICDS invites all Lay Salvatorians to celebrate this day as a common day of prayer and reflection. As suggestion we have prepared a
PRAYER SHEET in English and Spanish.
Maybe this can be a starting point or reminder for more cooperation between some units. Stand up and get into contact with others so our efforts against modern slavery may be blessed and we become more connected.
As in the last years you can read and share a short Christmas tale here. Unfortunately it was not possible to get more translations into other languages. If you want to translate it, feel free and invited to do so and forward this tale to other ones.
In a small preparation at home in advance, each participant was invited to find some short lines, sentences, and keywords about his/her individual access to Fr. Jordan and the process of beatification. At the beginning session, each one had 3 minutes to present his/her thoughts. Afterwards, we filtered out the words or terms which were mentioned repeatedly and wrote them on a flipchart. With that, we went into small groups for more intensive discussion and exchange of thoughts.
Some sections of „minutes of quietness and prayer“ as well as common sharing the food each one brought had brought with him, made up a spiritual day for body and soul with reach deepness and manifold meetings.
Thanks to the Lord for this wonderful experience.
The members of the Salvatorian IJLG teams in front of the statue of our founder Fr. Francis Jordan at the motherhouse of the Society in Rome.
The General Committee (GC) of the ICDS and the Salvatorian International Joint Leadership Groups (IJLG) met last week in Rome/Italy. Some difficult and challenging discussions accompanied the GC team through this GC meeting. The main topics were the work on the response from and to the office of the dicastery of the laity, family, and life about the recognition of the ICDS as an association of the faithful. Furthermore the texts of the Salvatorian family proposals which will be presented at the General Chapters and the General Assembly of the three Salvatorian branches in 2018. The planning and preparation start of the General Assembly showed the quality and enthusiasm of the team so that all Lay Salvatorians can expect a motivating and spiritual high light in July 2018.
The afterward following IJLG meeting was also dominated by the Salvatorian family proposals because these proposals can be seen as guidelines for the coming term of office of the new leadership teams and should strengthen and deepen the common living and cooperation.
Read here the letter to the units from our Vice-President
– topic: →
English: Thoughts about the Lay Salvatorian mission statement
Espanol: Pensamientos sobre el Laico Salvatoriano – Declaración de Misión
published on the feast of Nicholas of Flüe, an interesting lay person in the history of the church.
The Intern. Joint Charism Commission has prepared a reflection process to be used individually and in the communities, with a culminating reflection at a date to be determined in each unit. Although reflections at length on the Charter of the Salvatorian Family were done, this process brings all Salvatorians back to the Charter because it is the most up-to-date statement of our common Identity. The appreciation of our Identity as a Salvatorian Family is a lifetime process that we have to revisit frequently and the Charter provides a good starting point.
The proposed reflection process moves through the Charter, chapter by chapter. Then, as a way to commemorate the centennial of Fr. Francis Jordan´s death, it culminates in a creative reflection on his Last Will and Testament. You will find the identity booklet for this process in several languages below:
| charter reflection text_EN | charter reflection text_ES | charter reflection text_PT |
| charter reflection text_FR | charter reflection text_PL | charter reflection text_DE |
| charter reflection text_IT |
Fr. Agustín Van Baelen SDS (Generalate), Christian Patzl CDS (General Committee ICDS), Sr. Mary Arokianathan SorDS (Sri Lanka), Manuel Antonio Vargas Córdoba CDS (Colombia, Guest), Sr. Grace Mary Croft SorDS (USA), Fr. Piotr Szyrszeń SDS (Poland), Fr. Dennis Thiessen SDS (USA), Alba Rodriguez CDS (Colombia), Sr. Teresa Schlackl SorDS (Generalate) – (from left to right)
The meeting of the International Joint Charism Commission took place at the Generalate of the Society of the Divine Savior in Rome from July 10 – 15, 2017.
The question of to deepen the identity as Salvatorian Family is always an important topic. Also to pray, reflect and consider various matters and to experience salvatorian collaboration is always enriching and was task of the meeting.
This last meeting of the commission mostly concentrates on finalizing the work already started at previous meetings: especially articles written by various members of the Salvatorian Family around the world will be published soon as an new issue of „Salvatorian Key Elements“. In this way, the contextualized and cultural points of view can be taken into account. The translations are very important and can help more members to have access and benefit.
Read the letter of the commission below, please – available in several languages:
| letter reflections ENG | letter reflections_ GE | letter reflections_ES |
| letter reflections PT | letter reflections_FRc | letter reflections_PL |
| letter reflections_IT |
Since today the actual issue of the
is online and you can find it with the link above.
Click here, if you have a request!
Let’s pray in common for our concerns.
