evangelization

As consecrated women we are called to live out a prophetic vocation to “remember and serve the plan of God for all men”, as the document Vita Consecrata reminds us. This comes about first of all through the personal testimony of a life spent for the Lord, imitating his example and continuing his mission, letting the Holy Spirit form us into the image of the Son.

The prophetic aspect of our life is translated into the specific charism that the Lord has given to our community, a charism that calls us to the mission of spiritual formation. Serving the people of God through spiritual formation is the way in which we feel called to respond to the mission of the Church so that all men “may know you, the only true God and he whom you have sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn. 17, 3).

To do this we must discern the signs of the times according to what the challenges of the contemporary world are, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, and to do this in the light of the Gospel, in the certainty that the Father will always provide what we need to carry out the mission entrusted to us.

Our prayer life feeds a series of apostolic activities carried out first and foremost, although not exclusively, among young people. For example, in Italy we are present in the role of spiritual direction in a catholic high school in Rome and in various other university campuses. In particular, in the United States we have the possibility of collaborating in the activity of the catholic centers in these campuses, not only through individual meetings, but also through theology classes and formative activities that help especially young people to bear fruit from the grace received in the Sacraments in their own personal journey towards the Lord.

Throughout the years, we have been offering a variety of opportunities for outreach and formation: in Rome, once a month we organize a day of retreat – “Password” – to which we invite young people that we have met during street evangelization. Conceived in a very upbeat youthful way, it is to be an experience of encounter with the Lord and of spiritual growth. Twice a year we organize a course of apostolic formation that has as its objective the formation of young people in apostolic experience in their everyday life. Similarly, a course called “Beautiful is possible” has been offered for young women to be able to see and know how to become truly beautiful as a person and to recognize this beauty as a gift from God. Since our community’s very first stages in the early 90’s, we have been leading a monthly encounter for married couples, with the desire to help them deepen their commitment to the Lord and to one another.
After the example of St. Paul, the apostle of the gentiles, we don’t look past those that are furthest from the Church, taking advantage of those occasions of encounter that come to us by chance in our everyday life to witness God’s initiative towards man. This is what we call “street evangelization”.

Other than the apostolic activities that we carry out where we live, we also have the opportunity to serve the Church through parish missions when asked by various priests and bishops. There are different types of mission according to the place. Adapting ourselves as we go to the program of the priest or bishop, we collaborate in the mission holding conferences on spiritual themes, formative encounters for parish groups, engaged and married couples, preparing meditations or times of adoration, visiting parish families, sharing our testimonies in high schools and looking to reach the people wherever they are.