The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, also known as Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, or simply Holy Spirit Sisters (SSpS Latin: Servae Spiritus Sancti) are an official "religious congregation" within the Catholic Church, with members (after some years) making a vowed commitment to the loving service of God and their sisters and brothers in need around the world. They are an international group of women numbering approximately 4,000 members in 38 countries around the world. The congregation was founded by Saint Arnold Janssen in 1889 in Steyl, Holland.. Arnold Janssen selected Maria Helena Stollenwerk (1852-1900) and Hendrina Stenmanns, called Mother Josepha (1852-1903) as first leaders in the young congregation and granted them the title of co-foundresses. Helena Stollenwerk became also the Co-Foundress of the Congregation Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration.
This community of religious women is rooted in the Trinitarian spirituality:"Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they, in collaboration with dedicated laity and clergy, live and proclaim the Gospel of God’s love, justice, and peace. In dialogue with people of diverse cultures and traditions, they minister and journey together promoting human dignity and life-giving relationships."
The Holy Spirit Sisters share the love of God through a variety of ministries. They have a common call to mission, being ever ready to go wherever they are needed. They remain open to the Spirit in themselves and in other cultures and peoples. They live in community where they share its supports as well as challenges.
Read more about Missionary Sisters Servants Of The Holy Spirit: History, Mission and Ministry, Formation, Founder, Literature
Famous quotes containing the words holy spirit, missionary, sisters, servants, holy and/or spirit:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 28:19,20.
“Are there no Moravians in the Moon, that not a missionary has yet visited this poor pagan planet of ours, to civilize civilization and christianize Christendom?”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“Good my lord,
You have begot me, bred me, loved me. I
Return those duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and most honor you.
Why have my sisters husbands if they say
They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed,
That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I shall never marry like my sisters,
To love my father all.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“If all were as it seems, and men made the elements their servants for noble ends!”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Ireland still remains the Holy Isle whose aspirations must on no account be mixed with the profane class-struggles of the rest of the sinful world ... the Irish peasant must not on any account know that the Socialist workers are his sole allies in Europe.”
—Friedrich Engels (1820–1895)
“While it is generally agreed that the visible expressions and agencies are necessary instruments, civilization seems to depend far more fundamentally upon the moral and intellectual qualities of human beings—upon the spirit that animates mankind.”
—Mary Ritter Beard (1876–1958)