Suore Terziarie Francescane Regolari - Firenze -Italia
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our mission in the church
In the name of the Church
We exercise all apostolic activity in the name of the Church and in response to her mandate, while actively participating in community life and faithfully living in obedience. We are fully aware that the responsibility of proclaiming Christ is not so much that of the individual religious as of the whole community. We take an active part in spreading the Gospel, proclaiming penitence to everyone, “without which no one can be saved”, so as to lead everyone to accept the divine gift of peace. (C.13.1).
With creativity and the “feminine genius”
Our apostolate ought to be characterized by a prophetic character, boldness, creativity and the “feminine genius” and be incarnated in the ever-changing social and ecclesial situations.
Without estinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion
As poor people, the brothers and sisters to whom God has given the grace of serving or working should serve and work faithfully and devoutly so that once excluded idleness that is the enemy of the soul, they shall not extinguish the spirit of holy prayer and devotion, that all the other material goods must serv
As contemplatives and
active agents
In one sense, our whole life ought to be permeated with the apostolic spirit and, conversely, our apostolic activity ought to be animated by the spirit of a religious. Our apostolate ought to originate in and be continuously strengthened by a constant union with God. We ought to be contemplatives in our activities and active in our contemplation.
The Places of Our Apostolate
The primary place of our apostolate is our own community, where each of us ought to have a maternal love for others, mindful of the exhortation of St. Francis: “Let each of you love and nourish your brother as a mother loves and nourishes her child”
Let the brothers and sisters be mild, peaceful and unassuming, gentle and humble, speaking honestly to all in accord with their vocation. Wherever they are, or wherever they go throughout the world they should not be quarrelsome, contentious, or judgmental towards others. Rather, it should be obvious that they are joyful, good-humored, and happy in the Lord as they ought to be. And in greeting others, let them say, God give you peace (rule and Life 5.3)
Edifying and consoling one another
Following the example of the first Christians, we seek to “encourage each other in charity and good works”, “teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom”, correcting each other as sisters, “edifying one another” and “consoling each other with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God”
Education
With love, devotion and a sense of responsibility, we dedicate ourselves to the work of education, giving attention to “permeating the whole of human culture with the message of salvation, so that the knowledge of the world, life and humanity, progressively acquired by the students, might be totally enlightened by the faith”
Parishes
In a spirit of humility, we offer our collaboration to parish priests, especially in the area of the catechesis of children and young people and other initiatives of human promotion and solidarity.
In places of suffering
Aware of the great suffering and many forms of misery present in our world, we, as workers of peace and messengers of perfect joy, offer assistance to those who are suffering, to the poor and to those on the periphery of society, sharing in their pain, as Mary did with her Son on Calvary. We also see in them the person of Jesus, who assures us: “As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me”
With professionalism and “heartfelt care”
In the places where we work each day, we create a familial atmosphere, the indispensable basis for respecting human dignity and generating in those who receive our assistance a desire for supernatural values, because of our witness of life.
From this perspective, we are aware that professional competence, even if it be a fundamental necessity, is not enough, because each person who receives our assistance requires more than proper technical care. They need “heartfelt care”, because “Jesus’ approach was one of the heart, which recognizes where love is needed and acts accordingly”. St. Francis, the “perfect imitator of Christ”, understood him fully. In fact, “in relieving misery, he was seen to have in him a mother’s heart”(C.14.5)
Compelled to go to the ends of the earth
Mindful of the exhortation of Jesus to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, our missionary spirit urges us to proclaim Christ where he is not yet known, and also among peoples who have lost the vital meaning of their faith, resulting in a life far from Christ and his Gospel.
We bear in mind the apostolic efforts of St. Francis, “who did not consider himself a friend of Christ, unless he loved the very souls whom Christ loved”. For this reason, he went before the Sultan, giving no importance to many physical ills, and “filled the earth with Christ’s Gospel, edifying his hearers no less in word than in example. Thus, he himself could say: ‘My whole being has become like a tongue to proclaim the Lord.(C.14.6)
Global village
In our apostolic activity, we also take every possible advantage of the instruments of social communication, since they are gifts of God, intended to promote the development and communion among people. Having rendered our planet smaller today, creating as it were a “global village”, they provide us with immediate access to knowing people’s needs and elicit from us a prompt response to sharing in those needs.
ALVERNA BHAVAN, SOS P.O, MLA Layout
KALENA AGRAHARA - BENNERGHATTA ROAD, BANGALORE 560 076 - KARNATAKA
Tel. (91)080 42115443; (91)9481469971
Mail: alvernabgl@gmail.com