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Declaration of the 19th General Chapter
We Salvatorian Sisters are Women in Solidarity for Hope and Life. We proclaim that we are called by God and gifted with the charism given to us by Francis of the Cross Jordan and Mary of the Apostles. Together with the other members of the Salvatorian Family, we, in our prayer, our community and in our ministry, incarnate the charism within our many cultures of today’s world.
Our passion for God and our passion for humanity are at the center of our lives. Our profound God experience leads us to Jesus and finds its expression in our spirituality, which is rooted in our Salvatorian charism and the word of God. Our spirituality is also influenced by the culture of our people who, like us, seek to know God’s saving action in their lives. Together we Salvatorian women discover with our people the ways in which God is revealed to us personally and as community within our culture. In addition, the energy of our spirituality impels us to continually deepen our understanding of the charism and to make Francis of the Cross Jordan and Mary of the Apostles known to all as a rich source of inspiration and life.
Like our founders, we allow ourselves to be moved by the deep need of people to find true life. Within a process of personal conversion, we commit ourselves to live a culture of solidarity. This includes an attitude of mutual giving and receiving: with one another in community, with persons who join with us in ministry and with suffering people. We resolve to keep our option for the poor, especially women, children, migrants and victims of human trafficking.
Using the process of critical analysis, we continue to evaluate our way of living, our structures, and our apostolic activities in light of the reality of today’s world. In fidelity to our Salvatorian charism and mission, we will make the necessary changes in our lives in order to be more credible and prophetic witnesses of the gospel, particularly where life is threatened.
The expression of our charism, participative by its very nature, leads to solidarity. The nurturing of solidarity, especially where it does not exist, is an important aspect of our mission. We collaborate within our Salvatorian Family, with our lay collaborators and with all who promote life. We promote and participate in ecumenical, inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. As a sign of solidarity, we encourage and motivate our Sisters to participate in projects with various Salvatorian units and projects with other Congregations, and to share resources. We also join with other groups that promote life, justice, peace, and the preservation of the earth.
As Salvatorian women among the people, we, in every stage of life, continue to engage in a life-giving process of formation, which calls us to be holistic and hopeful. With hope, we study the word of God, the theology of religious life and our charism to discover its meaning for our lives today. As we are formed among the people, new expressions of community life and service will emerge that are deeply Salvatorian and deeply life-giving. These new expressions will animate vocation promotion and involve women whom God calls to join us in mission.
In response to our time in history, and moved by our charism, we Salvatorian Women give priority to:
1. the deepening of our Salvatorian spirituality based on the word of God and our charism, in order to be women who are prophetic, compassionate, and committed to life;
2. the living out of a culture of solidarity within a process of personal conversion, that makes us more credible in the midst of people who suffer;
3. a holistic and inculturated formation in all phases of life in order to respond to the signs of our times. This formation, appropriate to our time, also generates new expressions of Salvatorian community life that strengthen us and the people with whom we share our life and mission.
May Jesus, Savior of the World, give us the strength to implement the direction that we have set in this 19th General Chapter for the glory of God and the salvation of the people. Amen.
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