Our service to the local Church does not consist of replacing the local clergy or occupying salaried positions to sustain our structures. Rather than “baptizing” structures with our name, it is about permeating them with our spirituality and charism, so that they may fully develop as missionary spaces. When asking about the relevance of our missionary service, it should not be us who justify our presence by talking about various spaces; instead, the spaces themselves should speak of our witness and the validity of our specific service.

As Missionaries of the Divine Word, we have an identity mark that is the fruit of a long journey of congregational discernment and searching: “Our Name is our Mission.” From the charism received—as a gift and a missionary task—we bear witness to the Kingdom of God in intercultural missionary communities in prophetic dialogue through our four characteristic dimensions.

In continuity with this discernment, we turn our gaze once more to missionary action to find within it the reflection of our Name. The following points aim to contribute to a common reflection so that we may mutually understand each other as pilgrims on the same missionary path. The goal is to consciously clothe ourselves in that which identifies us, so that every space and service in which we serve is permeated by the Name we bear. We present three dimensions that can orient us in every missionary service.

1. Trinitarian Communion and Mission: Service for Encounter and Communion

a. Encounter with Jesus Christ and Missionary Discipleship

God’s mission is born of Trinitarian love. We are participants in it by vocation. We speak and bear witness to what we have seen and heard. Jesus Christ is the gateway to the heart of the Trinity. Encountering Him enables the experience of love that urges us to share. Mark 3:13-14 is a key text for understanding the heart and purpose of our missionary discipleship: “to be with Jesus” and “to be sent by Him” are two dimensions of a single call to encounter Him and to communion with humanity

The encounter with Jesus is always a personal experience nurtured through community-ecclesial life. From this encounter depends personal identification with Jesus’ project, the process of conversion, and the subsequent response. It is urgent today to revive the mysticism of discipleship. Every disciple must know their Master and be permeated by the mystery of His person to achieve the same sentiments as Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5).

Action: Promote instances and spaces for prayer, contemplation, and mysticism.

b. Centrality of the Word and the Eucharist (Faith-Life)

Encounter and communion are nourished daily. These are not rituals to be fulfilled but a daily exercise in humility, gratitude, and surrender. Jesus lived His entire life as a “Eucharist” (centered on God, consecrated to the Kingdom, and grateful for life).

The Word guides us to live our baptism as a Eucharist, and the Eucharist nourishes us to embody the Word in daily life. We must enhance the centrality of the Word of God in our community celebrations. We celebrate the Eucharist to renew our baptismal commitment considering the Paschal mystery, not to appease God’s wrath or fulfill a rite.

Action: Celebrate the Word and the Eucharist with renewed discipleship and missionary fervor.

c. Openness to the Spirit and Community Discernment

Moments lived in openness to the Spirit are true kairos, where God manifests and redirects us. Community discernment is inherent to our missionary vocation. Leadership lived from discipleship fosters an atmosphere of shared discernment where no member’s word prevails over others, and no one is excluded from dialogue. In the New Testament, the Spirit manifests to the community, not just an individual, confirming the missionary task.

Action: Promote the establishment of an interdisciplinary missionary reflection team.

2. Intercultural Communion and Mission: Spaces for Participation and Community Building

a. Bonds Founded on Communion, Care, and Service

Meeting Jesus enables us to communion with others, embracing diversity as a gift. The culture of care increases as we realize we need each other. In the midst of human misery, we walk as “wounded healers,” fragile instruments for full healing. Mutual care is a daily learning process, especially in our dynamic periodic community changes.

Action: Facilitate moments of fraternal listening and community reconciliation.

b. Ministeriality and Co-responsibility of All the Baptized

Nothing belongs to us, yet we are responsible for many things. The missionary religious possesses a gift from God, not a privilege that places him above other baptized people. In some environments, there is a thought that the SVD is “irreplaceable” in certain functions; from a synodal perspective, this reveals insecurity and a desire for power. We must focus on joint training (religious and laity) to strengthen the mission.

Action: Communally discern new services required by the community.

c. Instances of Participation and Community Building

A synodal pastoral ministry requires listening, dialogue, and discernment rather than unilateral decisions. Power in decision-making does not have primacy; leadership must ensure a spirit of humility and respect. While some cultures emphasize homogeneity in groups, it should not be the reigning principle. What matters is staying rooted in the spirit of Jesus, which drives us to “be born again” (Jn 3:3) even when structures must change.

Action: Ensure that instances of participation and decision-making are respected.

3. Communion and Mission in Prophetic Dialogue: Full Life as Fundamental Missionary Orientation

a. Preferential Option for the Poor

Viewing human history from the place of the “least” is to tune into the heart of the Triune God. It is a profound spiritual conversion. Dialogue begins with interior silence that allows us to hear the cries of those silenced. The poor person is always a “subject,” not an object. Our solidarity must involve the poor as protagonists in a joint journey of evangelization-humanization.

Action: Focus efforts, time, and resources on the promotion of the human being.

b. Pastoral Planning at the Service of Life

We are pilgrims who contribute only a part to God’s work. Our missionary action should not be limited to a liturgical or school calendar. We are responsible for long-term community planning that avoids rupture during transitions. Planning also includes the transparent administration of resources, which all belong to the “mission.” Strategic planning helps us return to the central purpose: promoting the life of every human being.

Action: Foster strategic planning in all areas of our life and mission.

c. Characteristic Dimensions of the Divine Word

Our four “Characteristic Dimensions” (Biblical Apostolate, Mission Animation, JPIC—Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, and Communication) are our identity card. They are not parallel proposals to a diocese’s path but our specific contribution to the local Church. They form the “SVD style” of service, rooted in the Word to transform the environment through justice, peace, and ecological integrity.
Action: Deepen the understanding of our Characteristic Dimensions.