Society
Of The Divine Word

The main inspiration came from Pope Francis’ address to the participants of the 18th General Chapter (2018), in which he said: “The origins are not just a story (…) they are not an abstract spirituality. The origins are roots, and in order for roots to give life, they must be cared for (…). We must look at them and cherish them.”

With this inspiration, we first immersed ourselves in the history of the Arnoldus Family. The residents of our houses helped us with this. Fr. Dennis Manzana introduced us to the house of St. Michael, Sister María José Rebelo to the SSpS Sisters’ house. We visited the convent of the contemplative Sisters. Brother Heinz Helf showed us the immense work carried out by the religious brothers of Steyl. Fr. Jürgen Ommerborn clarified many doubts about the details of our religious family’s rich history.

Fr. Dariusz S. Pielak, who led the retreat, proposed two theological directions based on this historical foundation, trying to connect the heritage of the past with the challenges of the present, following Pope Francis’ words: “I told you to remain rooted in the origins, that is, that your origins become roots that help you grow.” Thus, two theological themes were presented.

The first focused on the unity of the charism of the Divine Word Missionaries and the Servants of the Holy Spirit Sisters within a Trinitarian theology of the Word and the Spirit. The second focused on the idea of “The coming of the Holy Spirit from the cross.” This topic referred to the paschal spirituality of St. Arnold, who saw in daily crosses a foretaste of the triumph of God’s love through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The most recent SVD General Chapter speaks about this theme, presenting the needs of the wounded world that surrounds us. Our Superior General, Fr. Anselmo Ribeiro, wrote in the introduction to the final document: “We believe that this is the path through which the Holy Spirit guides us in our religious and missionary efforts.”

Theoretical content filled the participants’ mornings, while the afternoons were dedicated to prayer, allowing them to internalize what they had received.

It is worth noting that this was the first retreat for the Europe Zone open to the participation of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold and lay collaborators. We hope this initiative continues to develop. In fact, some participants asked about the possibility of joining again next year, in a different place and with a new theme.