Every Congregation develops a particular spirituality based on the charism of its Foundress or Founder.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
“Marie Auxiliatrice”, the name chosen by Marie-Therese de Soubiran, captures the vital animating essence, the spirituality of the Congregation:
Mary turned towards God
Mary turned towards the world, towards people
The young Israelite woman, Mary of Nazareth, was vitally focused on God. This caused her to be drawn into God’s passionate love for the world, for all his people. She is our example and inspiration, the first to share in the mission of her Son, Jesus Christ.
IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY
This blends well with another aspect: ignatian spirituality. At its heart, the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are depicted by St. Ignatius contemplating the world and all its people in their varying situations of joy, sadness, health, sickness, affluence, poverty, peace, war. In today’s language, this could be seen as something on the scale of a world summit, seeking a good plan, a good way forward to save the world. The disciples of Jesus are invited to be with him in this plan of salvation.
FUNDAMENTALLY EUCHARISTIC
Contemplating the world, the Persons of the Trinity are moved in love to send the Son into the world: “Yes, God loved the world so much that he sent his only Son.” (John, 3 :16).
This leads into a third dimension of our spirituality: Eucharist.
“A special mark of our Congregation is its vocation to radiate the love of Christ expressed in the Eucharist…” (Constitutions).
For the Foundress, Marie Therese de Soubiran, this was the centre of the life and mission of the Sisters, “the point from which everything departs and to which everything returns”.
This is much more than a devotion to Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It is a way of life: “Our vocation is fundamentally Eucharistic; it is in the Eucharist celebrated, contemplated and lived that we are given renewed strengts to proclaim Jesus Christ” (Constitutions).
CONTEMPLATION IN ACTION
These three aspects of our spirituality come together in the mystery of God’s love for the world into which we, like Mary, are drawn. We are called to be “contemplatives in action” for whom the explicit times of prayer and contemplation and our actvities in the service of God’s people mutually enhance each other and enable us to take our part with Jesus Christ in his mission to the world today.