Life of the Associates:
Within the spirit of Vatican II, Religious Congregations were called to deepen their charism, gift of the Spirit for the Church and world of today. As a congregation, since the 1995 General Chapter, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were invited to welcome Christians who wanted to:
– live their charism
– be nourished by their spirituality
– live in solidarity with their apostolic commitments
And so it is that Lay Christians and Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in different entities, set out together.
Faces of the Associates
“No one foresaw this unexpected flowering in the post-Vatican council years.”
Lay people felt the call to fully live their baptism within the light of the renewal. This is happening in many of the countries where we are located. We have discerned the SIGN OF THE TIMES and we are reaching out to bring lay people and religious together for greater LIFE.
Through this experience, we have discovered a common kinship. With Christ, loving through nearness, we live a quality presence with all persons and needy situations. All carried out in the way of Angélique Le Sourd:
“Haunted by misery, she dreamt, without ceasing, for ways to remedy the situation.”
(Manuscript, p.19)
Living as an Associate?
Meaning that associates and Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus live in reciprocal COMMUNION.
Choosing to live the whole of the Gospel from the viewpoint of love, tenderness and compassion on the roads we travel each day. This is what makes up the mission and fundamental priority of an associate’s commitment … lived in partnership with the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, centered on mission, each person according to their identity, with the mutual support and richness of their complementarity and commitments.
To live the Gospel from the angle of proximity-compassion is the center of the spirituality of an associate. It is at the heart of their concrete reality that they live their experience of God and develop their relationship with Him, with themselves, with others and with the reality of life and creation. Their family ties and concerns, worldly and social affairs, are not foreign to their spirituality but make up its distinctive character. They live it as a unified WHOLE and not as something added on.
What unites …
– personal prayer
– participation to the Eucharist
– unity prayer
– deepening of faith
– more open meetings of formation
– festive, fraternal meetings, relaxation
– sharing in special times in the Congregation : Feast of the Sacred Heart, Jubilees