Last November 14th we celebrated the Centenary of the Diocesan Approval of our Society. Therefore, we thought it appropriate to take this opportunity and continue celebrating this event by offering a series of six online sessions dealing with religious life, with a special focus on our Paulist Missionary Charism handed down to us by (1) the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, (2) the first members of our Society, (3) the (M)SSPs through the years and (4) as it is being lived by us, consecrated Paulist Missionaries and Paulist Lay sisters and brothers, today.
Charisms for the Church’s sanctity. Our MSSP charism, as any other charism, is a gift for the Church’s sanctity, in the Church and with the Church (Lumen Gentium and after).
(1) A Biblical, and (2) a catechetical perspective.
Speakers: Fr Mark Grima mssp (Introduction), Fr Martin Cilia mssp
In Lumen Gentium, Vatican Council II mentions: “… the manifold counsels which the Lord proposes to his disciples in the Gospel for them to observe” (42c). Since Jesus has given his disciples many counsels, why has the Church chosen three specific ones for its religious: perfect chastity, poverty and obedience? Why has the Church also showed quite clearly that besides these three counsels there must be also the living of fraternal communion for religious consecration to exist?
(1) Historical, (2) psychological and (3) spiritual perspectives.
Speakers: Fr Martin Galea mssp (Spirituality of the vows and communion), Fr Frankie Cini mssp (Vows and communion from a psychological perspective).
Religious life: the institutionalisation of the living of the three evangelical counsels and fraternal communion in the context of an apostolic religious way of life; contemplatives in action.
(1) Historical and (2) theologico-spiritual perspectives.
Speaker: Fr Michael Farrugia ocarm
(a) Along the history of the Church there have been religious institutes which, although not specifically missionary, included missionary activities, even ‘first evangelisation,’ in their apostolates.
(b) Later, the Church was enriched with religious institutes with ‘first evangelisation’ as their main charism. The missionary religious apostolic institutes.
(1) Historical and (2) theologico-catechetical perspectives.
Speakers: Frs Alex Zammit mssp and Bernard Falzon mssp
(1) “Re-evangelisation”/ “Second Evangelisation”/ “New Evangelisation” and (2) “Pastoral Evangelisation” are the other two important elements of our MSSP Charism. Historical context; the missionary movement in the 19th and first years of the 20th centuries: worldwide, in Italy, in the Vatican, in Malta.
Speaker: Fr Mario Zammit mssp
The Missionary Society of St Paul: the Charism of the Founder, of the first community, in later years (Healthy traditions). A documentary.
Producer and presenter: Fr Louis Mallia mssp
The specificity of our MSSP Charism.
Speaker: Fr Tony Sciberras mssp
MSSP into the future.
Speaker: Fr Mark Grima mssp
A: celebrating the 95th anniversary of the first MSSP General Council session (5th April 1927). A General Council meeting on Zoom or another platform with MSSP religious and lay. This gives us an opportunity to reflect on our charism as a one group. Details will be announced closer to the date.
A day of fasting and prayer for MSSP vocations and the sanctification of MSSP religious and Paulist Lay.
Each region, house and entity is invited to organise a day of fasting and prayer. A suggestion could be: a day of adoration in front of the Eucharist concluding with common prayer in the evening.