I wonder sometimes: when the young priest Joseph DePiro founded the small missionary congregation which then became the Missionary Society of St. Paul, did he imagine what it would look like today? If you ask me, I’m pretty sure his imagination could not have stretched that far ahead.  At the turn of the 20^th century, Joseph DePiro founded a first community in Malta based on his understanding of Church, religious life, mission, culture, and society of the time. Given all these parameters I am not surprised that a man of his time would not have foreseen how the seed he helped to sow would evolve and grow.

Does this mean that either him or us got it wrong? I do not think so. The reason is that when we talk about a charism we are not talking about structures, projects and institutions. These evolve in time and need to address the environment in which they exist. But a charism, which is a spirit given from above, prevails. The charism that Joseph DePiro passed on to his Society is a charism which highlights how the gift of faith given to us for free needs to be passed on to the world. The missionary charism that we embrace today as MSSP has the same DNA as that of our Founder. We are called to break all types of frontiers that our world keeps putting up so that the Spirit of God moves freely and reaches out to its end.

The way we celebrate the MSSP charism has changed over time. The way we do ministry, build community, and the structures we use, are responses to the times we have lived in.  Who would have thought that the MSSP charism could be shared on a digital medium like the internet and social-media. Or who would have perceived a Church that is less hierarchical and more communal so much so that today even the Laity can live the MSSP charism?

I hope that this site becomes a little window which shows not only what we do but who we are. I hope too, that you will be able to see the Church in us and not simply another religious congregation with its own projects and endeavours. Finally, I pray that together with us you walk the walk of faith in the way God is calling you.