MY SPIRIT IS FOR EVERYONE

Just like in our own Congregation, our Fátima Province has interculturality as an inseparable trait of its essence. Not only because of the national diversity that composes it, but also because of the plurality that exists in the origins of those who make it up. Missionaries, our brothers, who come from other parts of the world live their Claretian vocation far from the land that saw them born. But isn’t this part of our vocation? Being a Claretian missionary means being open to what the Spirit is calling us to do, wherever that may be. Sent to be the living Word of God for the lives of so many people, regardless of the place where they live. It is true that we belong to a Province, but we are called to make real that intuition of Fr. Claret: “My Spirit is for everyone.” And that is why we are part of a universal congregation. To be open and ready to be sent wherever we are needed. This is why Fátima has 11 international communities and around 9 nationalities when we focus on those whose origins are different from the people of the Fátima Province.

We now want to share testimonies from some of our brothers in the Province, who tell us how they live their vocation in a culture different from their own.

What does it mean for you to be a missionary in a culture different from your own? What call of God resonates in you in this experience?

 

Being a missionary in a culture different from mine: it is both a challenge and an opportunity. To learn to incarnate the gospel in dialogue with the culture. The call of God that resonates in me in this experience is to discover, care for, and nurture the seed of the Word / the Gospel that God has sown in each culture.

 Tomas M. Joustefen CMF

 

It means being surprised by how God makes Himself present in a reality that is new to me every day. Sharing the richness, diversity, and even misunderstandings in the way I experience and make God known in a culture different from mine.

Now more than ever, what resonates is being attentive to God’s presence, on paths that are unknown and sometimes challenging for me. A constant question: “Where have I seen you today, Lord?”

Tiago Ramos CMF

 

The Church was born for mission, and our Congregation has been missionary from its origin. Being a missionary for me is giving my life; it is an act of faith and trust in God. It is being a witness to the Lord’s Providence (unity in diversity). It is the real way to identify myself with Christ. “Brothers, have among you the same attitude as Christ Jesus. Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but he emptied himself…” (cf. Philippians 2:5-11).

 Fr. Miguel Angelo Cardoso Correia de Lemos CMF

 

For me, being a missionary in a multicultural context means being a person with an open mind and heart, believing, accepting, and understanding the universal missionary mandate of Jesus in the Universal Catholic Church: one God, one faith, one Bible (Word of God), one baptism, one Eucharist (the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross), and one Body of Christ. I experience the present reality of the universal mission now, carrying out my ministry in the multicultural context of London, where people from different countries, races, tribes, religions, languages, creeds, and colours live in our parish and locality. This is a special experience and God’s call in my life to carry out His universal mission and vision in the Congregation of the Missionaries of Claret according to the charism of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is timely, urgent, and effective.

Fr. Bijoy Chandra Nayak CMF

 

It is not just about evangelising, but about listening, learning, adapting, and witnessing my faith in a way that is relevant to the people. “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). A call to live the Great Commandment of loving God and loving others, to be witnesses of the Gospel and to help build the Kingdom of God in all nations.

Fr. Paul Peter Alphonse CMF

 

For me, it means that I must strive more to learn to love their culture, their people, their language, and I always ask the Lord to give me the strength to respond generously to His call and to be able to become a good missionary, capable of going beyond distances of origin, culture, and language. It is like the call of Abraham: “LEAVE YOUR LAND…” it is a call to abandon and strip away all that is unnecessary, to place more trust in God.

Fr. Rocky Xareal CMF

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