a) The Spirit of the Pedagogie Chretienne
The Spirit at work in our community is guided by the Spirit who also animated Jesus in his earthly life. We form a community set on fire by his love. This we want to express by listening to what is being asked of us. For that reason we do not want to be fixated on the traits of the one leading us. Rather, we will try to discover in her the face of our Lord Jesus Christ and to obey her out of love for him.
Outwardly Jesus looked no different than his contemporaries. Inwardly he always felt united with his father in love. So also we feel united with God in loving attentiveness to him. It is our calling to devote ourselves heart and soul to our neighbor, i.e. exterior of our spirituality
The interior of our spirituality is shaped by the realization that God is filling us with his holiness. This permeates everything we do. Spontaneously and in all things we will then seek only glory of God.
Interior Spirit:
A true member of the Institute for Christian Education is interiorly possessed by God, and this state of being filled by God’s will influences all her eternal works, and inspires her to seek in everything only the greater glory of God.
The interior spirit consists of two elements
1 a. A deep spirit of self denial
- A correct insight into the comparative value of what is earthly
2 a. A deep knowledge of spiritual matters
- A taste for the divine
- A great love for prayer
- A faithful docility to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit
- A detachment of heart
- A fervent zeal for all that concerns the honor of God.
Exterior Spirit:
A true member of the institute for Christian Education should conform her normal way of life to that of other people. She is obliged to devote herself to the tasks with the apostolic dedication and the love for her neighbor assign to her.
The following is needed to form this exterior spirit
- Perfect Obedience
- Modesty in external behavior
- Constant Recollection
- Great courage in apostolic works
- A great prudence in speaking
b) The Spirituality of the Sisters of Jesus Mary Joseph
In the preface of the ten day retreat our beloved founder Rev. Fr. Mathias Wolff SJ, summed up what he views as the spirituality of his Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph: ‘The Spirit who moves us is the same Spirit who moved Jesus’. Moved by the Spirit, Jesus went from city to city to bring good news to the poor. He did not himself choose the route he had to travel; it was the Spirit who sent him. Moved by the Spirit, Jesus in turn sent the disciples out ‘to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal’ (Luke 9:2).
Inspired by this Gospel text, father Wolff wrote: ‘Like the apostles of long ago, so we today are sent out to give education to poor young children and to administer mercy’. We do not choose our path on our own, but together we form a community of Sisters who are sent to different places where people need our help. (Sent by the Lord page 14)
By the exterior father Wolff meant the commitment to our neighbour, a commitment guided and moulded by obedience. Obedience, the ever-renewed search for what God wants of us, however important, is nurtured and sustained by growth in selflessness, in surrender to God. This father Wolff calls the interior of our spirituality. Obedience devoid of this inner surrender, according to him does not amount to anything. Accordingly, ‘what matters is not what each sister does, but how she attempts to live in the spirit of Jesus at the place where she has been sent’.
The torch of love is handed over to us, we hope that by pondering and studying the spiritual legacy of our founder and pioneer sisters, we may continue to be faithful to preserve the original heritage of our Congregation through our Holy patrons of Jesus Mary Joseph.