For the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, 2025 is the Year of Transformation. Guided by the Congregational Directions, all SSpS missionaries are invited to embark on a journey conversion seeking personal transformation that radiates into their mission and benefits the society in which they live.
In its latest circular letter to the sisters, the Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) sent the text we share below, which we recommend to all who seek a deeper meaning in life, allowing themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit and embracing a commitment to the common good.
The Call for Transformation
We are currently in the Year of Transformation, a time of great urgency and significance. This year, the Congregation calls upon us to strive for a sustainable and responsible life and foster life-giving, creative, and respectful relationships with all our brothers, sisters, and creation.
When we talk about transformation, we often think of change. But transformation is more profound. It’s an inner change, and the Holy Spirit is the primary catalyst. The Holy Spirit is active in our world, congregation, communities, and personal lives, guiding us in personal, communitarian, and missionary conversion.
Therefore, the big question is: How can we align ourselves and our lives with the Holy Spirit? The Spirit will lead us into transformation.
Transformation requires conversion on multiple levels:
1. Personal Conversion: A conversion of the heart, sentiments, and thoughts. True transformation begins with the heart. It requires a profound personal conversion of our thoughts, emotions, and desires. It is an invitation to let the Spirit guide us into a fuller communion with God, reshaping our inner lives to reflect Christ’s love and humility.
2. Communitarian Conversion: A conversion of our relationships. Very often, we struggle with our relationships in communities and teams. This makes collaboration difficult that is so necessary for our mission. Transformation needs to touch this level. As St. Paul reminds us: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human person, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:5-8) Communitarian Conversion calls us to develop the capacity to open ourselves to others, encounter them on a deep level, and share our faith and life.
3. Missionary Conversion: Asking, “Where is the Spirit calling us to respond in this concrete situation? What cry do we need to hear and answer?” Missionary conversion compels us to listen attentively and act courageously, bringing Christ’s love to the concrete realities of our world, especially to the poor and marginalised.
4. Structural Conversion: Ensuring that our structures always serve the mission and align with God’s mission. They must be flexible and responsive, aligning with God’s mission and supporting the transformative work within and around us. Transformation of our structures is a natural outcome of personal, communitarian, and missionary conversion. Only transforming our structures without including the other levels will lead to a dead end.
5. c: Transformation is personal or communal and must be ecological and systemic. As a congregation, we are called to engage with the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Our responsibility towards creation is a crucial part of our transformation journey. It requires us to examine our lifestyle, consumption patterns, and responsibility for creation. Our mission of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation (JPIC) challenges us to act for systemic change, addressing unjust structures that harm people and the environment.
Our commitment to ecological conversion calls us to adopt sustainable practices, work for climate justice, and promote a world where all can live with dignity. This is an integral part of our transformation journey that aligns with the Gospel values and our congregational charism.
Formation: A Pathway to Transformation
Formation is indispensable for all these dimensions of conversion. By formation, we mean initial and ongoing formation, especially continuous self-formation. Formation happens on the intellectual, emotional, relational, and action levels. It helps us find focus and direction, enabling us to give ourselves generously to and for Christ’s mission. Transformation happens through intentional formation accompanied by grace.
As St. John of the Cross teaches: “Have a habitual desire to imitate Christ in all your deeds by bringing your life into conformity with his. You must then study his life in order to know how to imitate him and behave in all things as He would behave”. (A1.13.3) Our desires need to be educated, and this happens through immersion into the person and life of Jesus in the Gospels. A conscious decision of the heart for Christ leads to a shift in the focus of our desires. Often, we may not feel satisfied with the slow, unpretentious development of day-to-day fidelity to this companionship of Jesus. We may crave novelty, excitement, and fast changes. Yet, it is through perseverance, silence, contemplation, and sharing with others that we grow in what truly matters. We have been given all in Jesus, our brother, companion, and master.
Discernment: Collaborating with the Spirit
We align our wills, emotions, desires, and actions with the Spirit through spiritual discernment. We are called to be collaborators and companions of the Holy Spirit, recognising and responding to the Spirit’s movements in our lives. This requires attentiveness, courage, and a willingness to follow wherever the Spirit leads.
To aid us in this process, we invite you to use the following framework as a practical tool for discernment:
- Experience: What happened? Reflect on the events or situations you encounter.
- Awareness: What feelings were triggered? Acknowledge your emotions and inner stirrings.
- Interpretation: Why is this the case? Seek to understand the reasons behind your feelings and experiences.
- Validation: Is this understanding valid? Discern whether your interpretation aligns with truth, love, and faith.
- Decision and Action: What should I decide accordingly? Let this process guide your actions with clarity and purpose.
This framework invites us to slow down, reflect intentionally, and align our decisions with the Spirit’s guidance. By practising this approach, we deepen our personal reflection, foster honest dialogue within our communities, and respond effectively to the mission’s needs. It reminds us to take the time to listen, ask the Spirit for clarity, and act with conviction and courage.
Written by the SSpS Congregational Leadership Team
The Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) from left to right: Sr. Jana Pavla Tóthová, Sr. Mikaelin Bupu, Sr. Miriam Altenhofen, Sr. Tressa Sebastian, Sr. Kreti Soledad Sanhueza Vidal and Sr. Mariana Camezzana.
