Dear Sisters,
It has been a long and challenging process – to find a logo where we all can identify with. Our journey started at the 14th General Chapter in Steyl where we decided that we want to create a corporate identity with a logo that we can adopt everywhere in our congregation. We had the help of a company but the result was not satisfying and was not accepted. Therefore, the 15th General Chapter recommended to the CLT to form a commission guided by the communication team that they in collaboration with the CLT will finalise the process. That is what we did. And today we want to present to you the result of our finding: the new congregational logo.
Today, I speak not just about a logo, but about who we are—and who we are becoming.
I know that when we encounter something new, especially something as symbolic and personal as a logo, it can awaken many feelings—some joy, some hesitation, some questions. That is natural. Symbols carry weight. They speak to our hearts, our memories, our shared journey.
This new logo is not just a design—it’s a symbol, a reflection of our identity and mission, crafted with deep thought, prayer, and discernment. It embodies who we are and calls us to be who we are becoming.
And so I want to begin not with the design, but with the Spirit.
1. The Spirit Who Moves Us
At the heart of our new logo is a dove. But not just any dove—this one is alive with motion. It reminds us of the Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation when everything was chaos(Gn 1,1-2). The Spirit who spoke through the prophets and prophetess. The Spirit that is capable of giving life back to what is dead (Ez 37:4-14). The Spirit who made possible the incarnation in Mary’s womb (Lc 1). The same Spirit who descended upon Jesus at his baptism and confirmed his divine affiliation (Lc 3,21). The Spirit who filled the room at Pentecost with wind and fire, with courage and boldness (Act 2,1). The Spirit who was given to the disciples—and to us.
This same Spirit breathes in our lives, calling us anew each day.
She is the breath in our discernment, the voice in our silence, the wind that pushes us beyond our comfort zones.
She leads us into new places, unfamiliar lands, into brokenness, into resurrection.
And yes, sometimes even into change.
This dove in our logo looks forward, because She is present in the whole history and in the cosmos. She is not still, She moves, she invites us to be present and at the same time to look forward… to read the signs of time, we are invited to enter into this dance. We are never static. We are always on the way.
Can we feel Her breath today, moving among us? Can we welcome the life She brings?
2. The Cross We Embrace
Flowing with the dove is the cross. Not a heavy cross of shame, but the cross of love—the kind Jesus bore willingly for the sake of others.
The cross in our logo has the same shape of the cross that we carry on our chest. This cross is subtle, but firm. It stands quietly within, reminding us of Christ’s love that redeems all things.
Jesus himself took our fragile and limited condition and devoted himself to deliverance and healing. He made no one suffer and when he was able to condemn, he exchanged punishment for forgiveness.
The cross takes on its true liberating and healing meaning when the risen Jesus makes it a sign of good news.
The cross in our logo tells us: Yes, the world is broken. And so are we. But we do not run away. We stay. We forgive. We stand. We serve, and by doing that we, SSpS, become Good News for all those who encounter us.
The cross teaches us to give ourselves fully, as our Chapter Direction invites us: “We vow to radically live our consecration” (CD3), to live the evangelical counsels not as rules but as signs of radical love.
It invites us to see God even in what is cracked, wounded, and unfinished. And to reflect that same compassion to others.
“We boldly join our God of compassion, as instruments of transformation in the world.” (Congregational Directions, Epilogue).
The cross says: Your love, when given freely, is transforming.
3. The Globe that Holds Us All
And around it all—the globe.
Open. Incomplete. Moving.
This globe is not a circle of perfection. It is a world in motion. It symbolizes our global mission, yes—but more than that, it reflects the wide, open heart of our congregation. We live in times of increasing rejection and fear of the other, and old fears and rivalries that we thought we had overcome have resurfaced. We are called to recover the basic condition that we are sisters and brothers. Called to be able to enter other lands without being hurt and without hurting, because we are anointed by the same Spirit and capable of accompanying in fragility.
A globe that can be seen as “open arms”, we SSpS receive all, our communities are places where anyone can enter and feel embraced, accepted as they are. Our Intercultural living is a sign of hope for Today’s world. As Fratteli Tutti invites us: “Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all” (FT, 8). Hospitality was at the core of our Founding Generation
Therefore, we do not build walls. We do not cling to comfort. We go. We cross borders. We listen. We learn. We serve.
And as we do, we remain connected—to one another, and to the Spirit’s promptings in our time.
The openness of the globe says: “There is still more to do. More to love. More to embrace.”
It is a gentle call to stay flexible, faithful, open and fearless.
4. Together, These Symbols Tell Our Story
The dove.
The cross.
The globe.
Individually, each is rich with meaning.
Together, they are us.
They weave together our deepest identity:
Moved by the Spirit.
Called to serve.
And to be the Good News.
This logo is not a corporate rebranding. It is a visual prayer.
It’s not about being modern for the sake of trend.
It is about being true—to who we are, in today’s world.
It reflects our feminine strength, our rootedness in faith, and our openness to what is coming.
And yes, it carries us into the future—into the hearts of the next generations of sisters, who will also see themselves in it.
5. An Invitation to You, Dear Sisters
This logo will not mean the same to every one of us. And that’s beautiful.
Some of you will see the Spirit first.
Others will see the cross.
Others will feel the global embrace.
That is how it should be.
Because just like our charism, the logo leaves room—for mystery, for individuality, for discovery.
So I invite you, not just to accept the logo, but to live into it. To explore it. To ask yourself:
- Where do I see myself in this?
- What is the Spirit inviting me to today through this symbol?
6. Closing Blessing
Let us not be afraid of this new face of our congregation.
Let us be proud—not of a logo—but of what it represents.
Let us carry it in our hearts, accept it with joy, and allow it to speak silently of our mission, wherever we go.
May the Spirit continue to move in us.
May we bear the cross with love.
May our hearts stay open as the globe—wide enough to hold the world.
Moved by the Spirit,
Called to Serve,
And Be the Good News.
Amen.
