By Sr Sesilia Dominika Ria SSpS
The collaboration between the Holy Spirit Sisters and the Divine Word Missionaries is mirrored in the spirit of the Founding Generation. It started in the early days when both mission congregations were founded. Blessed Maria, Helena Stollenwerk and Blessed Josepha, Hendrina Stenmanns, entered the mission house in Steyl a few years after the SVD was founded. The women’s dream was to become nuns and go to the mission abroad. After eight years of patiently waiting faithfully, while helping in the kitchen, their dream came through when Arnold Janssen instituted a mission congregation for women, named the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS). In 1896 the third congregation was founded with the official name, Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (SSpSAP). Blessed Maria, Helena Stollenwerk and Blessed Josepha, Hendrina Stenmanns were co-founders of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, and the women played a very important role in their days. They never went to another country, but their dreams were kept alive in the hearts of those who were sent overseas from the mission house.
The collaboration between St Arnold Janssen and these two sisters formed solid roots for the good partnership between the SVD and SSpS. We are born from the same spirituality in the mission house in Steyl in the Netherlands and are breathing and living out the same spirit of the Arnoldus family. As the one family we share the same Trinitarian spirituality, which is the core of our identity and is at the centre of our mission. Through our mission, prayer and service we bring the mercy and love of our God, who created, saved and sanctified us and the world. We share the same options for mission that our founder, Saint Arnold Janssen, had dreamed about.
The Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) in Australia collaborate in bonding the dream of being missionaries in a way St Arnold Janssen had envisaged it. From the early days up to this present moment their joint collaboration has flourished through decades of mutual support, intercultural ministries with indigenous people and people on the margins of society – our shared vision in the mission of this Southern Land of the Holy Spirit.
Both congregations are international in nature, drawing members from across the world. This diversity is not a challenge but a strength – a vibrant mosaic that reflects the universality of God’s love in our worldwide Church. The members model what it means to be Church: inclusive, compassionate and embracing the cry of the people. Our partnership is grounded in prayer and discernment for a desire to be instruments of God’s love. It is a reminder that the Light we witness to is not our own—it is Christ’s. Witnessing together, we become more than co-workers; we become co-bearers of the Light, illuminating the path for others.
The SVD’s and SSpS’ ministry in North Queensland is the continuation of our shared mission. Empowered by the same spirit, they establish and foster a sense of mutual respect in order to ignite the fire of God’s love in the mission field they have been entrusted with.
The Mission in Townsville and on Palm Island is among a multicultural community and among the indigenous people of Australia. The many options for the two Orders are not only about sharing the same spirit but also the same dream, the dream that resonated from the dream of their Founding Generation. It is about building good relationships, good partnerships as well as good communication. When we come to understand and accept each other in the spirit of love, we are able to build a bridge that brings us to a great union in mission and ministry. Living among the indigenous people and among the multicultural community is a great opportunity to bring God and his compassionate love to the world. We stand together in support of each other. Apart from working together in the ministries, our regular Mass celebrations, our faith sharing and recreations bring challenges to the appreciation of our faith and offer joy together to the communities we serve. All this helps our personal growth and maturity as it deepens our vocation, and calls us to openness in the ministry entrusted to us by the local church.
Over the last four years our assignment to North Queensland has been a tremendous journey together. With the grace of God, we will continue to grow in understanding of this mission. We come from different backgrounds and countries. Our understanding of mission experiences may differ, but this reflects the richness of our diversity. Ii is not a stumbling block but as a bridge to bring together our differences into a blessing for the people we minister to.
This awareness reflects the theme of the 150th Jubilee Celebration of the Divine Word Missionaries, “Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere to Everyone.” We come from everywhere, from every corner of the world, and in the spirit of mission we bring to the world the light of God that is burning in our hearts through the Word of God. May it fall on fertile ground in our hearts. We bring the dream of our founder, St Arnold Janssen, that ‘The heart of Jesus lives in our hearts and in the hearts of all people” will be alive in us and in all those we minister to.
PHOTO: Sr Sesilia Dominika Ria SSpS