2013

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Home Join Us

Called to be Spiritan

How do you know if you are called to be a Spiritan? Do you have some questions about religious life and the Spiritan community?

 

Welcome to the Spiritan World!

Joining the Spiritans means having a vocation that gives back to the world. It means listening to the Spirit within you and turning your life over to God so you can serve others by sharing the word of the Gospel.  Read what some Spiritans have to say about their decision to join.

 

To become a Spiritan

 

You must follow the path to a Spritan life, through study, prayer and service. This is a program that generally lasts three or more years in the United States:

 

Formation Houses

 

You will study at one of our formation houses, places of prayer, learning and community. Throughout the Vocation process, there will be many challenges and obstacles for you to overcome. Through it all, the Spiritan family is there to offer support, whether in Pittsburgh or Chicago. And as you grow -- in yourself, in community, and in Spirit -- these houses of Formation will become your home.

 

It is a wonderful place of great diversity and ample opportunities to be of service to others. I am Fr. Jeff Duaime of Holy Ghost Prepartory School and I invite you to explore who we are and what we are about.  I challenge you to respond to the promptings of the Spirit in your own life to follow in the footsteps of the Lord in whatever way is appropriate for you.



The Spiritans have been in the business of evangelization and serving those in need for more than 300 years. Our first founder, Claude Poullart des Places, felt God tugging at his heart and wanted to do something to help the poor. He gathered together a small group of needy seminarians on the feast of Pentecost in 1703 in France, and three centuries later the Holy Spirit is continuing to surprise us in ways that Claude could never have imagined.
Francis Libermann, who we consider our second founder because of the renewal that he brought to the community in the mid-19th century, had a special concern for the recently freed slaves of his time. His deep spirituality and openness to the Spirit continue to mark our community to this day.

 Spiritans are now working in over 60 countries around the world bringing the Good News to those who have not yet heard or have scarcely heard the Gospel.
From working in international refugee camps to inner city parishes, from teaching in schools around the world to providing a home for orphans in France, Spiritans are about the business of proclaiming the reign of God with their lives and through their works.
I give thanks to God each and every day for the opportunity to be a part of this community, and I am extremely grateful to everyone who helps us accomplish this mission through their prayers and support. It is an amazing story, and it is God who initiates and inspires all that we do. To God be all praise and honor!