Leading up to Francis Libermann's Feast Day on February 2, we'll be traveling through his life and see how his calling from God led to a reinvigorated Mission for the Spiritans and pioneered a Missionary Method that we still use today.

Day 4: TO THE MARGINS

Francis Libermann wanted to be useful to the church and the world, and he didn’t feel that he could do that in his original situation. Instead, through his associations with Tisserant, Le Vavasseur, and M. de la Brunière, he began to see social marginalization as an area for evangelization where he could be useful.

Throughout its history, the Congregation has endeavored to remain faithful to its specific missionary space. Much like Francis Libermann envisioned, we continue to be dedicated to working on the margins and peripheries of society and where the church has difficulty finding workers.

Join us in saying a prayer for Spiritan Missions:

God of new beginnings, God of our founders and ancestors in the Faith, we pray and thank you for calling us to renew our Spiritan Mission.

Give us new eyes, to discern the horizons for Spiritan mission to which you call us in the challenging world of today.

Give us new ears, to listen to your ever-creating Word and to hear the voices of those who hope and long for a better world.

Give us new words, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and to witness your love and mercy for all people.

Breathe on each one of us, your life-giving Spirit of renewal.

May we rejoice, in the richness of our diversity and strive to foster among our Spiritan family a deeper communion of life and mission.

We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Who accompanies us on our pilgrim path, in the Spirit that binds us together.

Amen.

These reflections follow the 2024 Francis Libermann Novena prepared by Br. Mariano Espinoza of the Paraguay Group of the Spiritans.