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 5: MISSIONARY PRIORITIES
Francis Libermann and his group of future missionaries were focused on enslaved and formerly enslaved Black populations, starting with those in Bourbon. They were not being served by parish priests or vicars in the area and needed both physical and spiritual support. This focus allowed them to move forward.
Determining the priorities of the work they would undertake was important to Francis Libermann and his group of to-be-missionaries. In his time, the priority was enslaved and formerly enslaved black populations. At the last General Chapter, the Congregation set their missionary priorities to be:
- Outreach to young people (taking into account the digital world)
- Attention to people on the peripheries of society, the new urban poor, migrants and respect for ecology
- Action in favor of justice and integral ecology
These reflections follow the 2024 Francis Libermann Novena prepared by Br. Mariano Espinoza of the Paraguay Group of the Spiritans.