Spiritans Were Founded 321 Years Ago on Pentecost
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May 17, 2024On Pentecost in 1703—Claude Poullart des Places founded “The Seminary of the Holy Ghost,” a community dedicated to evangelization, the alleviation of poverty, and the provision of material and spiritual support to future seminarians.
Des Places was very young, only 24, and still in seminary. Still, he felt called to form this supportive community of fellow seminarians. The community drew people towards this simple lifestyle and dedication to the Holy Spirit.
Des Places described the group this way in his Regulations:“All students will particularly adore the Holy Spirit to whom they have been especially devoted. They will also have a singular devotion to the Blessed Virgin, under whose protection they have been offered to the Holy Spirit. They will choose the feasts of Pentecost and the Immaculate Conception as their principal feasts. They will celebrate the first to obtain from the Holy Spirit the fire of divine love, and the second to obtain from the Blessed Virgin angelic purity: two virtues which must form the whole foundation of their piety.”
Pentecost remembers the events at the beginning of Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles after Jesus ascended to Heaven. Pentecost is recognized as the birthday of the church. When the Holy Spirit came down, the disciples went from hiding fearfully in the Upper Room to spreading the Gospel message to the nations with courage and zeal.
During Pentecost, we remember the universal mission of the church to proclaim the Good News to all people. This call to evangelization is one the Congregation of the Holy Spirit embodies, going wherever the Spirit leads and serving on the margins and where the church has trouble finding workers. Since our humble beginnings, we’ve held close to many of Claude Poullart Des Places' inspirations as he founded the congregation in 1703, which was then expanded and grown by Francis Libermann.
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