On May 8, 2023, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Spiritans).

We publish below the speech that the Pope addressed to those present during the meeting:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

I thank the Superior General for the words he addressed to me; I greet the members of the Council and all of you.

I am happy for this meeting, in which I share with you the joy of the one hundred and seventy-five years since your refoundation, with the fusion of two religious institutes.

I would like to take as my starting point, for a brief reflection, the passage from the prophet Isaiah that you have chosen as your guide in your Congregation: “Behold, I am doing something new” (43:19). It is a very beautiful word, and it is part of a text that begins: “Do not fear [Israel], for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name; you belong to me” (Is 43:1). When I hear this I am reminded of the hand of God who caresses, caresses the people, caresses each one of you: the tender God who always caresses. I pause on these words because they seem to me to reflect very well some of the fundamental values of your charism: courage, openness and abandonment to the action of the Spirit so that he might do a new thing. These values are already evident in the story of your first foundation: a young deacon, with twelve seminary companions, driven by the Spirit, courageously embarks on an unexpected adventure. He renounces the prospect of a tranquil future - he could have been a good priest from a wealthy family - for a mission yet to be discovered, exposing himself to sacrifices, misunderstandings and opposition, with a very fragile health that will lead him to an early death, before he can fully see his dream crowned. So many unforeseen events, which, however, his docility to the action of the Spirit transforms into courageous ‘yeses’, thanks to which God starts something new in him every time, and through him in others as well. 

In fact, his example finds confirmation in the brothers who continue his work, ready to respond to new signs of the times, embracing first the service to poor seminarians, then the popular missions and finally also the proclamation ad gentes in various parts of the world, without allowing themselves to be frightened even by the religious persecution unleashed by the French Revolution.

A beautiful and rich history, of which today, however, we remember a further special moment, in which everything once again comes into play. It is the second foundation, that of 1848, in which the Holy Spirit asks the community to share all the fruits of its past in a new scenario. It is time to join new companions, those of the Society of the Holy Heart of Mary, also missionaries, but with a different history. To do this, it is certainly necessary to overcome fears and jealousies, and the brothers of the two families accepted the challenge, joining forces and sharing what they have in a new beginning.

Today, after more than a century and a half, we see that Providence has rewarded their generous and courageous docility to the Spirit: you are present in sixty countries on five continents, with some two thousand six hundred religious and the involvement of many lay people. Thanks to your willingness to change and to your perseverance, you have remained faithful to the spirit of your origins: evangelising the poor, accepting missions where no one else wants to go, favouring service to the most abandoned, respecting peoples and cultures, forming local clergy and laity for integral human development, all in fraternity and simplicity of life and in assiduity of prayer. Please, this last thing is important: pray, don’t give up prayer. And not just formal prayer, no, praying! Really pray! 

Thus realise what the Venerable Libermann called “practical union” in service, the fruit of habitual docility to the Holy Spirit and the foundation of every mission.

Your charism, open and respectful, is particularly precious today, in a world where the challenge of interculturality and inclusion is alive and urgent, within the Church and outside it. That is why I say to you: do not give up your courage and inner freedom, cultivate it and make it a living feature of your apostolate. There are so many men and women who still need the Gospel, not only in the so-called “mission lands”, but also in the tired old West. Look at each one with the eyes of Jesus, who desires to meet everyone - everyone! Do not forget this: everyone - by being especially close to the poorest, touching them with his hands, fixing his gaze in theirs. And to bring to each one the fresh and vital breath of his Spirit, who is the true “protagonist of the mission” (cf. St. John Paul II, Enc. Redemptoris missio, 30), let yourselves be guided by him, because “there is no greater freedom than that of letting oneself be led by the Spirit, renouncing personal calculation and controlling everything” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 280). Allow Him to enlighten you, to direct you, to push you where He wishes, without setting conditions, without excluding anyone, because it is He who knows what is needed in every age and at every moment (cf. ibid.).

This was the great intuition of your founders and the beautiful testimony of so many brothers and sisters who have gone before you. And this is also the wish and the invitation I address to you today. May Our Lady accompany you. I bless you all from my heart and I ask you to please pray for me. Thank you!
[00751-EN.02] [Original text: Italian]