A Community Sharing
In Christ's Mission
Through the Holy Spirit


Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters
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Our Charism:
Contemplative—Missionary Service
In the Heart of the Church

“We fulfill our vocation in a life which, under the Holy Spirit's guidance, is completely oriented to contemplation through faith-filled immersion in the love of the Triune God and in the mystery of salvation. In the degree to which these influence our life, the mystery of Christ will shine forth in us and project its saving power through us to the world.”

From our Constitutions

Glorifying the Holy Triune God

St. Arnold Janssen was firmly gripped by the noble truth that the Lord God pitched his tent in the human soul in love with Christ and adorned by his grace. 'God in us' was the deepest mystery of his soul. Filled with wonder he adored the Most Blessed Trinity on its mystical throne of the human heart and embraced it lovingly. May the Holy Triune God live in our hearts was his highest motto.

We received from our Founder a deep devotion to this central mystery of our faith. Like him, we strive to glorify the triune God in everything and endeavor to live, pray, work, and suffer under his loving gaze. We contemplate and venerate the presence of the God of love in heaven, in the mystery of the Eucharist, and in the hearts of all. The solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is the principal feast of all three Congregations founded by St. Arnold.

Glorifying the Holy Spirit

Let us praise the whole Blessed Trinity, but especially that blessed third person through whom the great God kisses us with the love of the holy Creator, Father, and Bridegroom, through which he gives himself totally in sanctifying grace. (St. Arnold Janssen, SVD)

The third person of the Blessed Trinity receives a prominent place in our life of faith and in our piety. It is the love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that allows us to respond and be faithful to our vocation. Our Founder gave us a rose-colored habit as a reminder of the ardent love of the Holy Spirit, and we celebrate the solemnity of Pentecost as the titular feast of our Congregation. It is also our tradition to celebrate the third Monday of each month as a day on which we vividly recall our relationship and duties to the Holy Spirit.

Glorifying the Holy Eucharist

Corpus Christi Procession

On the eve of All Saints 1901 Fr Superior Arnold Janssen solemnly opened the 'perpetual adoration.' Since then it has been carried on without interruption and we hope that by the goodness of God there will never be a shortage of Cloistered Sisters who will perform this most honorable and loving service for the Divine Savior in the Blessed Sacrament. (Mother Mary Michael)

The Eucharist is the heart of our personal and communal life, and our contemplative life draws its strength from this sacrament. In this mystery, the triune God's love is manifested in its fullness. The service of perpetual adoration was introduced by our Founder as our special obligation, and approved as such by the Church. In everything, we remain in God and his love and live entirely for his glory.

Participation in the Church's Missionary Role

You should understand your vocation in this way: You rise in the night to pray; you take turns before the throne of grace; you pray several hours a day; but you also spend several hours at work. You are not only Mary but also Martha...you can do a lot in this area. The work you do also serves the highest goal, the salvation of souls. (Fr. N. Blum, SVD)

The Church's documents after Vatican Council II stress that consecrated life is itself a mission and that a sense of mission is essential to every institute, not only those dedicated to active apostolic life but also those dedicated to contemplative life. The primary task of consecrated life is the mission of making Christ present to the world through personal witness. Our sense of identity as a missionary Congregation is a legacy of our Founder, who burned with zeal for the salvation of souls. We consider our duty of glorifying the triune God in his mysteries and saving works as being intimately connected with our specific service to all humanity, whom we represent before God. With St. Arnold we are convinced that by our hidden life of prayer and sacrifice we serve the Church in its missionary task and alleviate the needs of mankind.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

“We are intent on becoming thoroughly imbued with the spirit of prayer. With filial reverence we come before God, and amid the noise and unrest of the world, are a sign of the fruitfulness that results from the repose and concentration of all one's powers in God.”

From our Constitutions

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