About Missionary Sisters of St Peter Claver
-
The spirituality of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, inherited from their Foundress, Blessed Mary Theresa Ledochowska, is rooted in Ignatian spirituality; from there it branches into a uniquely Claverian way of following Christ.
At the heart of Claverian spirituality is Christ the Redeemer, icon of the Father’s love. He is the center and the reason for everything the Sisters are called to do and to be. Blessed Mary Theresa asks them to keep their gaze fixed on Jesus the Redeemer so as to deepen their awareness of His immense love.
Christ shed his blood on the cross for all humanity, therefore the place of the sisters is, as Blessed Mary Theresa indicates, with Mary at the foot of the Cross, where in faith they watch as the blood of their Saviour flow (Conf. 1910). The Sisters are to do all in their power to apply it to souls. This scene harmonizes perfectly with the words of St. Therese of Lisieux:
"Looking at the picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck by the blood flowing… I was resolved to remain in the spirit at the foot of the Cross and to receive the divine dew… I was then to pour it out upon souls… "(Story of a Soul)
Looking in faith at Jesus on the Cross and listening to His cry “I thirst” ( Jn 19:28 ) the sisters are urged to cooperate with Him in the salvation of souls, as expressed in the motto of the Congregation: The most divine of divine things is to cooperate in the salvation of souls.