"How we live Ignatian spirituality as Sisters of Saint Andrew"
Words spoken by Sister Dinorah, Superior General of the Sisters of Saint Andrew in the church of Saint John Berchmans (College of St. Michael) in Brussels, on the occasion of the closing of the Ignatian Anniversaries - 2nd December 2006
The Constitutions of St Ignatius provides us with an opening to every kind of mission in the Church. For our little Apostolic Body which is at the same time an assembly of minorities, this grace is also a challenge.
A grace: to be brought together as one Body by Christ, and to be sent into his vineyard. Our small number requires of us - more than ever - when looking at the choice of missions, to discern that which contributes towards the "greater good". It is within this perspective that the human, intellectual and spiritual formation of our sisters is directly orientated toward this end. The desire to progress in the interior knowledge of the Lord - grace of the Second Week of the Exercises - accompanies us and is nourished by our life of prayer, and by our apostolic life.
Trying to live according to the spirit of the Constitutions is also a challenge: to find ways of expressing the dynamism of this apostolic mobility when confronted with the reality and the diversity of such a small number.
Being Ignatian incites us to be creative in a way that is for us particularly associated with the multiplication of the loaves. The desire, so close to the heart of Ignatius, to "help souls"- we act out in the folly of faith - offering to the Lord the "five loaves and two fish" that we are, and then according to his word, we set about "making the crowd sit down". It is an adventure: to let ourselves be taken by surprise by the unforeseen events of human history, by its joys, its contrasts and its questions.
At the heart of daily life, challenges and graces are both one and the same: to seek and find the most Holy Will of God Our Lord in this moment of time. Time - that means for us the humble and respectful bearer of the One who is.
