Our charism emboldens us to face prayerfully the following issues as our
particular focus in our mission of rebuilding the Church:
The Mystery of the Human Person
Reverence for the dignity of each individual created in the image of God underlies every activity, program and evangelization effort. The Community upholds the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, the innate dignity of the human body, the profound gift of sexuality as the God-given life-energy of all persons and their capacity for holistic relationship, and the fruitful complementarity of clergy, religious men and women and lay faithful. These values are woven into the very fabric of Community’s life, and we uphold them in all our services and ministries.
Relationship with Created Matter as Opposed to Virtual Reality
As Franciscans, we are inspired to praise the Creator by experiencing the beauty and order of the created world. The reverent use of created things enriches our awareness of God’s gifts of creativity, knowledge and technical genius. We confront our society’s current tendency of using “virtual reality” as a substitute for real, personal relationships by promoting person-centered community experiences with soil, plants, animals, food, tools and media.
Authority
The Community views authority as the Spirit-directed touchstone for union of hearts as well as the visionary force to stretch the Community to new dimensions so as to grow in freshness of purpose and mission. The gift of authority assures the Community of its authentic union with the Church, the Holy Father and ultimately God.
In mission, the Community recognizes the authority of each person, that is, each one’s unique capacity for authoring life for the good of the whole and in union with and respect for the ultimate authority.
Witnessing to a belief in authentic authority is counter-cultural to the “dictatorship of relativism” as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI named the societal trend where individual opinion is accepted as an ultimate truth with no reference to a core of beliefs as a guideline for morality.
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The Eucharist – The Real Presence
The Eucharist, Christ’s Presence under the form of bread and wine, is the central focus of the life and prayer of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. Daily, the Community participates in the celebration of the Mass where all of our work, joys, sufferings and concerns are offered with the bread and wine to be transubstantiated into the Body of Christ. In this profound mystery, by grace we hope to be transformed into a Body given for the life of the Church and all we serve.
Each center holds hours of Eucharistic adoration, strengthening the Community to be a “Eucharistic field” radiating Christ’s Presence to the world, and, in the words of St. Pope John Paul II, to foster “Eucharistic amazement.”