A source that inspired the community in its founding was Sacred Scripture, especially the writings of St. Paul and his insight into the Church as the Body of Christ: “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another” (Rom 12: 4-5). The life of Saint Francis was instrumental during our time of foundation as we worked towards embodying the original charism and spirit of our founding father. The Vatican II decree on the Adaption and Renewal of Religious Life, Perfectae Caritatis, gave us guiding principles in this process of renewal: “The adaptation and renewal of the religious life includes both the constant return to the sources of all Christian life and to the original spirit of the institutes and their adaptation to the changed conditions of our time.” In addition the Papal writings of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI (e.g. Humanae Vitae, the Theology of the Body, Vita Consecrata, Laborem Exercens, Evangelium Vitae and Deus Caritas Est) were and continue to be sources of inspiration to nurture the faith of our Sisters as we live our charism of promoting the sacredness and dignity of all life.
