Looking back through the years, I believe
I have been most conscious of the presence of the Spirit of God in my
times of greatest doubt, darkness and confusion. The years I spent in
the seminary were years of great upheaval in the church. Priests and
seminarians were abandoning their vocations. In the midst of my
turmoil I joined a Pentecostal prayer group and found the clarity and
peace that only the Spirit can bring. My faith was strengthened, my
enthusiasm renewed, my sacramental and prayer life enriched. These
were the gifts Holy Spirit to me. When I encounter signs of
discouragement, I renew the intensity prayer life and always the Holy
Spirit hears me from the turmoil, and restores me to peace and joy. I
know the action of the Spirit of God from my own personal
experiences. Yes, I certainly do believe in the Holy Spirit.
Locky Flanagan CSSp
Toronto, Ontario
|
I believe in the Holy Spirit - the third, and most intangible
member of the Trinity and yet often the presence most felt in my
life. I believe the Spirit is with me in all my roles - as woman,
spouse, parent. friend, teacher, member of society. I recognize the
Spirit in the quiet times in Church, in the struggles of life, in the
ordinary moments of the day. It is the Holy Spirit who guides me in
discerning the truth in matters of complexity, in determining the
right course of action, and in interacting with concern for others.
Grade One students are puzzled by the Holy Spirit and ask many
questions. To answer, I refer to the classroom mobile that moves ever
so slightly with the unseen air current - so the Holy Spirit moves in
our lives, unseen and gentle, encouraging us in all our movements. It
takes time to know, to understand, to believe.
Mary Jane Gowans
Waterloo, Ontario
|
Quite a long time ago, while sitting in a restaurant, I
noticed on a nearby table a chubby kind of candle sitting comfortably
in an attractive holder. The candle was burning brightly but the
flame was quite still: no movement at all. I continued to wonder why.
As the restaurant slowly filled with pie the activity on the part of
the waiters increased. The table with the candle was now occupied.
Almost immediately the flame 'came alive'. Slowly it dawned on me: it
was the movement of the servers and the family sitting at the table
that brought the candle to life. The candle had been there all the
time waiting for something to happen. Is it not so with us? The Holy
Spirit dwells within each of us, but it is only when I respond, en I
move my heart toward, or deliberately focus my heart on the
"Who" within me that the Spirit of God is really free to
come alive.
Garry McCarthy CSSp
Toronto, Ontario
|
The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son and at the
same time their mutual bond of love. The Holy Spirit hovered over the
waters when the universe was still formless and empty; He now hovers
over me and if I am open to his inspiration brings order to the chaos
of my sinful self. He led the Israelites through the desert as a
pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke in the daytime; He now
leads me to truth and freedom if I open my heart to him. His love is
often expressed by the element of fire, the tongues of fire that
descended on the Church on the first Pentecost; when I open my heart
to him He fills it with His love and burns away my sins and
imperfections in the furnace of the eternal fire of His love - this
can be very painful.
Enzo Agnoli CSSp
Edmonton, Alberta
|
In this year dedicated to the Holy Spirit, the words of the
Creed have special meaning. For me, in a more powerful way, He is the
Counsellor leading me into all truth. He is that great gift pouring
God's love into my heart. He is the source of genuine happiness
dispelling all sadness; my peace against the prince of darkness; my
Sanctifier in striving to follow Christ. He is my greatest teacher in
prayer, recalling to me Mary's "fiat". He is my sure guide
renewing me in spirit, and assuring me that in spite of the glamour
of this world's lights, it is the spirit that gives life. Finally, in
the millennium that will soon end, one in which have occurred the
great separations between Christians, I wish to unite with the Holy
Father as he prays that through the power of the Holy Spirit we may
again make up one body in the celebration of the same Eucharist,
"a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of peace".
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
John Cunningham CSSp
Edmonton, Alberta
|
I believe in the Holy Spirit present in his Church and in the
world - even if people don't know his name. I believe the Holy Spirit
is still the creating Spirit, and that he will give every morning
fresh freedom, joy, and a new provision of hope, if we open our soul
to him. The story of the Church is a long story filled with the
wonders of the Holy Spirit we must remember the saints and the
prophets, bringing, in hopeless times, a gulf stream of graces and
new lights, and continue on the road. I believe in the surprises of
the Holy Spirit ... Why should we think that God's imagination and
love might be exhausted?
Cardinal Suenens
Belgium
|
I have eight children who are all grown up and pursuing their
own lives and careers in five cities in three countries. When I
reflect on those hectic years when I was a full-time Mom, I think of
the Holy Spirit as background music. Always there, always comforting
- a constant but unobtrusive reminder that I was not alone with the
task. As you can imagine, I was frequently too busy or too tired to
do much in the way of structured meditation in those days, but prayer
was a constant undercurrent of all that I did. "God, keep David
safe on this school trip." "God, thank you for getting Hugh
into Notre Dame". "God, I don't like the look of this one,
please go with Mairi on her date tonight!" Sometimes I am
embarrassed to think of how much I have asked of the Holy Spirit over
the years, and I am amazed at how infinitely willing the Spirit is to
respond to the needs of one frantic Mom.
Rose Anne Hart
Toronto, Ontario
|
I believe that somewhere in our vast universe, there is
someone who is ultimate love - who loves our world and all its
peoples into being. I believe that God's Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
Love, remains with God's people to encourage, to sustain, to
reconcile, to nurture, and to enliven so that we may in some small
way reflect God's love as personified in the third person of the
Trinity, the Holy Spirit. I believe that God's Holy Spirit, in a
sense, is the heart of God - the lifeline, the energizer, the
sustainer, and the giver of the great gift of love. This Holy Spirit,
this gift / spirit of love is not the Hollywood love. Rather it is
the love which is there in good times and bad: it is the love of God
for me, for our world, which continually invites me to forgive, to be
reconciled, to trust, to believe, to serve, to walk the extra mile.
It is this love which continues to invite me to 'the more', to reach
more deeply into who I am so as to explore and to live out of this
incomprehensible mystery of God's love, the Holy Spirit. This mystery
for me is contained in the reality that the God who created me from
nothing loves me for no reason other than that God loves. In some
small way this is what I am saying when I make my profession of
faith, "I believe in the Holy Spirit".
Magdalen O'Rourke
Toronto, Ontario
|
Welcome
to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of over three thousand members,
founded in 1703. Our missions are spread worldwide. While we may be
found involved in many diverse ministries, we have dedicated
ourselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the
Church has difficulty in finding ministers. We hope you enjoy your
visit to our site and that while browsing you will keep us in your
prayers. May God bless you.
