By Clare Pike
Missionaries of the Gospel foundress
The charism and spirituality of John Paul II is beginning to grow and blossom within a new community in Perth called the Missionaries of the Gospel.
In 2004 it became apparent that the Holy Spirit wanted a new community to be formed, to continue the work He had begun in John Paul II.
I cannot describe the joy I felt when I was presented with this idea.
I was surprised it did not already exist in the Church because it seemed so obvious that we needed it.
At the same time, the approach of JPII so deeply resonated in my own heart.
After discerning many different communities of sisters, I knew I was finally home and was eager to give Christ my life through this community.
Since then, many preparations have begun, including writing a letter to John Paul II in 2004 to share the idea with him.
Many subsequent preparations and discussions culminated in the celebration of Mass by Archbishop Barry Hickey on 23 June 2007.
At this time our provisional statues were officially recognised and Beatrice and I were enrolled as postulants.
A week later we set off for Poland to spend nine months studying the language, culture and history of JPII’s homeland.
It has been such an extraordinary experience.
As we came to know the person of Karol Wojtyla, Christ was slowly revealing to us our identity and what He is calling us to.
We believe that through John Paul II, our Lord was teaching us a way of responding to the problems of modern society, that He is calling the whole Church through us, to consider a special way of ‘being with’ people and with God that opens, transforms and unites hearts to Christ.
As I’m sure you know already, an encounter with Christ through John Paul II often began with simply being in his presence. He had a way of really listening to you, of making you feel like your experiences and thoughts were important. He emphasised your dignity, and affirmed that you are important, simply because you ‘are’. If someone struggling with a problem approached JPII, he would not provide directions and solutions straight away, because he believed that we all have the capacity to discover Truth and freely choose Good, and he was a living witness to the hope that Goodness could always triumph over evil.
Millions of people were drawn to JPII, to his way of being with people, especially because it stands in stark contrast with what they have experienced in a world that has little time for others and is scared to be with other people especially if they are suffering.
Through JPII’s gift of self to others, the Holy Spirit is reminding us that we need to examine the way we love others, for it is only in being a gift to others that we discover the meaning of our existence.
So in the future our community of sisters, brothers, priests and lay men and women (married or single), hope to grow in our relationship with Christ so that this gift for the Church may flourish through us.
Our community will not have one particular apostolate. Already we can see that God is calling people from diverse backgrounds (for example mothers, engineers, students) to this particular way of being and are eager to join the community.
John Paul II has said that unless the missionary is a contemplative, he can not proclaim Christ in a credible way. So whilst we will be an active community, our prayer life is a priority for us.
Our Spirituality will include entrusting ourselves to our Blessed Mother in all things (‘Totus tuus!’), we will also have a strong devotion to the Eucharist, the Holy Scriptures, the Way of the Cross, to our Lord’s Divine Mercy and to the mystery of the Holy Trinity dwelling in each person.
It is also very important for us to be witnesses of hope, men and women eager to share the light of the resurrection with every person, regardless of what they have experienced or the despair that confronts them.
We have much to learn, and we must be patient as the shape of this new charism for the Church is slowly revealed. Let us commit to praying with our late Holy Father for each other as we strive to entrust our lives to Mary our Comfort and Guide, and become saints of the new millennium. Our website, like this community, is currently under construction: www.mg.org.au