charism

“As we gaze upon the Heart of ‘Him whom they have pierced’ we see God’s Loving kindness, and so we look on the world with hope. Christ has freed us from sin and reconciled us with God. Knowing that we are members of a sinful human race and sharers in the free gift of redemption, we want to cooperate with Him, through Him and in Him to reconcile all people with one another and with God, and to strive that all creation, given to mankind for it use, may reflect God’s glory.” (Constitutions, 2)

MISSION

God is moved by the pain of His children, and He is compassionate. We are called to enter into this compassion, becoming partners with God in the reparative transformation of reality. We work for the care and defense of life, and we unite with all those who labor for it, promoting education in solidarity, respect for human rights, justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our educational style, the “pedagogy of the heart,” is our way of accompanying individuals in their process of personal growth. With this form of education, we strive to offer what each one needs, to combine firmness with tenderness, and to give preference to the small and the weak. Jesus is the one who repairs and gives life. Therefore, we want to offer opportunities for each person to come in contact with Him, the meaning and fullness of life. We offer Eucharistic adoration so that those who draw near to the Eucharist may experience the love of Jesus Christ and feel sent forth to build a more just and fraternal world.

FOUNDRESSES

Saint Raphaela Mary

Raphaela Mary Porras Ayllón was born on March 1, 1850, to a well-to-do family in Pedro Abad, a small village in the province of Cordoba (Spain). She grew up in a home where – as in so many others – feasting, noise, joy, and laughter coexisted with endurance, serenity, suffering and the acceptance of difficult situations; there work, effort, and necessity were intertwined with relaxation, tranquility and tenderness.

 

When her mother died, she and her sister Dolores decided that their world would no longer revolve around themselves. The world of poverty – which surrounded them and needed them – entered their lives. The year was 1874, when they began their first steps in religious life, which would lead them to found the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart.

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MOTHER PILAR

Saint Raphaela Mary was not alone on her journey. By her side we will always find her sister, Dolores Porras Ayllón, who in the Congregation was called Pilar. She was 4 years older than her sister, and Raphaela’s childhood and early adolescence was always marked by the needs and strong enterprising temperament of her sister. It was Dolores who ruled the household after the death of their mother, and it was she who organized their departure when the two sisters decided to dedicate themselves to God in the religious life. Those who knew her well used to describe her as “a soul on fire, a will of iron, a heart of gold – a true character.”

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ministries

EDUCATION

Education is one of the basic pillars of the development of the person; therefore education, both formal and informal, is one of our strongest commitments, with schools, universities, tutoring programs and other non-formal educational centers throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

SPIRITUAL ACCOMPANIMENT

Through Ignatian spirituality our vocation is one of accompanying persons in their spiritual growth and their major life decisions. For this reason, we are trained to be able to offer accompaniment to anyone who approaches us with the desire to live his or her faith more fully. We offer our houses of spirituality in order to facilitate this encounter with God, which at times, in everyday life, is not easy.

HEALTH CARE

Health is also basic to the development of the person, and promoting appropriate health care for everyone -- especially in those areas where access to health care is not guaranteed -- is part of our congregational project.

PASTORAL MINISTRY

As women of the Church, we are available to collaborate in parishes near our communities in matters of organization, formation, catechesis and any other activity entrusted to us. As a congregation we are committed to the care of migrant persons; therefore we develop and collaborate in different projects whose aim is to improve the lives of those who have had to leave their homelands in search of a better future. If you wish to be informed about our activities in the area of migrants and refugees, please subscribe to our newsletter. Young people are always present in our activities. Our youth ministry, university residences and volunteer programs seek the development of the person on the spiritual level as well as in social awareness. In this area we emphasize networking in shared projects with other congregations and associations.

SPIRITUALITY

IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY

Ignatian spirituality has given us a characteristic way of carrying out our charism. From the beginning, our Foundresses wanted its fundamental characteristics to mark our being and our work, so that we might become, as St. Ignatius wished, “docile instruments in the hands of God.” (C 814)

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REPARATION

“Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Reparation is our return of love to Christ by communion with him in his redeeming mystery ever-renewed in the Eucharist.” (Constitutions, 2)

EUCHARIST

In the Eucharist we unite ourselves to the self-offering of Christ, in order to become, with Him, “Bread which is given and Wine which is offered for the salvation of the world.” In the Eucharist we celebrate and build brotherhood, making our altar a table for all. In the Eucharist we allow ourselves to be repaired and we learn to be “agents of reparation.” Our communities spring from the Eucharist, which sends us out to the world in order to live the Eucharist.

eucaristía (Mediano)
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ADORATION

It is recognizing God present in our midst, prolonging the action of thanksgiving begun in the Eucharist. It enables us to discover His “adoring presence” in all situations, in all persons and in all creation.

“I must keep in mind in all my actions that I am in this world as in a great temple, and I, as its priest, must offer continuous sacrifice and continuous praise, and always for the greater glory of God.” (St. Raphaela Mary)

reparation is ...

RETURN OF LOVE

Knowing that we are “won over” by Love and feeling the inescapable need to “return it.”

 

PLUS OF LOVE

Feeling blessed and so in love with Christ that we want to express this superabundance of love by becoming instruments of his love.

 

 

RECONCILIATION

Creating an opening for forgiveness, building bridges, restoring relationships, working for justice and peace.

 

REBUILDING

Looking with hope upon what has been destroyed, knowing that we are instruments in the work of rebuilding.

 

 

 

HEALING

Seeking out the deepest breaches in our world and entering them. Feeling drawn by the pain of the wounded and desiring to heal them, we become sensitive to the cry of the devastated earth and commit ourselves to care for it.

 

 

 

 

 

COMPASSION

Being by the side of those who suffer, allowing ourselves to be affected by their pain, accompanying them, and even sharing in their suffering.

 

INTEGRATION

Gathering those who have been scattered, bringing together the separated, uniting the dispersed, and leading all to His Heart.

reparation is ...

RETURN OF LOVE

Knowing that we are “won over” by Love and feeling the inescapable need to “return it.”

 

PLUS OF LOVE

Feeling blessed and so in love with Christ that we want to express this superabundance of love by becoming instruments of his love.

 

RECONCILIATION

Creating an opening for forgiveness, building bridges, restoring relationships, working for justice and peace.

 

REBUILDING

Looking with hope upon what has been destroyed, knowing that we are instruments in the work of rebuilding.

 

HEALING

Seeking out the deepest breaches in our world and entering them. Feeling drawn by the pain of the wounded and desiring to heal them, we become sensitive to the cry of the devastated earth and commit ourselves to care for it.

 

COMPASSION

Being by the side of those who suffer, allowing ourselves to be affected by their pain, accompanying them, and even sharing in their suffering.

 

INTEGRATION

Gathering those who have been scattered, bringing together the separated, uniting the dispersed, and leading all to His Heart.