Our missionary call
a concrete response to God's love
We believe that God continues to call today, in the concrete of each story. That is why we accompany processes of discernment, share real testimonies and offer ways to discover how to give life with joy, freedom and fruitfulness, according to the state of life to which each person is called.
Consecrated Missionary Sisters
We live a life totally dedicated to God
to love, serve and proclaim the Gospel in community and mission.
Discover
what you are made for
I found a way to be happy
I found God's answer to injustice
I found a deep joy
I found "the EVERYTHING".
I found the Love of my soul
I found what God dreams for me
Questions that arise
when God calls
How do I know that God is calling me?
If you have a deep desire to love and serve God, and that this desire lasts. If you often ask yourself what God wants for you and seek to give meaning to your life in a concrete way. If you find joy in imagining yourself living in community, praying and serving the world in some way.
What do I do if I am afraid of making a mistake?
Fear is normal, no one starts with all the certainties clear. That is why you need to make a path of discernment in which you will be clarifying the will of God in your life. If you want, you can have the help of a companion to help you in this process. But be sure that God does not play hide-and-seek: He wants your happiness more than you do. In faith there are never mistakes but learning.
Do I have to be perfect to follow God in the consecrated life?
No! The vocation is not for "spiritual superheroes", but for real people. Jesus called fishermen with fears, doubts and sins. The important thing is not to be perfect, but to be willing to be transformed and to walk with others. He needs us as we are to love.
What if I feel called but also want to get married and have a family?
Vocation is discovering how to love in the fullest way to which God invites you. It can be in marriage, in consecrated life, in the priesthood, or in lay missionary commitment. The important thing is not "what I give up", but "what I give and how I love". On the path of discernment you will discover precisely what is the state of life to which God is calling you and where you will find your happiness.
Does consecrated life really make sense today?
Never has there been a greater need for the witness of people who live simply, joyfully, fraternity and mission. Religious life today has a profound meaning in a world in search of meaning, hope and coherence of life. In the midst of poor areas, regions of conflict or precarious situations, consecrated life today is a sign of authenticity and service that makes us continue to believe in the goodness of people.
What do I do if my parents or friends do not support me?
It is normal that there are misunderstandings because it is not a very common vocation in society. The important thing is to live your discernment with serenity and freedom, being faithful to what you discover. Vocation is a personal journey with God and, at the same time, it is lived in community. You can look for a faith group that understands you and where you can share freely what you live. This is what the first Christian communities were like.
Where can I find help in discerning my vocation?
You can find help in a community of sisters, in your parish, with a spiritual companion, by participating in retreats, formation for discernment, volunteering, missions or retreats. It is highly advisable to have a faith community to walk with.
If I become a missionary, will I lose my freedom?
On the contrary, you will feel freer because many chains that do not let you be original and yourself will be broken. And you will discover a freedom that you have never experienced before. You will be yourself, and the best version of yourself will emerge in giving yourself to others.
What is a day in the life of a consecrated person like?
The first and last moments of the day are dedicated to prayer before Jesus-Eucharist. During the day we have times of mission, fraternal sharing, housework, fun and Eucharist. Do not hesitate to come and ask a sister for more information.
Is there only a vocation to religious life?
No! God calls every baptized person to union with Him and to love like Him. To live this fundamental vocation to Love, there are three different ways: religious life, priestly life and lay life. Our community is a large family where all three forms meet.
A path for listening
and discernment
1st Time of vocational discernment
2nd Aspirancy (Nazareth stage)One year minimum to begin to get to know the Community.
3rd Postulancy (Galilee stage): two years to deepen the knowledge of the community, living times with the local community and participating in the mission. The call to the consecrated vocation is confirmed.
4th Novitiate (Betania stage)
Two years of initial formation in community spirituality, mission and community life. After this time, first vows are professed for two years.
5th Juniorate (Jerusalem stage):
After two years, the vows are renewed for three years until perpetual vows. During a period of five years, in addition to dedicating herself to the specific mission, the young woman receives theological formation. The last year is a preparation for perpetual vows (Cenacle stage). (Cenacle stage).
We accompany you
contact us!
France
Catherine Berriaud
Belgium
Anne-Thiran
Poland
Izabela Fink
Germany
Patricia Willems
Italy
Veronica Alonso
Spain
Lucía Ordóñez
Korea
Eunju Shin (Christina)
Japan
Alaitz Urreiztieta
Philippines
Manoli Sanchez
Israel
Monika Kraemer
Argentina
Rosaura
Peru
Anne-Vé Dauvisis
Colombia
Ceci Pastor
Togo
Isabelle Jacquinet
Missionary priests
We unfold our vocation inserted in the local Church, being missionaries at the service of the Church and the community. We are present in Argentina and Spain.
What were you looking for?
My name is Darío and I am from Salamanca. When I was 23 years old, once I finished my Architecture degree, I thought about what to do, where to direct my life. I was not satisfied with living simply to get rich while there are so many people without the necessities of life. Why build houses if the people who live in the houses do not know how to live? I asked myself. One Christmas we started a missionary group in the parish of Santa Rita in Madrid. It was my first missionary experience in the service of the most needy. We went out to contact poor people in the slums of Madrid in the Pozo del Tío Raimundo, orphaned children and abandoned elderly. I began to sense that more than being happy, it was about how to make the lives of those around us happier.
Where did I find what I was looking for?
With the missionary group that we started, we went to an Easter celebration in Taizé, France. There I had an experience that marked a before and an after. On Good Friday, during the adoration of the Cross, I remained contemplating Christ and his sorrowful Mother at the foot of the Cross. The empty cross made me discover the reality of a world of pain, suffering and death absent of God. Where there is no God, there is no love and life without love makes us unhappy, inhuman. Jesus offered himself for us so that we could discover the fullness of his love. Jesus invited me to prolong his mission of offering love in this world. I can say that this encounter marked a before and an after.
What is the reason for my life?
I had a life ahead of me. I discovered life as a gift, that life has been given to us to give. That we find life to the extent that we offer it for others in the service of the poorest and neediest. From then on I sought nothing other than to respond to love with the same love that had been loved. Life has been a journey, an apprenticeship to live with him and to love like him. As a good architect I wanted my life to have no other solid foundation than his love. He promised and offered it to me unconditionally from the beginning. I will be with you always. I loved you and I will not stop loving you until the end.
What does love drive me to?
It is not a difficult thing, a question of a great renunciation, but of a great adventure. What is difficult is a life without him. Life without him is meaningless and not worth living. Whoever finds him has found a treasure. But we cannot keep or retain it for ourselves. There is no greater treasure that we can offer to our brothers and sisters. To give simply what we have received. I can say that it is not a matter of being heroes, nor of merit, nor of merit, but simply of love. Love is repaid with love. It is worth it to give everything, to give oneself completely.
How to build a new world?
I did not renounce my vocation as an architect, but rediscovered it anew. A new world begins with a new man. The encounter with his merciful love renews our gaze and our heart, lifts us up and impels us to live with him and like him, loving and offering all that we are and have. Our world is sick, wounded by love. There are so many broken people who have been marginalized, discarded, left by the wayside. They are waiting for someone as a Good Samaritan to reach out to them, to show them the way and help them to walk it together. He has given us the remedy and the medicine to heal broken and grieving hearts. Apply the gentle ointment of his mercy.
Where did love take me?
My missionary life has taken many paths. For 45 years I have lived my missionary vocation in different places and countries. The longest periods have been in the urban cone of Buenos Aires, Argentina (12 years) and in the Philippines, first on the island of Cebu (7 years) and in a rural area of Northern Luzon (the last 10 years). I have discovered that the people of the plain, poor, simple people are heirs of the Kingdom. They are not only the object of our mission but active subjects in the proclamation of the Kingdom.
How to live the mission?
We are not saved individually but together in community. We want to live our mission not alone or in isolation but together with others, in community, forming communities of brothers and sisters who are the leaven of the Kingdom, of a universal fraternity. In spite of the present tragedies and a convulsive world subjected to such great changes, we hope and believe in a new earth. We feel that his Kingdom is already in germination and we feel comforted by his Spirit of love that urges us to live as one family of brothers. He has promised us. He will guide us to that happy ending.
We accompany you, ¡contact us!
Dario Marote
dariosemd@hotmail.com
Laity
We follow Jesus in daily life, in the family, at work and in society, making the ordinary a place of mission.
When the mission
becomes a call
Discovering God in everyday love
Choosing to walk together in the service of the Gospel
Questions that arise
when God calls
What does God want from us as a couple?
May we live love with fidelity and service, reflecting his love in our family and in our community. A couple that is always open to others can be a sign of God's call to you.
What gifts or talents has God given us as a married couple in order to discern our vocation?
The ability to accompany others, to open our home/family, to serve those in need, to educate with tenderness, or to spiritually encourage others.
What needs in our community or parish touch our hearts the most?
Those where we feel compassion: suffering families, young people, the elderly, the sick, mission, catechesis, or marriage accompaniment.
What specific mission do we feel God might be calling us to now?
To strengthen our family, to accompany young couples, to collaborate with the parish, missions, charitable works, or simply to live more deeply our daily Christian life.
What fruits do we expect if we respond generously to this call?
More unity, more peace in the home, a stronger faith, and the joy of knowing that we are instruments of God's love.
What will our family say if we decide to become a missionary couple?
If you discover that it is your vocation you will have many pursuits. This was the very way of Jesus. The family sometimes thinks that they are no longer important because you dedicate yourself to other people. They are always the first to receive our love.
Training for
a life of service
- One afternoon or one day meetings with trainings on topics appropriate for marriage.
- In some countries we offer the "Alpha for Couples" course, "If by God", "If by God", "If by God", "If by God", "If by God", "If by God".. These are paths that, based on faith, strengthen the conjugal union and openness to God in daily life. Spaces that encourage dialogue in the couple and help to discover the vocation and mission of marriage, radiating joy and commitment in social and working life.
- In other countries, prayer and mission groups. Life sharing encounters and their implications in family and social life.
- After a few years of process of faith, prayer and mission with the community, the couples, who feel called to belong to SEMD, make their marriage commitment, renewable for one year.
- The Servant Couples with Promises participate in formation programs appropriate to their vocation within the community. They also participate as "partners" in the mission of the local community.
People who accompany you
along the way
Pinto. Spain
Pepi and Rafa:
+34-669598149
Guadalajara (Spain)
Nicola Reers +34 655 82 07 69
Elena and Saúl (Guadalajara):
+34-606881636