Consecration

In a very special way, our consecration belongs to God who is the source and giver of all gifts. Through His help we live perfect charity by radical following of Christ as we publicly profess the promises of the evangelical counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience.

Chastity:

We choose the evangelical counsel of chastity, and embrace it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,4 as a surpassing gift of grace5 and a sign of the world to come.

We welcome consecrated chastity to liberate our hearts in a unique way from earthly pleasures, and as the most suitable way through which we spend ourselves in God’s service and in works of the apostolate.

We live in chastity to grow constantly in service and love for God and our Sisters and brothers with total commitment.

Imitating Christ by living the promise of chastity, we undertake the obligation of perfect continence in celibacy and we commit ourselves to avoid engaging in any internal or external acts contrary to chastity and to renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

We bear in mind as Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Hope that to acquire the necessary strength to keep the promise of chastity faithfully, given that this promise is like a “treasure in pots of earthenware,” and that this extraordinary force comes from God and not from man, live it fruitfully through; loving one another, being good, upright and open in fraternal life in community, contemplation and adoration; being active and joyful; Spiritual direction, avoiding circumstances that may compromise our ability to persevere in chastity, promoting physical exercises to enhance discipline of the senses, counseling and self knowledge, discipline in the use of social media, avoiding use of harmful substances, examination of conscience and meditation, having limits and keeping boundaries, faithfully receiving sacraments of Holy Eucharist and penance, great devotion to our Lady Mother of Hope and good Counsel, St. Francis and St. Clare who are excellent examples of perfect purity and self-sacrifice.

In pursuit of perfect continence, we support the growth of each other towards maturity of senses and self-control by embracing a trusting, caring, loving and healthy relationship with everyone and in communities where God is sought and loved above all things.

Poverty:

In following the example of Christ who though rich became poor to enrich us10 and who totally depended on the Father with trust, we choose voluntary poverty so as to bear witness to values beyond materialism as a better way of expressing our religious consecration.

We take the promise of poverty to be free from all attachment to material possessions, self-interest and profit, and to be completely
at the disposal of Christ and the Church.

By our promise of poverty we commit ourselves to embrace a way of life which is poor in fact and in spirit in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi as we adhere to the dictates of our Association’s rule of life.

We accept to depend willingly on our Association Leaders in the use of temporal goods, limitation in the use and disposition of goods, to share all that we have and receive, to be frugal and choose work as our ordinary means of support.

By embracing the promise of poverty we retain the rights to acquire, retain, administer and alienate temporal goods as an Association and its other entities allowed by the Association’s law. Sisters are, however, obliged by the virtue of this promise to cease to administrate temporal goods under their proprietorship and to dispose of their use and usufruct. Novices entrust these rights before

temporary profession in the Association to whomever they prefer. Before perpetual profession, Sisters are to make a will of their assets which is to be valid also in the civil law of their country of origin.

As Sisters who have chosen voluntary poverty, we live and bear witness by; being sensitive to the environment and God’s creation; identify ourselves with the poor of our society as we restore their hope by being in solidarity with them; sharing what we have among ourselves and between our communities with transparency and without discrimination; allocate with due diligence our goods for the needs of the Church and divine worship; embrace at all times a simple and unpretentious life style; respect to the wills of the faithful who give and leave their resources to the Association by greatest diligence in their fulfilment and even as regards the mode of administration.

As an outward sign of consecration, and witness to poverty, our habit is simple and modest, poor and at the same time suitable to the circumstances of time and place.

Obedience:

By embracing the promise of Obedience we surrender our own will to the legitimate Leaders15 of the Association by emulating Jesus Christ who came to do the will of the Father.

Following the example of St. Francis who was obedient and reverent to the Supreme authority of the Church and who constantly encouraged reciprocal fraternal corrections among his companions, we choose the promise of obedience so as to bear witness of fraternal communion, by caring, accompanying and encouraging one another in observance of the laws of our Association and obedience to the Association Leaders.

Bound by the promise of obedience we obey the Supreme Pontiff as the highest Superior,18 the Local Ordinary of our Principal house and the other Ordinaries in our places of ministry, and submit ourselves to their guidance in the service of the Church.

We live our obedience through obeying the orders of the General Association Leader and other sisters in leadership, who stand in the place of God, when they command according to our Statutes.

The means by which we search for the will of the Lord through the promise of obedience are; Prayer and meditation on the word of God, submission of our own will and listening to legitimate Association leaders, respect to the Church hierarchy, humility, listening to our conscience, following community schedules and bearing our everyday burdens with serenity, fraternal consultation and dialogue, fulfilling in a responsible way mandates entrusted to us, spirit of fraternal collaboration.