I had the privilege of being with the RSCJ in India: first, to take part in their Provincial Chapter (a step in our shared process of co-creating our New Province); and, second, to get to know communities and ministries.
Almost everything was new and different for me in Mumbai and the places that we visited. But I was deeply touched by one thing that holds us together as One Body: our charism and mission. Wherever we went, despite the unique contexts and creative expressions of this charism and mission, the same passion to “discover and reveal the love of the Heart of Jesus through our service of education” (in its diverse forms) was palpable.
I was particularly attentive to how they were living the JPIC imperatives of washing one another’s feet, transforming and being transformed, caring for our common home, and welcoming people on the move. I learned concrete ways by which these are being realized among women and children, young people in pursuit of a hopeful future, and communities in rural areas and tribal lands. Through institutions of learning, education of children and those with special needs, community development programs, and projects geared towards the vulnerable, our Sisters and partners in mission in India respond to the call to be artisans of hope in our blessed and broken world.
The following video does not fully capture the breadth and depth of the work that they do, but it gives a glimpse of how they sow and sustain HOPE.
It is with gratitude that I share this with you.
Joy Luz rscj
JPIC International Coordinator