The meaning of the celebration
+ On this day, we recall the descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary, the Apostles, and other followers of Jesus on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection.
+ Gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot—the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai—these first Christians were filled with the gifts of the Spirit and empowered to proclaim the Risen Lord in Jerusalem and throughout the world.
For prayer and reflection
“Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit and raises man to Heaven.”—Saint Ephrem of Syria
Vocations
For men:
Brothers of the Holy Spirit (Ukrainian Catholic), click here.
Discalced Carmelite Friars (Polish Province of the Holy Spirit): www.carmelitefathers.com
Missionaries of the Holy Spirit: www.mspsvocations.org
Trappist Monks of Monastery of the Holy Spirit (Convyers, GA): www.trappist.net
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (The Spiritan Fathers and Brothers): www.spiritans.org
For women:
Carmel of the Holy Spirit (Littleton, CO), click here.
Daughters of the Holy Spirit: www.daughtersoftheholyspirit.org
Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (The “Pink Sisters,” St. Louis, MO): www.mountgraceconvent.org
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters: www.ssps-usa.org
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit, click here.
Sisters of the Holy Spirit: www.sistersoftheholyspirit.com
Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate: www.shsp.org
For men and women:
Benedictine Monastery of Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit (Waialua, HI): www.hawaiibenedictines.org
Prayer
O God, who by the mystery of today’s great feast
sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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