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.

Spiritual bonus

On May 31, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the Visitation, recalling the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist.

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,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.