SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
WHO FOUNDED THE COMMUNITY?
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer was founded by Elizabeth Eppinger, Venerable Servant of God, Mother Alphonse Marie, on August 28, 1849, in Spa Niederbronn, Alsace, France.HOW MANY SISTERS ARE THERE?
In 1912, 4 Sisters came from Hungary to the United States. We currently have 14 professed Sisters in our American Region. We are part of a larger Congregation with our Generalate in Rome and three other Provinces: Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.WHO CAN BE A SISTER OF THE DIVINE REDEEMER?
Any women who:- Practices the Roman Catholic faith and has the ability to respond to God's call in a way that is always flexible and adaptable
- Have the ability to live with others in community, share their successes and failures, their joys and sorrows, and do ministry together as an apostolic community
- Is in good mental and physical health to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle defined by the Charism of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer under the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience
- Can foster an intimate relationship with God through prayer, having a deep love for Christ in the holy Eucharist and a love for His Blessed Mother Mary
- Are open to growth and development on a spiritual, communal, ministerial, and personal human level
- Have the ability to collaborate with others and have the desire to serve God's people, especially, to the poor and most abandoned, in true humility of heart.
WHAT ARE THE VOWS THE SISTERS TAKE?
Christ invites us to become like Him through a life lived according to the evangelical councils.The vow of chastity directs our entire being towards God and helps us grow in respect and love for others. It witnesses a special love for God and his people. It is a wellspring of spiritual fruitfulness, joy and peace, and is founded on faith and flowing from love; it is a sign of eternal life.
The vow of poverty opens us to God’s gifts and makes us ready to share them joyfully. Through it we desire to detach ourselves from possessions in order to be free for Christ and to share with others. In the spirit of our Foundress we understand poverty, first of all, as a witness of our love for Christ and our solidarity with the poor.
The vow of obedience teaches us to listen to God, inspires us to devote ourselves to serve Him, and to work for the salvation of others. Through it we become free and open to the workings of the Spirit of God within us and make a total dedication of our will to God. Thus, we enter more intimately and surely into the salvific will of God.
DO YOU LIVE IN COMMUNITY?
A fundamental principle of our way of life is that we live in community and exercise our apostolic service as commissioned by the community. We manifest our love for each other in daily community living by praying, sharing, and working together. We believe that we are called together to encourage one another and carry out a specific ministry of prayer and healing.DO YOU WEAR A HABIT?
Yes, we wear a habit. A habit is our strong symbol and a very visible sign of a way of consecrated life, which, our Foundress, Blesed Alphonse Marie, left us. Wearing a habit we became a witness of our crucified and risen Christ, our Redeemer, to others.WHAT IS YOUR MISSION?
Our Community is dedicated, above all, to pastoral, pedagogical, social, and charitable works.In the spirit of our mission, we respect and serve life especially in the most vulnerable. By this we contribute to the dignity of the human person, created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ.
We commit ourselves to peace, reconciliation and justice. We appreciate all people without distinction of nationality, religion, gender, age, or social status; and to the preservation of creation by the careful and responsible use of all the gifts entrusted to us.
Our greatest concerns and priority are the poor, the sick, the elderly, the oppressed, the marginalized, the abandoned children, families, the handicapped, and young people who lack direction.