Mission
Mission
The Holy Union Sisters are an international congregation of Catholic women religious who minister today on four continents. We wear a cross with the Latin words, Sancta Unio inscribed on the front, as a symbol of our internationality. It reminds us of the desire of our founder, Jean Baptiste Debrabant, who in a letter to the sisters in 1842, wrote of the special significance of our name:
“You have received that name only that you may form all together a union of heart, mind and affection in Jesus and Mary.”
At the heart of who we are is our name, Holy Union. We express this union first of all by being one with ourselves. We strive to bring this union to our world by working among different cultures, ethnic groups, the deprived and marginalized, through respect for and care of the earth.
Mission Statement
Holy Union Sisters – United States Province
As women of the church and members of an international congregation we are called to ‘be at the heart of the world, revealing God’s love.’ (Constitutions Article 1)
We are women of a country enriched by its cultural diversity yet marked by extremes of affluence and deprivation, privilege and inequality. Strengthened by our charism of union, we are challenged in our lives to promote justice based on Gospel values
Our characteristic virtues inspire us to respond wholeheartedly to the needs of our times:
- Simplicity ~ We choose to live simple, uncluttered lives in a complex, consumer-driven society;
- Solitude ~ We nurture a contemplative attitude amid the violence and noise of an ever- accelerating pace of life;
- Obedience ~ We foster personal and communal discernment for mission in contrast to the extreme individualism of our society;
- Charity ~ We embrace all with compassion and reverence, especially the poor, the majority of whom are women and children.
Faithful to our name and charism of UNION, we seek throughout our lives to deepen our understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation, which impels us to reconcile all in Christ, ‘That all may be One.’ (Jn 17:21)