Spirituality

Candle Like all Christians, IBVMs try to be attentive to the movement of God's spirit in the world. As Christians too, they look to the life and ministry of Jesus as the source of their spirituality.

The IBVM founder, Mary Ward, wanted her companions to be directly engaged with society and to be women characterised by a spirit of "freedom, justice and sincerity". Her spirituality was not confined to traditional monastic practices. She encouraged her followers to be open and discerning of the various movements of the times, "referring all things to God": to sift what is truly good from what diminishes. What suited her vision, and what has now become part of the heritage of the IBVM, is the approach adopted by St. Ignatius Loyola who summed up his insight as "finding God in all things". For both these leaders, daily life, the ordinary way of doing things, was viewed as the place where God works.

In Australia, we are part of a rapidly changing culture, which offers both challenges and opportunities. In this context, Loreto sisters are called upon to take responsibility for their way of 'being' in the culture and the way they live their spiritual heritage, personally and in community. In addition to being attentive to the Spirit working in the ordinariness of every day, they set aside time each year for a retreat - usually a time of silent recollection, to discern the movement of God in the changing patterns and experiences of their lives.

Spirituality

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