Who we are
The Claretian missionaries were born in Cuba in 1855. Our founders Maria Antonia París (1813-1885) and San Antonio Maria Claret (1807-1870) were very concerned about the renovation of the church. For them it was “to stand up the Gospel”: To be more faithful to Christ by radically living poverty and charity, working tirelessly to announce the good news. The missionary vision of both, together with the desire to live the gospel, converge in a new religious family in the church.
To be women “new in practice”, as servants of the “Word”, open to all without distinction, to live out and Announce with joy the Gospel. Living in missionary communities “going forth”, creating bonds of fraternity and contributing to the constant renewal of the Church. With capacity to scrutinize reality as a place of encounter with God: “contemplatives in action”. Conforming our life with Christ the poor and missionary committed s us in favor of the poor and excluded. In shared mission with others we want to make the path easier, discovering and affirming the best of each person and the richness of diversity. Mary Immaculate is our “sign”, she is a model of faith and acceptance of the Word of God. Her life impels us to strive for good and opens us to joy and hope.
We want to continue this inspiration that moved the Founders, San Antonio Mª Claret and Ven. Mª Antonia París to create a community at the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church.
Our MISSION today, as Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters is to live out and joyfully announce the Good News of Jesus seeking the Kingdom of God and its justice creatively in any form of evangelization and contribute to the renewal of the Church in fraternity and evangelical poverty.
We bring the words and gestures of Jesus to the hearts of men and women as a way of humanization and hope. We get involved in the reality of the people, like Jesus who transformed the daily life of the women, children, sick, the poor, and foreigners.
Our way of living is rooted in the experience of God and community.
We privilege the proclamation of the Gospel among the most needy, those who have lost faith, those who do not know Christ.
We denounce situations of injustice and contribute in the search for alternatives, in dialogue and discernment.
Missionaries in the world and for the world
After more than 160 years of history, we are around 500 Claretians, in 77 communities present in 25 countries of four Continents: Argentina, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Korea, Cuba, United States, El Salvador, Spain, Philippines, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Venezuela, Vietnam.
Many are the ways of carrying out our evangelizing mission: education, parish pastoral, health, ecumenical, with consecrated, social, spiritual exercises and pastoral accompaniment, missions ad gentes, popular missions, justice, peace and integrity of creation and a long etc … Our specific tasks depend on the needs and characteristics of each place and time, but we always carry them out trying to realize the mission that the Church has entrusted to us: Claretian Family and Shared Mission “Living and Teaching the Gospel” to every creature, working to renew the Church and always making others easy this same way … “
