The Missionaries Sisters Servants of the Word is a religious institute of consecrated life.
Apostolic Stage
This is the period that young lay women live out when they take upon the task of full-time evangelization after six months of spiritual preparation, study and work. They promise to render this service according to the method established by the Missionaries Sisters Servants of the Word during a two-year period.
Postulancy
The postulancy is a time of immediate preparation for the novitiate. It is an experience of intense prayer and study centered on vocation. The postulancy is requested by young women who, during their apostolic period, have experienced the desire to consecrate their entire life to God.
The duration of the postulancy is one year for those who have completed high school, and two years for those who have not yet finished. During this training period, the postulate deepens in the study of several documents of the Church, spiritual life, human development, etc.
To be admitted as a postulant, the young laywoman should have completed the six months of preparation for apostolic promise, and at least two years of apostolate.
Novitiate
The Novitiate is a time of special training whereby the young woman prepares to consecrate herself to God by professing public vows, according to the Constitutions and the spirituality of the HMSP. That is why the novice wears the habit since she initiates this formation stage. The habit is a sign of consecration and testimony to poverty.
The young woman who is requesting to be admitted to the novitiate must be at least be twenty years of age and must have completed all the previous formation stages that include: training time as a lay missionary, apostolic stage, and the postulancy.
The HMSP novitiate lasts two years. The first year is a time to delve into personal communion with Christ and the demands of charity and community life. The principal aspects of the community’s spirituality are observed during the HMSP novitiate, such as the spirit of generosity and sacrifice that will fortify the person’s will and experiential knowledge of the Word of God. Much importance is also dedicated to the study of the Constitutions of the institute, a foreign language, liturgy and music.
The novice must cultivate a special appreciation for a life of prayer, which is nourished particularly through the study and reflection of Holy Scripture. The novice is convinced that a missionary is worth as much as she knows how to pray.
A life in community prayer is one of the Lord’s most sublime desires, and He constantly advised His followers: “For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them” (Mt 18, 20). Prayer life must be nourished primarily by community prayer, and that is why the novices pray together the Divine Office: Lauds, an intermediate hour, Vespers and Compline. In addition, there is a morning meditation, which lasts an hour, and the Eucharistic celebration lived in community.
Manual work should not be dismissed in the novice’s daily activities, since it plays an important role in shaping sound character that will not hesitate when faced with life’s difficulties.
Temporary Vows
The religious consecrates herself to God by professing the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, imitating in a special way, Christ who is chaste, poor and obedient, and therefore becoming “a true sign of Christ in the world.”
The vows are renewed every year for a period of five years. This period (junioriate) prepares the religious for a definite and generous submission to the Lord. During this time, she also studies Philosophy or Theology, in accordance to her capacity, while at the same time, she carries out apostolate work. The formation of the religious in her juniorate period is essential: she must pay special attention and care to her spiritual, apostolic, and doctrinal growth. Moreover, she must always be open to the possibilities of being sent to missions anywhere in the world.
Once this time period is complete, the religious HMSP may be admitted to perpetual vows if she so requests this.
Perpetual Vows
Perpetual vows determine the definitive incorporation of the religious into to the Institute. Each sister pronounces her perpetual vows before the Superior General and receives a Rosary ring at that moment, as a symbol of fidelity and commitment.
The sister’s apostolate is specifically, evangelization. Therefore, the HMSP endeavor to find new initiatives to improve their apostolic efficacy.