For my first article, I would like to tell you about my society, its founder and the work it does.
The Apostolic Life Community of Priests is part of the Opus Spiritus Sancti, a federation of communities founded in Germany in 1950 by the late Rev Fr Bernhard Bendel.
Witnessing the massive destruction and suffering of the people in World War II, our founder was inspired by the Holy Spirit to start a religious institute.
Fr Bendel spent time praying and discerning the will of God.
It was then that the Bishop of Limburg approached Fr Bendel along with a group of nuns and asked him to start a religious institute.
Incidentally, it was at this time the Second Vatican Council was announced by Pope John XXIII.
Thus, Fr Bendel found it as a source of inspiration and considered it to be a sign for him to proceed with the mission entrusted with the Bishop of Limburg.
This is how the first community in the Opus Spiritus Sancti, Apostolic Life Community of Sisters, was founded.
After realising the need for a clerical community, efforts were made by Fr Bendel to found the Apostolic Life Community of Priests to cater to the needs of Opus Spiritus Sancti besides reaching out to various mission fields to assist there.
In 1974, the Apostolic Life Community of Priests was founded.
The members of this community work together with other communities of Opus Spiritus Sancti for the renewal.
We also work for the evangelisation by bringing Christ to the millions who have never had a chance to hear the Word of God.
Over the years, the community has marked a steady growth and has branched out to Africa and India.
The community has its generalate at Moshi in Tanzania.
Every member of the individual communities becomes a member of the large family of Opus Spiritus Sancti by virtue of their dedication and lifetime contract with the individual communities.
Thus, we participate in the apostolic work of the universal Church and strive…
- to live our Easter-Pentecost Spirituality in witness to the incarnate presence of the Risen Lord, to be a sign of the Church in miniature;
- to attend to the signs of the times and respond to the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives;
- to act as leaven for the renewal of the Church and the world;
- to care for all of creation and to seek peace and justice in the world; and,
- to pray for a New Pentecost and to live the values of the Reign of God until God is all in all. (1 Cor. 15:28)
While faithfully fulfilling one’s mission as an Opus member, we, the members of the Apostolic Life Community of Priests, strive…
- to go out to the missions under the mandate of the Superior to proclaim in the power of the Holy Spirit that the Lord is risen;
- to serve and assist other communities in the Opus Spiritus Sancti;
- to reach those who have weakened or lost their faith through secularism or atheism, the professional and the technically developed world, at the same time bearing in mind the local needs where the members are located. This is the special field of mission and of evangelisation of the society; and
- to reach out to those provinces where there is need for pastoral assistance and care.
The ALCP/OSS has three bishops, 220 priests and 180 seminarians.
The members are actively involved in mission work and social work in various parts of the world.
We also commenced various evangelisation activities so that many who have never heard of Jesus will come to know Him.
In India, we have taken up many parishes to do pastoral ministry.
We have a few schools and orphanages in remote villages for the service of the marginalised and the poor people.
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