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The Lay Salvatorian Program began in the early 1970s
as a small group of men and women who wanted to explore and live out the
Gospel demands of ministry, service, love, and leadership by sharing more
deeply in the life and work of Salvatorians. Today,
there are lay members in many areas of the country where Salvatorian priests,
brothers, and sisters are working. Lay Salvatorians
both enrich and are enriched by the Salvatorians in their work and in their
lives. Salvatorians are finally realizing the dream
that Francis Jordan conceived many years ago. To
mobilize the laity and religious to work together in spreading the Gospel
Message.
Lay Salvatorians are Christian men and women committed to the Salvatorian mission
and charism. Some are married and have become
members as a couple. Others have chosen the single
lifestyle to live out their commitment. Generally,
we are Roman Catholic. However, because we are
non-canonical, we are able to accept all Christians. We
are all ages. Some of us joined when we had young
families. We are now beginning to receive second
generation members as well as other young people drawn to our way of living
out the Gospel Values.
We mirror our vowed counterparts in that we come from all walks of life. We are diversified in our professions as well as our
ministries. We are parents, teachers, homemakers,
business people, office workers, nurses, administrators, social workers, and
volunteers. We minister in our jobs, in our
families, and in parishes and secular settings. We
also serve within the Salvatorian community itself. A
very important component of being a Lay Salvatorian is close contact with
other Salvatorians, both religious and lay. This is
a constant source of mutual growth and support. We
build community with other Salvatorians in a given locale and with the wider
Society and Congregation through shared presence at Liturgies, retreats,
workshops, chapters, socials, and government.
We become Lay Salvatorians because we are looking for a fuller expression of
our Christianity. We receive support and are enabled
and empowered in our lives as Christians. We also
realize the value of religious and laity working together and feel called to
further Jordan's vision through mutual evangelization. We
feel that we are making a difference in the lives of other Salvatorians. The sense of community and charism as expressed by
Salvatorians is important to us.
As Lay Salvatorians we commit ourselves to one another and to all
Salvatorians. We share the vision and mission of the
community and make a formal commitment. Interaction
between religious and laity is a constant source of mutual growth and support. We have shared origins and visions in that we accept
Francis Jordan's and Mother Mary's dream of working together and
"spreading the word of Christ by all means possible."
We also have the same sense of hospitality, acceptance and love found
in Salvatorians worldwide. While we are an integral
part of the community and fully participating, canonically we do not have a
vote in the government of the Society or Congregation. We
also serve on committees and commissions. The
governing body of the Lay Salvatorians is the Lay Salvatorian National Board. This Board provides leadership and direction and is the
decision making body for the Lay Salvatorians. There
is close collaboration between the Lay Salvatorian National Board and the
leadership teams of the Society and Congregation.
Lay Salvatorians commit to live the Salvatorian vocation and mission as lay persons
in the spirit of Father Jordan and Mother Mary. We
are called to become apostles and integral members of the Salvatorian family.
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