Review article
Women Religious in the Pastoral of Contemporary Parish. Example of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross
Jasna Mijatović
orcid.org/0000-0002-6505-7118
; Convent of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross, Đakovo, Croatia
Abstract
The author starts his deliberation on women religious in the pastoral of contemporary parishes with the ecclesiality of consecrated life from which stems the imperative of the integration of religious apostolate into the mission of the local Church. Further examination focuses on the parish work of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross. In order to better understand the current situation, we are first given a short description of the beginning of their work in parishes. In comparing past and present circumstances, one can see the steps that have been taken in leaving and taking over some activities in parishes. The priorities of the apostolate of the Holy Cross Sisters, which are at the same time neuralgic points of parish pastoral in the present circumstances of the Church and the society, are selected as parameters for the data on the Sisters' activities in contemporary parishes. The data is completed with exemplary overview of the situation in three parishes. During the analysis of the obtained data there is no discussion on which model of the parish would be the most suitable for the present time. Instead, the focus is on how much are the defined priorities put into practice. In the end we are presented with several guidelines for the religious share in the parish pastoral in the future, where in examining the activities of women religious through the prism of the complexity of cooperation with the parish priest and the laity, the primacy is given to the apostolate of witness of the consecrated life itself.
Keywords
women religious; charisma; apostolate; Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross; parish pastoral
Hrčak ID:
153297
URI
Publication date:
24.2.2016.
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