1992 USA Salvatorian Centennial Convocation Retreat f1892-1992) The Society of the Divine Savior f1895-1995) The Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Savior For the Salvatorian Men and Women and Salvatorian Associates Courage for the Salvatorian Vision: Proclailning the Savior "Oneperson who is inflamed with zeal for the faith suffices to set a whole people arigbt" (Fr. Jordan) I Fr. Peter van Meij/', SDS Milwaukee, July, 1992 I I \ i I Fifth Conference Towards a Salvatorian Christology Introduction You cannot separate Fr. Jordan from Jesus Christ, the New Dawn, just as you cannot separate the Salvatorians from Jesus Christ and from Fr. Jordan. They build the two sides of the one Salvatorian medal. Fr. Jordan, the bearer of the Salvatorian vision, "gave us the command and mission not to rest content until all people know, love, and serve Jesus as their Savior" (Article 103 of the Constitution of the Society). Jesus, the Christ, is the Son of God, the Savior of the World, like the seal of the SOcieti in Latin says: JESUS - CHRISTUS­ FILIUS DEI - SALVATOR. The seal of the Congregation articulates: SALUS TUA EGO SUM - I am your salvation. It is he whom we want to bring to the market place of the world. The Salvatorian vision is: proclaiming Christ as the Savior of the world! -_..... _------­ 1 Sr. Ulrike Musick, SDS, Begleitbriefe, Nr. 10, 1991, on Salvatorian key words, symbols and seals. - 95 ­ 1992 USA Salvatorian Centennial Convocation The more we are in Christ, love and from zero. God called us to this Society know him, the more we are forced to go and this Congregation. God speaks to us into the world and to preach him. The through their ideals and their vision. To more we are in the world and the more be attuned to their ideals and to their we feel his absence among people, the vision is to be attuned to the voice of more we are impelled to bring that God. When we seek and search in that world to Christ in our meditation, manner, something new begins to intercessory prayers and study. happen. How can you teach music to children, But this is not enough. The members when you yourself don't like music? of our Society and of our Congregation How can you teach Christ to people, must find others who are equally when you yourself don't like him? serious about our commitment to the Continual conversion and continual Lord Jesus. Continual discovery, ongoing formation take place when we continual conversion and continual continually discover Jesus as the Christ, ongoing formation have to reach the Savior of the world. beyond the individual, have to reach the Most spiritual writers insist that the community. Then new visions emerge.2 revitalization of religious life must begin My predecessor as postulator general, in the hearts of the members rather than Fr. Timotheus Edwein (1915-1986), had by changing the structures of a special medal coined to promote two communities or setting up renewal things. On the one hand the knowledge programs. The latter is much easier than and the love of Christ, the Savior, and the former! Regeneration begins when on the other hand, the knowledge and we start asking the following questions: the veneration of our Founder, Fr. - Why did I become a Salvatorian and Jordan. Father Jordan is not only the not a diocesan priest? Founder for us, but he is also to be - What did Christ mean to me when I considered as Jesus Christ's best friend took my first vows or my first and promotor of his reign. Salvatorian commitment? Let us meditate in this presentation on - What does he mean to me today? the two sides of the one Salvatorian - How can I deepen my experience of medal. As you perhaps know I the him? Salvatorian candidates in Zaire, when - How can I bring him to the men and they enter the novitiate, receive, besides women of our world today? To my own the Bible and the Constitution, that confreres and sisters? Salvatorian medal, which they wear When we begin asking ourselves such proudly around their necks! I questions in prayer before the Lord, we The Sa/vatorian medal: begin a new phase in our vocation. And Fr. Jordan and Christ if in this search we allow ourselves to be On the one side of the Salvatorian guided and inspired by the vision of our medal we see the New Dawn: JESUS ­ Society and Congregation, spelled out in CHRISTUS - DEI FILIUS - SALVATOR ­ our new Constitution, we find that we I as the circular inscription clearly are not alone, and do not have to start explains. On the other side we discover :2 John Fuellenbach, SVD, Religiolls Life i11 the Year 2000, in Uniolle fntemazionale dei Superiori Generali, 83(1990), p. 57-58. Also R. Zehrer, SDS in Rlilldbrief - Kllrznacl1ricizten der Silddeutscl1en ProvillZ, Nr. 9, (9117),4.10.1991, S. 1, - 96­ Fifth Conference the prophet of the New Dawn: had to proclaim and set the whole world FRANCISCUS JORDAN 1848-1918. As on fire with the message of Jesus. already stated above, the Society Let us now describe more in detail stresses in the third article of the new that biblical mandate and that biblical Constitution that our Founder "gave us prayer in the life of the Founder. It the command and the mission not to surely will help our own growing in rest content until all people know, love, love and knowledge of Christ, the and serve Jesus as their Savior" (103). Savior. That unique purpose is neatly The biblical mandate: capsulized in a biblical prayer and a "DOCETE OMNES GENTES" (Teach all biblical mandate - familiar to all of us by nations) now! The biblical prayer is "That all may We find the command "Teach all know you, the one true God, and Him,whom nations" in Jordan's Spiritual Diary for you have sent, Jesus Christ" an 17:3). The the first time in the beginning of the biblical mandate is: "Go, therefore, make 3 year 1879 • For a few months Jordan, a disciples ofall nations" (Mt 28:19). thirty-year-old language student, had Mandate without prayer is pointless; been staying in Rome in the Campo prayer without mandate (mission) Santo Teutonico. In July, 1878 he was equally so. ordained in the former Saint Peter's Mt 28: 19: Go, therefore, and Abbey near Freiburg. He wrote in Latin: make disciples of all nations "EUNTES DOCETE OMNES GENTES" (Go, [and] teach all nations), the Gospel Jn 17: 3: That all may know version according to Mt 28:19. You hear you, the only true God and in that expression the German Jesus Christ whom you have background of the "Lehren" and sent. "Lehrgesellschaft!" It is exciting to explore where that Both texts, from John and from expression comes from! In the year of Matthew, run through all the other preparation for the priesthood (we can favorite founding scripture quotations call it "his novitiate") the well trained of our Society like a red thread or a leit eye of John Baptist, the learned motif - a dominant theme. It would paper-hanger, painter and gilder, found seem that all other texts are only visualized above the pulpit of the concrete elaborations and explications of church of St. Peter's Seminary his these two inaugural, primordial texts. interior vision, beautifully painted on Those two texts then become for us the what resembles a pearl. During personal "founding myth" and the heart of our prayer and listening to the Gospel and "founding values." They functioned for homilies he read that beautifully Jordan as the "regeneration myth." He painted final text of the Gospel knew and felt that along with his according to Mt 28:19: "DOCETE followers he was in a line with the OMNES GENTES" (Teach all nations):' apostles after Pentecost. Together with Mary, the Queen of the Apostles, they 3 SD, I, 153, p. 91) 4 You find a slide of that text in the slide series Back to Ollr roots, Study group "Mary of the Apostles;' 1989/1990, Photos and Text by Sr. An Vandormael, SDS, Salvator Mundi, Rome, slide nr. 71. The series is also in Fr. Karl LeClaire's video, The Dreamer, The Searcher, the Buntillg. ·97· I 1992 USA Salvatorian Centennial Convocation Pulpit in Entrance Jordan in The New The New Churcll Hall SO, I, 153 American American Bible Bible Mt 28:19 Mk 16:15 Mt 28:19 Mk16:15 euntes euntes go go therefore - - - - ,. into the --- whole world and and docele in docete make proclaim disciples of to omnes universum omnes all all gentes mundum gentes nations creation praedicate the good news In the entrance hall of that same became little by little his vision.6 Don't seminary he admired the beautiful forget: Fr. Jordan is not quoting a frescos recently restored, with Christ biblical word as a student, he is giving a sending his apostles out and the words concrete answer to the crisis of his time according the Gospel of Mk 16:15a: as a Founder. He is acting in the crisis "EUNTES IN UNIVERSUM MUNDUM by offering a new perspective. He is PRAEDICATE - MC C XVI, V. XV" acting at the same time as a typical (Go into the whole world and preach Founder and Re-founder. the Gospel to all creatures). 5 Jordan When everyone was saying "Religion combined in his diary one word from is in danger" (Kulturkampf), he said: the entrance hall ("EUNTES") with the "TEACH ALL NATIONS!" words from the pulpit in the church When everyone was complaining ("DOCETE OMNES GENTESfI).