God, in His providence, continues to call workers to serve the Family of God on earth by making the vision of Saint Gaetano Errico their own. Those expressing interest in pursuing a religious vocation with our congregation have a personal devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and are drawn to live a fraternal life of sharing and commitment through the profession of the Evangelical Counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience, and Perseverance.
Vocations
Click on a title below to expand and learn more about the calling to give one’s life to God.
All postulants must have a high school diploma. The maximum age for entrance is 40, though older candidates may be considered depending on their education and work experience and other relevant circumstances. Our House of Studies is in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, and our seminarians currently study at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. A program of formation for brotherhood and priesthood candidates will be tailored to individual needs. Inquiries are made through the vocation director, who will contact you and assist in the discernment process. Visits with the community are encouraged. After several visits, application may be made. Upon acceptance a candidate enters our postulancy program, which can last from six months to one year. Novitiate follows for a period of one year. At the end of the Novitiate the candidate professes his Vows and is vested with the religious habit of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of which he is now a member with temporary Vows. These Vows are renewed annually for up to three to five years. At the end of the period of temporary Vows the religious brother makes his Perpetual Vows when he becomes a full member of the congregation with its rights and responsibilities. The priests and brothers use their gifts and talents in established apostolates and after discernment by the whole community, they may venture into new ministries and apostolates to serve the God’s people as the Spirit leads them. For further information please contact Fr. Robert Malagesi, MSSCC, Vocation Director 350 Tract Road, Fairfield, PA 17320. Phone: 717-457-0114, Fax: 717-457-0094, Email: fatherrobert356@gmail.com
The first call to give one’s life to God in the service of others as a priest or brother may come very early or somewhat later as one goes through life….and it can be a solid feeling or an undercurrent of an idea. Discernment then is the process of searching and researching the validity of this call initially, and then to find the path where God is leading us and where the gifts that God has bestowed on each of us can best be used to serve Him and others.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are consecrated to God by religious profession of vows and live fraternal communal life.
The call to religious life requires reflecting on the following questions:
Am I drawn to a particular charism or devotion that is intrinsic to my personal spirituality?
Is a life lived within a community of brother priests in fraternal charity and selfless giving, one that I believe I want to enter?
Do I understand that a consecrated life, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and perserverance will require strength of mind, soul and body?
Am I willing to allow myself to be ‘formed’ to better live my life at the service of God and the Church.
You can find help in discussing these aspects of religious life with a Vocation Director or Spiritual Director. Through conversations, vocation materials and visits to a community, a clearer picture of a religious life within a particular religious order can be ascertained.
The Discernment process has no specific time limit and one is encouraged to research several religious institutes before moving to the application process.
Formation is the term used to describe the various levels an aspirant must complete on his way to the Profession of Final Vows within a religious order and ordination to the priesthood or brotherhood.
After initial contact and visits to the community, and with a sincere attraction to our lifestyle and charism, one can begin the application process. This requires a life experience questionnaire, personal and sacramental documents, psychological evaluation and a physical exam. An aspirant must be between the ages of 18 and 45. All aspirants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and be a USA citizen or have permanent residence status (Green Card).
POSTULANCY is the first level in religious life and it is a period for both the newly accepted candidate and the religious community to learn more about each other. A Postulant is required to live at the formation house and share in our daily life. A minimum of six months is required before acceptance into the Novitiate.
NOVITIATE The period of novitiate is a year and it is a time for a Novice to enter a period of deeper study of the life he has chosen and immersion in the Charism of the congregation.
PROFESSION If a Novice has grown in his belief that he has a distinct calling as a Missionary of the Sacred Hearts, and has been deemed acceptable by the community, he will make a profession of vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and perserverance and receive the religious habit. Temporary vows are renewed for three years. Perpetual vows can then be professed.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS for ordination to the priesthood involve studies in philosophy and theology culminating in a MA or M.Divinity degree. Our seminarians study at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD and reside at our House of Studies in Fairfield, PA.
In 1846 within 10 years of the founding of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts, our Founder, St. Gaetano Errico, petitioned the Holy Father to obtain the faculty to institute a “Pious Union of Jesus and Mary.” His aim was to provide a special lay association allowing the faithful to more deeply immerse themselves in the love of the Sacred Hearts and contribute their gifts and service to help the Missionaries in their apostolates. The Pious Union flourished for many years but with the passage of time became just a memory.
Over ten years ago, an Italian Lay Missionary group was formed in Naples. Dedicated to aiding in the mission of the congregation, they became active in a meal program for the needy and speaking with the people of the area, inviting them to attend activities and retreats to renew their faith. They gathered for spiritual enrichment and committed themselves to a deeper prayer life.
In 2011, Fr. Salvatore Izzo, Superior General issued a document to all the Missionary communities encouraging them to establish Lay groups. He quoted from the Vatican document on Consecrated Life in which laity are invited to share in the charism and spirituality of religious congregations. New groups were established in Nigeria and in the United States.
Currently two groups, one associated with the Linwood community and one associated with the Fairfield community have begun meeting. In Linwood, the group meets monthly and has spent it’s first gatherings in the study of the life and charism of St. Gaetano Errico.Each meeting begins with prayer, and a sharing time with members speaking of their spiritual activities, a speaker is often on the program and the conclude with the celebration of Mass.
Lay associations must be founded in a area close to where a Missionary community resides. A Missionary priest is assigned as their Spiritual Director and a Lay Director is appointed as well. Members strive to emulate the values of religious life, charity, sharing, selflessness and witnessing the love of God in their own life situations so as to aid their congregation in their mission of building the family of God.
