Pope Francis received the Superiors of the Sisters of Social Service on January 20^th 2023 on the occasion of the 100^th Anniversary of our Foundation. This was a great gift and privilege for all us: to be received, to be blessed, to be taught, and to be sent.

In his address to us, as well as in the conversation we had, the Holy Father touched on the very essence of our charism, opening up new dimensions of it. We felt we were affirmed and strengthened in many respects. We have received a great grace and a great challenge at the same time. Unpacking the deeper levels of meaning of this encounter with the Holy Father, of the message he gave us, and implementing it into our lives will be the task of all of us not just for this jubilee year, but also for the years to come.

Quotation from the Address of Pope Francis to the Sisters of Social Service:

Dear Sisters of Social Service,

“Your centenary is a special event for you; … I want to assure you that this is true for the Church, for every charism is a gift to her, gift from God, through the Holy Spirit; … the gifts of the Holy Spirit always have new life, and in every circumstances of time and place they are regenerated and reinvented while at the same time being faithful to the roots. …

Dear sisters, your Foundress, the Church, the Holy Spirit challenge us by always repeating the same truth that there is no greater love than giving one’s life for others. The social charity, which I spoke of in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, and which permeates the writings of Margaret Slachta, are proof of this perennial novelty. May God give us the strength to be witnesses of that love, of that truth and of that justice, in living the vocation to which he has called us. We ask all this through the intercession of Blessed Sára Salkaházi. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you!”

Link to the full text

Before our audience with Pope Francis we had a pilgrimage in Rome. We visited holy places that connected us with the roots of our faith: we went to St Peter’s Basilica, which symbolized
our rootedness in the heart of the Church. We visited graves of popes to whom our history is connected in some way. We visited St. Paul’s Basilica and the Abbey of Tre Fontane that
connected us with the missionary zeal of St. Paul and we gave thanks for our charism that spread even to the farthest ends of the earth.