God blessed me through the gift of community even as He gave me grace to respond to His call to be a missionary.
I am grateful that His call placed me among brothers and sisters who are not only committed to the same call but who are also committed to be family and to love and care for one another.
Being able to share life and faith and a good cup of coffee are some of the treasures of community life for me.
The unique personalities, giftings and wisdom of the different members of community have blessed and enriched me personally and nurtured me in my calling as a missionary. Praise God!
Christina Chua
Life in Community
The ICPE missionary communities worldwide
are called to a life of Worship and Evangelisation. The communal
lifestyle we live in the various Mission Centres is intrinsic
to God's call and invitation to come together as a people, to
know Him and to make Him known. We have come together from all
walks of life, states of life, nationalities and ages. What
unites us is the common inner experience of living under the
Lordship of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our life together
Our daily schedule includes a range
of activities; from the preparation of meals and
general house cleaning, to times for prayer and
preparations for pastoral and evangelistic projects.
We value ongoing formation about our faith, our life together
and different aspects of our ministry. We share our lives more concretely and care for one another
by belonging to a small group, a cell within the larger body
of the community. Meanwhile, individuals have a prayer partner
who provides different aspects of pastoral care, depending on
the individual's needs.
Spirituality
Life in ICPE includes personal prayer, Liturgy and communal prayer. Our mission of making Jesus known to others can only be accomplished through our own daily commitment to know Jesus more - to love Him more dearly, to follow Him more closely, to serve Him more fully. Our desire is to be transformed into true and quality disciples
Discernment
Each of us is responsible for our life before
God, and makes his or her own decisions. Yet we seek
input and the support and wisdom of other mature brothers and
sisters in the process of making these decisions in our personal
lives. For issues relating directly to community life,
we frequently gather for times of prayer and consultation as
communities. Every community has a yearly preached retreat for one week. This is a highlight of our year, since the Lord always uses this time to refresh, equip and unite us with renewed vision and direction for the year ahead.
Trusting God's providence
The ICPE missionary communities live on
God's providence. Individually, we trust God to provide for our basic
personal needs... from toothpaste to a family car! As for our
communal everyday needs and extraordinary ones, we trust God
together to supply them through individuals whom He prompts
into helping us.
Mission
Jesus calls us to bring the Good News to all creation! In the ICPE Mission we seek to obey His call through the witness of our lives as well as through various means of communication - including testimony, preaching, dance, drama, music and multi-media. Whether out on the streets, in Catholic parishes, in schools and colleges, at the prison, soup kitchen or hospital... wherever people hunger and thirst we want to bring the truth and love of God.
Singles
Singles in the Mission are an integral part of the ICPE Missionary community. As brothers and sisters, they participate in the life of the Mission Centre and continue the work of evangelisation wherever God sends them.
Families
Families in the Mission also live and serve within the missionary centre. Every family has its own quarters where the family unit is sustained and protected. The family lives out the call to worship and evangelisation through regular participation in the daily life of the centre – prayer, work, family time, fellowship and missionary outreach.
Priests and Seminarians
Priests and Seminarians are also vital to the ICPE Mission. Priesthood in the Mission is a joy and a blessing, as the priest serves within and through the ICPE Mission. The ICPE Mission now has one ordained priest, while two brothers from India are going through the priestly formation with the aim of becoming priests for the ICPE Mission.
