The Sacramentine Family
Following the example of our Foundress, a fully ecclesial woman, we feel that we are a living part of the Church in whatever context we are in, and we walk paths of faith with our brothers and sisters who share our spirituality.
Over the years, various groups of lay people have been formed; they are fascinated by Eucharistic Adoration and driven by the desire to live the «burning charity» that animates the life of our Institute.
The existence of these groups is a gift for us. We are committed to encouraging and supporting them and living the Gospel with them as lay and religious people.
ITALY
WORK OF TABERNACLES
In 1908, the Bishop of Bergamo, Msgr. Giacomo Maria Radini Tedeschi, established the ‘Opera dei Tabernacoli’ at our Institute, whose headquarters is located in the Mother House.
The ‘Opera’ aims to increase faith and love for the Eucharist in its members, in order to foster a personal Eucharistic devotion.
A sister acts as a contact person and those who join it commit themselves to making sacred furnishings and vestments with her to support Eucharistic worship even in the poorest communities in Italy and abroad.
The Superior of the Opera is the Bishop of Bergamo represented by an Ecclesiastical Assistant.
SACRAMENTINE COOPERATORS
From an early age, Mother Gertrude felt the wish to create of groups of adorers and apostles of the Eucharist.
After the foundation of the Institute, she promoted the Association of ‘Lay Perpetual Adorers’, which took the name ‘Cooperatrici Sacramentine’ in 1981. The name indicates that, in addition to being an adorer, those who join the Association collaborate with the Institute in spreading Eucharistic worship.
In fact, the Cooperatrici are asked to commit themselves to living the sacramentine Eucharistic spirituality while remaining in their own social context.
Every month the Cooperatrici attend formation meetings in the Motherhouse and once a year the Spiritual Retreat.
SACRAMENTINE FRATERNITY
The Sacramentine Fraternity is constituted of men and women, married and not married, who live their baptism according to the spirituality of Saint Geltrude Comensoli.
Love for Jesus present in the Eucharist attracts them and guides them in their relationships, their work, their family and social commitment and their mission in the Church and the world.
They are committed to living the Gospel fully and to realising St Gertrude's desire to adore Jesus in the Eucharist and devote themselves to works of charity.
Belonging to the Fraternity is a vocation therefore, after a period of formation, those who commit themselves with a ‘promise’ to be Eucharistic people, in their lives and in the context, in which they live, become members.
Those who feel a specific call may decide for a lay consecration in a private form.
The Sacramentine Fraternity obtained approval of its statutes on 25 October 2019 from the Bishop of Bergamo, Mons. Francesco Beschi.
ECUADOR
SACRAMENTINE EUCHARISTIC MOVEMENT
ECUADOR - M.E.S.E.
In 1987 we started offering an hour of adoration in every parish.
We then began the preparation of organised groups of lay people who, after two years of Eucharistic and liturgical formation, make a promise, renewed annually, to adore the Eucharist and to commit themselves to parish pastoral work.
In 2006, the M.E.S.E., Movement Eucharistic Sacramentine Ecuador was born with a Directory that organises a National Assembly every two years for activities and training meetings.
The members live our spirituality in their family, at work, in the society. They commit themselves to shifts of adoration and participate in formation sessions.
Since 2015, a few Bolivian lay people have joined in, fascinated by this experience and willing to promote it in their own country as well.
In 2021, we started perpetual adoration with hundreds of lay people taking turns day and night.
With St. Gertrude we can say that ‘adoration continues’, also overseas!
BRAZIL
GROUPS OF ADORERS IN BRAZIL
Since the beginning of our mission in Brazil, groups of adorers have been organised. They are people of all ages who spontaneously participate in the moments of adoration organised by the Sisters. They have a particular sensitivity that leads them to live Eucharistic Adoration according to their own time possibilities.
However, they remain linked to their parish without making any particular commitment to our Institute.
LAY ADORERS ASSOCIATES SACRAMENTINES
- LAAS
In Brazil, on 15 July 1999 the ‘Lay Associated Adorers Sacramentine - LAAS’ was born thanks to the intuition of some Sacramentine Sisters. To belong to the association is a choice of life and implies a commitment to our Institute.
Each member participates in the Sacramentine Eucharistic spirituality and assumes its inspiring principles at an educational and apostolic level, and therefore commits himself to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, to voluntary activities in favour of the educational mission of the Institute and to the activities of his parish.
Each group is linked to the religious community in its area. Those who join the association participate in a training period offered by the Institute.
Once a month the LAAS meet for formation sessions and once a year, they live the Spiritual Retreat. Every three years they gather in an Extraordinary Assembly.
They are a real spiritual and operating richness for us!