There are two districts in America: US East and US West. The Irish have made a particularly important contribution in both.(Irish In the US
Spiritan Presence: Spiritans arrived from about 1969; recognised by the General Council in 1976; about 60 professed members (Long Island 36, New Orleans 6, San Francisco 18).

The members of the Irish Province working in the US retain a clear link with their province of origin. They keep a lively interest in its mission activity, in its provision for retired missionaries and especially in its Marian House project.

The origin of the Irish presence was connected with the expulsion of missionaries from Nigeria more than 25 years ago. Over the years there have been some difficulties with the North American provinces, especially concerning continuing appointments and fund-raising. The presence of an Irish representative at the North American and Caribbean Superiors' Meetings contributed greatly to alleviating these difficulties. The good relations existing at present augur well for the future).

The traditional mission outreach has been to East Africa and Puerto Rico. There are still some members of the province in Tanzania, in Ethiopia, in South Africa and in Puerto Rico. Within US there is parish ministry in African American parishes, and especially in the area of Pittsburgh. A parish near Washington has had close connections with the National Office for Haiti. While Spiritans have withdrawn from nine parishes in the three years prior to the Provincial Chapter of 1997, there have also been new parochial initiatives in North Carolina and Pittsburgh. The disengagement from parishes has been only partly due to lack of Spiritan personnel. In many US dioceses there are radical programmes of consolidation of parishes.

In recent years the involvement in the educational apostolate is enjoying a new lease of life. Duquesne University is in full expansion and it is developing a global network of educational partners. It is careful to give the Spiritan charism full play. Holy Ghost Prep. is proud of its reputation as a school but just as insistent on its Spiritan character. The Spiritan lecturers of Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, are held in high esteem.

 

We are a group of men with many diverse personalities and backgrounds called by God and committed to serving those most in need in a great diversity of cultures. There is one unifying way to define our spirit and purpose: PRESENCE. We recognize and lift up the Holy Spirit through education, mission, and parish ministry, making a positive change in the world.

The Spiritans are "One Heart. One Spirit."

We seek first to allow the Spirit to transform us in our heart and soul
We are open to the Spirit alive in others
We go and share the Spirit wherever people are suffering

All around the globe ... Spiritans often go where living conditions are most difficult. The people we choose to be with are often struggling to survive from one day to the next. They are downhearted and diminished in spirit, forgotten or abandoned by civil and government institutions, and suffering injustice. We assist those people who are poor, sick and hungry. We work with whole communities in need. We educate young men and women in our high school, university, and seminaries in the skills they will need to further our efforts in serving humanity.Our lifestyle is simple and unencumbered. Wherever Spiritans are, community-building is key. We get to know, accept, and respect each other as a family. We serve others by living in solidarity with them.

Spiritan Fathers & Brothers of the United States Province serve in parishes, schools, and a variety of international missions. Our work is as varied as the possibilities and the many cultures in which we serve. Whatever our jobs, our primary task is to be with people, recognizing and acknowledging God among us. We bear hope to those seemingly without it. We are a compassionate presence. We give voice to gospel justice where it can not be heard or has been silenced."I joined because I wanted to be on the cutting edge. I grew up in a good family. I was given a lot of opportunities, a lot of freedom.

I don't believe that any real change can happen unless people can see a different way of thinking, imagining, and acting. Christianity offers that possibility in the most creative way I know. Sharing it is the most important thing I feel I can do with my life. The Spiritans are supposed to be focused on the margins. That's where I belong."Fr. Pat Patten, Flying Medical Service, Tanzania, Africa

"I was deeply influenced by the Spiritans as a student at Holy Ghost Prep. I saw deeply that they are truly good men and good priests and loved what they were doing. I knew I wanted to be like them."

 

Fr. Jim McCloskey, Vice President of University Relations, Duquesne University, Pennsylvania "I am absolutely positive that God called me to be a priest and arranged things for me to be in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. The Spiritans are called to do what God wants us to and to go where the Church needs us. The Spiritan vocation is dedicated to the contemplative life and to the active life where needed. One note of a Spiritan is simplicity -- we are very simple. We are happy to do what we can do to make a better church and a better world."

Fr. Charles Coffey, Casa Laval, California

"The Spiritans are a mission community dedicated to going to out-of-the-way places and serving the fringes. I became a Spiritan to serve the poor."

Fr. Jeff Duaime, President of Holy Ghost Prep School, Pennsylvania

USA
Population: 267.7 million
Life expectancy males/females: 73/79 years
Infant mortality rate: 7.3‰ Religions: Roman Catholic 38%; Protestants; Chirches of the East; others (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhists)
Independence: 4 July 1776 (from England)
GDP per capita: US $26,980

United States of America
Embassy of the United States of America
42 Elgin Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4
Tel: 01 668 8777
Fax: 01 668 9946
E.Mail:webmasterireland@state.gov

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