This nine-day novena is a spiritual journey into the heart of our vocation, guided by the spirit of the 1726 Rules and Constitutions of Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo. Just as a constitution provides direction and unity for a community, our religious constitutions, the 1726 Rules and Constitutions and the Landas,  root us in faith, sustain us in prayer, bind us in charity, and send us forth in mission.

Each day of this novena offers a Scripture passage, relevant items in our Constitutions, meditative reflection, and a prayer that invite us to rediscover the foundations of our consecrated life. Woven through these pages is the wisdom of our beloved Foundress, whose trust in God’s providence and fidelity to His will continue to inspire her daughters and all who walk in the Ignacian way.

Just as the Beaterio has become a new “creation” in the context of the 17th century Philippines, let us continue to guard God’s creation.  Today we celebrate Creation Day.  It is also known as Feast of Creation or World Day of Prayer for Creation.   “It is a moment to thank and praise the Triune God as Creator.  Given that most Christian churches have historically focused so much on God as Redeemer, the feast is an invaluable opportunity to celebrate God as Creator.  This need was stressed by many Christian leaders as Benedict XIV who once said ‘The Redeemer is the Creator and if we do not proclaim that God in his full grandeur – As Creator and as Redeemer – we also diminish the value of the Redemption… The renewal of the doctrine of Creation and a new understanding of the inseparability of Creation and Redemption are of supreme importance.”  Let us bring Creation to the heart of the Church, inspired by the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si.

As we pray together, may this novena renew in us the grace of our covenant with God, deepen our love for one another in community,  strengthen our zeal for mission and love for God’s creation, Mother earth, our common  home. May we, like Mother Ignacia, seek only the greater glory of God in all things.