The spirituality of the Institute is none other than that of the baptized in the Church: a life of communion with the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. In accord with the will of God, each member endeavors to develop in a special way the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, as well as the cardinal virtues of justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance. These are the foundation of a spiritual balance that shapes the members of the Institute into true witnesses of Christ in the world.

To the ideal of life which the Institute proposes to its members: To do in all things the will of the Father, like Christ and the Virgin Mary, is attached a proper spirituality known as the Spirituality of the Three Fives:


By the first five, members of the Institute develop a life of intimacy with the Lord through daily prayer, and especially through the following spiritual exercises:
• Mental prayer or meditation
• Reading of the Word of God and of works of spirituality
• Sharing in the Holy Eucharist
• Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
• Devotion to the Virgin Mary, particularly through meditation of the mysteries of the Rosary and recitation of the five decades of the Rosary.

By the second five, members develop in a special way a spirit of recollection, humility, and fraternal charity through acquiring the following attitudes:

Presence of God
“To live in the presence of God is to be recollected, to pay heed to the Lord living within me. It is to listen to him speaking in me through my conscience, my aspirations, through persons and events. It is to recognize that we participate in the very life of God, that we belong to him.” In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fr. Parent, Founder

Absence of criticism
“Absence of criticism fortifies the presence of God, educates us to patience, augments the spiritual forces within us, permits us to welcome our neighbor with simplicity, stimulates our heart, weans our imagination, pacifies our passions, calms our emotions, suffocates our instincts for revenge, liberates us from selfishness and pettiness and preserves intimacy with God.” In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fr. Parent, Founder

Absence of complaint
“Absence of complaint manifests the spiritual maturity of a person, it expresses the basic quality of a personality which tends toward self-control. Absence of complaint indicates a beautiful personality, one who has taken charge of his life, who has a sense of responsibility. It demands that each of us makes a constant effort which we call asceticism.” In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fr. Parent, Founder

Being of service (availability)
“A 'being' of service is an intelligent being who willingly and freely stands on the side of God, who strives to be a docile instrument of His will, as soon as His will is known. Being of service reveals the distinctive quality that characterizes the members of the Institute as people who have attained a certain maturity, who have a sense of responsibility, the desire to seek the will of God and the assurance that, as servants of the Church and respectful collaborators of legitimate ecclesiastical and civil authority, they stand with God.” In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fr. Parent, Founder

Peacemaking
“Peace is the most tangible manifestation of the active presence of God, of submission to a Supreme Being, of the heart’s being possessed by the one whom we consider a marvelous, attentive and gracious Father. We witness to this peace by developing our capacity to love, to be attentive, to show our magnanimity, and to have confidence in others. If we recognize our potential for peace, a self-love will no longer have the power to upset our human relationships.” In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fr. Parent, Founder

By the third five, members of the Institute daily take advantage of five concrete occasions of exercising charity in order to develop positive contacts with others, in the manner of Christ.