Rev. Fr. Dr. Gujjala Vyakula Vara Prasad Rao SDS
Associate Professor of Missiology,
St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru, India
Abstract
This article explores a rarely articulated dimension of the Society of the Divine Saviour (SDS): the charism of hidden presence. Drawing from Salvatorian foundational texts, pneumatological insights, and missiological praxis, it argues that the Society’s deepest spiritual contribution lies not in visibility but in its quiet fidelity to the margins. Through theological reflection and contextual analysis, the paper proposes a “missiology of hidden grace” as a prophetic posture for contemporary religious life.
1. INTRODUCTION: REDISCOVERING THE SALVATORIAN PULSE
The Society of the Divine Saviour, founded by Fr. Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan in 1881, is globally recognized for its inclusive mission: “To proclaim the Saviour by all ways and means.” While this expansive vision has inspired apostolic creativity across continents, there remains a quieter, contemplative dimension of Salvatorian spirituality that has often gone unnoticed—the vocation to hidden presence.
This article seeks to excavate that dimension, not as a retreat from mission, but as its radical deepening. It proposes that Salvatorians, by embracing hiddenness, embody a kenotic theology that resonates with the Incarnation and the Spirit’s subtle work in history.
2. HIDDENNESS AS MISSIONAL POSTURE
2.1 THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
Hiddenness is not invisibility—it is a theological stance. In Philippians 2:6–8, Christ’s kenosis is described as a descent into obscurity, culminating in death on a cross. This self-emptying is not weakness but divine strategy. Salvatorians, by choosing presence over prominence, mirror this Christological rhythm.
Fr. Jordan himself lived this paradox. His diaries reveal a man deeply committed to mission, yet often misunderstood, marginalized, and spiritually interior. His vision was not to dominate but to awaken— “As long as there is one person who does not know and love God, you must not rest.”
2.2 CONTEMPORARY IMPLICATIONS
In today’s ecclesial landscape, where visibility often equates to validity, Salvatorians offer a counter-witness. Their hidden presence becomes a critique of performative ministry and a call to contemplative activism.
3. SALVATORIAN SPIRITUALITY IN THE MARGINS
3.1 MARGINS AS SACRED SPACE
The margins—geographical, cultural, existential—are not peripheral to mission; they are its crucible. Salvatorians often serve in places where the Church’s voice is faint, where structures are fragile, and where hope flickers. These are not accidental placements—they are theological choices.
3.2 CASE STUDY: NORTH-EAST INDIA
In regions like Nongbah and the Khasi Hills, Salvatorians have quietly nurtured communities through education, pastoral care, and interreligious dialogue. Their presence is not marked by grand institutions but by relational fidelity. They become sacramental signs of God’s nearness—Emmanuel in the margins.
4. SALVATORIANS AS SPIRITUAL MIDWIVES
4.1 THE PNEUMATOLOGY OF ACCOMPANIMENT
The Holy Spirit often works in silence, ambiguity, and slow transformation. Salvatorians, by trusting this rhythm, become spiritual midwives—helping birth faith in others without claiming ownership.
This posture is deeply pneumatological. It reflects a theology of trust, where the Spirit is the primary agent of mission, and the Salvatorian is a humble facilitator.
4.2 FORMATION AND VOCATION
In formation houses and mission territories, Salvatorians often nurture vocations that are fragile, emerging, and contextually unique. Their role is not to mould but to accompany—to listen, discern, and empower.
5. KENOSIS AND THE SALVATORIAN IDENTITY
5.1 KENOSIS AS IDENTITY
To be Salvatorian is to live in the tension between proclamation and humility, between zeal and surrender. This kenosis is not erasure—it is deepening. It allows Salvatorians to enter interreligious spaces, ecological struggles, and cultural wounds without defensiveness.
5.2 INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
In India’s pluralistic context, Salvatorians have engaged in dialogue not through theological debates but through shared suffering, mutual service, and spiritual solidarity. Their kenotic posture allows them to be bridges rather than boundaries.
6. TOWARD A THEOLOGY OF HIDDEN GRACE
6.1 HIDDEN GRACE AS MISSIOLOGICAL PARADIGM
Hidden grace is the belief that God’s salvific work unfolds even when unacknowledged. It is the theology of mustard seeds, of yeast in dough, of quiet revolutions. Salvatorians, by embodying this paradigm, become prophetic signs in a noisy world.
6.2 LITURGICAL IMPLICATIONS
Their ministry becomes a living liturgy—where accompaniment replaces authority, and listening becomes the first proclamation. Hidden grace is not passive—it is Eucharistic: broken, shared, and transformative.
7. SALVATORIANS AS THRESHOLD DWELLERS
7.1 LIVING AT THE EDGE
Salvatorians dwell at thresholds—between tradition and innovation, between proclamation and presence. This liminal identity is not confusion—it is vocation. It allows them to be flexible, responsive, and deeply rooted.
7.2 KAIROS NOMADISM
Building on emerging theological frameworks like Kairos Nomadism, Salvatorians can reimagine mission as movement—guided not by institutional maps but by the Spirit’s wind. Their hidden presence becomes a nomadic sacrament.
8. CONCLUSION: RECLAIMING THE SALVATORIAN FUTURE
The Society of the Divine Saviour stands at a threshold moment. Its future lies not in abandoning visibility but in deepening its commitment to the hidden places where the Saviour still walks. By reclaiming the charism of hidden presence, Salvatorians can offer the Church a prophetic model of mission—one rooted in kenosis, guided by the Spirit, and alive in the margins.
REFERENCES
1. Jordan, Francis Mary of the Cross. Spiritual Diary.
- Salvatorian Constitutions and General Directory.
- Bosch, David. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission.
- Bevans, Stephen. Models of Contextual Theology.
- Rahner, Karl. Theological Investigations.
- Amaladoss, Michael. Making Harmony: Living in a Pluralistic World.
- Vatican II. Ad Gentes.
