The Daughters of St. Paul

The Daughters of St. Paul, known as the Pauline Sisters, are an international Congregation of women consecrated to God, in the Church, for evangelization with the means of social communication.

The name Pauline expresses a fundamental relationship with the Apostle Paul, a relationship which inspirits our life, our spirituality and our mission. St. Paul is the disciple and apostle of Christ Crucified and Risen, whose identification with Christ was so intimate and complete that he was able to exclaim: “It is no longer I who live. It is Christ, instead, who lives in me.” This passion for Jesus never let him rest. Nothing could hold him back from completing the mission God had given him: “You will announce my name to the kings and nations.”

Like St. Paul, we, Daughters of St. Paul have experienced in our own life the importance of the person of Jesus Master, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life of humanity, and the Lord of history. Using the means of communication we are impelled to speak of Christ, with our whole lives we desire to live in Christ, in our prayer we contemplate Jesus Christ, and with our love we desire all to know Christ.

As Daughters of St. Paul, we walk with people whose attitudes, values, styles of life, and choices have been significantly formed by the movies and TV shows they view, the music they listen to, the video games they play, and the books and newspapers they read. We seek to understand people’s search for meaning and appreciation. We let the movies we watch and the music we listen to become the roads we walk with people to invite them to “come” with us to Christ.

Preaching Jesus Christ to these people calls for women who can both produce media that speaks of Jesus as well as understand how people today have changed, what they are looking for, and what they most urgently need.

We live in community. In a family atmosphere, simple and joyous, we seek to live, share and witness to the Gospel which we announce. Together we reflect on both the Word of God and the river of humanity that is constantly renewing itself on the face of the earth. Our Founder encouraged us to ask ourselves, “Where is this river of humanity going?”

Prayer, in particular our Eucharistic Adoration, or the Visit as we simple refer to it, is characterized by a spirit of listening to Jesus Master through the Word. In prayer, each enters into the silence of her heart in order to say: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening!” The Daughter of St. Paul is sustained in her mission by the Word and the Eucharist, times of study and reflection, and sharing as a community on the Word of God as they seek to present the living message of Christ in a way that is meaningful for people today.

Through the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, our lives become a communication. Our lives themselves are meant to be a “book” people can read, a life people can “surf” in order to learn that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life for which they long. By becoming a visibly Christian presence in the entertainment world, we help humanity channel their creativity, the depth of technological expertise, their deep longings, and all their dreams in a Christian way.

Founded in 1915 by Blessed James Alberione, the sisters have shared the message of the Gospel for over 80 years with millions of people across the globe, beginning in Italy where their first communities began and eventually spreading out to over 50 nations. Today Pauline publishing houses, radio and television studios, music labels and recording studios, periodicals and mini-media production can be found in the United States, England, São Paolo, Mexico City, Bogota, Bolivia, Buenos Aires, and other Latin American countries. Over 100 Pauline Books & Media Centers throughout the American continents serve as centers of light in major cities. The Pauline Center for Media Studies in the United States and SEPAC in Brazil contribute to the formation and training of people in media literacy and the use of communications in evangelization and ministry. And the holiness of James Alberione, the priest who founded the Daughters of St. Paul, has been acknowledged by the Church when he was declared Blessed James Alberione by John Paul II on April 22, 2003.

Blessed James Alberione said, "If people don't go to church, we must transform the places where they do go into churches." Wherever people are in their life; whatever they are suffering or rejoicing over; however the experiences of life have found them—they need the touch of God through his Word. They need wherever they are to become a church, a place where they can encounter God and his love for them. The mission of the Daughters of St. Paul is to bring together the thirst of God for love and the thirst of their brothers and sisters for meaning and life.

The fire Jesus came to set on the earth is blazing. Like Jesus we also can say, “How we wish it were blazing everywhere and in every heart!” Multiplying his words, his voice, his presence on the earth through the media, our vision of communication is that of Jesus, the Word made flesh, who so long ago and still today comes and communicates the life, the truth, and the way of the Kingdom through the gift of himself–and does so also through us.

The Daughters of St. Paul are members of the Pauline Family, founded by Blessed James Alberione. The Pauline Family is spread throughout the world, and consists of 10,000 members from 5 religious congregations and 5 aggregated institutes with a single spirit: living Jesus Christ and serving the Church.