Who we are
We are the Daughters of Saint Paul, Paulines, a religious congregation of women consecrated to God in the Catholic Church to evangelize through the forms, media, and expressions of social communication. We receive our name from the apostle Saint Paul, an ardent disciple and missionary of Jesus Christ, who dedicated his entire life to proclaiming the Gospel. He lived a complete identification with Christ that led him to affirm: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Heirs to this missionary spirit and following in the footsteps of the apostle to the Gentiles, we dedicate all our strength and energy to living and communicating Jesus Christ, Master, Way, Truth, and Life in today's world.
Spirituality
Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life
Devotion to the Divine Master dates back to an early age in our Congregation. In 1936, Blessed Father Alberione invited all communities to pray, especially on the first Sunday of the month, the devotion to Jesus the Master. Little by little, prayer, study, and apostolate became imbued with this spirituality, transforming it into a spiritual and experiential attitude.
“Devotion to Jesus, Master, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, leads to perfect worship of God. The more a Pauline woman lives like Jesus Christ, the more she becomes like Him. Christ is the vine, we are the branches: from Him comes the divine sap. Whoever is united to the Life-Christ produces much fruit.” Blessed James Alberione
Jesus Christ is the center and purpose of our lives as Christians, consecrated women, and Paulines. He is the WAY that leads us to the Father; and along the way, we follow him as disciples and missionaries. He is the TRUTH that the simple and humble understand in their hearts, which responds to the deepest and most human longings. He is LIFE, hidden in the furrows of everyday life, nourishing our existence with its shadows and lights.
Christ is the first communicator, for he shows us the Father, full of compassion and love for us. And he sends us the Holy Spirit so that we may remember his saving action. Thus, what seems merely a cultural or social aspect is in reality an experience that encompasses all of creation, humanity, and our thirst for transcendence. Those who love only want to share, integrate, dialogue, express, and bring forth from within that which is best. This is God the Trinity; this is how he invites us to make his friends.
Saint Paul
"Everyone should consider Saint Paul as their father, teacher, model, and founder. He is indeed that. Through him the Pauline Family was born, he nourishes it and makes it grow, and from him we learn the spirit." (Blessed James Alberione, AD, no. 2)
Blessed Father James Alberione, founder of the Daughters of St. Paul and the Pauline Family, was a man passionate about Saint Paul. His letters and his figure served as an enlightenment, not only for himself but for every member of the Pauline Family.
An apostle of the Word, Paul never met Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth. His conversion experience was through listening to the voice of the Risen Lord. Therefore, he felt completely indebted to the One who loved him and gave himself for him. The only thing he ever took pride in was being an Apostle of the Gospel, a messenger of the Good News of salvation.
A universal apostle, he made himself all things to all people. He never denied his Jewish roots, but he had the broad mindset to reach out to the frontiers of the world. He recognized the seeds of the Good News in every culture and wanted to share it with all people.
The year 2008-2009 was declared a Pauline Year by Pope Benedict XVI, as it marked the 2,000th anniversary of his birth. It was a moment of grace for the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul, for the entire Pauline Family, and for the entire Church, as the presence of this apostle, passionate about Christ and people, was rediscovered (and continues to be rediscovered), capable of overcoming all external and internal challenges, for he knew in whom he had placed his trust.
Mary Queen of the Apostles
"To this poor and proud world, no greater treasure can be given than Jesus Christ. Mary gave the world grace in Jesus Christ; and she continues to offer it to it through the centuries. She is the universal mediator of grace, and in this role she is our mother. The world needs Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Mary gives him through the apostles and the apostolates, which she inspires, forms, assists, and crowns with fruit and glory in heaven." Blessed James Alberione.
In the image of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, she holds the child Jesus before her, in a clear gesture of surrender. For the events hidden in her heart taught Mary the secret of the Kingdom. In humility and silence, the life that is surrendered and given out of love bears fruit, grows, and transforms. Every person's greatest desire is to feel loved and accepted, and this will only be achieved when they break the nets of selfishness and idolatry. That young girl who ran through the hills of Judah to be with her cousin knew this well. This is why she is Queen and teacher of the apostle. He who is sent by the Lord must have a big heart to give to all. Proclamation never excludes; it is a sign of love and charity, building the Kingdom that grows in secret.
Blessed Father James Alberione always recommended praying the rosary. In each mystery of the rosary, we contemplate Jesus' life through the eyes of the one who understood him most and became his disciple.
The feast of Mary, Queen of the Apostles is celebrated on the Saturday before Pentecost.
Women Communicators
“I wish I had a thousand lives to dedicate to this noble apostolate” Maestra Tecla
When Father Alberione, attentive to the signs of the times and the historical evolution of the 20th century, glimpses the new role that women must play in society, he senses that women consecrated to God must also make their contribution to evangelization in the broad field of communication, where a true ministry falls to them.
Her radical choice for Jesus directs all her desires, abilities, and energies toward God, transforming her into a living testimony of the faith she professes, as a guarantee of her ministry in the Church. Like Saint Paul, the great herald of Jesus Christ, the Daughters of Saint Paul dedicate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel, seeking to bring Jesus into the hearts of all people, as authentic communicators.
Present in 53 countries, in the most diverse cultures, the Pauline Sisters carry out their apostolic mission through the media, seeking to influence the communication processes that build peaceful, fraternal, and supportive human coexistence, and also embracing the electronic means by which the Gospel reaches people more quickly.
Universal horizons, openness to all peoples, and the boldness to act in ever-changing situations specific to communication are the legacy the Founder left them for the fulfillment of their mission. “Radio, television, cinema, the internet, CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and social media are the pulpits of today; the recording studio and bookstores are the new temples from which the Pauline Sisters must proclaim the Gospel.”
History
The congregation of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul, better known as the Paulines, was founded on June 15, 1915, by Blessed James Alberione in Alba, Italy, with the help of Venerable Thecla Merlo, for the spread of the Gospel.
"In 1915, Father Alberione, thinking that the cooperation of religious women through prayer, work and propaganda could be of great help to the apostolate of good press, founded a family of young people (...)" (DcA, 1928)
We are women consecrated to God in the Catholic Church
With the missionary zeal of Saint Paul, we dedicate ourselves to living and giving to the world Jesus, Master, Way, Truth and Life, and thus bring to all peoples the Word of God made into a book, sound, image and song, using all languages, media and expressions of communication so that the Good News reaches every person.
With this mission, we are present in 54 countries on 5 continents. Like Paul, we wish to give everyone the gift of Jesus, who is the Truth that saves, the Way that leads to the Father, the Life that is given for all.
Father Santiago Alberione founded the Daughters of St. Paul in 1915, with the goal of spreading the Word of God to all peoples through the media.
With this great mission, Sisters Leticia Elena, Giovanna Vascheto, Imelda Toschi and Luigina Grandi arrived in Bogotá, Colombia on April 24, 1948, but due to the difficult situation they were advised to move to a smaller city. This is how two of them moved to Manizales in 1949 and later to Barranquilla, Medellín, Cali and Cúcuta, expanding the Pauline mission in these cities and in the regions of Colombia and Ecuador.
With great joy, we celebrate 100 years of the constant, joyful, and generous dedication of the Daughters of St. Paul-Paulines in Colombia; 100 years since our founding, in which, feeling chosen and loved in Christ Jesus, we desire to continue bringing the Word of God to all people.
