Each year on 16 March, Sisters Hospitallers celebrate Constitutions Day, a meaningful moment in the life of the Congregation. On this day we remember the approval of the Constitutions by the Holy See in 1908, and we are invited to reflect on the text that continues to guide our identity and mission.
The Constitutions are much more than a formal document. They express the spirit of the charism of hospitality and help us understand how to live it in our daily lives and in the different realities where the Congregation carries out its mission.
The first Constitutions were prepared by Saint Benedict Menni, founder of the Congregation, inspired by the experience of the first Sisters who dedicated their lives to caring for people who were often forgotten by society, particularly those living with mental illness. From the beginning, the aim of the Constitutions was to help the Congregation remain faithful to its mission: bringing hospitality, dignity and compassionate care to those most in need.
Hospitality lies at the heart of the vocation of Sisters Hospitallers: a commitment to welcome, care for and accompany people who suffer, especially those most in need.
Over time, the Congregation has grown and is now present in many countries and cultures. The Constitutions help maintain a shared identity and mission, reminding us of the values that inspire our work and our way of relating to others.
While they guide the religious life of the Sisters, their spirit also inspires the many lay collaborators and professionals who share in the mission of hospitality in our centres and projects. Together, Sisters and collaborators continue to give life to this charism through their daily commitment to care, respect and service.
The most recent revision of the Constitutions, approved by the Holy See in 2022, reaffirmed the desire of the Congregation to continue living the charism of hospitality in dialogue with the realities and needs of today’s world. Discover more about the renewed Constitutions here.
Constitutions Day therefore becomes an opportunity for the whole hospitaller community to pause, reflect and renew our commitment to the mission, continuing the legacy begun by Saint Benedict Menni and the first Sisters more than a century ago.