The Institute Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, a religious community of Diocesan Right, was founded by Rev. Carlos Miguel Buela on March 19, 1988 in San Rafael, Argentina. The Institute Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará and The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), comprised of religious priests and brothers, along with the Third Order make up the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word. The two religious Institutes share the same charism, have twin constitutions and both include active and contemplative branches.
Our Religious HabitThe habit of the Servants includes:
- a grey tunic
- a blue scapular
- a blue veil for professed sisters
- a white veil for novice sisters
- the cross of Matará
Our habit with these colors represents
the mystery of the Incarnation: the blue represents the Divinity of
Christ and the grey represents His Humanity.
"...In that way the blue scapular, which represents the Divine Word, put
over the grey habit, which symbolizes the humanity, is an eloquent
statement about the great mystery of the Incarnation, in which the Word
was united with our nature and dressed in our flesh..."
(Fr. Buela, IVE, Las Servidoras, 142).
"In each Servant there should be a love for her Habit, it should be like
her skin, so that united to the Incarnate Word, who united Heaven and
Earth, she may flower into all kinds of good works and be for all the
good scent of Christ (2 Cor 2:15)."
(Las Servidoras)
At the same time the Servants remind us of wisteria:
- for their great number with which the Lord has blessed them
- because they are always traveling together in a group
- because they seem to be fragile, yet they have an enormous resistance
The Cross of Matará is an integral part of our religious
habit. The Cross of Matará was carved in wood by a member of the native tribe
of Matará in Argentina, which had been evangelized in the 16th century. The
fundamental mysteries of our Faith are carved on the Cross: the Creation,
symbolized by the sun and moon; the Birth of Christ, symbolized by the Star of
Bethlehem; the instruments of Christ's Passion and the Crucifixion; the
Eucharist; the Blessed Virgin Mary depicted as a Spanish queen; and the fires of
Purgatory. It is one of the oldest crosses used in the evangelization of the New
World and for this reason we have a great devotion to the Cross of Matará. Not
only do we wear it as a symbol of the Evangelization of the Culture and of our
total consecration to Christ Crucified, but we also take our name from
it.
Sponsa
Christi
We as women religious believe that our primary
vocation is to be the "Spouse of Christ." By giving ourselves totally to Christ,
the Redeemer of Man and the Spouse of Souls through the vows of our
consecration, we fulfill our own femininity. This is a spousal gift: "The woman,
called from the beginning to love and to be loved, in her virginal vocation
finds Christ above everything, as Redeemer who loved until the end through the
total gift of Himself, and she responds to this gift with the sincere gift of
her whole self" (On the Dignity of Women, Mulieris Dignitatem,
1988).
Aware of the Father's call and the prompting of the Holy Spirit,
we, the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, want to follow Christ,
the chaste, poor, and obedient One. We want to take on His mind and His way of
life. By imitating Mary of Nazareth, the exemplar of every religious woman, we
desire to be signs of God's tender love towards the human race and to be
witnesses to the mystery of the Church who is Virgin, Bride, and
Mother.
We ask you to pray for our young Religious Family that our only
interest may be to have life in Christ Jesus.
For more information, please visit The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará USA website.