The ICPE Mission is a Catholic lay community that draws its spiritual inspiration from two streams: Charismatic and Ignatian. Charismatic spirituality hinges on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and its subsequent gifts while acknowledging the Spirit’s presence within the Church and the broader world. Ignatian spirituality centres on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, inviting Christians to intimately know, love, and follow Him.
The ICPE Mission’s spirituality is rooted in the life of the Holy Trinity, underscoring God’s nurturing love and boundless power in meeting our every need. It is also centred on Jesus Christ, the visible manifestation of the invisible God, and the Word made flesh to reconcile humanity with God. As missionary disciples, we present the Gospel message as an encounter with the person of Christ, that can ignite a transformative personal relationship with Him.
The Holy Spirit, received in Baptism, is the soul of the ICPE Mission. He unites members with the Body of Jesus Christ, allowing them to live a life of faith, hope, love, and service. The Holy Spirit permeates all aspects of the ICPE Mission, including its communities, members, and missionary efforts. The ICPE Mission is rooted in the Catholic Church and serves its mission of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ through a life of Worship and Evangelisation.
The members of the ICPE Mission aspire to grow in the likeness of Christ. We do this through the offering of our lives to God and being docile to His will in all things. Embracing the present moment as a source of grace, we cultivate an awareness to God’s active presence permeating the ordinary and extraordinary events of our lives. Anchored in the confident assurance of His abiding care, we place our trust in Him for all our needs – be they emotional, spiritual, physical, and material.
Foundation Day (17th January)
This day commemorates the foundation of the ICPE Mission which took place through the very first School of Evangelisation (currently referred to as School of Mission) which commenced on 17th January 1985 in Malta. This very first School, attracted 20 participants from 14 different nations.
Annunciation (Solemnity: 25th March)
This feast commemorates the moment that Mary gave her “Yes” to God’s will for her to bear his Son (Luke 1:26-38). In Anna Cappello’s words: “In the company of Mary, the Mother of God, as members of the ICPE Mission we pronounce our daily “Yes” to God, bringing the poverty of our lives into the richness and power of God’s plan. Mary accompanies us on the amazing and often disconcerting journey that follows our yes, as our model disciple, sister, and mother. As we entrust ourselves to Mary, emulating her as she advanced in her own pilgrimage of faith, we seek to become more united with Christ in living out our response of love to Him.”
Pentecost Day – Pontifical Recognition (Sunday between May 10th and June 13th)
On 19 May 2002, on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy See through the Pontifical Council for the Laity conferred on the ICPE Mission the status of International Private Association of Christ’s Faithful of Pontifical Right ad experimentum. Concurrently, the Holy See also approved its statutes provisionally. Subsequently, on 19 May 2007, the Holy See confirmed the institute’s status of International Private Association of Christ’s Faithful of Pontifical Right and approved definitively the Institute’s statutes.
Additionally, Pentecost is also a feast day in our calendar since the ICPE Mission is a fruit of the Charismatic Renewal in the Church that followed Vat II. Just like the disciples in the Upper Room, ICPE missionary disciples are called to yearn for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in their lives, to recognise the presence of the Spirit in the Church and in the world and to allow him to awaken in us a faith in Christ filled with joy and a generous dedication to the evangelising mission of the Church.
St Ignatius of Loyola (Memorial: 31st July)
As the community of the ICPE Mission developed, Anna and Mario Cappello (the co-founders of the ICPE Mission) discovered how well-adapted and practical Ignatian spirituality is for ICPE Mission missionary disciples who wish to live wholeheartedly with God in the midst of their busy lives. St Ignatius became an expert in spiritual discernment after experiencing a conversion of heart while recuperating from war-inflicted wounds. His conversion led him to ask, “What more does God want from me?” This is a question that every ICPE Mission missionary disciple is encouraged to ask each day. Ignatius counselled radical detachment, teaching that our one goal is the freedom to make a wholehearted choice to follow God in our daily lives.
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Memorial: 1st October)
St Thérèse of Lisieux is known in the Church, alongside St Francis Xavier, as the “universal patroness of missions.” Although she never left her cloistered convent, she was given this title because being a missionary is not just about travelling or doing mission work – it’s about living as a missionary disciple. Her deep love and prayers for the mission of the Church showed that mission begins with who we are, not just what we do.
Mission Sunday (Penultimate Sunday in October)
We observe this special day by recalling God’s love and faithfulness to us through His call to participate in the very mission of the Church to bring the joy, light, and hope of the Gospel to the world. As we celebrate this feast, we are encouraged to allow this call to captivate us even deeper as we respond with joy and gratitude to our Lord with the very gift of our lives.
St Francis Xavier (Memorial: 3rd December)
St Francis Xavier is the patron saint of missions and has been chosen to be one of our patron saints because he had great ingenuity as he re-proposed the Gospel to regions in India awaiting the first evangelization. He also recognised that respecting and assimilating cultural practices and norms are important for the Gospel message in order to be more readily received by the local people.
Worship
Members of the ICPE Mission worship God as part of the Universal Church, joining the communion of saints here on earth and in Heaven in the eternal liturgy. Regular participation in the liturgy, the Sacraments, and the use of the Divine Office in both personal and communal prayer life, enhances this reality. While growing ever deeper in their reverence and awe of God, community members are encouraged to be creative in their expression and free in the use of various charismatic gifts. Eucharist is the summit of the community worship to God. In Eucharist, both as individuals and as a community, we are strengthened by participating in the Pascal Mystery, and the sharing of the Word of God. In turn, the community becomes a eucharistic community commissioned to go out into the world to give Jesus, the Bread of Life and the Word of God made flesh, to others.
Evangelisation
Evangelisation is the preaching of the Gospel message and the incorporation of people into the Body of Christ. Evangelisation is the essence and mission of the Church. The community seeks to evangelise both on the individual and communal level. Members of the ICPE Mission are to live a life submitted to the action of the Holy Spirit, by whose grace, they can continue to be evangelisers who themselves are being evangelised.
