About Us
The Community of Grace is a Public Association under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. The Community is devoted to leading people to the Catholic Faith and strengthening them in their Sacramental life through the living and enduring Word of God.
"He now went up onto the mountain and summoned those He wanted. And so they came to him, and He appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to proclaim the message, with power to drive out devils".
(Mark 3: 13-15)
Springtime of the Holy Spirit
“In the last days – the Lord declares – I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young people shall see visions, your old people dream dreams. Even on the slaves, men and women, shall I pour out my Spirit”. (Acts 2:17-18)
The founder’s unique charism of understanding and teaching the Scriptures with great wisdom and discernment has been nurtured and is active among many of the community members.
The Community is an example of the springtime of the Holy Spirit, ever at work renewing the Church through a variety of missionary movements, especially during difficult times.
Who We Are
The Community of Grace was officially erected as a Public Association of the Vicariate of Southern Arabia by a decree of His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder on October 11, 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council, the twentieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the feast of Blessed Pope John XXIII and most importantly, the (former) feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A Missionary Community
The Community of Grace, a missionary Community formed with the aim of leading all people to the Catholic Faith and strengthening the faithful in their Sacramental life, ascribes itself to be a fruit of the Second Vatican Council.
The Community seeks to fulfill its mission by means of a unique apostolic charism (1 Corinthians 12:27-28) imparted to it through the founder, Br. O. J. Victor. This unique charism enables the Community to treasure Sacred Scripture in the heart (Luke 2:19), discern every spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 John 4:1), deliver people from bondages (1 John 3:8), and reveal to all men the jewels of wisdom and knowledge hidden in the Son of God, Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:2-3).
Communities & Movements
Communities
Movements generally derive their origin from a charismatic leader and take shape in concrete communities, inspired by the life of their founder; they attempt to live the Gospel anew, in its totality, and recognize the Church without hesitation as the ground of their life, without which they could not exist. (Pope Benedict XVI, The Ecclesial Movements: A Theological Reflection on their place in the Church)
Movements
What is meant today by the term movement? The term is used to refer to realities that differ among themselves, sometimes even by reason of their canonical structure. Though that term cannot exhaust or capture the wealth of forms aroused by the life-giving creativity of the Spirit of Christ, it does indicate a concrete ecclesial reality with a predominantly lay membership, a journey of faith, and a Christian witness that bases its own pedagogical method on a precise charism given to the person of the founder in specific circumstances and ways. (Pope John Paul II, Message to the World Congress of Ecclesial Movements, 1998)
Within the Church, there are various types of services, functions, ministries, and ways of promoting the Christian life. I call to mind, as a new development occurring in many Churches in recent times, the rapid growth of ‘ecclesial movements’ filled with missionary dynamism. When these movements humbly seek to become part of the life of local Churches and are welcomed by Bishops and priests within diocesan and parish structures, they represent a true gift of God both for new evangelization and for missionary activity properly so-called. I therefore recommend that they be spread, and that they be used to give fresh energy, especially among young people, to the Christian life and to evangelization, within a pluralistic view of the ways in which Christians can associate and express themselves.” (John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio, no.72)
Springtime of the Spirit
Welcome the new springtime that the Spirit is now bringing about in the Church, not least through the ecclesial movements and the new communities. “In his gifts the Spirit is multifaceted… He breathes where he wills. He does so unexpectedly, in unexpected places, and in ways previously unheard of… but he also shows us that he works with a view to the one body and in the unity of the one body”. (Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on the 150th Anniversary of ‘Dies Natalis’ of the Cure of Ars)