“As each decade comes along, there are different things happening in the world, different needs and insights. And wisdom grows.” — Stancea Vichie MSS
Stancea Vichie’s life and mission are a testament to what becomes possible when faith is lived through action — when we truly see, judge, and act. Her long journey of service and leadership with the Missionary Sisters of Service (MSS) has been deeply shaped by her early involvement in the Young Christian Workers (YCW) and grounded in a lifelong commitment to justice, accompaniment, and Gospel values.
When she joined the MSS in 1968 at the age of 21, Stancea had already been formed by the YCW in Bundaberg, Queensland. It was in that environment — of reflection, dialogue, and collective action — that she first heard the call to live justly and love tenderly. That call has taken her across Australia and beyond, walking with people on the margins and working to transform unjust structures.
A Life Formed by Faith and Action
Raised in a faith-filled working-class family, Stancea’s early years were shaped by active parish life and a readiness to question injustice. “My parents weren’t afraid to critique things that were happening that they thought were not just or right,” she says. That spirit of questioning and commitment to the common good prepared her well for the path ahead.
With the MSS, her ministry took her from Tasmania to the Outback, Melbourne, and later overseas to Peru, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste. Everywhere she went, she travelled light — spiritually and practically — and carried with her a deep commitment to be immersed in the lives of those she served.
The Heart of the Gospel
“The Gospel,” Stancea says, “takes you into a lot of unexpected places where you are called to live justly.” That calling led her to accompany asylum seekers, advocate with victims of human trafficking through ACRATH, and work alongside Indigenous communities. It also meant spending time with people whose suffering she could not immediately relieve — a ministry of presence that brought her face-to-face with her own vulnerability.
“Just being with people who were asylum seekers or had been trafficked, and not being able to change their circumstances, was challenging,” she reflects. “The many challenges have been joyous and painful and ultimately transformative.”
And yet, in these difficult spaces, she found a kind of grace — recognising “their beautiful humanity” and learning to meet the Divine in the ordinary.
Two Periods of Leadership
Stancea served as Congregational Leader of the Missionary Sisters of Service twice: once for six years during the 1990s, and again from 2012 to 2024. In this leadership role, she guided her community through times of deep change — especially in its final years, as the MSS prepared for its completion and fulfilment as a religious congregation.
Despite the changing structures, the core mission endured: to be a Gospel presence in people’s lives, particularly those at the margins.
“There’s an evolution of our thinking and understanding more about our universe and its mystery,” she reflects. “The pattern of the universe is about dying and rising. That’s what our life is about. The whole of creation lives in that same pattern that Jesus shows us how to live.”
A Cardijn Spirit, Fully Alive
Stancea’s story is deeply aligned with the Cardijn tradition. From her early YCW formation to her international ministry and contemplative leadership, she has embodied a way of life that sees clearly, judges wisely, and acts with compassion and courage.
At Cardijn Community Australia, we give thanks for her witness — a life lived in solidarity with the poor and the Earth, a heart open to change and dialogue, and a faith deeply anchored in action.
Her words and example remind us:
People matter. Creation matters. And walking humbly with God is always a path worth taking.
Cardijn Community Australia
Guided by Joseph Cardijn’s vision — “We must remain with our eyes fixed to heaven and our feet on the earth, as inexorable for the brutality of the conditions of earthly life as we are inexorable for the demands of eternal destiny” — we commit ourselves to building God’s Kingdom through justice, accompaniment, and formation. Rooted in the See–Judge–Act tradition, we work to transform unjust structures and nurture hope in everyday life.
Source: MSS Facebook page