What Is Bythewell.org?

Updated

Bythewell.org is the website of the Spiritans (the Congregation of the Holy Spirit), presenting the order's life and mission in Taiwan and worldwide. Its name comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 4, where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well — a scene the site uses to frame its identity. The site also hosts a child sponsorship program for students in Vietnam.

Who the Spiritans Are

The Spiritans are a religious congregation whose stated ideal is a life that is "both fraternal and apostolic." The site takes its motto from the earliest Christian communities:

"One heart and one soul" (Spiritan Rule of Life, 7).

This phrase serves as the organizing idea of the homepage, appearing directly under the heading "Spiritans One heart, one soul."

Why the Name "By the Well"

The site's name and framing draw on John 4:4–10, the account of Jesus resting at Jacob's well near Sychar in Samaria. As quoted on the site:

  • Jesus, tired from the journey, sits down by the well around noon.
  • A Samaritan woman comes to draw water, and Jesus asks her for a drink.
  • She questions how a Jew could ask this of a Samaritan woman.
  • Jesus answers: "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

The well encounter — a conversation across social and religious boundaries that turns into an offer of "living water" — gives the site both its domain name and its symbolic center.

What the Site Covers

The site describes the Spiritans' presence in two overlapping scopes:

Scope What it refers to
Taiwan Spiritan activity and community in Taiwan
The world The congregation's wider international mission

This dual focus is reflected in the site's own title: "Spiritans in Taiwan & in the world."

Sponsorship Program

The site runs a sponsorship program with the stated purpose of helping children in Vietnam study. Its call to action lists three ways to take part:

  • Sponsor a child
  • Make a donation
  • Share the news

The site frames these as answers to the question "Find out how can you help!"

News Content

The site's news section includes dated posts, among them:

  • "Visit to Sponsored Children in Vietnam" — December 18, 2017
  • "Choose Joy" — December 26, 2015

These entries connect the sponsorship work to the congregation's broader mission and give visitors a sense of the program's ongoing activity.

Bottom Line

Bythewell.org is best understood as the Spiritan congregation's web presence for Taiwan and its global mission, named after the well in John 4 and guided by the motto "One heart and one soul." If you are looking for the order's identity, its scriptural framing, or a way to support Vietnamese students through child sponsorship, this is the site that connects those elements.