Saturday, 29 November 2014
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Catechism on the Priesthood by St. John Vianney
St. John Vianney - Catechism on the Priesthood (1786-1859)
My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God. What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God -- a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go, " said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. " When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "
Saint Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest -- always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest
Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love. The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest. What would be the use of a house full of gold, if you had nobody to open you the door! The priest has the key of the heavenly treasures; it is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good God, the distributor of His wealth. Without the priest, the Death and Passion of Our Lord would be of no avail. Look at the heathens: what has it availed them that Our Lord has died? Alas! they can have no share in the blessings of Redemption, while they have no priests to apply His Blood to their souls!
The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, "What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home. " When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.
When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, "Where are you going?" you might answer, "I am going to feed my soul. " If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, "What is that golden door?" "That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept. " "Who has the key? Who lays in the provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?" "The priest. " "And what is the Food?" "The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. " O God! O God! how Thou hast loved us! See the power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the word of a priest makes a God. It is more than creating the world. . . . Someone said, "Does St. Philomena, then, obey the Cure of Ars?" Indeed, she may well obey him, since God obeys him.
If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. St. Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed. When you see a priest, you should say, "There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul. " At the sight of a church tower, you may say, "What is there in that place?" "The Body of Our Lord. " "Why is He there?" "Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass. "
What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much! The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands. Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto. But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious? The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus. When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Called to the Collar
Link to Video above: Youtube - This Is Life With Lisa Ling | Season 1 Episode 8 - “Called to the Collar”
Lisa Ling follows Fathers Gary and Todd as they minister to
their new parishes. Tune in on Sunday night at 10 pm to see them celebrate
Mass, baptize new members, visit the area hospital to anoint a woman suffering
from liver disease as she awaits a transplant, reflect on loneliness (Fr. Gary: "A
wise priest once told me: When you feel the loneliness, don't run away from it,
turn it over to Jesus and see what he does."), and look back on hearing
their first confessions, answering whether it's difficult to be nonjudgmental.
Those you will meet in "Called to the Collar:"
Meet the twins' parents, Agnes and Brian Koenigsknecht, who
speak of their support for their sons' calling and quickly dismiss the question
about not having grandchildren by explaining that "not everyone is called
to marriage." It's good to note that the Koenigsknechts actually have ten
children.
Agnes belongs to a support group for the mothers of
seminarians. You will meet these women who explain that unless you have a son
in the seminary you can't understand the challenges faced by both the sons and
their families... Learn how they react to people who regularly remind them that
they won't be grandmothers, and to those who are negative about the notion of
priesthood as a vocation, as these proud Moms discuss the critical need
to pray for their sons as they journey through the seminary years.
Above taken from the Catholic Review: Perspective on 'Called to the Collar'
Monday, 17 November 2014
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Priests Promoting Priestly Vocations - Bishop Denis Nulty speaks..
“If we as priests don’t encourage this culture of discernment, the young men who want to become priests .. will slip through the cracks.”
Priests need to reclaim their voice again in encouraging vocations Bishop Denis Nulty has said as he emphasised that the most important group who can promote vocations are priests themselves.
Speaking on the topic ‘Priests Promoting Priestly Vocations’ at the recent Lismullin Priests Seminar, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin told the assembled clergy, “We priests have a special responsibility to promote vocations.”
Referring to the fact that every diocese is obliged to have a diocesan vocations director, the Bishop said that he had given a very clear brief to his recently appointed director to resource and support the priests of the diocese in their work as vocations directors.
He underlined that the work of encouraging vocations mustn’t be left at the door of the vocations director in the diocese.
For the rest of this article go to: Catholic Ireland - Priests must reclaim their voice on vocations: Bishop
For Full Address from Bishop Denis Nulty read here: Vocations.ie - Priests promoting Priestly Vocations - Bishop Denis Nulty
For Full Address from Bishop Denis Nulty read here: Vocations.ie - Priests promoting Priestly Vocations - Bishop Denis Nulty
Saturday, 15 November 2014
Letter to Consecrated Men and Women
CONGREGATION FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE
AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE
AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE
YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE
REJOICE!
A letter to consecrated men and women
A message from the teachings of Pope Francis
1. “The joy of the Gospel fills the heart and lives of all who encounter Jesus. With Jesus Christ joy is constantly born anew.”(1)
This Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life invites us to reflect on the graced time we have been given to live, at the special invitation that the Pope addresses to those in consecrated life.
To accept this teaching means to renew our existence in accordance with the Gospel, not in a radical way understood as a model of perfection and often of separation, but by adhering wholeheartedly to the saving encounter that transforms our life. “It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord. No, I do not want to say ‘radical’. Evangelical radicalness is not only for religious: it is demanded of all. But religious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women able to wake the world up.”(2)
In their finite humanity, on the margins, in their everyday struggles, consecrated men and women live out their fidelity, giving a reason for the joy that lives in them. So they become splendid witnesses, effective proclaimers, companions and neighbours for the women and men with whom they share a common history and who want to find their Father’s house in the Church.(3) Francis of Assisi, who took the Gospel as his way of life “made faith grow and he renewed the Church, and at the same time he renewed society, he made it more fraternal, but he always did it with the Gospel and by his witness. Always preach the Gospel and if necessary use words!”(4)
Numerous suggestions come to us from listening to the words of the Pope, but we are particularly challenged by the absolute simplicity with which Pope Francis offers his teaching, in tune with the appealing sincerity of the Gospel. Plain words sown from the open arms of the good sower, who trustingly does not discriminate between one sort of soil and another.
This Letter is motivated by this invitation, in the hope of initiating a shared reflection. It is offered as a simple tool for examining our lives honestly in the light of the Gospel. This Dicastery therefore presents a shared itinerary, a space for personal, communal and institutional reflection as we journey towards 2015, the year the Church has dedicated to consecrated life, with the desire and the intention of making courageous evangelical decisions leading to revitalization, bearing fruits of joy. “The primacy of God gives full meaning and joy to human lives, because men and women are made for God, and their hearts are restless until they rest in him.”(5)
Full Letter here:
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Year of Consecrated life begins 30th November
Three-pronged focus
• renewal for men and women in consecrated life,
• thanksgiving among the faithful for the service of sisters, brothers, priests, and nuns,
• invitation to young Catholics to consider a religious vocation.
• thanksgiving among the faithful for the service of sisters, brothers, priests, and nuns,
• invitation to young Catholics to consider a religious vocation.
Tentative schedule
Nov. 29, 2014: Opening Prayer Vigil
Nov. 30, 2014: Opening Mass with Pope Francis
Jan. 22-24, 2015: Meeting of Catholic consecrated men and women and consecrated religious from other Christian traditions (to be held during the week of Christian unity)
Second week of April, 2015: Conference on religious formation around the world
Sept. 23-26, 2015: Event for young men and women in discernment and in the process of joining religious orders
Dec. 18-21, 2015: Separate meetings for members of monastic orders and of secular institutes.
Jan. 28 - Feb. 1, 2016: Theological symposium on religious life
Feb. 2, 2016: Closing Mass with Pope Francis on World Day of Consecrated Life
Jan. 28 - Feb. 1, 2016: Theological symposium on religious life
Feb. 2, 2016: Closing Mass with Pope Francis on World Day of Consecrated Life
Click here for more information about available resources for the Year of Consecrate Life.
There are many more events held in Dioceses throughout the World for this special Year. This is a Year to encourage Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. We must do all we can to encourage and assist Christ in His Work of Redemption of Souls and Pray for all those who have already given their lives to Him in this work and for those who will do so in the future as Priests and Religious.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
A Path to Healing a Nation - Book by Frances Hogan (Highly Recommended)
Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: A Path to Healing a Nation - New Book by Frances H...: New Book by Frances Hogan (Highly Recommended) 'A Path to Healing a Nation'. Below is just a small paragraph from a very inte...
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Pope Francis appoints New Secretary of State
Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Pope Francis appoints New Secretary of State: Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin as his Secretary of State. The 58-year-old Italian archbishop replaces Cardinal...
Friday, 30 August 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Twenty new seminarians to commence Priesthood stud...
Agnus Dei - Pastoral Work of our Papal Nuncio and Irish Bishops: Twenty new seminarians to commence Priesthood stud...: Twenty new seminarians to commence priesthood studies at Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth “ … have the courage to go against the tide ...
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Road of Hope: The Spiritual Journey of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan
On April 24, 1975 ,
six days before the city fell to the North Vietnamese army, Father Van Thuận
was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Saigon . It led to
his subsequent arrest by the new communist regime, which sent him to a
“re-education camp” for 13 years, nine of which were in solitary confinement.
During those years in jail, he found himself in a situation
of seemingly utter hopelessness.
But instead of wallowing in his misfortune, he saw it as an
opportunity to come into closer communion with Christ, increasing his hope,
which he was then able to pass on to others.
After his release in 1988, he was exiled in 1991, but
welcomed home by Pope John Paul II, who made him an official in the Roman
Curia. The Holy Father later appointed him president of the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace, a post he held from 1998 to 2002. He was elevated to the
College of Cardinals in 2001.
Meeting with those who helped complete the diocesan phase of
Cardinal Thuận’s beatification last week, Pope Francis recalled his “witness to
hope,” saying his memory is still alive and that he had a “spiritual presence
that continues to bring his blessing.”
Many people were edified by their encounter with Cardinal
Van Thuận, the Pope added, and many recall “his gentle smile and the greatness
of his soul.”
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Monday, 12 August 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 6
Societies of Apostolic Life
11. Also worthy of special mention are Societies of
Apostolic Life or of common life, composed of men or women. These pursue,
each in its own particular way, a specific apostolic or missionary end. In many
of them an explicit commitment to the evangelical counsels is made through
sacred bonds officially recognized by the Church. Even in this case, however,
the specific nature of their consecration distinguishes them from Religious
Institutes and Secular Institutes. The specific identity of this form of life
is to be preserved and promoted; in recent centuries it has produced many
fruits of holiness and of the apostolate, especially in the field of charity
and in the spread of the Gospel in the Missions.
New expressions of consecrated life
12. The perennial youth of the Church continues to be
evident even today. In recent years, following the Second Vatican Council, new
or renewed forms of the consecrated life have arisen. In many cases, these
are Institutes similar to those already existing, but inspired by new spiritual
and apostolic impulses. Their vitality must be judged by the authority of the
Church, which has the responsibility of examining them in order to discern the
authenticity of the purpose for their foundation and to prevent the
proliferation of institutions similar to one another, with the consequent risk
of a harmful fragmentation into excessively small groups.
In other cases it is
a question of new experiments which are seeking an identity of their own in the
Church and awaiting official recognition from the Apostolic See, which alone
has final judgment in these matters.These new forms of consecrated life now
taking their place alongside the older ones bear witness to the constant
attraction which the total gift of self to the Lord, the ideal of the apostolic
community and the founding charisms continue to exert, even on the present
generation. They also show how the gifts of the Holy Spirit complement one
another.In this newness however the Spirit does not contradict himself. Proof
of this is the fact that the new forms of consecrated life have not supplanted
the earlier ones. Amid such wide variety the underlying unity has been
successfully preserved, thanks to the one call to follow Jesus — chaste, poor
and obedient — in the pursuit of perfect charity. This call, which is found in
all the existing forms of consecrated life, must also mark those which present
themselves as new.
Purpose of the Apostolic Exhortation
13. Gathering together the fruits of the Synod's labours, in
this Apostolic Exhortation I wish to address the whole Church in order to offer
not only to consecrated persons but also to the Bishops and the faithful the
results of a stimulating exchange, guided by the Holy Spirit with his gifts of
truth and love.
During these years of renewal, the consecrated life, like
other ways of life in the Church, has gone through a difficult and trying
period. It has been a period full of hopes, new experiments and proposals aimed
at giving fresh vigour to the profession of the evangelical counsels. But it
has also been a time of tension and struggle, in which well-meaning endeavours
have not always met with positive results.The difficulties however must not
lead to discouragement. Rather, we need to commit ourselves with fresh
enthusiasm, for the Church needs the spiritual and apostolic contribution of a
renewed and revitalized consecrated life. In this Post-Synodal Exhortation I
wish to address religious communities and consecrated persons in the same
spirit which inspired the letter sent by the Council of Jerusalem to the
Christians of Antioch, and I am hopeful that it will meet with the same
response: "When they read it, they rejoiced at the encouragement which it
gave" (Acts 15:31). And not only this. I also hope to increase the
joy of the whole People of God.
As they become better acquainted with the
consecrated life, they will be able with greater awareness to thank Almighty
God for this great gift.In an attitude of heartfelt openness towards the Synod
Fathers, I have carefully considered the valuable contributions made during the
intense work of the Assembly, at which I made a point of being present
throughout. During the Synod, I also sought to offer the entire People of God a
number of systematic talks on the consecrated life in the Church. In them I
presented anew the teachings found in the texts of the Second Vatican Council,
which was an enlightening point of reference for subsequent doctrinal
developments and for the reflections of the Synod during the busy weeks of its
work. I am confident that the sons and daughters of the Church, and consecrated
persons in particular, will receive this Exhortation with open hearts.
At the
same time, I hope that reflection will continue and lead to a deeper
understanding of the great gift of the consecrated life in its three aspects of
consecration, communion and mission. I also hope that consecrated men and
women, in full harmony with the Church and her Magisterium, will discover in
this Exhortation further encouragement to face in a spiritual and apostolic
manner the new challenges of our time.
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal come to Ireland
The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal will open a new
convent in Drogheda, Co. Louth this month.
Four members of the congregation are currently making final
preparations to reside at their new home next to St Mary’s church in St
James Street .
The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal today have four
communities, three in the United States
in addition to a convent in Leeds in England .
The congregation was established 25 years ago by Fr Andrew Apostoli in the Bronx
area in New York . The community
strives to live according to the ideals of St Francis as handed on by the
Capuchins. The sisters work to evangelise and with the homeless and the poor.
In a statement to The Irish Catholic this week on the new
departure for the CFR, the congregation’s Mother Superior expressed her joy at
its arrival in Ireland .
“We are thrilled for the opportunity for the community to
come to Ireland
and we can’t wait to get there.”
The CFR sisters will attend a special Mass of welcome in Drogheda
on August 15.
Friday, 9 August 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 5
Apostolic religious life
9. The West has also known, down the centuries, a variety of
other expressions of religious life, in which countless persons, renouncing the
world, have consecrated themselves to God through the public profession of the
evangelical counsels in accordance with a specific charism and in a stable form
of common life,for the sake of carrying out different forms of apostolic
service to the People of God. Thus there arose the different families of Canons
Regular, the Mendicant Orders, the Clerics Regular and in general the Religious Congregations of men and women devoted to apostolic and missionary activity and
to the many different works inspired by Christian charity.
This is a splendid and varied testimony, reflecting the
multiplicity of gifts bestowed by God on founders and foundresses who, in
openness to the working of the Holy Spirit, successfully interpreted the signs
of the times and responded wisely to new needs. Following in their footsteps,
many other people have sought by word and deed to embody the Gospel in their
own lives, bringing anew to their own times the living presence of Jesus, the
Consecrated One par excellence, the One sent by the Father. In every
age consecrated men and women must continue to be images of Christ the Lord,
fostering through prayer a profound communion of mind with him (cf. Phil 2:5-11),
so that their whole lives may be penetrated by an apostolic spirit and their
apostolic work with contemplation.
Secular Institutes
10. The Holy Spirit, who wondrously fashions the variety of
charisms, has given rise in our time tonew expressions of consecrated life, which
appear as a providential response to the new needs encountered by the Church
today as she carries out her mission in the world.
One thinks in the first place of members of Secular
Institutes seeking to live out their consecration to God in the world through
the profession of the evangelical counsels in the midst of temporal realities;
they wish in this way to be a leaven of wisdom and a witness of grace within
cultural, economic and political life. Through their own specific blending of
presence in the world and consecration, they seek to make present in
society the newness and power of Christ's Kingdom,striving to transfigure the
world from within by the power of the Beatitudes.
In this way, while they
belong completely to God and are thus fully consecrated to his service, their
activity in the ordinary life of the world contributes, by the power of the
Spirit, to shedding the light of the Gospel on temporal realities. Secular Institutes,
each in accordance with its specific nature, thus help to ensure that the
Church has an effective presence in society. valuable role is also played by Clerical
Secular Institutes, in which priests who belong to the diocesan clergy,
even when some of them are recognized as being incardinated in the Institute,
consecrate themselves to Christ through the practice of the evangelical
counsels in accordance with a specific charism. They discover in the spiritual
riches of the Institute to which they belong great help for living more deeply
the spirituality proper to the priesthood and thus they are enabled to be a
leaven of communion and apostolic generosity among their fellow clergy.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 4
The Order of Virgins; hermits and widows
7. It is a source of joy and hope to witness in our time a
new flowering of the ancient Order of Virgins, known in Christian
communities ever since apostolic times.Consecrated by the diocesan Bishop, these women acquire a particular link with the Church, which they are commited
to serve while remaining in the world. Either alone or in association with
others, they constitute a special eschatological image of the Heavenly
Bride and of the life to come, when the Church will at last fully live her
love for Christ the Bridegroom.
Men and women hermits, belonging to ancient Orders or
new Institutes, or being directly dependent on the Bishop, bear witness to the
passing nature of the present age by their inward and outward separation from
the world. By fasting and penance, they show that man does not live by bread
alone but by the word of God (cf. Mt 4:4). Such a life "in the
desert" is an invitation to their contemporaries and to the ecclesial
community itself never to lose sight of the supreme vocation, which
is to be always with the Lord.Again being practised today is the consecration
of widows,known since apostolic times (cf. 1 Tim 5:5, 9-10; 1
Cor 7:8), as well as the consecration of widowers. These women and men,
through a vow of perpetual chastity as a sign of the Kingdom
of God
Institutes completely devoted to contemplation
8. Institutes completely devoted to contemplation, composed
of either women or men, are for the Church a reason for pride and a source of
heavenly graces. By their lives and mission, the members of these Institutes
imitate Christ in his prayer on the mountain, bear witness to God's lordship
over history and anticipate the glory which is to come.
In solitude and silence, by listening to the word of God,
participating in divine worship, personal asceticism, prayer, mortification and
the communion of fraternal love, they direct the whole of their lives and all
their activities to the contemplation of God. In this way they offer the
ecclesial community a singular testimony of the Church's love for her Lord, and
they contribute, with hidden apostolic fruitfulness, to the growth of the
People of God.hus there is good reason to hope that the different forms of
contemplative life will experience continued growth in the younger
Churches as an evident sign that the Gospel has taken firm root,
especially in those areas of the world where other religions predominate. This
will make it possible to bear witness to the vitality of the traditions of
Christian asceticism and mysticism and will contribute to interreligious
dialogue.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 3
The work of the Spirit in the various forms of the
Consecrated Life
5. How can we not recall with gratitude to the Spirit the
many different forms of consecrated life which he has raised up throughout
history and which still exist in the Church today? They can be compared to a
plant with many branches which sinks its roots into the Gospel and brings forth
abundant fruit in every season of the Church's life. What an extraordinary
richness! I myself, at the conclusion of the Synod, felt the need to stress this
permanent element in the history of the Church: the host of founders and
foundresses, of holy men and women who chose Christ by radically following the
Gospel and by serving their brothers and sisters, especially the poor and the
outcast.Such service is itself a sign of how the consecrated life manifests the organic
unity of the commandment of love, in the inseparable link between love of
God and love of neighbour.
The Synod recalled this unceasing work of the Holy Spirit,
who in every age shows forth the richness of the practice of the evangelical
counsels through a multiplicity of charisms. In this way too he makes ever
present in the Church and in the world, in time and space, the mystery of
Christ.
Monastic life in the East and the West
6. The Synod Fathers from the Eastern
Catholic Churches
From the first centuries of the Church, men and women have
felt called to imitate the Incarnate Word who took on the condition of a
servant. They have sought to follow him by living in a particularly radical
way, through monastic profession, the demands flowing from baptismal
participation in the Paschal Mystery of his Death and Resurrection. In this
way, by becoming bearers of the Cross (staurophoroi), they have striven to
become bearers of the Spirit (pneumatophoroi), authentically spiritual men and
women, capable of endowing
Paschal joy in the presence of the Lord and the expectation of his
definitive coming, and the oblation of self and personal possessions, lived in
the holy communion of the monastery or in the solitude of the hermitage.he West
too from the first centuries of the Church has practised the monastic life and
has experienced a great variety of expressions of it, both cenobitic and
eremetical. In its present form, inspired above all by Saint Benedict, Western
monasticism is the heir of the great number of men and women who, leaving
behind life in the world, sought God and dedicated themselves to him,
"preferring nothing to the love of Christ".The monks of today
likewise strive to create a harmonious balance between the interior life
and work in the evangelical commitment to conversion of life, obedience
and stability, and in persevering dedication to meditation on God's word (lectio
divina), the celebration of the Liturgy and prayer. In the heart of the Church
and the world, monasteries have been and continue to be eloquent signs of
communion, welcoming abodes for those seeking God and the things of the spirit,
schools of faith and true places of study, dialogue and culture for the
building up of the life of the Church and of the earthly city itself, in
expectation of the heavenly city.
Monday, 27 May 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 2
The consecrated life: a gift to the Church
3. Its universal presence and the evangelical nature of its
witness are clear evidence — if any were needed — that the consecrated life is
not something isolated and marginal, but a reality which affects the whole
Church. The Bishops at the Synod frequently reaffirmed this: "de re nostra
agitur", "this is something which concerns us all".In effect, the
consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element
for her mission, since it "manifests the inner nature of the Christian
calling"and the striving of the whole Church as Bride towards union with
her one Spouse.At the Synod it was stated on several occasions that the
consecrated life has not only proved a help and support for the Church in the
past, but is also a precious and necessary gift for the present and future of
the People of God, since it is an intimate part of her life, her holiness and
her mission.
The present difficulties which a number of Institutes are
encountering in some parts of the world must not lead to a questioning of the
fact that the profession of the evangelical counsels is an integral part
of the Church's life and a much needed incentive towards ever greater
fidelity to the Gospel.The consecrated life may experience further changes in
its historical forms, but there will be no change in the substance of a choice
which finds expression in a radical gift of self for love of the Lord Jesus
and, in him, of every member of the human family. This certainty, which
has inspired countless individuals in the course of the centuries, continues
to reassure the Christian people, for they know that they can draw from
the contribution of these generous souls powerful support on their journey
towards the heavenly home.
Gathering the fruits of the Synod
4. In response to the desire expressed by the Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which met to discuss the theme
"The Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the
World", I intend to set forth in this Apostolic Exhortation the results of
the Synod processand to point out to all the faithful — Bishops, priests,
deacons, consecrated persons and laity, and to any others who might be
interested — the wondrous things which today too the Lord wishes to accomplish
through the consecrated life.
This Synod, coming after the ones dedicated to the lay
faithful and to priests, completes the treatment of the distinctive features of
the states of life willed by the Lord Jesus for his Church. Whereas the Second
Vatican Council emphasized the profound reality of ecclesial communion, in
which all gifts converge for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the
Church's mission in the world, in recent years there has been felt the need to
clarify the specific identity of the various states of life, their
vocation and their particular mission in the Church.Communion in the Church is
not uniformity, but a gift of the Spirit who is present in the variety of
charisms and states of life. These will be all the more helpful to the Church
and her mission the more their specific identity is respected. For every gift
of the Spirit is granted in order to bear fruit for the Lordin the growth of
fraternity and mission.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
VITA CONSECRATA - Apostolic Exhortation on the Consecrated Life - Part 1
POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
VITA CONSECRATA
OF THE HOLY FATHER
JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS AND CLERGY
RELIGIOUS ORDERS AND CONGREGATIONS
SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE
SECULAR INSTITUTES
AND ALL THE FAITHFUL
ON THE CONSECRATED LIFE AND ITS MISSION
IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD
INTRODUCTION
1. The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit. By the profession of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus — the chaste, poor and obedient one — are made constantly "visible" in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery of the Kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven.
In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father's call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an "undivided" heart (cf. 1 Cor 7:34). Like the Apostles, they too have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. In this way, through the many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they have helped to make the mystery and mission of the Church shine forth, and in doing so have contributed to the renewal of society.
Thanksgiving for the Consecrated life
2. Because the role of consecrated life in the Church is so important, I decided to convene a Synod in order to examine in depth its significance and its future prospects, especially in view of the approaching new millennium. It was my wish that the Synodal Assembly should include, together with the Bishops, a considerable number of consecrated men and women, in order that they too might contribute to the common reflection.
We are all aware of the treasure which the gift of the consecrated life in the variety of its charisms and institutions represents for the ecclesial community. Together let us thank God for the Religious Orders and Institutes devoted to contemplation or the works of the apostolate, for Societies of Apostolic Life, for Secular Institutes and for other groups of consecrated persons, as well as for all those individuals who, in their inmost hearts, dedicate themselves to God by a special consecration.The Synod was a tangible sign of the universal extension of the consecrated life, present in the local Churches throughout the world. The consecrated life inspires and accompanies the spread of evangelization in the different parts of the world, where Institutes from abroad are gratefully welcomed and new ones are being founded, in a great variety of forms and expressions.Consequently, although in some parts of the world Institutes of Consecrated Life seem to be experiencing a period of difficulty, in other places they are prospering with remarkable vitality.
This shows that the choice of total self-giving to God in Christ is in no way incompatible with any human culture or historical situation. Nor is the consecrated life flourishing within the Catholic Church alone. In fact, it is particularly vibrant in the monasticism of the Orthodox Churches, where it is an essential feature of their life. It is also taking root or re-emerging in the Churches and Ecclesial Communities which originated in the Reformation, and is the sign of a grace shared by all of Christ's disciples. This fact is an incentive to ecumenism, which fosters the desire for an ever fuller communion between Christians, "that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21 ).
Benedictine Monastery of Stamullen, Co. Meath - Silverstream Priory
The Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle (Silverstream Priory) is a community of men dedicated to the traditional monastic life according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, and to intercession for the Sanctification of Priests, in Adoration and Reparation before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus Christ.
They were established during the Year of the Priest (2009-2010) in Oklahoma by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edward J. Slattery.
They were invited by His Lordship, the Most Reverend Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath, to move their fledgling community to County Meath , Ireland
For more information go to website here: Silverstream Priory
Thursday, 23 May 2013
A new sister receives the habit of St Clare in the Poor Clares, Galway
A new sister receives the habit of St Clare in the Poor Clares, From the Poor Clare Sisters;
On the Feast of Pentecost, we celebrated, not only the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Church and to each of us individually, but in a special way in our community, we were thrilled that our postulant Marie, received the habit (which is the distinctive dress of our Order and which signifies consecration to the Lord in the way of St Clare).
This is a private ceremony, with only the immediate Community present. In this ceremony, we recall when St Clare left home to follow St Francis, as his first female follower. This happened on the night of Palm Sunday in 1212, just over eight hundred years ago. On that fateful night, St Francis cut the beautiful blonde hair of Clare, and she was clothed with the rough sackcloth dress, which was the habit of the Franciscan Order. In our community, we have always retained the ritual of the cutting of hair as part of the ceremony. And so as part of the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, Marie took a significant step on the journey to committing herself to the Poor Clare way of life. Symbolising the beginning of a new life in the Lord, Marie received a new name, the name of a saint who will be a special patron to her in her new life. She is now known, Sr. Brigid Marie of the Sacred Heart.
Friday, 5 April 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
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