Pope Thanks World's Religious, Celebrates Day for Consecrated Life Pope Benedict XVI thanked the members of the world's religious orders, saying their total dedication to Christ was a strong sign of faith in modern society. The pope, joined by several thousand men and women religious, celebrated a Mass to mark World Day for Consecrated Life, which was observed in Rome Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. As the liturgy opened, religious priests, sisters and brothers lit candles in the darkened basilica and the pope, holding his own candle, processed to the main altar. He concelebrated the Mass with priests of 17 religious orders. In a sermon, the pope said he wanted to thank the nearly 1 million members of religious orders for the many different forms of service they carry out. Their complete dedication is an eloquent sign of the presence of the kingdom of God in the world, he said. Seven Congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph to Merge Seven U.S. congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph announced Jan. 23 that they plan to merge into a single new congregation in April 2007. The communities that will form the new Congregation of St. Joseph currently have 891 vowed religious and 548 non-vowed men and women associates. Sister Marianne Race, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, said, "The decision to form a new congregation grew out of our seven congregations' common origin, heritage, charism and mission from the original Sisters of St. Joseph who were founded more than 350 years ago in LePuy, France." Besides the La Grange congregation, which has 92 members, the other congregations involved are: Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, with 123 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Mich., with 257 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Ind., with 38 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Wheeling, W.Va., with 83 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kan., with 157 members; and Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, based in Cincinnati, with 141 members. Film on the Carthusian Cloistered Life Is a Hit in Germany A three-hour documentary about the silent life of Carthusian monks is making a splash at the German box office. Into Great Silence is the brainchild of director Philip Gröning, who waited 17 years for the permission to film inside La Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps, reported Deutsche Welle. In 2002 he joined the cloistered monks for several months to capture unprecedented images of life inside the monastery. The documentary, which the director says gives you the experience of living in the monastery, is currently playing to packed cinemas in Germany. Postulator Says French Nun's Cure Could Be Miracle for Pope John Paul The Polish priest charged with shepherding Pope John Paul II's sainthood cause said he believes the healing of a French nun suffering from Parkinson's disease could be the miracle needed for the pope's beatification. Msgr. Slawomir Oder, postulator of the cause, announced on Italian radio in late January that he had chosen the case of the French nun from among the many apparently miraculous healings people from around the world had reported to him. He said that the case involved a French religious who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's when she was "very young; it was a precocious onset." Pope John Paul had suffered from Parkinson's, a progressive disease that attacks the nervous system. Young Women Live Out Reality of Contemplative Life as Poor Clares It's hard to imagine young women of today choosing a life of enclosure, silence and prayer. But three happy, healthy young women—all in their 20s—are now in formation at the Monastery of St. Clare in St. Louis. Each heard God's call and chose to be a Poor Clare. Sister Mary Therese of the Sacred Heart Lavery, 26, entered the Poor Clares in 2001. The former Texas A&M University engineering student learned about the monastic community on a "nun run," in which young women discerning a vocation visit several religious orders in a set period of time. Sister Mary Christiana of Our Eucharistic King Schwent, 20, entered the monastery in September 2004. She learned of the Poor Clares through her youth group; her mother and a young priest also encouraged her vocation. Sister Mary Joseph of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Rieger, 27, arrived in October 2004. The University of Missouri-Columbia political science graduate, who once worked as an intern on George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, hadn't even known there were Poor Clares in the St. Louis Archdiocese until a close friend led her to them. Consecrated Women are Pivotal for Evangelization According to Vatican The Vatican 's evangelization dicastery paid particular homage to consecrated women, whose contribution it sees as crucial for spreading the Gospel. Anticipating the 10th World Day of Consecrated Life, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in recent weeks had published, a lengthy report to highlight "the precious contribution offered by the consecrated woman." "In a thousand ways, in every place of the earth," it said, the consecrated woman "take[s] the joyful proclamation of salvation, above all with the testimony of a life entirely given to God and brothers and, consequently, with her painstaking charity," at times unto martyrdom. It continued: "The 'weight' of the contribution of feminine consecrated life in the evangelizing and pastoral activity of the Church is of such solidity that Pope John Paul II affirmed that 'the future of the new evangelization (…) is unthinkable without a renewed contribution from women, especially consecrated women.'" As of year-end 2003 there were 855,655 consecrated women "at the service of the Church and brothers, especially the neediest" in the world, according to the report, citing the Statistical Yearbook of the Church. The number of women religious of active life, both of pontifical as well as diocesan right, reached 776,269. There were 56,409 in Africa; 222,643 in the Americas; 148,225 in Asia; 338,688 in Europe; and 10,304 in Oceania. Those who belong to feminine secular institutes reached a worldwide total of 28,916. There were 474 in Africa; 5,763 in the Americas; 1,440 in Asia; 21,194 in Europe; and 45 in Oceania. Also, within contemplative life, there are 3,589 convents with close to 50,470 nuns: 30,435 in Europe; 14,479 in the Americas; 3,400 in Asia; 1,926 in Africa; and 230 in Oceania. Contemplative Monasteries Growing in Poor Areas, Says Benedictine Official More and more contemplative monasteries are being founded in the poorest parts of the world, says a religious-order official. That assessment came from Benedictine Sister Gisela Happe, secretary-general of the Paris-based Alliance Intermonastère, a coordinating institution for the international activities of the Benedictine, Trappist and Cistercian orders. During a recent visit to Germany-based charity Aid to the Church in Need, the nun explained: "Our nuns and monks are living together with the people, giving them the example of a Christian life in a monastic way while at the same time promoting development projects. Therefore, our needs correspond very much to those of the local Church." Sister Gisela stated: "There are about 16,000 Benedictine nuns, 8,000 monks of the same order as well as 2,000 Trappists and 2,000 Cistercians around the world. "Vocations to these contemplative congregations are flourishing, especially in Vietnam, the Philippines and South Korea. So formation is a priority for us." Jesuit Superior General Father Kolvenbach to Retire at 80 Company of Jesus Father Superior General, Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach will retire at eighty. Kolvenbach said it in a letter sent to all the Jesuits in which he announced that, with Pope Benedict XVI's permission, the general congregation convoked on January 2008 will elect the new supreme government of the Company. According to the Jesuit's constitutions the office of Superior general is a life appointment so the Father Superior is called black pope. The constitutions envisage an exception to this rule in case of serious illness or if the father wants to renounce. Father Kolvenbach was elected on Sept 13 1983. He will be eighty in 2008. Pope Expresses Hope for Renewal of Friars Minor Benedict XVI received in audience the top superior of the Order of Friars Minor, to express his closeness to this Franciscan religious family, which is celebrating its eighth centenary. Father José Rodríguez Carballo, minister general of the Friars Minor, said the meeting with the Pope took place Jan. 26, the day after the publication of the encyclical "Deus Caritas Est." In a statement, the minister general said that the Holy Father showed particular interest in the project of the eighth centenary, "which he judged to be very appropriate for the achievement of a real renewal of the order." The Pontiff "encouraged us to follow it faithfully to the end, without fail, since 'it will be very beneficial to the order and to the Church,'" noted the text. Other topics addressed touched on the religious order's priorities, in particular, to give "a better quality to our life, 'ad gentes' evangelization, formation and studies, the service for dialogue." The Friars Minor have some 16,000 religious, in 110 countries. National Movie Premiere for the Film The Passion of Bernadette A beautiful sequel to the acclaimed film, Bernadette, telling the rest of the story of the life of St. Bernadette after the visions at Lourdes — the life in the convent that made her a saint has recently made its premiere in the U.S. Famed French film director Jean Delannoy brought actress Sydney Penny back three years after making the original movie to film the rest of her story. The Passion of Bernadette is a moving account that many do not know—yet it is what brought her to holiness. It shows the human side of the visionary in her struggle to do God's will after entering the convent. Parishes, Catholic colleges and shrines around the country are encouraged to consider showing the film. Ignatius Press is providing all the materials to host a premiere for free. For more the information, visit http://www.bernadettemovie.com. Despite Leg Amputation, Redemptorist Father Maintains Towering Presence Blood poisoning may have knocked Redemptorist Father Norman Muckerman off his feet, but don't expect to find him down for the count. Doctors amputated his left leg above the knee this past fall. Though the ordeal has taken its toll, he maintains a towering presence. The priest is well-known in the St. Louis Archdiocese and beyond for his pastoral and missionary work and 12-year stint as the editor of Liguorian, a Redemptorist national monthly publication. He is a former president of the Catholic Press Association. Father Muckerman, who physically is a big man, admittedly hasn't yet gotten used to sitting in a wheelchair. But the St. Louis native keeps rolling along as best he can. He penned his latest article for Liguorian magazine in November and is hard at work on his next piece. In his room at St. Clement Health Care Center in Liguori, Father Muckerman talked recently with the St. Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper, about his life as a priest. "I've had a wonderful ride," said the 88-year-old. "It's been a wonderful life. I'm grateful to God for what he gave me." Rev. Benedict Groeschel to Speak at 2006 IRL National Meeting at Mundelein Seminary on April 21-23 The 2006 IRL National Meeting, to be held April 21–23, once again at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, will explore Benedict's XVI's theology and pontificate under the theme: “Co-Workers of Truth & Heralds of Holiness.” Reflecting his episcopal motto, “Co-Workers of the Truth,” the talks will highlight the need for all the baptized, but especially religious and consecrated persons, to become “Heralds of Holiness” by putting this truth into practice. There is a great line of speakers scheduled that includes Most Rev. Robert Vasa, Mrs. Rev. Joseph Perry, Rev. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V., Sr. Carolyn Cossack, S.M.M.I.; and Mr. David Currie. Rev. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., will be making his first Chicago appearance since his near-fatal accident of two years ago. He will be giving the Friday Session Session for Religious and speaking at Saturday's banquet. Bro. James Curran, l.b.s.f., will be this year's recipient of the Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award. All are invited to attend—bishops, priests, religious and laity. Young people, ages 13-30, are invited to attend Saturday's general session free of charge, if they are pre-registered. For more information visit http://www.religiouslife.com or call the IRL Office at 773-267-1195. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Return to top Visit IRL's Catalog of Books, Videos & Audios at http://www.religiouslife.com/catalog
IRL News Briefs is a periodic electronic newsletter that culls the news services to present informative, inspirational and/or insightful news items highlighting some aspect of the priestly/consecrated life and ministry. Pass this free e-newsletter on to your friends! Click e-news-request@religiouslife.com to subscribe or unsubscribe to this e-newsletter and put the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the message line. Institute
on Religious Life |
|||||||||||||
