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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Pope's Passing Reinforces Faith and Fidelity The failing health and death of Pope John Paul II during the National Meeting of the Institute on Religious Life (IRL) April 1-3 at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, added a special poignancy to the weekend. His health declined precipitously on Friday and he passed away on Saturday. Coming immediately on the heels of the death of Terri Schiavo, the Pope's final days showed the world how to die with dignity and grace, faithful to Our Lord to the end. The National Meeting took as its theme "Consecrated Life: A Vocation to Faith and Fidelity." Over 500 conference attendees, including representatives from over sixty religious communities, reflected upon the vocation to follow the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, which includes unwavering obedience to the Successor of St. Peter and, for consecrated religious, fidelity to one's charism. Msgr. Mangan speaks on the Eucharist Msgr. Charles M. Mangan, a member of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, gave two marvelous talks in a special session for religious, priests and other consecrated persons. Both were on the Eucharist. The first was entitled "Living the Eucharistic Mysteries," the second, "Mary, Woman of the Eucharist." In his first lecture, Monsignor Mangan stressed that truly "living" the Eucharistic mysteries means exhibiting vigor, gusto, and enthusiasm in putting our faith into practice. By "Eucharistic mysteries" is meant all the mysteries of the life of Christ, especially His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, which come alive at every celebration of Holy Mass. The graces of Our Lord's Paschal Mystery bestowed on us at every Mass impel us to embrace redemptive suffering as our means of participating in the saving work of Christ. "Woman of the Eucharist" is a relatively new title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, used by Pope John Paul II in his final encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003), on the Holy Eucharist. Interestingly, the Holy Father devotes an entire chapter of this encyclical to the topic, "At the School of Mary, Woman of the Eucharist." Reflecting on the Supreme Pontiff's theme, Monsignor Mangan invited the conference participants to enroll in the school of Mary so that she may help us grow in love for our Eucharistic Lord. Monsignor's talks are available in audio and DVD format, along with a printed booklet entitled "Living the Most Holy Eucharist." (For the audios, see the online IRL catalog at www.religiouslife.com/catalog). The Challenge of the Resurrection The National Meeting formally opened with a solemn Mass Friday afternoon at the main chapel. The principal celebrant and homilist was Most Rev. Thomas G. Doran, Bishop of Rockford, Illinois and President of the IRL. By this time, the thoughts and prayers of everyone in attendance were focused on the Holy Father, as reports were streaming in that Pope John Paul II was on his deathbed. Bishop Doran reflected briefly in his homily on some of the remarkable contributions of this Pope, including his emphasis on the value and dignity of every human person, his preferential love for the poor, and his courageous support of human rights, promoting authentic justice and peace throughout the world. Fidelity to Christ Friday evening's keynote address was scheduled to be given in the main chapel by His Eminence, Justin F. Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia. When Cardinal Rigali needed to cancel his appearance because of the Holy Father's imminent death, he faxed the text of his address to the conference, and it was read aloud by Mother Mary McGreevey, R.S.M., Chairperson of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR). In the Cardinal's prepared text, he explained that fidelity, viewed as an expression of faith and a proof of perfect charity, is rightly considered a major component of the vocation of consecrated life. Fidelity must begin and end with fidelity to the person of Jesus Christ, but this must lead to fidelity to the Church and especially her Magisterium. Drawing upon the extensive writings of Pope John Paul II, he said that "adherence to the authentic magisterium of the Church . . . is a solid guarantee of the fruitfulness of the apostolates and an indispensable condition for the proper interpretation of the 'signs of the times.'" He discussed other dimensions of fidelity in consecrated life, including fidelity to prayer, to the original charisms of religious communities, to penance and ongoing conversion, and to serving the needs of the Church. Find, Follow, Fulfill Saturday's general session began with an engaging presentation by Dr. Rick Sarkisian on "Forming a Culture of Vocations." Dr. Sarkisian has specialized in vocational and career counseling since 1976. Dr. Sarkisian especially challenged the youth in attendance to "think bigger than career." What they do with their life, their "mission," is very important, but even more foundational is who they are as children of God. God has a unique, personal plan for everyone, in which He offers lasting joy and fulfillment. The audience was then treated to a premiere of the video Completely Christ's: The Radical Call of the Consecrated Life. This professionally-made video was produced by Dr. Sarkisian as part of a joint project with the IRL. Throughout the fast-moving film we heard from religious "celebrities" such as Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., and Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., as well as from many young religious who shared their journey with great joy and conviction. Completely Christ's will soon be aired on EWTN and DVDs may be ordered from the IRL. Life . . . Any Questions? In the afternoon, Dr. Sarkisian moderated a special breakout session for youth. Four young religious shared their vocation stories and answered a wide range of questions posed by the crowd of young people. Sr. John Thomas Armour, O.P., of Nashville, Tennessee, called herself a "baby religious," having entered the consecrated life only two and a half years ago. After many travels that left her with a passing, "hollow" feeling, she has found joy in fulfilling her vocation—even the mundane daily tasks that entails—rather than running from it. Fr. John Therese Creus of the Congregation of St. John attended medical school in the Philippines before entering the religious life, which he calls a "discovery." He has an intense desire to be hidden in Christ, yet the Lord continually calls him out of himself in service of His people. Sr. Mary Clare Eichman, OSF, of Independence, Missouri gave her testimony as a "late vocation," holding herself out as an example of what not to do. When she finally accepted the Lord's invitation to religious life in her mid-thirties, she came to understand that her consecration was more a question of receiving God's gift rather of her doing something for God. Finally, Br. Giles Michael Gilbert, of the Little Brothers of St. Francis gave a beautiful testimony that reflected God's "humility" and the wonderfully radical witness of the evangelical counsels. He was first introduced to his Franciscan family a few years ago during the 2001 National Meeting and is making his first profession of vows on the feast of the Visitation, May 31. Also in the afternoon, Fr. Brian Mullady, O.P. gave a breathtaking overview of the theological and cardinal virtues as tools for living a godly life, drawing heavily upon the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. He also admirably filled in as homilist for the Saturday afternoon Mass, with Fr. Edmund McCaffrey as principal celebrant. The Mass was offered for the repose of Pope John Paul II, who died a little more than an hour before the Mass. The Joy of Consecration The Saturday evening banquet featured the presentation of the 2005 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award to Sr. Vincent Marie Finnegan, O.C.D., who served as one of the founding members and first president of the CMSWR. Sr. Vincent Marie noted that this award was really for all those who have worked so hard in launching the CMSWR. The banquet keynote address was then given by Mother Mary Sheridan, R.S.M., superior general of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan and a co-founder of the CMSWR. She gave a profound presentation on ecclesial communion, which calls us out of quietism or separatism into a deeper understanding of our connectedness in the one Church. Communion comes through love, and she explained that authentic Christian dialogue entails an exchange of spiritual gifts that requires personal engagement and presupposes a life of prayer, the soul of dialogue. New Evangelization Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, was on hand Sunday morning to call all of us to set aside our fear and embrace the work of the "new evangelization," finding new fervor and energy in our apostolic efforts as we confront an increasingly atheistic society. He called the new evangelization nothing other than "the great mandate of Pope John Paul II." Archbishop Burke recalled the Pope's 2001 apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, which laid out his program for evangelization in the new millennium. The call to evangelization is the antidote for the damage done by the secularization that has gradually eroded the faith of historically Christian cultures and countries in the West. Archbishop Burke cited the "barbaric" death of Terri Schiavo the preceding week as an apt case-in-point of the need to reclaim our country for Christ. There needs to be a new planting of the Church in the United States, and all the faithful, and in a special way consecrated persons, have an essential part to play. The IRL was was founded in 1974 by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., to foster and support vocations to the consecrated life. It has 150 affiliated communities and over 4000 individual associate members among bishops, priests, religious and laity. Through its many programs, publications and public events, the IRL strives to "create a culture of vocations," as the Holy Father has been urging the Church to do. For more information, go to www.religiouslife.com, or call 773-267-1195. - 30 – A copy of this press release can be found at www.religiouslife.com/pr_04-29-05.html
Photo filenames and captions available: IRL, Awardee Sr. Vincent Marie F.jpg IRL, crowd and Fr. Gabet.jpg IRL, Sr. John Thomas and youth.jpg |
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