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ON Consecrated Life

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ON Consecrated Life on consecrated life | 1 Archbishop Anthony as a child with his Growing up in 1960s andgreat aunt70s SrSydney, Mary Carmel I Fisherthe rsmvariety of vocationsThis in helpedthe Church me discerncalled and the embracewhole Church my own to celebratevocation aas knew many heroes – generous, sometimes exercised generously in service of God and Year of Consecrated Life1 during which we quirky, always giving people: they were his people. a religious and a priest.are toAfter look atstudying, the past ofworking, religious travelling life with religious women and men and they and engaging in an activegratitude, social live life,the I presentjoined thewith Order passion, of This helped me discern and embrace my made me want to be a hero too. I fondly and embrace the future with hope.2 In early DEAR own vocation as a religiousPreachers, and a whichpriest. St Dominic founded 800 years ago this remember visiting my great-aunt, Sr Mary November as we celebrate the journey of After studying, working,coming travelling year. Iand received my priestly and religious formation BROTHERSCarmel Fisher, a Sister AND of SISTERSMercy at the IN CHRIST, the Christian soul to God – ‘All Saints’ engaging in an active social life, I joined Mater Hospital in Crows Nest. She was a from them, while alsoand at ‘All various Souls’ –times it is livinga good ortime working for us Growing up in 1960s and 70s Sydney, I knewthe Order many of heroes Preachers, which St Dominic major figure in our family, giving us the with those of other religiousto join Pope congregations. Francis in recognising the – generous, sometimes quirky, always givingfounded people: 800 yearsthey ago this coming year. example of her faith and compassion, unique gifts that consecrated men and I received my priestlyPope and Francis, religious himself a religious, has called the whole wereand ensuringreligious wewomen all went and to men schools and and they made me want to women have brought to our Church and formation from them, while also at various 1 behospitals a hero runtoo. by I fondlyreligious. remember I was taught visiting by my great-aunt, Sr Church to celebratecommunity, a Year of inConsecrated supporting themLife induring their times living or working with those of other MaryJosephites, Carmel Mercies, Fisher, Patricians a Sister ofand Mercy Jesuits, at the Mater Hospital which we are to look atvocation, the past and of religious in doing life what with wegratitude, can to religious congregations. inas Crows well as Nest. their She lay was collaborators, a major figure while in our family, giving us live the present withensure passion, that and religious embrace life isthe carried future forward with theliving example in parishes of her ledfaith by and diocesan compassion, clergy. andPope ensuring Francis, we himself all hope a religious,.2 In early hasNovember in our asland. we celebrate the journey of the Like so many of us I was blessed to witness went to schools and hospitals run by religious. I was taught Christian soul to God – ‘All Saints’ and ‘All Souls’ – it is a by Josephites, Mercies, Patricians and Jesuits, as well as their good time for us to join Pope Francis in recognising the lay collaborators, while living in parishes led by diocesan unique gifts that consecrated men and women have brought clergy. Like so many of us I was blessed to witness the variety to our Church and community, in supporting them in their of vocations in the Church exercised generously in service of vocation, and in doing what we can to ensure that religious God and his people. life is carried forward in our land. PERFECTAE CARITATIS ifty years ago, as the Second Vatican Council was coming and his people, often embracing new ministries to the most Fto its close, Pope Paul VI published its thoughts on the vulnerable and marginalised. Consecrated women and men renewal of religious life in Perfectæ caritatis.3 The Council have handed on many of their apostolic projects to very invited religious institutes to renew their inspiration by capable and faithful lay people, and we can be optimistic returning to the sources of Christian life and their original that what these great men and women of God founded and charisms, and to adapt their forms of life to the needs of the sponsored will long serve us into the future. contemporary world. At the time of the Council there were But we should not pretend that the decline in numbers nearly 15,000 religious women and 5,000 religious men in of religious in our country has been all for the best. our country,4 and they were prominent on our streets, in our Consecrated life is vital to the Church’s spiritual health; parishes and schools, and in many of the Church’s ministries. without the contemplative prayer and active apostolates of Today, there are fewer than 5,000 religious women and 2,000 religious, their creativity and dynamism, and the example religious men in our country,5 and they are not so visible. of their sheer devotion to God and his people, our Church Sadly that means many young people today do not encounter is the poorer. Lumen Gentium said religious life “undeniably consecrated persons and do not experience the spiritual belongs to the Church’s life and holiness”,6 so a decline in maternity and paternity we received from them. consecrated life is likely to leave the Church less devout and Of course, the statistics do not tell us the full story: much less apostolically effective. of the work of consecrated women and men is hidden but Indeed, the diverse states of ecclesial life complement no less fruitful; as the abuse crisis highlights, the quality of and strengthen each other.7 Anything that reinforces vocations matters much more than the quantity; religious life religious life is likely also to strengthen support for and always ebbs and flows, and new ecclesial movements and new the lived experience of marriage, family, priestly and single forms of consecrated life are emerging even as others pass lay vocations; factors that undermine one are likely to away. Many religious men and women persevered through undermine the others also. Himself a religious, the hard times of change and remained loyal servants of God “The Feast of All Saints”: Fra Angelico, The Communion of Saints (1423-4, National Gallery London) 2 | on consecrated life Pope Francis has pointed to the SIGNS OF CHRIST close connection between family SIGNS OF THE KINGDOM life and consecrated life: each enriches the other, supporting the things’, things that ultimately matter other’s efforts in evangelisation f course, all Christian disciples more than our work-a-day concerns.13 and care.8 Catholic couples first Oare called to live perfect charity, 9 They say by their very being: this is dedicate their children to God not merely religious. But consecrated not all there is; God’s way, God’s life, in baptism and nurture any men and women try to do this in a God’s kingdom is to come! And they vocations to consecrated life, radical way. They publicly profess help to make what is to come present especially through their example (vow) the three evangelical counsels of even now. of pursuing Christian charity. poverty, chastity and obedience. In a A young Franciscan told me world that says wealth, sex and power are the ways to happiness, these once that he thought the life of EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A his parish community and its vows starkly propose an alternative LITTLE BIT PRIEST AND A families is greatly enriched by wisdom. These ‘Good News counsels’ participation in the prayer life imitate Christ “the chaste, poor and LITTLE BIT NUN! 10 of the friars and by the witness obedient one”. He was obedient for of their lives of service; but that our sake, conforming his will totally the friars’ vocations come from to the Father’s to win our salvation. All the baptised share in the lives of and are supported by the prayer He stayed single for our sake, that we priests and religious. It is not just that and witness of those families and might join his family. He became poor they are inspired, led and served by 11 parishes. It’s a two way street! for our sake, so that we might be rich. them: it is that by their baptism they are ‘a royal priesthood’ and ‘a consecrated In imitation of Christ consecrated Consecrated life, the Council nation’ (1Pet 2:9). You might say that women and men constantly make taught, is supposed to be a school every Christian is a little bit priest and ‘visible’ that often hidden Kingdom he in loving – for perfectæ caritatis. a little bit nun! Every Christian, and established and which will be manifest But in many ways modernity has not just the ‘professional’ religious, at the end of time.12 As the old saying forgotten how to love. Of course must be signs of Christ and of his goes, “The habit does not make the there are plenty of sentimental love Kingdom Come.14 And consecrated monk” and I remember once asking a songs and talk of being ‘in love’ and men and women must be our spiritual young religious in formation why he ‘making love’: but the hard loving, mothers and fathers in this, experts in wore his habit and he said, “So I can the love that endures when the communion, teachers in the school be an eschatological sign”. Though he loving requires self-sacrifice and of perfect charity.15 Knowing Jesus was half joking, he was right of course. does not always deliver up warm intimately they must show us all that a Consecrated persons show us not just feelings, this is the kind of loving close relationship with him is possible by their dress but by their vows, life- Christians in different states in life and show us how.
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