Feb. 2 is the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple and the celebration of the “World Day for Consecrated Life.” The faithful from around the Archdiocese are invited to attend the celebration of Mass at 5:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, honoring all religious men and women in the consecrated life.
As you are aware, Pope Francis has called for a universal Year of Consecrated Life from Nov. 30, 2014, until Feb. 2, 2016, so this year’s feast day is special in that context. Included in the number of consecrated men and women will be:
1. Religious sisters, brothers and priests who live in religious communities formally recognized by the Church who have publicly professed to the evangelical counsels and are engaged in some form of the apostolate.
2. Men and women of secular institutes who take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but remain living in the world, working for its sanctification.
3. Consecrated virgins are women consecrated to God by their diocesan bishop. As mystical brides of Christ, they are signs of the Church’s love for Christ and a promise of the life to come. They work in the world and are dedicated to serving the Church.
4. Hermits are men or women who publicly take vows of the evangelical counsels and live lives of solitude, prayer and penance. They pray for the salvation of the world, while maintaining a strict separation from the world.
5. Societies of Apostolic Life are made up of men and women who, while not taking public vows, live a common life and strive for the perfection of charity in a particular apostolate.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, the archdiocesan Office of Vocations has organized religious open houses from 1-4 p.m.
I am grateful to Sister Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, my delegate for religious, and her planning committee who have arranged for these events, even as they will be planning more to come. I especially encourage families with children to take advantage of these opportunities to help their sons and daughters understand better a vocation to the consecrated life.
As Pope Francis has remarked, “Wherever there are consecrated people, seminarians, men and women religious, young people, there is joy, there is always joy! It is the joy of freshness, the joy of following Jesus; the joy that the Holy Spirit gives us, not the joy of the world.” So let us be joyful in the Lord!
God bless you!
Religious open houses in the archdiocese
1-4 p.m. Feb. 8
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
10711 Penfield Ave. Circle N., Stillwater
Contact: Sister Mary Juliana
(651) 707-2152 or srmaryjuliana@stccs.com
Franciscan Brothers of Peace
Queen of Peace Friary
1289 LaFond Ave., St. Paul
Contact: Brother Conrad Richardson
(651) 646-8586 ext. 305 or
Conrad@brothersofpeace.org
Franciscan Clarist Congregation
115 W. Main St., Vermillion
Contact: Sister Tresa Margret
(651) 438-8689 or srtresamargret@yahoo.com
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
3228 Portland Ave. S.,Minneapolis
Contact: Sister Gertrude Brixius
(612) 822-2623 or gbrixius@fslf.org
Missionaries of Charity
1500 E. 24th St., Minneapolis
Contact: Sister Davis
(612) 721-8614
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (Retreat House)
621 First Ave. S., Buffalo
Contact: Father Harold Fisher
(763) 682-1394 or hfisher@snows.org
Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver
265 Century Ave. S., Woodbury
Contact: Sister Genevieve
(651) 738-9704 or sspcgk@gmail.com
Order of St. Clare/St. Clare’s Monastery
8650 Russell Ave. S., Bloomington
Contact: Sister Elizabeth Lynn
(952) 881-4766 or bethlynn.osc@gmail.com
Pro Ecclesia Sancta
1998 Laurel Ave., St. Paul
Contact: Sister Emy Ychikawa
(651) 324-3306 or pes.stteresa@gmail.com
Visitation Sisters of Minneapolis
1527 Fremont Ave. N., Minneapolis
Contact: Sister Karen Mohan
(612) 529-8215 or kpvnm@aol.com
