We’re amid several “year-long” observances. The school year is halfway done. The calendar year is almost full yet the Year of Mercy just began and there’s another six weeks or so of the Year of Consecrated Life.
Let’s look at recent headlines regarding the latter.
Personality profiles
We retired the “Wake up the World” Q-and-A series in English, but expect a personality profile of a local man or woman involved in religious life in the Spanish pages of The Catholic Sun print editions through at least January. Look for the headlines, “Despierten al mundo!”
This month, Leo Hernandez caught up with Sr. Rebeca José Mugo, a Missionary of Charity. Turn to page 25 of your printed edition.
And in case you missed it, here is a Year of Consecrated Life song:
Religious brothers
There was a section for religious brothers and religious sisters to gather prior to the #DoorsofMercy opening procession at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral Dec. 13. Sometimes, that’s the most public view Catholics and the community have of them. Their work is often quiet, but effective.
And there are Catholic men discerning joining their efforts. Four of them recently spent time at the headquarters of the U.S. Province, which just so happens to be in Phoenix. Crosier Father Jude Verley wrote a reflection. Three of them are studying for the priesthood and the other is being formed as a Crosier brother.
A Dec. 19 Mass at Mount Claret Retreat Center commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Crosier Martyrs killed in Congo. It was celebrated in French.
The Vatican aimed to increase awareness on the identity and mission of religious brothers. It released a related document in five languages Dec. 14.
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Test yourself
Did you grow up around religious life? Did you spend time working around religious men and women at the parish/diocesan level? Think you can identify their habits? Test your knowledge!
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Religious sisters
The Poor Clare Sisters of Perpetual Adoration put a call out to young women discerning a possible call to religious life. A recent Tweet urges them to register for the Duc In Altum retreat. It’s a silent, directed discernment retreat and it’s not until February of 2016, but registration often fills up.
