A Spirit of Consecration Lingers
Since Sister Rose Marie's Mass of Religious Profession a spirit of consecration continues to linger like incense here in the monastery. This prayerful spirit of consecration, this attitude of offertory, brought to my mind the section in our Constitutions under our Vow to Promote Devotion to and Grateful Remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus.
By this vow, they will dedicate themselves in a special way...to offer to God their life of prayer, of community, of self-denial, of work, continually carrying about in their bodies the dying of Jesus. They do this so that the Church may be able to proclaim effectively and everywhere "the cross of Christ as the sign of God's universal love and the source of all grace.
When we live our Passionist life faithfully we help the Church proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God's universal love and source of all grace! How humbling and awe-inspiring.
Recently, two siblings of our Sisters have made a commitment to proclaim the cross of Christ to the world.
Sr. Mary Andrea seen with her dear sister Theresa Niehaus. Theresa has recently committed to proclaiming the Gospel to college students by her work with FOCUS. You may have read my blog post featuring a talk Theresa wrote for a TEC retreat in 2008 about Sr. Mary Andrea's vocation to the cloister. Don't miss it!
On June 18th Sr. John Mary's brother Jeff Read was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate for the Diocese of Evansville, IN.
Actual moment of consecration
Deacon Jeff assisting Bishop Emeritus Gettelfinger during the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the Mass of Diaconate Ordination.
What a joy! Siblings united in their consecration to Christ!
May we all be united fulfilling our personal call to holiness. YOU are called to be a saint! Let us lift high the Cross - the universal sign of God's love and the source of all grace!