Category Archives: Vocations

News, Vocations, Women's Communities

From Sea to Shining Sea

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Postulants
Postulants

On August 28, 2013, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, welcomed 19 (yes, nineteen!) young women as postulants. This follows on the heels of the announcement on July 31 that a Decree had been issued erecting their order as an Institute of Diocesan Right. Bishop Earl Boyea also approved their Constitutions. In 19 years, they have grown to 120 sisters!

When the story of the revival of religious life in America is written, one of the headliners will surely be the Dominican Sisters of Mary. Mother Assumpta Long, OP, was one of the women who was part of the IRL from the beginning and spoke out for the many sisters who increasingly felt voiceless as more “liberal” voices in religious life gained press attention. How grateful we are for her support and wisdom over the years.

Other items of interest gleaned from their latest newsletter includes the news that Sr. Mary Judith had the great joy on May 31st to attend her two (yes, 2) brothers’ diaconate ordinations. Rev. Br. Nathan Caswell, S.J.C., and Rev. Br. Joshua Caswell, S.J.C., were ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago as members of the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius. Also, Sr. Agnes Maria experienced one of the most memorable days of her life when her little brother, Ricardo Pineda Jr., was ordained a priest forever for the Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy.

Another innovation that I wish had been in place at my Catholic College was inaugurated last year at The Catholic University of America and expanded this year. Called the Religious-in-Residence program, it is a program carried out in conjunction with Campus Ministry where the Dominican sisters minister to young women in the residence halls while pursuing graduate studies.

Mother Assumpta, Sr. Joseph Andrew with Texas sisters
Mother Assumpta & Sr. Joseph Andrew with the Texas sisters

We are also blessed in the Chicago area to have four sisters teaching at two Catholic schools. Sr. Mary Judith and Sr. Teresa Paul teach at St. Benedict the African School in Englewood. It is an all African American school in a very challenging neighborhood. Sr. Mary Magdalene and Sr. Louis Marie teach at St. Ignatius College Prep which notes among its alumni some famous politicians (boy do we need good Catholic politicians), the comedian Bob Newhart and my pastor.

Finally, on September 21, two bishops celebrated the Rite of Blessing for the new OP convent in Georgetown, Texas. It is the first permanent residence for the sisters outside of their home base of Michigan.

Mother Assumpta said: I send a strong commitment to you and everyone in Texas that we are here to stay. I can now say unequivocally: we have sunk our roots in the rich Texas soil!

May God bless them from sea to shining sea! Did I mention they are also in California, Florida, Arizona and Ohio? And Rome?

Vocations, Women's Communities

All As God Wishes

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Investiture
Investiture

The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Mishawaka, Indiana, are gearing up for the beatification of their foundress, Mother Maria Teresia of the Blessed Sacrament. Mother will be beatified on November 10, 2013, in Paderborn, Germany, the diocese where the Order was founded.

What a year it has been for the sisters! It is the 150th anniversary of their founding and they have had the largest incoming class of postulants in over 40 years! The six postulants, all from Indiana, entered the community on September 1, 2013 .

One of the young women named Anna said: “I really fell in love with our Eucharistic Lord. The Sisters’ commitment to Perpetual Adoration was one of the things that attracted me to this Community.”

PostulantEntrance1Sept2013
New Postulants

Another postulant, Rachel, advises those discerning to be not afraid. “Trust that the Lord’s plans for your life are more perfect for you than you could ever make for yourself. The desires in your heart are placed there for a reason, so take a leap of faith.”

In addition, four sisters professed first vows, two professed perpetual vows and two were invested with the habit of the order. Angela is now Sister M. Regina and Patricia is now called Sister M. Joan.

If you want to see what is attracting all of these young women to this growing powerhouse of prayer and aposotolic works in NW Indiana, contact their vocation directress, Sr. M. Lois. They have a Young Adult Discernment Retreat October 25-27 and a Young Adult Come & See on January 2-5, 2014.

May you, dear Sisters, in donning the Franciscan habit be clothed also with his spirit, that as true daughters of Saint Francis, you may worthily wear his garb and thus bring joy and honor to our congregation.

– Blessed Mother Maria Theresia

 

Men's communities, News, Vocations

St. Benedict Online!

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BenedictinesFor those of you who wish to know more about the spirituality of St. Benedict and for those in particular who may be called to a monastic vocation, here is something exciting!

The Benedictine monks at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois, are offering a FREE, five-part online course in Benedictine Spirituality. Anyone can register on the St. Procopius Facebook page. Five emails, one sent each day, will cover the life of St. Benedict, Benedictine life and vocation stories. There will also be emails asking the students to reflect on each class. You can sign up for two sessions: the first one will run October 14-18, 2013, and the second, October 28 – November 1.

“We feel that St. Benedict’s way of life, which includes living in community, common prayer, work, and private prayer, is just as important today as when St. Benedict was alive,” said Fr. James Flint, OSB, vocation director of the abbey. St. Procopius Abbey was founded in 1885 and has 26 monks today. Prayer and conversion are at the heart of their life. At the same time, they serve in outside apostolates, especially in the schools that they founded: Benet Academy and Benedictine University.

For more information, contact Fr. James Flint, OSB, at 630-969-6410, or vocations@procopius.org.

News, Vocations

Holy Vocations!

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ordinationThe main headline on AOL today was the news that a Catholic priest announced to his parish that he was leaving the priesthood because he had just become the father of a child. The article included comments from some parishioners who expressed the hope that the Church would once again evaluate the stance against a married priesthood. There is no mention of the fact that this priest was ordained with full knowledge that celibacy was a promise he made and was expected to keep. It is sad that people do not keep their commitments/promises  and hurt others around them. (See US divorce rate)

This is why it is all the more encouraging that Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) announced that the number of men enrolled in diocesan seminaries is up 16% since 1995 and 10% since 2005. There are currently 3694 graduate-level seminarians. The factors cited in this increase include the appeal of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the feeling that the worst of the sex abuse crisis is behind us, and encouragement from parishes and bishops.

Rev. Mark Latcovich, president and rector of St. Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio, said that they have the largest class in decades (72). He says that current seminarians and priests are “our best recruiters. If they are happy and witnessing their faith and opening their hearts, that enthusiasm and joy is contagious.” (See the complete story in the Washington Post.)

In my own parish, we have had three vocations to the priesthood in the past 10 or so years. The seminary next door, Saint Mary of the Lake, has seen a large increase in enrollment.

For those discerning a vocation, Father Basil Cole, OP, lists the 9 signs that you have a vocation (summarized briefly) : God-centered, joy in serving others, holy hatred for sin, holy dissatisfaction with oneself, humility, fidelity to prayer, loving truth, undivided heart, love of the Church.

May the Church around the world be blessed with holy and persevering vocations!

 

 

 

Men's communities, Vocations

“The Fewer Men, the Greater Share of Honour”

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Sr. Laurence Olivier as Henry V
Sr. Laurence Olivier as Henry V

Among the tidbits of advice given by spiritual directors to those discerning a vocation, I bet not too many are told to read a passage from Shakespeare’s Henry V! But that is just the advice that was given to seminarian Daniel Heenan, FSSP, when he was “looking to run away from” his vocation.

In the St. Crispin’s Day speech given by King Henry V of England (see actor Kenneth Branagh’s stirring rendition on YouTube)  to his outnumbered soldiers prior to the great battle of Agincourt in 1415, Henry says in this excerpt:

He which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.

Later, these famous lines are uttered by the king: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Daniel said, “At first, I thought this was strange advice, but at the conclusion when he chides those who may be fearful to join the battle with the regret that they would later feel for not having acted courageously, the application to vocational discernment became clear. We sacrifice a little, and we inherit a kingdom.”

Daniel will be ordained to the holy priesthood in 2014, God willing, and thanks the to the assistance of the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, an organization that enables priests and religious who have outstanding student debt to respond generously to the Lord’s call.

We celebrate the feast day of St. Crispin and his twin brother, Crispinian, on October 25, according to the old calendar.

News, Vocations, Women's Communities

I Know the Plans I have For You

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For I know well the plans I have for you, says the Lord,

plans for your welfare and not for your woe; to give you a future full of hope!

Jeremiah 29.11

Do you know of a young woman who is considering a religious vocation? Is the Lord causing your heart to stir as you ponder a life devoted entirely to His service? Is religious life dying in our country?

Let the Imagine Sisters video, Light of Love, help you with these questions!

imagine3

In association with, among others, the Institute on Religious Life, this hour-length video gives the viewers an in-depth look into the lives of 5 young sisters from the following communities:

  • Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, Alton, Illinois
  • Carmelites Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
  • Franciscan Sisters of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother, Steubenville, Ohio
  • Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, Santa Clara, California
  • Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, North Haledon, New Jersey

Utterly joyful and incredibly “normal,” the sisters describe their work, their love for Jesus and their fraternal life in community. Whether caring for the sick, teaching children, caring for the elderly, or whatever their work maybe, the sisters’ apostolates are an outpouring of their relationship with Jesus. As one sister said, “you really cannot separate your prayer from your work because when you praying unceasingly in your heart, our Lord is always with you.”

A study guide (one page), an in-depth discussion guide and additional discussion questions are available.

First Things has a nice review of the film.

Give it a look! Be inspired and spread the word!

May God reward you!

light of love

Men's communities, Vocations

To Win the World for the Immaculata

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Two weeks ago, the Conventual Franciscans celebrated the simple professions of seven young men. Friar Patrick from New York, Friar Joseph from Ireland, Friar Israel from Nevada, Friar Don from Texas, Friar Thomas from California, Friar Colton from New York and Friar Gregory from Australia professed the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and received the cincture with the three cords as a reminder of the evangelical counsels that they promise to follow.

How wonderful that these young men will continue the tradition of not only St. Francis of Assisi but also of his spiritual son, St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast we celebrate today. The professions took place at Marytown which is the National Shrine of St. Maximilian. The American Novitiate, located in Mishawaka, Indiana, is where the novices take classes on the Franciscan rule, constitutions, vows, Church documents of the consecrated life and its history, prayer forms, Scripture, communication, Mariology and the Secular Franciscan Order.

According to Brother Paschal Kolodziej, their order “has always had a great emphasis on community and prayer. Many young people are attracted to this call to be a friar minor. Our call is to be a ‘lesser brother’ to all those we minister to. That can take many forms and ministries.” He adds that “the fraternal aspect attracts young people who are looking for a sense of belonging. We have always been of service to the Church in many different ways. Obedience to the Church has always been one of our hallmarks.”

St. Maximilian, the “martyr of charity” who was killed in Auschwitz in 1941, wanted to “win the world for the Immaculata.” May these seven friars in their various ministries draw many souls to Christ through the loving hands Mary, His mother.

Men's communities, Vocations

Teeing Up for Evangelization

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“I realized, with the help of grace, that Jesus Christ was not just a nice man, but God become man.” This realization drove Brother Peter Hannah, O.P., from the driving range of the golf course to the Order of Preachers founded by St. Dominic.

Bro. Peter was raised Presbyterian but it wasn’t long before golf replaced God as the most important factor in his life. Reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis convinced him as to the truth of Christianity. It was a short step from Lewis to G.K. Chesterton, “the first person I came across who wrote of the Catholic Church as if it were a distinct entity.”

Attending Mass with a friend was a revelation. He realized: “If what the Catholic Church teaches about the Eucharist is true, this is the most astonishing and beautiful thing that I have ever seen. If the Catholic Church is right about the Eucharist, then I must become Catholic, since God is manifesting Himself here in a way He isn’t in other Christian communions.” He made a resolution to do a holy hour every day and after 2 months was convinced of Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist. Six months after his reception into the Church, he knew he was called to the priesthood.

Bro. Peter was drawn to the Dominicans because of their focus on evangelization. His full name in religion is Brother Peter Junipero after the great saint, Junipero Serra, the Franciscan missionary of California, Peter’s home state. God willing, Brother Peter will be ordained a priest next year for the Western Dominican Province. To see the complete story, visit the National Catholic Register.

News, Vocations

The Legacy of John Henry Cardinal Newman

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The stories that come out of college campus Newman Centers continue to inspire and astonish me. There are college campuses that are seedbeds of vocations (Thomas Aquinas College, Franciscan University at Steubenville and Christendom College come to mind) but it is hard to challenge the vocational record of an active Newman Center on a college campus. Newman Centers all over the country have many beautiful vocation stories, showing that students immersed in Catholic Life truly do discover and live the vocation that God has planned for them.

This past spring break, six students from the Newman Center at the University of Nebraska traveled all the way to Chicago to spend a week with the Little Sisters of the Poor. They served meals, drove residents to doctor’s appointments and generally just visited with the men and women that the sisters serve. One sophomore said the trip inspired her to attend daily Mass for the first time in her life. Another said the trip helped him to focus on the needs of others instead on “the me” and he felt happier and more at peace because of it. “We never expected” said a senior, “that we would build strong relationships with the sisters and the residents.”

At another Newman Center at Missouri Western State University, a then-freshman and her fellow “Newmanites” went to a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students-another great organization) conference where her faith was ignited and she seriously considered religious life for the first time. This past February, she joined the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara.

Take a look at the Witchita State Newman Center list of vocations. There are many priestly vocations, four women in religious life and one man who joined a Benedictine abbey.

Read this vocation story from a young man who attended the Newman Center at Oklahoma State University. Weekly events there included Monday night rosary, Tuesday night Bible study, Wednesday night student Mass, Thursday faith immersion, Friday free lunch, Saturdays of home football games, the students sold food for tailgating parties and Sunday night was Mass and dinner. God willing, this young man will be ordained in three years.

Another young man from the University of Illinois is now studying for the priesthood. At the Newman Center, he said, he found wonderful friends, priests, and religious that “I could never have dreamed existed.” St. John’s Catholic Newman Center is the only residential Newman Center in the country. Cardinal Francis George called it “one of the most important apostolates” in Illinois.

At Texas A&M University (see photo above) where there is the St. Mary’s Newman Center, 37 Aggies have entered formation for the priesthood and religious life in the past 4 years!

If you know of a young person who is planning to head to college, check out ones with strong Newman Centers. Their eternal life may depend upon it!

 

News, Vocations, Women's Communities

The Call in the Desert

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Sr. Jennifer Kane (right)

If you were to ask someone to name the largest order of religious women in the world, my guess would be that the Salesians would not be at the top of many people’s lists. Yet the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, who number 15,000 sisters, are indeed the largest congregation of women in the world.

Founded by St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello, their official name is Daughters of Mary Help of Christians or in Latin Filiae Mariae Auxiliatrice, hence the initials after their name: F.M.A. As Don Bosco said, “Times are so bad that we need Our Lady to help us to be faithful and defend our faith.” How true is that!

One women had a very circuitous path on her way to the Salesians. In a story from the Catholic News Service, Sr. Jennifer Kane recounts her journey from the Air Force to religious life. While working in the Air Force in Montana, she attended a Cursillo that greatly deepened her faith. After leaving active service, attaining the rank of captain, she joined the Air National Guard and was deployed four times: to Iraq (three times) and Saudi Arabia. Living in the desert, Jennifer devoted a lot of time to reading the Bible and realized: “The call from God was definitely there. I guess I was in denial a long time. (I would say to God), ‘I worked on nuclear weapons, I was a bomb loader, you can’t be talking to me.”’

Jennifer entered the Salesians in 2009. In their houses, she says, you experience a sense of joy and family spirit. This truly is in the spirit of Don Bosco whose mission was to educate young people, especially the poor, and to do it with a spirit of love.

After her first profession of vows in August, Jennifer is looking forward to her involvement with the Salesian schools, retreat centers and campus ministries. “There’s always been the hand of God in all of this,” she said. “God knows every move you make. He’s got this all planned, if you’re willing to accept his will and plan for you. Ultimately God gets you to the final destination.”