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Tucson Benedictines help kick off Year of Consecrated Life

Tucson Benedictines help kick off Year of Consecrated Life - (14-01-2015)

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PHOTO: Benedictine Sister of Perpetual Adoration Hope Rodenborn, OSB (second from left) presents the gifts to Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas, D.D., bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, during the diocese’s celebratory Mass to launch the Year of Consecrated Life.

The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have joined religious men and women from around the world to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life.

Inspired by Pope Francis, the observation aims to invite those living consecrated lives to share how they serve the world and the Catholic Church in many ways, such as educationally, spiritually and through prayer, healthcare and missionary work.

The Benedictine Sisters will spend the year producing videos and testimonials to share their vocation stories and ministries. Topics include the joys found in religious life, daily responsibilities, what consecrated life means to them and what attracted them to Benedictine life.

Those in the laity are encouraged to remember in prayer those living a consecrated life, to support those who are discerning a religious calling and to share stories and memories of those who have been a positive influence on their own lives.

In Tucson, the Benedictine Sisters were invited to take part in the diocese’s kickoff celebration at St. Augustine Cathedral. Those attending included Sister Maria Victoria Cutaia, OSB, Sister Josetta Grant, OSB, Sister Hope Rodenborn, OSB and Sister Katherine Ann Smolik, OSB.

To fulfill one of her goals that derived from the General Chapter’s mandate on renewal, Prioress General Sister Dawn Annette Mills, OSB has created a series of monthly devotionals related to topics such as obedience and listening. These devotionals will reinforce skills that are vital to helping Sisters live more harmoniously in community life. In addition, these devotionals are a concrete way in which the Sisters can follow Pope Francis’s reminder for religious men and women to review their own religious practices and discover ways to improve upon them during the Year of Consecrated Life.

“Most of these are simple skills, but simple doesn’t mean easy,” Sister Dawn Annette said. “So often we are programmed to find objections, to form opinions with mere scraps of information. Often our own preferences and priorities keep us from really hearing the message coming to us.”

What is the Year of Consecrated Life?

Pope Francis proclaimed this to be a period of activity for consecrated men and women to “wake up the world” with their testimonies of faith and service to the Catholic Church. It began on Nov. 30, 2014, the First Sunday of Advent, and will continue until World Day of Consecrated Life on Feb. 2, 2016.

What does this mean for the Benedictine Sisters?

The Sisters will create videos and testimonials to share what consecrated life means to them and the importance of their ministries to the people of the world. The Tucson community will also host an Open House on Feb. 8, 2015.

What does this mean for laity?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has provided resources and activities that focus on sharing experiences of prayer and service with those living a consecrated life. Activities will help people understand the ways religious men and women serve the Catholic Church and the world. Resources are available at www.USCCB.org.

Keep in touch on social media

Follow the Year of Consecrated Life with the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration:

YouTube Channel: Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

Facebook.com/BenedictineSisters

Twitter.com/BenedictineSis (follow hastag #TYCL2015)