Consecrated women and men gathered at a diocesan celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Feb. 2 in Saskatoon, renewing their commitment to their sacred promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Sr. Mirasol Abala of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity welcomed everyone to the event at the Cathedral of the Holy Family.
“This is a joyful celebration because we are again reminded that the Lord is among us — he is in our midst. Also today is the 30th year that we celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life,” Abala said, noting the presence of many of those living out different form of religious and consecrated life.
“I just ask you, when you see any one of us, to please give a gentle prayer of thanksgiving, and a gentle prayer for perseverance to the end, so that the light of Christ may continue to shine through our lives.”
Fr. Demetrius Wasylyniuk, OSB, of St. Peter’s Benedictine Abbey, Muenster, presided at Mass, con-celebrated with Fr. Joe-Nelo Penino, the cathedral’s parochial vicar.
The celebration — held on the feast day that is also known as “Candlemas” — began at the entrance of the church with the assembly gathered around the Easter candle for the blessing of candles and the passing of the flame from one person to the other, before all processed into the sanctuary.
“It is such a privilege to celebrate with you today, with all the consecrated and all who are in different states of life,” said Fr. Demetrius Wasylyniuk in his homily for the Feast of the Presentation. “Candlemas is also the tradition in name given today’s feast because as early as the fifth century, the custom of lighting candles had developed. The lit candle symbolized Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus would be a light for the revelation to the Gentiles. As well, this feast has been referred to as the Feast of the Holy Encounter because God, the person of Jesus, encounters Simeon and Anna in the temple.”
.
In 1997, St. John Paul II established the feast day as a day of prayer for all those in consecrated life. “Just as Mary and Joseph were blessedbto witness God’s plan unfolding through their lives and simple act of obedience, we ask the Lord to help us to seek how he is at work in our call to consecrated life as each of us lives it out as a sacrament, our commitment as a religious sister, as a monastic brother, as as a deacon, as a priest,” he said.
“The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one.”
He added: “Each person must walk unhesitatingly according to their own personal gifts and duties in the path of living faith, which arouses hope and works through charity. So today as we celebrate this presentation, let the light of our call shine brightly in each one of us. And we know there are challenges facing the church. But we can meet them with determination, love, and humble obedience.”
Mass was followed by a lunch sponsored by the Diocese of Saskatoon Catholic Foundation.
