By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

On the eve of the Year for Consecrated Life, the Diocese of Trenton celebrated its very own men and women who have responded to the call to serve in consecrated life and prayerfully recognized the special gifts they bring to the local Church of Trenton through the witness of their lives and respective ministries.

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Nearly 100 religious priests, sisters and others in consecrated life gathered for a Convocation of Consecrated Life held Oct. 4 in St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville. Together they celebrated and reflected on their God-given vocation of service to the Church, as well as the upcoming Year of Consecrated Life which will commence Nov. 29-30 - the start of the new liturgical year and the first Sunday of Advent – and conclude Feb. 2, 2016, with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Participants joined in a Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and heard a keynote address on religious life by Sister of St. Joseph Patricia Kelly, a pastoral administrator in St. Andrew Parish, Newtown, Pa.  The day also provided time for sharing camaraderie and renewing cherished friendships and acquaintances.

During his homily, Bishop O’Connell cited a passage in Luke’s Gospel: “And he said to them in private: blessed are the eyes that see what you see,” reflecting on how those words “have profound significance for us who celebrate our call to consecrated life.”

“Jesus encourages his followers, his disciples with these words. They are blessed because of what they see. And what they see is Jesus Christ. Isn’t that what consecrated life is all about: a vision of Jesus Christ?” the Bishop queried. “That vision has blessed us, has filled our lives with joy and grace. That vision has led us to deeper knowledge of the one we see, deeper love for him, deeper desire to follow him, to be what we see and to witness that vision to the world.”

“What a great insight into consecrated life that literally jumps off the page of Luke’s Gospel into our minds and hearts!” said Bishop O’Connell.

The Bishop recounted a number of saints who were blessed with the vision to make sacrifices in their lives in order to become followers of Jesus –  St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day was celebrated Oct. 4, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marrillac, the Venerable Catherine McAuley and St. Lucy Filippini.

“These great women and men had eyes that saw Jesus Christ and the charisms that grew from their vision have shaped our consecrated lives,” he said.

As the Year of Consecrated Life approaches, Bishop O’Connell said, “it is my hope and prayer for you and for our local Church that this special year will be a time of deep grace and renewal for all of the religious institutes within the Diocese and of the flourishing of your charism, so much so that new members will experience the call to ‘see what you see.’”

In total, there are 409 women and men in consecrated life in the Diocese, including 47 priest religious; 51 brother religious; 307 women religious; three consecrated virgins and one member of a secular institute.

Keynote speaker Sister Patricia noted the Year for Consecrated Life is part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 50th anniversary of the publication of the conciliar decree on the renewal on consecrated life, Perfectae Caritatis (“Of Perfect Charity”), which was promulgated Oct. 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI.  She focused on five principles cited in the document, including spiritual renewal; the spirit and traditions of the communities’ founders; membership in the Church; contemporary times, and what it means to follow Christ, then offered a perspective on how religious women and men have tried to live the principles out over the past 50 years.

“Thank you, religious sisters, priests and brothers for striving always for ‘Perfectae Caritatis, that is, perfect charity, complete love,” said Sister Patricia.

Convocation participants expressed gratitude to Bishop O’Connell and the diocesan Office of Clergy and Consecrated Life for hosting a gathering that brought members of consecrated life together for a day of renewal. Many said the day made them more eager to participate in events that will commemorate the Year for Consecrated Life.

Excitedly calling the convocation a “jump start” for the Year for Consecrated Life, Filippini Sister Gloria Barone, a director of Siena New Hope Home for Children, Middletown, said she hopes that the year will provide information and ways to “attract” more vocations to religious life.

Mercy Sister Marge Scarpone, a teacher and chair of the religion department in Red Bank Catholic High School, noted how thrilled she is that the “Holy Father is taking a year to shine light on religious life.”

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Bernadette Thomas, media specialist in Holy Cross High School, Delran, said the day provided her an opportunity to “go back and reflect on the roots of the call that I received from Christ.”

“What we do [as religious] is very important and of great value to the Church,” she said.

Sister of St. Joseph Jeanne Morgan, pastoral associate of adult faith formation and spirituality in St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, appreciated how the convocation afforded the participants an opportunity to celebrate their vocation and appreciated the “wonderful ideas” that Sister Patricia brought out from the Vatican II document.

Dominican Sister Loretta Maggio, director of the Mount Carmel Guild Emergency Assistance program, Trenton, smiled as she observed her colleagues, many of whom she had met before and others she had just met that day.

“We have a tendency to become involved in our own ministries but today we get to see and hear about what others in consecrated life do and the influence they have,” she said. “There’s a wealth of experience in this room.”