More than 100 Religious filed into the Rosary Monastery chapel to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life on Saturday, January 26.

Vita Consecrata, Latin for Consecrated Life, is annually scheduled on February 2, but because Carnival fell on that weekend this year, we shifted the event to Saturday 26.

This celebration offers the Church the opportunity to explain to an increasingly secularised world the purpose and meaning of the Consecrated Life.

At 10.00 am, the musicians, led by Sr Kathy Joseph, OP, chimed up the Entrance hymn Covenant Song - I will celebrate your love forever, Yahweh!… and the voices of all the Religious resounded: Age on age, my words proclaim your love; while Archbishop Edward Gilbert, the chief celebrant and homilist processed to the altar with the concelebrants: Abbot John Pereira OSB, Fr Thomas Lawson, OP, and Fr Christian Pineau, FMI., and Martin Thom, acolyte.

The reading, taken from the Mass of Saints Timothy and Titus were very appropriate for the occasion.

Sr Imelda Beharry, OP read the first reading, Brother Marius Williams, OSB sang the Responsorial Psalm, Abbot John Pereira proclaimed the Gospel, and Brother Jason, FMI led the prayers of the faithful.

Archbishop Gilbert, began his homily by clarifying the distinction of Consecrated Life which holds a permanent place as different from the new communities which are gifts of the Spirit to the Church but are governed differently and are not canonically Religious.

Sr Adriana Noel, O Carm, Epsicopal Delegate for Religious, Sr Petronilla Joseph and other Religious in the chapel of Rosary Monastery for the celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life on January 26

Srs Alphonsa Morris O Carm, Ann Bradshaw, OP, Katrina Charles, O Carm and Therese Dookeran, OP.

His Grace said that it is through the Evangelical Counsels: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience; Stability: in an age of instability and struggle with permanent commitment; Mission: service in love, either exclusively by prayer (contemplative consecration) or through ministry (apostolic consecration) we are a sign of the transcendental elements of Christianity and a reminder of the reality of eternal life.

The Archbishop emphasised to us that service can be tiresome but ours is not a job but a vocation and no matter how we feel we have to serve. So we have to continually stir into a flame the grace of our vocation, because we will be tempted.

He said that it is important to understand that we can still change our minds. There are times, he said, when our ministry will not succeed and that is when we need the support of our community; that is why all Religious founders stressed community. Everybody gets to the point when they can’t do any more, at this point it is our being that ministers.

We live in tough times, the Archbishop said, and many of us lose confidence. Throughout history there have been peaks and valleys in the Church.

We have to remember that Religious Life belongs to the charismatic, spiritual nature of the Church. If the Church and Religious life are in the valleys it is intrinsic that the people we call forth are people who can climb the peaks and not drain the people.

Healthy, aggressive, intelligent people are needed. He asked: Do you have the confidence of faith to take risks?

Archbishop Gilbert then made reference to our Holy Father’s address to the Church in Brazil in which Pope Benedict underlined the fact that the Church “sacramentalised” people, not evangelised. He told the Religious that we have to go to the people, they are not coming to us.

Ours is a continuous mission, we are called to preach fundamental Christianity and continue the process of formation. These are tough but exciting times; we are to rebuild our energy. The Archbishop ended his homily by thanking all the Religious present for their service and witness to the Church and the world.

Religious Life embraces every aspect of our humanity, so having been fed with the Word of God and the Eucharist we moved on to the Monastery grounds where tables were set buffet style for a very sumptuous lunch prepared by the various religious groups.

It was obvious that Consecrated people can cook too, by the way that the food was enjoyed. How pleasant it is when Sisters and Brothers live in unity! There was much camaraderie.

Among the Sisters and Brothers were quite a few new and young Religious and an excitement in the air that augurs well for the future of Religious life in the archdiocese.