Spiritual Reflections at, TX US - CONSECRATED LIFE...

CONSECRATED PEOPLE PROCLAIM THAT GOD IS THE LORD OF LIFE
VATICAN CITY, FEB 3, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father met with members of congregations, institutes, societies of apostolic life, and new forms of consecrated life, for the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life, an annual celebration instituted by John Paul II. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration presided by Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Benedict XVI entered the basilica and greeted those present. Opening his address he affirmed that the Day "is an appropriate opportunity to ask the Lord together for the gift of an ever more incisive presence of male and female religious, and of consecrated people, in the Church on her journey in the world." The Pope reminded his audience that "your evangelical witness, in order to be truly effective, must arise from an unreserved response to the initiative of God, Who consecrated you for Him through a special act of love."

"In our time there exists, especially among the young, a widespread need to meet God. Those who are chosen by God for consecrated life make this spiritual longing definitively their own. ... With their example, they proclaim to the world - which is often disoriented but in reality searching for meaning - that God is the Lord of existence." Consecrated men and women, "by choosing obedience, poverty and chastity for the Kingdom of Heaven, show that all ties of love to things and to people are incapable of definitively satisfying the heart." Their lives "constitute a total and definitive, unconditional and passionate response to God." "When they renounce everything to follow Christ," the Pope added, "consecrated people ... necessarily become a 'sign of contradiction,' because their way of life and thought often contrasts with the logic of the world. ... When faced with such courage, many people who thirst for truth are inspired and attracted by those who do not hesitate to give their lives for that which they believe." The Pope encouraged those present never to forget that "consecrated life is a divine gift and that it is, in the first instance, the Lord who brings it to success. ... This certainty must be a comfort to you, keeping you from temptation and discouragement in the face of the inevitable difficulties of life and the many challenges of the modern age." The Pope concluded his remarks by recalling how that day's liturgy of the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the Temple is characterized by the symbol of light, "indicating Christ, the true light of the world, which shines forth in the night of history and illuminates all searchers after truth. Dear consecrated men and women, burn with this flame and make it shine in your own lives, so that everywhere may be lit by a fragment of the brilliance irradiated by Jesus, splendor of truth." AC/CONSECRATED LIFE/RODE VIS 070205 (500)

TO SECULAR INSTITUTES: ANNOUNCE THE BEAUTY OF GOD
VATICAN CITY, FEB 3, 2007 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received a large group of representatives from secular institutes in various countries, who are in Rome for the occasion of an international symposium being held to mark the anniversary of the Apostolic Constitution "Provida Mater Ecclesia." Recalling that six decades have passed since February 2 1947, when Pope Pius XII promulgated the Apostolic Constitution, Benedict XVI said: "That juridical act was not an end but the starting point of a process that aimed to define a new form of consecration: that of lay faithful and diocesan priests, called to live with evangelical radicalism the secular state in which, by virtue of their life condition or pastoral ministry, they are immersed." The Holy Father went on to enumerate the characteristics of the secular mission: "bearing witness to human virtues, ... an 'honorable conduct of life' as mentioned by Peter in his first Letter, ... and commitment to building a society that recognizes in all its various aspects the dignity of human beings and the values essential for their full realization, from politics to economics, from education to commitment to public health, from providing services to scientific research." "All the circumstances in which man lives and dies," the Pope told his audience, "are an opportunity for you to bear witness to the salvific work of God. This is your mission."
The Holy Father told the members of the secular institutes that "the secular nature of your consecration highlights, on the one hand, the means you use to put it into practice, ... and on the other, the way in which it develops: through a profound relationship with the signs of the times, which you are called to discern, individually and as a group, in the light of the Gospel." "The place of your apostolate is, then, the entire human sphere, not only in the Christian community, ... but also and above all in the civil community with which you relate in the search for the common good and in dialogue with everyone, called to bear witness to Christian anthropology, which proposes meaning to a society disoriented and confused by the multi-cultural and multi-religious atmosphere that characterizes it." Benedict XVI concluded with an exhortation to announce "the beauty of God and of His Creation. Following the example of Christ, remain obedient to love and be men and women of humbleness and mercy, capable of following the paths of the world doing only good. ... The Church also needs you to give completeness to her mission. Be seed of sanctity ... in the furrow of history." AC/.../SECULAR INSTITUTES VIS 070205 (450)

CONSECRATED PEOPLE: A SIGN OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
VATICAN CITY, FEB 3, 2006 (VIS) - Yesterday, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and the tenth Day of Consecrated Life, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica for members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life. In keeping with tradition, the Mass was preceded by the liturgy of light, during which candles were lit and blessed before being carried in procession to the altar of the Confession. In his homily the Holy Father commented on the texts of today's liturgy, recalling that "in taking her Son to Jerusalem, the Virgin Mother offered Him to God as a true Lamb that takes sin from the world, she tendered Him to Simeon and to Anna as an announcement of redemption; she presented Him to everyone as light for a safe journey along the path of truth and love." Benedict XVI affirmed then that this Feast, which coincides with the celebration of the Day of Consecrated Life, provides "a fitting occasion to praise the Lord and thank Him for the priceless gift of consecrated life, in its various forms; it is also an incentive to promote understanding and respect, among all the people of God, for those who are totally consecrated to the Lord." He went on: "Indeed, just as the life of Jesus, in His obedience and dedication to the Father, is a living parable of 'God with us,' so the real dedication of people consecrated to God and to their brothers and sisters becomes an eloquent sign of the presence of the Kingdom of God in today's world. "Their way of life and work unequivocally expresses their adherence to the one Lord. Their complete abandonment in the hands of Christ and of the Church is a clear and powerful message, announcing the presence of the Lord in a language that can also be understood by our contemporaries." This, the Pope concluded, "is the primary service that consecrated life performs for the Church and the world. Among the people of God they act as sentinels who discover and announce the new life that is already present in history." HML/CONSECRATED LIFE/...VIS 060203 (370)

TO CONSECRATED PEOPLE: FACE MODERN LIFE WITH COURAGE
VATICAN CITY, DEC 10, 2005 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall, Benedict XVI received 8,000 religious and members of secular institutes and societies of apostolic life from the diocese of Rome. The Pope, greeting participants in the audience, said: "My special thoughts go out to those living in monasteries of contemplative life, who are spiritually united with us" and "consecrated people from Africa, Latin America and Asia currently studying in Rome." "As always," he continued, "consecrated people constitute a valuable presence in the life of the Church of Rome, because they offer a unique witness to the unity and universality of the People of God. ... The complex social and cultural context of our city ... demands from you a constant attention to local concerns, as well as a courageous faith in the charism that distinguishes you. From its origins, consecrated life has been characterized by a thirst for God. ... Do not be afraid of visibly showing yourselves as consecrated people and ... demonstrating the fact that you belong to Christ." The Holy Father then recalled how consecrated people are "deeply involved in diocesan programs" and collaborate in pastoral work, thanks also to the activities of groups that represent them such as: the Italian Confederation of Superiors Major, the Union of Italian Female Superiors Major, the Group of Secular Institutes and the Ordo Virginum. Benedict XVI called on consecrated people to continue this work with intensified loyalty to their commitments, the charisms of their institutes and the guidelines of the local Church. "The Church has need of your witness, of a consecrated life that faces the challenges of today with courage and creativity. Faced with the advance of hedonism, I ask of you the brave witness of chastity. Faced with the thirst for money, your sober life and your service to those in need reminds us that God is the authentic source of wealth that never perishes. Faced with individualism and relativism, ... your fraternal life of obedience confirms that your fulfillment comes through God." The Pope concluded by recalling the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the conciliar Decree "Perfectae caritatis," dedicated to consecrated life and affirmed that: "Those living a consecrated life live in the world, but their hearts are directed beyond time; and to modern man, who is often absorbed by the things of the world, they bear witness that true destiny lies in God Himself." AC/CONSECRATED PEOPLE/ROME VIS 051212 (420)

STARTING AFRESH FROM CHRIST: COMMITMENT TO CONSECRATED LIFE
VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 2002 (VIS) The instruction: "Starting Afresh from Christ. A Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium" was made public today by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The document, which has 60 pages and contains an introduction and four chapters, has been published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese. It bears the signatures of Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo and Archbishop Piergiorgio Silvano Nesti C.P., respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation, and is dated May 19, Solemnity of Pentecost. The fundamental core of the document, which is addressed to consecrated men and women, "is the need for a strong spiritual life and for renewed quality in consecrated life."
 
The first chapter, "Consecrated Life: the Presence of the Love of Christ in the midst of Humanity," is a "song of praise to God for the gifts of grace that He has made and continues to make to His Church through this particular manner of following Christ." After highlighting the "admiration aroused by the many and varied missionary activities of consecrated persons," the document affirms that "the strength of the Spirit continues to guide the dynamism of consecrated life, and even in times of crisis we see the flowering of new institutes." Chapter two, "Courage to face Trials and Challenges," considers the most significant difficulties that consecrated people must face. These include the "temptation of efficiency and activism," the dominance of individualism and "the decline in numbers and increasing old age of members." These challenges "must be faced with a new quality of consecrated life ... by means of a process of formation that involves - at different levels - superiors, communities or fraternities, and individual consecrated men and women." The third chapter: "Spiritual Life in the First Place," offers a series of concrete guidelines "for authentic formation, for overcoming difficulties and for responding to challenges." The document makes an invitation to follow the indications given by the Pope in his Apostolic Letter, "Novo millennio ineunte" practicing "contemplation of the face of Christ" and "a profound spirituality of communion." It is emphasized that "when the Word of God, prayer and the Eucharist are the motor driving consecrated life, the consequent spirituality naturally tends to be a spirituality of communion." "Witnesses to Love," chapter four of the document, is "an invitation to all consecrated people to follow to the end this path of spirituality and communion, renewing life and work." The instruction gives particular attention to "the necessity for consecrated persons to be engaged in dialogue with everyone: with brothers who are separated, with those who belong to other religions and with those who profess no particular religion." ...INSTRUCTION CONSECRATED LIFE... VIS 020614 (460)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines CONSECRATED LIFE as "The state of life which is constituted by the profession of the evangelical counsels...The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God. The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a "more intimate" consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ, more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come. Religious life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity. Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished from other forms of cosecrated life by its liturgical character, public professon of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and witness given to the union of Christ with the Church. Religious life derives from the mystery of the Church. It is a gift she has received from her Lord, a gift she offers as a stable way of life to the faithful called by God to profess the counsels. Thus, the Church can both show forth Christ and acknowledge herself to be the Savior's bride. Religious life in its various forms is called to signify the very charity of God in the language of our time... From the outset of the work of evangelization, the mssionary "planting" and expansion of the Church require the presence of the religious life in all its forms. "History witnesses to the outstanding service rendered by religious families in the propagation of the faith and in the formation of new Churches; from the ancient monastic institutions to the medieval orders, all the way to the more recent congregations. ...By this state of life consecrated to God, the church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit acts so wonderfuly in her. And so the first mission of those who profess the evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, "since members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate themselves through their consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the institute. In the Church, which is like a sacrament--the sign and instrument-of God's own life, the consecrated life is seen as a special sign of the mystery of redemption. To follow and imitate Christ more nearly and to manifest more clearly his self-emptying is to be more deeply present to one's contemporaries, in the heart of Christ. For those who are on this "narrower" path encourage their brethern by their example, and bear stricking witness "that the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes. Whether their witness is public, as in the religious state, or less public, or even secret, Christ's coming remains for all those consecrated both the origin and rising sun of their life: --Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Consecrated Life: #914-#916; #925-#927; #931-#933. "For the people of God has here no lasting city,...(and this state)reveals more clearly to all believers the heavenly goods which are already present in this age, witnessing to the new and eternaal life which we have acquired through the redemptive work of Christ and preluding our future resurrection and the glory of the heavenly kingdom." -Lumen Gentium 44-3. The Consecrated Life --segment taken for the The New Evangelization in America, by Pope John Paul II The history of evangelization in America bears eloquent testimony to the missionary work accomplished by countless consecrated Religious who from the beginning proclaimed the Gospel, defended the rights of the indigenous peoples and, with heroic love for Christ, dedicated themselves to service of the People of God on the continent. 150 The contribution of Religious to the proclamation of the Gospel in America is still enormously important; it is a varied contribution shaped by the charisms of each group: "Institutes of contemplative life which witness to God as absolute; apostolic and missionary Institutes which make Christ present in all the many different areas of human life; Secular Institutes which help to resolve the tension between real openness to the values of the modern world and the profound offering of one's heart to God. New Institutes and new forms of consecrated life are also coming into being, and these require evangelical discernment". 151 Since "the future of the new evangelization...is unthinkable without the renewed contribution of women, especially women Religious", 152 it is urgent to promote their participation in the various areas of Church life, including decision-making processes, especially on issues which concern them directly. 153 "Today too the witness of a life consecrated completely to God is an eloquent proclamation of the fact that God suffices to give fulfillment to the life of each person". 154 This consecration to the Lord must become generous service in the spreading of God's Kingdom. For this reason, on the threshold of the Third Millennium, it is necessary to ensure "that consecrated life be more highly esteemed and promoted by Bishops, priests, and Christian communities, and that, conscious of the joy and responsibility of their vocation, consecrated religious be fully integrated into the particular Church to which they belong, fostering communion and mutual cooperation". 155

World Day Prayer for Consecrated Life... Faithful God, I raise my voice in praise and glory for the gift of life you have given me. You sent your Son Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. I give you thanks for choosing me to follow in his footsteps. Consecrate me in your truth through your word that I may serve you. Create in me a compassionate heart to respond to the needs of your people. Bless all those who dedicate their lives to you through consecrated life. May your name and your reign be known now and forever, Amen.

Words in Jest Take Hold  By Phil Nero
The first time Ian Bordenave said he wanted to be a priest, he was looking for attention from someone. He wound up with more attention --and companionship-- than he possibly could have imagined. "One kid in our class who talked about being a priest all the time got a lot of accolades, so others of us started saying it in jest, just to get praise and attention from the parish priest," Bordenave says. "The first time I said it aloud, I was saying it just to make him happy. But it had an effect on me inside, and I said, maybe this is for me.'" The son of a career Air Force NCO, Bordenave found that the idea of the priesthood followed him through high school and even when he investigated a possible military career with the Army. He was deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1991, just after the Gulf War to help protect the capital city. An avid oil painter and exercise enthusiast, he regularly would run in the desert in the late afternoon, a time of day when the sun would disappear at dusk over distant dunes and create a palette of crimson and orange hues in the sky. "There wasn't much to do except work and wait for the next shift, so I ran. I had less than a year of active duty to fulfill and it was time to make a decision to either pursue a religious life or my army career," said Bordenave. The decision, however, was anything but clear cut. "The very time I felt most inclined to enter religious life was at the same time I fell in love with a woman and was considering married life," he said. Somewhere under the heavens of Saudi Arabia, religious life won out. To the surprise of his colleagues, who had no idea he was considering a religious life, Bordenave announced in December 1991, his decision to leave the Army and enter the priesthood. Where some might view the Church and the military as dissimilar, Bordenave sees a certain congruity. Both are highly organized with a sense of strict discipline; both are hierarchical; both provide for the well-being of their members." Most important, both have missions. "I feel I am being called to be a disciple of Jesus, to continue His mission by preaching the Gospel and making God known in the world," Bordenave said. He initially investigated the Dominicans on a whim. He was attracted to the sound of the name and liked their focus on monastic life, study and education. A major determining factor was the order's sense of community. "I particularly loved the aspect of communal prayer and of marking the time of day with prayer. I think it's a great way to help people grow in holiness and be mindful of God throughout the day," Bordenave said. "We chant most of our prayers, a process that gives prayer a certain beauty and slows the prayer down so it can be meditative. It also provides for greater unison with each other and with God." Bordenave began the seven-year formation-to-ordination journey with a year at the novitiate in Denver. He is now in the midst of five years of philosophical and theological studies at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, which will be followed by a year as a deacon. He is still in discernment in terms of his future dreams, but three possible paths come to mind. "One is that I'm an oil painter, so I would perhaps like to be involved with teaching art or doing art and incorporating it into a form of preaching." "Another is teaching philosophy or theology at the high school or college level. I love philosophy and theology as ways of coming to know about God. My enthusiasm for study leads me to want to pass that knowledge on to others." "The third would be a life in parish or campus ministry, with a particular emphasis on preaching." Bordenave pronounced his solemn vows in May. He urges others to consider religious because of the personal lessons gained in weighing the question. "I would ask people to seriously consider it as much as they consider marriage," Bordenave says. "Young people today are looking for personal fulfillment. Many things seem to promise that fulfillment. In this culture they are traditionally temporal things -- money, sex and control of your life. Much greater than that reality is the reality of God. "In letting go of everything, you find you have everything." Perhaps not as profound an irony is the fate of Bordenave's eighth-grade classmate who regularly pronounced his intention to enter the priesthood. "He is married, and I'm the one who is happily becoming a priest."

Going From Commune to Community By Peter Feuerherd
Jack Carnaghi's personal odyssey has included stints on a California Christian commune, years touring Europe performing in a rock musical, and co-owning a trendy St. Louis Mexican-style restaurant. At 43, he's on part of another segment of his life's pilgrimage, this time as a Franciscan Brother. It all makes one picture: He views his earlier varied experiences as preparation for what he is doing now. "I see it all connected," Brother Jack said during a recent interview from Quincy College in Quincy, Ill., where he serves as campus minister. The disparate experiences, he said, "are part of the person I have been. I was always challenging and looking." The most recent challenge in his life has been his calling as a Franciscan, which he has pursued for the past five years. He plans to make final vows later this year. Born in St. Louis, he moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was a teen-ager. The adjustment was not a smooth one. "I didn't have the traditional teen and prom years," he recalled, noting the time he spent in a Christian commune while he was still a teen-ager. Still, it was an experience which has served him well in religious life. "I had a taste of community living at a young age," he said. He then joined a rock music troupe which toured Europe for four years in the 70s. They performed a show called "Lonesome Stone," which Brother Jack described as "a cross between Godspell' and Hair'." Again, it was another slice of preparation for religious life. The show, he said, featured the lives of young people and how "God has really changed them." After he left the show, his own life continued through various changes: a stint in New York, managing a hotel in California, and three years spent as co-owner of a Mexican restaurant in his native St. Louis. "I always loved travel, adventure and meeting people," he said. His restaurant was profitable and the work was interesting. But through it all, a religious call continued to beckon. "I see and love God more when I'm in a struggle," he said, noting that for years he struggled with the idea of a religious vocation. From an early age he thought he wanted to be a priest, ever since he was an altar boy in grammar school. "But I wanted to be sure I knew what I wanted," he said. He found what he was seeking in the Franciscans. "I found each one to be individual and unique. They were not peas in the same pod," he said. He's found that life as a brother in a congregation which includes priests fits him fine. "I have more freedoms (as a brother)," he said. "What I feel called to do doesn't involve priesthood for me." He has found the vow of poverty to be especially liberating. "My vow of poverty has freed me to follow wherever I am led," he said. "I'm not burdened by consumerism, but follow a simple lifestyle that says to the world that happiness, peace, and commitment do not come from possessions, but from a heart free from such entanglements." Community living is something he also treasures as a Franciscan. "It is a challenge to society for it says I am part of something much greater than myself: a life of prayer and service to others. I struggle and have stumbled, but that does not diminish my life, my dreams, or my vision." That vision has been gleaned from all his experiences. In his travels, he said, he has discovered "there are many people who are suffering and hurting." He plans to earn his master's degree in social work -- in his early years as a Franciscan, he worked in a home for troubled children -- and do what he can for those who have no home. As one who has traveled the world in search of community, he wants to offer solace to those who physically and spiritually need support, particularly those who may not show up for Sunday Mass on a regular basis. "There's a lot of people who don't go to Church. I want to reach the outcasts," he said.

Forsaking Broadway and Finding God By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong
If things had gone the way 19-year-old Jessica Newton of Lincoln, Nebraska, had long intended, she would be in New York City, preparing for a career in the dramatic arts. Instead, she's in a convent in Waverly, Nebraska, learning what it means to be a nun and blissfully happy she traded the theater for religious life. But then, as she explains, God had a lot to do with it. Winner of a drama award and a high school arts scholarship, Ms. Newton always had dreamed of the stage. When the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, in Manhattan, accepted her in April 1997, she seemed well on her way. But a spiritual dimension had always been important to her, too, and so as she was graduating from St. Pius X High School, she began to wonder about her chosen path. "I didn't feel at peace with going to New York anymore," she said in a telephone interview midway through her six-month postulancy with the Marian Sisters, a Franciscan order in the Diocese of Lincoln. It wasn't that the big city scared her, or that she loved the theater any less. "It was just a weird thing," she said. "I didn't feel at peace." "I just felt God going, `Nope. I don't want you there.'" Before, she said, she "had no idea" she would ever seek religious life. "I was drawn to it, but I didn't know I was called to that," she said. Yet, once the doubts about her other plans grew, the call became impossible to ignore. On such occasions, "you have to have a lot of faith," she said. Friends and family proved supportive, she noted, but ultimately, "it really was between me and God." As a result, "I was here on prom day, signing papers" at the convent. Nor did dancing at the prom that night, or anything else, later change her mind. Thus, on Sept. 7, she was back with the Marian Sisters, one of two new postulants or future nuns undergoing initial formation. In her order the postulancy is followed by a year's novitiate, and then frequently by college, often at the nearby University of Nebraska. Eventually, "I'd really like to teach high school drama," she said. Currently, the 35-member order is chiefly involved in education, the health-care field, and social work, according to Newton and Sister Clare Sullivan, formation director. To Newton, the theater represents a means to people to God. Would He agree? "I think He would," she laughed, "but I guess I couldn't say." So far, she has no real doubts about her decision. "I have to take every day as a totally new adventure," she said. "There're a lot of ups and downs mostly ups. It evens out. Overall, "it's wonderful," she said. "It's like living in a house with all your best friends." Sister Sullivan in turn described both postulants as delightfully "pleasant and cooperative." "It's just been inspiring," she said. Difficult moments remain, of course. Teen-age habits do not always comport with religious habits, and in accepting the postulant's dress Ms. Newton has had to give up old ways such as sprawling on a couch to watch TV. But "I love the habit," she said of religious garb. "It's just such a sermon in itself," a visible sign of something special. "I like that message." She also acknowledges what she forsakes: the chance for romance, marriage, children of her own, a glamorous career. And she knows the controversies over female roles in the Church, has heard the comments of other women that they could see themselves as priests but not nuns. "I even said those same things," once, she admitted. Now, "I don't ever let that stuff bother me, I guess. There's so many better things to spend your time thinking about." One of them is God. A leading attraction of religious life is prayer, she said. "That's a definite luxury lots of prayer time. That's a luxury people don't have," in general. She credits prayer with helping her find her way. What was crucial was "being able to listen to God and it's hard," she said. "He turned my heart, and all I wanted was this."

Talking..and Listening to Cows By Eileen C. Marx
When Judy Varga was in the first grade she considered becoming a woman religious, but it wasn't until almost 40 years later, while she was standing in the middle of a Arkansas cow pasture with a herd of cattle gazing at her, that she listened to God's call and entered a Benedictine community. While this may sound like good material for Gary Larson's Far Side comic strip, the journey which led Sister Hildegard to St. Benedict Monastery in Canyon, Texas, was a serious one. "Way back in the first grade, I remember having the feeling that I wanted to be a sister," recalled Sister Hildegard. "There was something about the calmness of my teacher, Sister Arsene, who was a Sister of the Congregation of Divine Providence in San Antonio. I felt that this was what I wanted. But I realized if I kept this dream, I wouldn't be able to stay with my parents. I was an only child and I had a wonderful relationship with my parents. So from then on, if there was a vocation talk, I was elsewhere." Academically gifted, she earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Texas in Austin. For seven years, Judy was an assistant professor of chemistry at Nicholls State University in Louisiana. In 1972, Judy's father died, and for ten years she grieved his loss. Although she pursued a career in teaching, the desire to be a sister never left her. In 1988, Judy's mother broke her hip which led her back to San Antonio. "For three years I took care of my mother until she went to a nursing home," she said. "During this time I realized I wanted to do something in the church. I began talking to vocation directors and then I took a course in theology to get out of the house. At the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, I realized there was a place in the church for intelligent women." While studying for a master's degree of theological studies with a concentration in pastoral ministry, Judy spent four years as a pastoral care volunteer at the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence's Retirement Center in San Antonio. In 1993, after receiving her master's in theology, Judy was hired as a staff chaplain for St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. "At that point I decided that I'm not going to pursue this religious vocation business anymore," she said. "During the years I cared for my mother in San Antonio I tried to join the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence but I felt I wasn't being listened to. It was too painful. I had the chance to start a new life with my new job and set my face to the east. But on my first day of the job, I went to get my parking sticker and the person asked me if I were a sister. I told myself that I was going to pursue this until I find peace." Shortly after, Judy went to the House of Prayer, which is a ministry of the Fort Smith Benedictines of Texas. And this is where the cows come in. The House has cattle on the property. "On the grounds of the House of Prayer I would walk and walk," Sister Hildegard said. "Pretty soon, a cow would notice me. Then, the whole herd of cattle would be gazing at me. I realized that the way those cows were gazing at me is the way that God was looking at me. When I became comfortable with the way the cows were looking at me, I could become more comfortable with God looking at me. And what God was saying to me was, Judy, slow down and look into your heart. Why are you trying to join religious communities whose main focus isn't yours? Look within your heart.' And when I looked, I saw a monastic heart." "I became affiliated with the sisters at the House of Prayer, but in one of those mysterious turns, things didn't click for me even though I felt at peace," she said. "For three or four months I was in this terrible darkness and wondered why this wasn't working out. And then a sister told me, Stay with the pain and pray with the pain.' Our culture teaches us to avoid the pain, but after many years of looking, I finally found God in the pain." In 1995, Judy visited the St. Benedict Monastery in Canyon, Texas, and found her spiritual home. It's a monastic community where the emphasis is on prayer, Liturgy of the Hours and seeking God in community. In June, Sister Hildegard made her first profession of vows. "It's very much like a family atmosphere here," she said. "The center of our spiritual life is the monastery rather than a parish. In this monastery what excites me very much is being part of planting the seeds of Benedictine life in the Texas panhandle. The primary way that we evangelize is by our witness. I think you could say we're about life in the slow lane. We're about prayer, simplicity and togetherness." The sisters also are involved in the Promised Land Network, a rural outreach of the Diocese of Amarillo and committed to focusing on family farms and teaching farmers to manage their land. Through the Promised Land's El Hormiguero Project, the sisters also are involved in rural spirituality and teaching farmers to overcome the separation between church and the rest of their life. Sometime during the next three to six years, Sister Hildegard will take her final vows. "People should know there are a whole lot of choices out there," she said. We see a great hunger for a slower life. Many people are looking for simplicity. The world is going faster and faster and the Benedictines are going slower and slower. And I also tell them, if the cows start talking... make sure you listen!"

Secular Institutes: Following the Hidden Life By Charlotte Hays
"Many intellectuals assume that religious affiliation compromises your intellectual integrity," says Therese-Anne Druart, a philosophy professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. "I hope that my scholarly work and intellectual interests will hint that that need not be the case.'' A specialist in medieval Arabic philosophy, Druart, 51, was impressively educated at several of the world's great universities -- the Catholic University of Louvain, Oxford and Harvard -- and can boast of a mind-boggling array of publishing credits in scholarly journals. She also is a consecrated woman. But Druart is not a religious in the traditional sense of the word. She pursues her vocation through Caritas Christi, a secular institute that was founded in the 1950s by a Dominican priest and a lay woman. Druart regards Caritas Christi as the perfect vocation for her, though she discovered it in a roundabout way. "When I was very young," The Belgian-born scholar remembers, "I wanted to go into religious life. But I had a complex family situation with elderly parents and a sister who was physically and mentally handicapped." Feeling that she could not shirk her family responsibilities, Druart became instead a devout lay woman with a top flightcareer in academia. Although Druart, who has lived in the United States for 20 years, was able to read learned articles in academic journals in English, she learned to speak colloquially in a novel, so to speak, way. "I taught myself English by reading mysteries," she recalls wryly. "I could read English studies in my field but I had noordinary vocabulary." Despite her successful academic career at Catholic University, Druart still longed for a religious life. Then she heard about a new kind of vocation: the secular institute, which so few ordinary Catholics know about that it might well be regarded as the Church's hidden vocation. She began to study about Caritas Christi and made her first vows four years ago. As a member of Caritas Christi, Druart has promised to live a life of obedience and poverty, defined as leading a simple life within the context of her professional circumstances. She has also made a vow of celibacy. "We hope that because we don't feel ill at ease with being celibate, it will give other people something to ponder," she says. "We try to live simply according to our circumstances," she adds. "That's something we discuss with our sponsors," those persons guiding new members. Druart finds her vocation "quite fascinating." We want to live like everybody else. It's not always easy, but it allows one to live where things are happening, where God wants us," she says. "We are too few in Washington to have monthly meetings. I keep in touch with my sponsor by writing. She lives in Montana and is the only member of Caritas Christi who lives in Montana." Druart says that she finds her life as a member of a secular institute so satisfying that she long ago stopped thinking of it as a second best vocation. She did not fully realize this, however, until it finally became possible for her to enter a religious order. "When the last person in my life for whom I was responsible died, I was maybe 40," she says. "I wondered, Should I now consider going into a convent?' I thought not. I don't think I would have been as fulfilled in a religious order as I am in Caritas Christi. I realized I was really called to remain in the world." "I was lucky in the sense that I somehow came to the life for which I was called," she adds. Druart feels that Caritas Christi has given her more confidence and allowed her to pursue her academic interests. Druart also noted that members of Caritas Christi are encouraged to look nice, which for this born academic may mean something as simple as remembering to put on lipstick. "We don't want to give people the impression that being a Christian means going around in drab clothes and looking sad," she says. But Druart worries that others who seek a vocation but for some reason don't want to go into a religious order might not be as lucky as she has been. "Many vocations get lost," she laments, "because people don't know what to look for. One important thing is to make secular institutes better known. Druart plans to make her final dedication in 1999. She will do this during a Mass, which will, if possible, include other members of Caritas Christi. Caritas Christi members prefer not to make this dedication at their parish because they don't want to stand out and appear different from other Catholics. "I don't think I try to give witness," she says. "I simply try to live the vocation and to perceive more clearly how the Lord asks me to live it in my providential circumstances. I feel called to interact with people in various states of life because it helps me understand better the specificity of my own life. It also gives me an opportunity to discreetly and gently encourage other people in their own circumstances, whether they are seminarians, priests, religious or colleagues. Sometimes they are married friends or friends who have gone through the pain of a divorce or separation. I want to offer encouragement to those who struggle with serious problems and may not yet be able to accept the Church or even Christ." "The rest is up to God, who will do the real work," she adds.

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