Pray For Our Women Religious
Posted by Rebecca Teti in News on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 9:00 AM
It’s an exciting time for women religious in our country.
The first ever Apostolic Visitation of Insitutes of Women Religious in the United States is underway.
What is an Apostolic Visitation you ask? It’s a means the Church has for assessing and guiding religious communities and institutes in a “formal yet personal” manner. The Vatican appoints an official visitator, and that person, together with staff, visits a community to meet with superiors and members, receives documentation from them about issues pertaining to their community, and draws up a confidential report for the Vatican.
Although undoubtedly the process has to feel a bit like a final exam at least for the superiors of the communities involved, a visitation is a beautiful opportunity for the Church in Rome to “know” a community up close, and for the community to be assured it is on the right path. (Even if you feared your finals, once they were over didn’t you look back on your accomplishments with pride?)
Since religious life in the United States overall is facing unprecedented challenges (aging religious, vocations decline), the main purpose of this visitation is to encourage the growth of religious life.
Mother Mary Clare Millea of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the appointed Visitator. If you visit the informative site set up about the visitation, you can watch a recorded message from her about the visitation itself and how she’ll be conducting it.
The site also includes and FAQ section, explains the phases of the visitation, and posts news and updates.
Mother Clare and her staff are requesting prayers for the procees, and have set up a facebook group we can join to pledge prayer and receive updates. She writes:
I have a strong sense that this important study will lead to an increased vitality of religious life in our country. Please pray for all who are involved in the Apostolic Visitation: the religious congregations, individual sisters, the superiors, those who will be conducting the visitation and those who will prayerfully receive the final report.
Let’s join her in supporting the generous women who’ve given their lives to God and to us in every form of religious and consecrated life. May God bring about the renewal and strengthening the Church hopes for from this process.
P.S. The women in the photo are Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth
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