World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, Providence 2022
 

On February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, also known as Candlemas Day, the Catholic Church celebrated its 26^th annual World Day of Consecrated Life. The celebration was instituted in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II and coincides every year with the feast, “which commemorates through the blessing and lighting of candles that Christ is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples” (USCCB). Parishes made special note of the commemoration during the weekend of February 5-6. And as it has done in the past, the Diocese of Providence, through its Office for Religious headed by Sister Elizabeth Castro HMSP, organized a special day for all area religious on Sunday, February 6. While it was not possible last year to hold this event in person, I had the privilege of presenting the main conference via Zoom, titled “Mission as a Journey to Holiness.” This year’s gathering was held in person, in the spacious crypt below the main floor of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, with Fr. Matthias M. Sasko F.I., of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, as the principal speaker. His talk was titled, “The Eucharist: Our Path to Holiness.” 

Fr. Mattias Sasko addresses religious of Diocese of Providence

Close to fifty of us were welcomed by Sr. Elizabeth, who introduced an original musical selection titled You Have Called Me, written and performed by the Novices of the HMSP.  Fr. Matthias then opened the program with a prayer and said grace over the meal in which he referred to Psalm 133:1- “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity.” His main presentation commenced after lunch. Fr. Matthias restricted his focus to one aspect of the Eucharist, that of sacrifice and of Our Lady’s presence in the Mass. “The subject is simple,” he said, and the Marian presence does nothing to take us away from the unique presence of Jesus Christ. “She is like a lens allowing us to see more clearly. That’s the role of Our Lady.”  The expert in this area of Mary as co-redemptrix with her Son, he said, is Msgr. Arthur B. Calkins, who has written extensively for Fatima Live and other outlets.  
 

Hymn offered by Missionary Sisters Servants of the Word (Hermanas Misioneras Servidoras de la Palabra - HMSP)
 

Father Matthias also referred to paragraph 1366 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit.” (Italics original to text.) In this way, he said, we can think of Calvary as “the altar of the cross.” Illustrating another of his points, Fr. Matthias asked, “How is Our Lady present on Calvary? Did she participate in any in that sacrifice?” In fact, she did. She was present and she did participate, he explained.  Co-redemption takes active and direct participation. She is indeed active and not passive like us. He concluded, “We are passive because we receive it and it undoes the fall of sin, that is, Adam and Eve’s act of original sin. Mary acquires the treasures of the Mass and then distributes them to us. She brings us forth to divine life.” Fr. Matthias recommended a book for further reading authored by Fr. Emile Neubert (1878-1967) entitled Life of Union with Mary, available through The National Shrine Shops at the Basilica in Washington, D.C. This book, as many others written by Fr. Neubert, has influenced readers since its appearance, including St. Maximilian Kolbe and Pope St. John Paul II. Fr. Matthias ended by saying, “Everything that is essential and integral to the sacrifice on Calvary is there in the Mass. Our faith is very incarnational and it’s very much physical.” 
 

Br. Sixtus enjoying fellowship at the gathering
 

Upon opening up the discussion to the floor, Fr. Joseph Gillespie, L.C., shared with those gathered that he strongly feels that a doctrinal document is forthcoming regarding Mary. It would be a third one on her co-redemption, in line with teachings on the Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus1854) and on the Assumption (Munificentissimus Deus,1950). Fr. Gillespie, the chaplain at Overbrook Academy in Greenville, Rhode Island, gave the main talk in 2020 at the diocesan celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life. Following a short break the group made its way to the main body of the Cathedral for Vespers, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, all of which were presided over by His Excellency Bishop Thomas J. Tobin. In his homily, he made reference to the homily of His Holiness Pope Francis delivered in St. Peter’s Basilica on Feb. 2, 2022. The pope spoke of two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, who waited in the Temple for the fulfillment of the promise that God made to his people: the coming of the Messiah. He said that “theirs is no passive expectation, it is full of movement.” Describing that movement, the pope said, “Let us look at what Simeon does. First, he is moved by the Spirit; then he sees salvation in the Child Jesus and finally he takes him into his arms (cf. Lk 2:26-28).” He invited the faithful gathered in Rome to “consider these three actions and reflect on some important questions for us and in particular for the consecrated life.” 

After the final hymn, Holy God, We Praise Thy Name, filled the cathedral, the traditional group photo was taken, this time around in the sanctuary. Everyone commented on how special it was to be back together again in person, and also “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity.”