Together the 13 women and men religious celebrating the anniversary of their vows to consecrated life represented 570 years of service to the Catholic Church. Some of their many varied ministries in the last six decades included helping adults deepen their faith, ministering during the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, nurturing vocations, supporting women in crisis pregnancies, and serving parishes and Catholic institutions in all capacities – from youth ministry to education to healthcare.
“You are a blessing for us, and you enjoy our respect, our honor and our love,” said Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory during his homily at the Archdiocesan Jubilee Mass for Consecrated Men and Women on Feb. 27 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Cardinal Gregory processes toward the altar for the Feb. 27 Mass at the National Shrine honoring men and women in consecrated life marking jubilees this year. At left are members of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
In February, the Catholic Church also honors religious on the World Day for Consecrated Life, which was celebrated on Feb. 2, 2021.
Praising the members of consecrated life for faithfulness to their vows and their ministry, the cardinal said, “We must be filled with wonder and thanksgiving – God’s word and God’s promise have been fulfilled in the women and men we celebrate today.”
Cardinal Gregory said the Church of Washington shares the joy of the jubilarians in remembering the day when their younger selves made vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Their anniversaries are proper occasions to mark and celebrate God’s limitless fidelity and love, he added, encouraging them to rejoice in “God’s faithful love for all of us – a love that knows no end.”
Cardinal Gregory gives his homily at the Feb. 27 Jubilee Mass for Religious celebrated at the National Shrine. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
As people created in God’s image, the Church is “always called to imitate God’s faithfulness,” Cardinal Gregory noted. Yet often in today’s world, there exists too many examples of promises made, but not kept, he said, adding that sometimes solemn promises are set aside -- such as those made between a husband and wife, or men and women and the Church, or those of public officials. “Today we celebrate with a group of people who have made and kept their promises and offer a glimpse of God’s own fidelity. They are among the fruitful branches that have clung to the vine of Jesus,” the cardinal said.
Members of religious communities serving throughout the Archdiocese of Washington attended the Feb. 27 Mass to pray for the women and men in consecrated life celebrating anniversaries. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
Cardinal Gregory blessed the jubilarians who included: Brother William Coombs of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, Father James Gardiner, of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, Sister Rea McDonnell, of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and Sister Ann Parker of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, celebrating 60th anniversaries; Sister Sara Dwyer of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt, and Brother Steven Vesely of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, celebrating 50th anniversaries; Sister Laura Lee Seubert, of the Little Sisters of Jesus and Sister Stephanie Still of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating 40th anniversaries; and Sister Marija Montherio of the Missionaries of Charity, Father Binh Nguyen of the Society of the Divine Word, Sister Mary Elizabeth Wusinich of the Sisters of Life, and Sulpician Father Chris Arockiaraj, celebrating 25th anniversaries.
Members of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin Matera pray during the Feb. 27 Jubilee Mass for Religious at the National Shrine. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
The jubilarians and several members of their religious communities, along with members of other religious orders, joined the cardinal in person at the liturgy – held with COVID-19 restrictions – at the National Shrine. The Mass was organized by the Archdiocesan Office of Consecrated Life. “Thank you, Sister Gilmary for this socially distanced but spiritually close gathering,” Cardinal Gregory said.
Sister Gilmary Kay, a Religious Sister of Mercy who serves as the Archdiocese of Washington's Delegate for Consecrated Life, speaks at the Feb. 27 Mass honoring local women and men religious marking milestone anniversaries. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
The Archdiocese of Washington’s Delegate for Consecrated Life, Sister Gilmary Kay, a member of the religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, told the Catholic Standard that nearly 1,000 consecrated women and men serve in various ministries in the archdiocese. “It is hopeful and enriching for me in preparing this celebration to see their diversity of gifts and charisms and yet know it is the same Lord who calls each of us to Himself,” Sister Gilmary said. “This Jubilee responds to the need to praise the Lord more formally and to thank Him for the great gift of consecrated life, which enriches and enlivens our local Church.”
She noted the “tremendous” service offered by women and men religious both in prayer and providing basic needs such as health, education, counsel, and specific aid to the homeless and distressed. “These brothers and sisters see Christ in others, and in serving them, they are serving Him,” Sister Gilmary said. “And while many receive the benefits of particular types of service, what they also receive is the love of Christ being expressed through another.”
A member of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta, prays during the Feb. 27 Mass at the National Shrine. The Missionaries of Charity serve the poor and the sick and are engaged in prayer ministry in Washington. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
Love overwhelmingly led several of the jubilarians to their vocations in consecrated life while continuing to drive their ministries. “The greatest blessing of my years in religious life is love,” said Father Binh Nguyen. “I love God and His words, and the people and community that I am called to serve.” The Society of the Divine Word priest, who celebrated his 25th anniversary, noted he feels God’s love returned in special ways “by God and the many people whom I encounter on my journey.”
Father Jim Gardiner, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement marking his 60th anniversary, said he has loved all of his assignments -- including ministering to those sick with HIV/AIDS, work in parishes, communications, retreats, ecumenical work and interfaith ministry. “There is always something more to learn and experience, and appreciate not only from my confreres, but also from the women and men I’ve met along the way,” he said.
Sister Sara Dwyer, a member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, described the Catholic adults she has served for 50 years as an inspiration. “Whether through my experiences in adult education or retreat ministry, the desire to ‘fall deeper in love with God’ was always a mutually shared gift,” reflected Sister Sara. “Faith is a gift to believe in what you can’t see – the mystery of God and God’s love in everyone.” The woman religious noted she was called to religious life by a desire to love both God and neighbor with her whole heart.
Women religious receive Communion during the Feb. 27 Jubilee Mass for Religious at the National Shrine. Participants wore face masks in accord with COVID-19 safety precautions. (CS photos/Andrew Biraj)
Sister Mary Elizabeth Wusinich, a member of the Sisters of Life marking her 25th anniversary, agreed. “I fell in love with Jesus and desired to give my whole life to Him,” she said. Sister Mary Elizabeth credited religious vocations in the Church for providing opportunities for a lifetime of loving God “with your whole heart, mind and strength and to pour out your life in generous service to those who are in need.” An active member of the pro-life movement while in college in the early 1990s, Sister Mary Elizabeth said prayer and adoration of the Eucharist eventually led her to the then-newly formed Sisters of Life. In the 25 years of her service the order has grown from 12 to more than 100 women religious and thousands of lay workers who assist pregnant women in need and also help men and women heal after abortions.
For 60 years, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Ann Parker said her religious order has offered her opportunities to grow in faith. “I have learned that my faith is a gift that takes on deeper meaning as I grow in my relationship with God,” said Sister Ann. She described her vocation as “a tug in my heart that God was calling me to come and follow Him.” And she noted that her faith is “a gift that continues to be life-giving for me and others as I explore new and relevant ways to give expression to how faith is valued and lived.” Sister Ann said her order served as a “community of disciples” in her ministries “enabling others to deepen their relationship with God and respond to opportunities to deepen their faith life.”
For Father Gardiner, that blessing has manifested itself in the sacraments, where the Franciscan Friar of the Atonement said he was able to be “part of people’s lives at critical moments,” such as Baptisms, Confessions, marriages and deaths.
Sister Mary Elizabeth said she sees God’s grace in daily life, adding, “As a religious, people stop me all the time to share their troubles and ask for prayers. It is a tremendous gift to be able to be an instrument of God’s presence and love to others.”
Members of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus participate in the Feb. 27 Mass for women and men in consecrated life at the National Shrine. Those women religious serve in ministries at St. Augustine Parish and School in Washington and at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
For Sister Sara, another gift is to be living in consecrated life with others who have professed the same vows. “Community is composed of intergenerational seekers of holiness; we are at different spaces but on the same sacred journey,” she said. “Sometimes you help and sometimes, you’re helped – we are in it together. Life is real and faith gives one strength for the journey.”
Father Nguyen said his journey toward priesthood began as a 10-year-old altar server in his home in Vietnam where he dreamed of applying to his local seminary. However, having left his native country in 1975, the priest came to realize “that part of my dream came true, but God wills it differently.” Eventually he was led to the Society of the Divine Word, where he has served in vocations ministry, as a parish vicar and as general chaplain for the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement. “The ministerial experiences generally have strengthened my faith and increased my conviction on my vocation, as I treasure it to my heart and am open to the unknown on the horizon,” Father Nguyen said. “But particularly being a member of a religious missionary order, I have been led deeper to the sensitivity to the cultural aspect that faith inevitably involves. I have learned to take root in my culture while I am learning the value of the other culture that supports faith and life.”
The biggest help Sister Mary Elizabeth learned is remaining in close contact with God in the sacraments and prayer. “Jesus is waiting – and has so much He desires to give you,” she added. “We are not meant to walk the journey of life alone. God wants to be our closest companion, our intimate friend.”
