Year of Consecrated Life

“I want to say one word
to you and this word is joy.
Wherever consecrated people are,
there is always joy!” – Pope FRANCIS

In 1997, Pope John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples.

In November 2013, Pope Francis announced the celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life at a meeting with the Union of Superiors General. The Year of Consecrated Life will begin on the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2014 and will close on the World Day of Consecrated Life on February 2, 2016. As Pope Francis announced that 2015 will be a year dedicated to the promotion of consecrated life, he is also asking the church’s religious sisters, brothers and priests to “wake up the world” with their testimony of faith, holiness and hope. A three-pronged focus of the celebration is also laid down: first, the renewal for men and women in consecrated life; second, a thanksgiving among the faithful for the service of sisters, brothers, priests, and nuns; and third, an invitation to young Catholics to consider a religious vocation.

In the Archdiocese of Davao, Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, D.D., sent out a circular announcing that the local Church of Davao will participate in the celebration. He has formed a committee of women and men religious and diocesan priests to coordinate this celebration with him.

Following the schedule from Rome, the activities in the Archdiocese will begin with a Holy Hour and Solemn Vespers on Saturday, November 29, 2014. This will be held in San Pedro Cathedral starting at 4:30 P.M. A Eucharistic celebration will follow at 5:30 P.M. On Sunday, November 30, 2014, all parishes will have a special celebration of this opening at a Sunday morning Mass. The religious will participate in this Mass in the parish where they are residing, are assigned, or have their apostolates.

According to the data from the Catholic Directory of the Philippines, there are approximately about a little more than sixty groups of religious men and women present in the Archdiocese of Davao, with a total number of approximately four hundred. There are occasions when they gather together to celebrate the gift and the grace of consecrated life. An example of this joy-filled gathering is the forthcoming Christmas gathering of the religious with the Archbishop, together with the clergy of the Archdiocese of Davao. May the women and men who promised to follow Christ more closely by living a life of poverty, chastity and obedience radiate the joy of the fullness of life.