Celebrating those who reflect the light of Jesus to all peoples

World Day for Consecrated Life, which was celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 3, was instituted by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997 as 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 Feb. 2, 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. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church.

Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans led more than 60 consecrated women and men religious in Evening Prayer at the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Chapel at Fruit Hill.

“Every priest, bishop, deacon, consecrated man and woman, lay people who do so willingly, who are reciting Evening Prayer on this Sunday evening, we are all reciting exactly the same psalms, the same antiphons, hearing the same readings,” Bishop Evans said. “This is a sign of our unity; this is a sign of our Catholicity. It may be said in many different languages, but we are all praying the very same words so we united in mind and heart, literally with millions of other people at this very moment.”