NARRAGANSETT — The Office for Religious for the Diocese of Providence recently held its Fall Day of Recollection for Men and Women Religious. The day’s events were meant to spiritually refresh local religious as they pursue their ministry, as well as honor those religious who have died, particularly in the recent past.
The Day of Recollection was held at the Christian Brothers Center, the place of residence for a community of De La Salle Brothers in Narragansett. The Christian Brothers Center is connected with Ocean Tides, a school for at-risk youth at which the local De La Salle Brothers serve.
Father Thu Truong, F.S.S.P., the parochial vicar for St. Mary’s Parish in Providence, offered a talk centered on the nature of interior life and its relation to the practice of mental prayer.
“The interior life is the recognition that, apart from Christ, we can do nothing,” Father Truong stated. “The interior life is a life that seeks and finds God in everything. It is a life of constant prayer in union with God. It is a life in which you die to yourself, you empty yourself entirely, you empty yourself of self-love and love of creatures so you can be filled with Christ instead.”
One of the highest expressions of the interior life is mental prayer, he noted, with mental prayer differing from verbal prayer in that, while the latter centers on the recitation of formulaic prayers, mental prayer consists in placing ourselves in the presence of God and contemplating his love for us. Father Truong then went on to quote from a series of saints, theologians and popes who spoke of mental prayer as one of the greatest tools in fighting against sin.
Holy Mass was then celebrated by Father Joseph Gillespie, L.C., a priest of the Legion of Christ, with Father Andrew Senay, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk of Portsmouth Abbey, serving as concelebrant.
Father Gillespie’s homily focused on the reality that God places different people in different situations and in different historical periods for the sake of serving his will in a unique manner. Recognizing this reality is a fundamental part of the religious life.
“It is a wonderful time to be a religious. It is a wonderful time to be a missionary for Christ,” Father Gillespie said, quoting from Pope St. John Paul II. “What did we come to the religious life for? I’ll tell you what we came to do: His Will, nothing more, nothing less.”
The afternoon session was comprised of small group discussions in which those involved discussed what motivated them to pursue the religious life. During this time, the sacrament of penance was also offered. The day ended with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction accompanied by the communal recitation of the Evening Prayer.
Many of those involved emphasized how the day’s events help to strengthen the bonds of unity between the individual and Christ, as well as deepen the sense of community both within and between religious communities.
“What we hope to accomplish is to be together with Jesus. But, with the Day of Recollection specifically, we hope to have that time together, aside from our own activities and apostolates and ministries, to have that encounter with Jesus in person, with prayer and reflection, which will nourish our religious vocation to be faithful to Jesus,” noted Sister Elizabeth Castro, H.M.S.P., the diocesan director of the Office for Religious.
Many of those present emphasized that the chief element motivating them to embrace religious life was the desire for closer union with Christ and to serve the Church. Such was the case with Sister Joanna Walsh, F.C.J., a member of the Faithful Companions of Jesus. Sister Walsh noted how she was inspired to join the order because of the example of the members of this order who taught her during her time in Catholic school, as well as of her two older sisters, who also joined the order.
“I wanted to be a teacher, and I just liked the way that the sisters were with the children, and I wanted to emulate them. And I wanted to be close to God,” said Sister Walsh.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Brother James Dries, F.S.C., a member of the De La Salle order of religious brothers. As a youth, Brother Dries attended a high school run by the De La Salle brothers and notes how they were a positive and all-pervasive presence.
“They were wonderful. They were great teachers. Wherever you went, they were there. If you went to a basketball game, there would be four brothers in the stands making more noise than all the fans. And that moved me,” Brother Dries said.
“We all know that, as religious, your priority, your focus, should be on God,” said Sister Lourdes, F.A.S., a member of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters. “Why are we here? It’s because we have to do the Will of God. We bring His message to others. Our priority should be on Jesus, and He will do the rest.”
