Religious Life:
ADeepeningofBaptismal Consecration
By Sister Thomas Aquinas, O.P.
“W
sn’t there a sacrament for religious he question I boldly – for a postulant er very first week – asked of the an priest teaching a sacramental course into which we new postulants been ushered. He patiently explained e is a sacrament for religious life: The beautiful window (left) g the baptism of St. Cecilia’s husband, provides an opportunity to reflect sm as the sacrament of religious life baptism Valerian and all the Christian receive the gift of “ an intimate and insertion into the personal mystery t to live in Christ ” Bishop Erik sks of us regarding our baptism: been given this extraordinary and you carry within you an infinite f grace and of life What are you going th it? How are you going to make this itful and constructive, not only for but for the sake of the Body whose you are? How can you pursue ss, freedom, fecundity for yourself and me time be a blessing for others?”[1]
One way for some of the faithful to make the grace baptism especially fruitful is by responding to the c religious life “In the Church’s tradition religious pr considered to be a special and fruitful deepening of consecration received in Baptism, inasmuch as it is by which the close union with Christ already begun Baptism develops in the gift of a fuller, more explic authentic configuration to him through the profess evangelical counsels [of chastity, poverty, and obedi
St Cecilia responded to God’s invitation to be c to Christ by consecrating her virginity to Jesus as h Spouse The witness of her faith, fidelity, and trust Lord Jesus moved her husband Valerian not only to baptism, but also to accept the call to consecrate his own celibate chastity to Christ
While her call was unique, all the baptized are “called to holiness, which consists in the perfection of love ”[3] In the window on the previous page, Pope Urban is seen pouring the cleansing water of baptism over the bowed head of Valerian, reminding us of the universality of the call to holiness received upon insertion into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church As Pope John Paul II wrote in Vita Consecrata:
The equal dignity of all members of the Church is the work of the Spirit, is rooted in Baptism and Confirmation and is strengthened by the Eucharist. But diversity is also a work of the Spirit. It is he who establishes the Church as an organic communion in the diversity of vocations, charisms and ministries. . . . Consecrated persons, who embrace the evangelical counsels, receive a new and special consecration which, without being sacramental, commits them to making their own – in chastity, poverty and obedience – the way of life practiced personally by Jesus and proposed by him to his disciples. [4]
John Paul II continues:
As a way of showing forth the Church’s holiness, it is to be recognized that the consecrated life, which mirrors Christ’s own way of life is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church’s purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery, will be achieved, and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God.[5]
consecrated chastity and of the religious life consecrated by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, a dimension described by Pope John Paul II as the presence in this current age of a state of life signifying the heavenly life to come after the final resurrection.
“[B]aptism isn’t just a gift, but it is also a commission to live in the truth and to confess the truth ”[6] The mission of consecrated men and women, rooted in their baptism and distinguished by their vows, is “special conformity to Christ, chaste, poor and obedient. . . . A particular duty of the consecrated life is to remind the baptized of the fundamental values of the Gospel The consecrated life, by its very existence in the Church, seeks to serve the consecration of the lives of all the faithful ”[7] In this way the circle is completed: baptismal consecration lays the foundation for further consecration by religious vows, which in turn constitute the religious life as a witness and model of the life of holiness to which all baptized persons are called as the means to salvation for themselves and the world in and through the grace of redemption won for us by Jesus Christ.
[1] Erik Varden, “On Baptism – Conversation with Tibor Görföl,” March 22, 2025 Communio, accessed 10/15/2025 https://coramfratribus com/archive/on-baptism-conversationwith-tibor-gorfol/
[2] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (March 25, 1996), #30
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid , #31
[5] Ibid , #32
[6] Varden
[7] John Paul II, #31, 33
Sonnet in Honor of the SacredHeartofJesus and the ImmaculateHeartofMary
Written by a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia
A hole is a privation of the whole. This hole permitted for a greater good. Hole-hearted man! This breached wall does console through emptied All. Behold, the Greatest Good.
Privation, too, is knowledge out of reach. This gap is bridged by faith, towards higher truth. Hole-hearted woman! Witnessing the breach your yes is pierced. Behold, Beloved Truth.
Embraced privation docile, poor, and chaste. Surrendered goods make way for Life divine. Hole-hearted life! (From alabaster waste perfume.) Behold, a spring of Love Divine.
Hole-hearted love: This always open way of true, whole-hearted love. Behold, His Way.
Book Recommendation
Hind’s Feet on High Places
By Hannah Hurnard (1955)
I“The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like Hind’s Feet, and he will make me walk upon mine High Places” (Habakkuk 3:19)
n her highly-popular work Hind’s Feet on High Places, Christian author Hannah Hurnard masterfully weaves a story about the paramount journey of the human soul to God. Presented as an allegory, the narrative follows a young cripple named Much-Afraid who lives with “her friends and fellow workers Mercy and Peace in a tranquil little white cottage in the village of Much-Trembling” MuchAfraid must leave behind her fears and embark on a transformative pilgrimage with “the Shepherd to the High Places where ‘perfect love casteth out fear.’” With her two companions, Sorrow and Suffering, Much-Afraid traverses many dangers, but the loving Shepherd never fails to reassure Much-Afraid that He is with her every step of the way.
HiddenTreasure
Sr. Magdalena
"But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. "
2 Cor. 4:7
My vocation story began when I was five years old and had a beautiful experience during the elevation of the Host at a Mass in a Carmelite Monastery in Jefferson City, MO. I cannot express all that God did in that moment, but I knew He was real, that He was God, and that I needed to do something for Him
Throughout my childhood of enjoying movies, hiking, Polly Pockets, and time with my family and friends, the thought of belonging completely to Jesus as His Bride stayed in the back of my mind. I attribute this to the mercy of God in response to my stubbornness - He knew it would take me awhile to say "Yes," so He started early!
My family prayed, read Scripture, attended Mass, and almost every week travelled to our parish for a Holy Hour. I think the time that I spent in Adoration was the most impactful for my vocation Through the time of quiet, I began to know Jesus and to learn to listen to His voice I also had the opportunity to meet sisters and priests from various communities and to see that their vocations made them more themselves, more joyful and authentic. There were times of doubt and times when I was unsure of my capacity for religious life, but the Lord reached out to me in a thousand different ways to help me see that He had beautiful plans My close friend's aunt is also a sister in our community and her encouragement helped me during the years of discernment I entered our community right after high school and it has been a joyful journey ever since A vocation is a precious gift, a hidden treasure that we carry in "earthen vessels" until we reach the celebration of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Heaven!
CHRISTMASPREPARATIONS
ABOVE&LEFT/NovicespreparehomemadeChristmasgiftsfor ourbenefactorsingratitudefortheirgenerosity
BELOW/OnChristmasEve,thesistersdecoratethetreeand tablesintherefectoryinpreparationforChristmasbreakfast
CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS
ABOVE/Thesistersintheschola andinstrumentalistsrehearsein preparationfortheChristmas liturgies.
LEFT/Thelargetreeinthe recreationhall,whichwillbe enjoyedduringthedaysafter Christmasbymanyvisiting familiesofthesisters,is trimmed.
RIGHT&BELOW/Withover300 sistershomeforChristmas,the kitchenisabusyplace,andmany handspitchintomakelight work
CELEBRATINGCHRISTMAS
ABOVE/MotherAnnaGraceandtheyoungestpostulant bringBabyJesustohismangerrightbeforeMidnight Mass
LEFT&BELOW/ChristmasMidnightMass,celebrated byFatherMarkChrismerinourMotherhouseChapel,isa joyousoccasionmarkedbybeautybefittingtheliturgy
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS
ABOVE&BELOW/The sistersenjoydelicious mealstogetherinthe refectoryonChristmas Day.
CENTER/Christmasisa timetobetogetherin community,enjoying coffeeandevensixty degreeweatheroutside!
SEEK26
ABOVE/SisterJaneDominicwasaspeakerattheFortWorthSEEKandSisterMaryMadelinespokeattheDenverSEEK.Clickon thepicturesabovetowatchavideooftheirtalks
MIDDLE/SeveralofoursisterswereblessedtoparticipateinSEEK26inColumbus,Ohio.Weencounteredmanyoldandnew friends,membersoftheDominicanfamily,andmanybishopsandpriests,includingBishopMarkSpaldingofNashville, Tennessee(BOTTOMRIGHT).
BOTTOMLEFT/TheDominicansinvitedparticipantstoprayComplineintheDominicanmannereacheveningofSEEKin Columbus
SEEK26
TOP/Inthelargeconferenceroom whichheldthemorethan16,000 participantsforMassandtalks throughoutSEEK
MIDDLE/InColumbus,thesisters hostedVespersandDinnerfor womenwhowantedtolearnmore aboutourcommunity.Thankyouto theDominicanFriarswhogenerously allowedustomeetatStPatrick’s CatholicChurch
BOTTOMLEFT/Sistersposewiththe womenwhojoinedthemforprayers anddinnerinSEEKFortWorth
