Welcome to the second volume of our rebooted Vocation Newsletter. This fall we’re introducing an optional text version of the Newsletter. It will be a shorter version, with a link to the complete version on our website. If you would prefer to receive the text version, please sign up here.
As we passed a particularly lovely group of fall trees on our way home from Mass, Sister said, “They’re dying so beautifully.” It reminded me of the phrase I would repeat so often when preparing middle schoolers for Baptism. In Baptism “we die to self and rise to new life.” The death of the leaves this fall will give way to new growth next spring. The death of the “old man” in Baptism will give way to the life of the “new man” in Christ.
In Religious Life we not only witness this dying-rising dynamic in those we prepare for Baptism, but we live it out daily. In our life of consecration we are continually called to follow Christ to the Cross and also to be re-born in the joy of the resurrection. The Church has named nine aspects of Religious Life “essential elements,” many of which can be illustrated in death to self and rising to new life. This year in our Vocation Newsletter we will be sharing these elements, how we live them, and how they are a part of vocational discernment.
This month we’ll start with a broad overview and a recap of PVMI life since our last Newsletter – when we shared the good news that our foundress, Mother Mary Teresa Tallon was named Venerable by Pope Leo XIV. (You can read it here, if you missed it.)
[Quotes below are from Essential Elements in the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate (EE)-available online here].
Consecration by Public Vows
The Religious Sister professes public vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, by which she “gladly dedicates the whole of life to God’s service, regarding the follow of Christ ‘as the one thing that is necessary, and seeking God before all else and only Him.'” (EE14)
This summer we rejoiced to celebrate with two of our Sister their Jubilees (anniversaries). Sr. Rita-Mairelenes celebrated 70 years of Religious Life and Sr. Mylene Rosemarie celebrated 25 years of vowed Religious Life. All the Sisters who were able to come, gathered together to welcome friends and family, as we celebrated God’s fidelity to the Sisters, and the Sisters’ faithful living out of their consecration.
Communion in Community
“The foundation of unity [in a Religious Community], however, is the communion of Christ established by the one founding gift.” (EE18)
This summer, as we were gathered together at our Motherhouse, we joined together in a Holy Hour of Thanksgiving for the gift of our Mother Foundress being declared Venerable. Mother Mary Teresa referred to the “founding gift” as the “Original Vocation” and we have been rejoicing and thanking God for this great gift all year!
Evangelical Mission
“The choice of a person by God is for the sake of others: the consecrated person is one who is sent to do the work of God in the power of God.” (EE 23)
In the summer, we tend to gather together for a time of renewal, and then we are sent out. This summer three Sisters were sent on a temporary mission to a parish in Boston. A temporary mission often includes training lay people to go door-to-door, searching out those who are away from the practice of their faith – following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd. The Sisters trained multiple groups in both Spanish and English, reaching out to many hearts with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
“Faithfulness to daily prayer always remains for each religious a basic necessity. Prayer must have a primary place in your constitutions and in your lives.” (EE29)
We pray both communally and privately for many hours each day, as well as taking a Retreat Day each month. Some might think Sisters would be tired of praying, but actually our eight-day silent Annual Retreat is a highlight of the year for us! This summer we were blessed with a holy Dominican priest, who led the Community on a special retreat in the spirit of our Foundress.
Asceticism
“Religious life itself is an ongoing, public, visible expression of Christian conversion. It calls for the leaving of all things and the taking up of one’s cross to follow Christ throughout the whole of life.” (EE31)
This is probably the most obvious element that reflects our opportunities to “die to self and rise to new life” on a daily basis. This time of year is also when our Sisters tend to be transferred from one Convent to another or one apostolic assignment to another. Each time we offer another “fiat” (yes) to God, we grown in closer union with Christ, our Beloved.
Public Witness
“Religious life is a witness that should clearly manifest the primacy of the love of God and do so with a strength coming from the Holy Spirit.” (EE32)
One of the simplest ways we publicly witness to our love of God is through our religious habit. A recent vacation day this summer to a Church, a zoo, and an ice cream stand allowed us to witness to many. Parishioners, staff, and young people stopped us after Mass to ask about our Community. A couple young moms with their families at the zoo shared their experiences with Sisters (and let us hold their babies:). A woman asked for our prayers as we enjoyed our ice cream. What a simple way to witness to God’s love!
Relation to the Church
“Religious life in a special way participates in the sacramental nature of the People of God.” (EE38)
A sacrament makes visible an invisible reality, and the presence of Religious Sisters in the local Church makes visible the reality that each Christian is called to eternal life, and that this life in Christ doesn’t have to wait for Heaven, but can be lived now! One way that we share actively in our relation to the Church is by supporting our local Bishop and Diocesan outreach by attending events like the Young Adult Summer Celebration or Ordinations, as well as lifting them up in our daily prayers.
Formation
“Religious formation fosters growth in the life of consecration to the Lord from the earliest stages, when a person first become seriously interested in undertaking it, to its final consummation, when the religious meets the Lord definitively in death.” (EE44)
This year our entire Community is participating in a Year of Renewal, as we dive deeper into our the “Original Vocation” given to our Foundress by the Holy Spirit. Formation is a life-long process, and many theologians agree that it won’t stop even in Heaven!
Government
“[Religious men and women] are members of religious institutes whose structures reflect the Christian hierarchy of which the head is Christ Himself.” (EE49)
While we might not readily associate government with a way of life centered on union with God, it is an essential element of Religious life, and is a reflection of the headship of Christ in the Church. This summer Mother convoked (began the process for) our 2027 General Chapter. These Chapters occur every five years in our Community and are a time of reflection and discernment on the movement of the Holy Spirit in our life as a Community.
Where do I go from here?
Discernment is not only for a time period before beginning your “Big V” Vocation. Discernment is an ongoing unfolding of our call and relationship with our Loving God. If you would like to talk about your vocational journey, or if you think God may be calling you to be a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate, please reach out to me or fill out our Vocation Inquiry form here.
Also, could you help us spread the word? Do you know any young Catholic women who would be interested in receiving this Vocation Newsletter? Pass the word along and please pray for many young women to answer God’s call to grow closer to Him through discernment.
In the hope of Christ,
Sr. Theresa Marie, pvmi
Vocation Director
Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate
845-542-1086
“We must ground ourselves deeply in Christ.” ~Venerable Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, PVMI
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