ROCKFORD—Bishop David Malloy was the main celebrant at a special Mass the morning of Feb. 7 at the Poor Clare Colettines Corpus Christi Chapel, which was followed by a luncheon in Fellowship Hall at the Cathedral of St. Peter.
The Mass welcomed men and women religious of the diocese along with some lay friends of the orders and three men from a relatively-new religious order in Chicago, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. That trio provided music for the Mass with the help of the choir loft organ, which the sisters said had not been used for many years.
The organ worked just fine and allowed those present to enjoy the good acoustics of “this lovely place,” Bishop Malloy said, adding that the “joyful privilege” of the Mass in honor of the Year of Consecrated Life was held at the Poor Clares because the cloistered nuns would be unable to attend the Mass elsewhere.
“I thought it important to do something to bring us together,” he said in his homily, expressing his hope to “make sure the Year of Consecrated Life doesn’t just slip away.”
The event was meant to celebrate both the general contributions to the Church by religious orders and the particular contributions “being made by you … and those who have gone before” in your religious communities, he said.
Referring to a letter by Pope Francis for the special year, Bishop Malloy said the pope made a request for “sort of mile markers” during the year as the religious communities reflect on their identity “formed and marked by history in your institutes.”
“History takes us out of ourselves,” the bishop said, “and reminds us of the responsibilities we bear” in continuing the work of the religious order founders. The “move to the present with passion,” he said, brings that past up to date, with the challenge of living so that founders still would recognize their communities of today.
The pope “talks about communion within yourselves, within your institute, with the bishop, with the Holy Father … (so) all the beauty of the faith come alive,” Bishop Malloy said.
“Pope Francis said (in his letter) ‘Let’s be honest – there are lots of challenges,’ and he names them,” Bishop Malloy continued. “The Holy Father calls you to continue with hope … (saying) not to see ourselves as those at the end of the line (and) to have the conviction that no sacrifice (we make) is ever lost.
“He asks for joy – he wants you to contribute to the attraction of the faith that is given to others … he asks you to use this year to wake up the world … to live your communion in your communities, be united to other institutes as well as to priests and to laity.”
Noting the common presence of religious orders in “the Church’s outreach to the peripheries,” Bishop Malloy also pointed to the service of their Poor Clare hostesses, saying “There is here a life of prayer that unites us.
“This year is a real opportunity for those of us outside (the realm of active and contemplative religious communities) to say thank you. Thank you for your lives, thank you for your gift, thank you for accepting that gift, thank you for all you do in fulfillment and service of that consecration.”
The Observer will recognize the many religious orders currently represented in the Diocese of Rockford with ongoing “snapshots” of the missions and charisms of those orders beginning this month and continuing throughout the Year of Consecrated Life.