Richly blessed by ministry of consecrated women and men

I was privileged this past weekend to celebrate the Anniversary Mass for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, the community that had staffed the elementary school that I had attended when I was a boy. I was invited because two of the 60-year jubilarians had taught me: Sister Jane Ann Cherubin (my second-grade teacher) and Sister Maureen O’Brien (who taught me throughout my middle school years). Along with the two of them were a number of Sisters of Charity celebrating 60 years, 65 years, 70 years and even 80!

I was humbled when I thought about their combined years of service, and the variety of ways that they had served the Church by giving witness to Christ, imitating in particular his poverty, chastity and obedience. It was a blessing to be able to catch up with the jubilarians as well as the other sisters who had been so instrumental in my education and faith journey. They prepared me to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist and in the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, and they would later open my heart to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have no doubt that they prayed me into the seminary as well, and that they have supported me in my 33 years of ministry.

My family had moved from one section of Pittsburgh to another right before I started school. The only non-negotiable for my mother was that we would have to move into a parish where the Sisters of Charity taught. She had been blessed to have the sisters when she was a young girl and wanted the same opportunity for her children. As I now reflect on the many ways in which the sisters placed in my heart a great desire both to learn and to serve, it is easy to understand my mom’s reasoning. These were incredible faith-filled women who loved the Church and excelled as both learners and educators.

We are richly blessed in this archdiocese by the presence of so many consecrated women and men. It’s not an exaggeration to state that they have been the backbone of this local Church, providing educational opportunities, health care, social services and phenomenal parish ministry. As we are reminded by the jubilarians featured in this issue of The Catholic Spirit, our consecrated women and men have truly been the loving hands of Christ in our local Church. Their selflessness and perseverance, moreover, inspire the rest of us to greater generosity and faithfulness in our vocations as well. We are always enriched by women and men who can remind us that we can overcome all kinds of challenges in life when we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and strive to live out the evangelical counsels as appropriate to our state of life.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Pope Francis, with decades of experience of religious life as a Jesuit, would have a special appreciation for the gifts that come to the local Church through the wisdom of our brothers and sisters in consecrated life. In calling for input for the upcoming Synod on Synodality, he asked in particular for the engagement in the synodal journey of those in consecrated life. I feel particularly blessed that my delegate for Consecrated Life, Sister Carolyn Puccio, CSJ, helped us to respond to the pope’s desire by arranging for a listening session on Zoom open to any consecrated women and men in this archdiocese. The depth of their insights, and their example as careful listeners and discerners, inspired me greatly. I couldn’t help but recall the contribution that had been made to our Archdiocesan Synod by our consecrated sisters and brothers just a few weeks earlier.

As we pray for this year’s jubilarians and are mindful of their phenomenal contributions to the strength of this local Church, let us be sure to pray as well that more women and men will hear the call to consecrated life and respond with the same selflessness that has characterized the lives of those being honored this year. In his 1996 post-synodal exhortation, “Vita Consecrata,” St. John Paul described consecrated life as a “gift of God the Father through the Holy Spirit” to the whole Church. May we in this archdiocese grow in our appreciation of that gift, do all that we can to nurture and sustain it, and never forget to pray for those who are called to give this extraordinary witness to Christ, the chaste, poor and obedient one.