Archbishop Henning celebrates morning Mass for the religious superiors in the Pastoral Center's Bethany Chapel. Pilot photo/Gregory L. Tracy
BRAINTREE -- Archbishop Richard G. Henning welcomed nearly 100 leaders of men and women religious congregations present in the Archdiocese of Boston for Mass and fellowship at the archdiocese's Pastoral Center in Braintree on Feb. 3, in celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life, which was observed the previous day.
Among the orders represented at the gathering were the Jesuits, the Discalced Carmelites, the Brotherhood of Hope, the Redemptorists, the Assumptionists, the Xaverian Brothers, the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the Marist Missionary Sisters, the Little Sisters of the Assumption, the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Franciscans of the Poor Christ, the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, the Holy Union Sisters, the Medical Missionaries of Mary, the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Paulist Fathers, the Christian Brothers, the Augustinians and Missionaries of Charity, and others.
The day began with a 9 a.m. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Henning in the Pastoral Center's Bethany Chapel.
In his homily, the archbishop told the religious in the assembly that their work in communities should combine charitable acts of service with evangelization and witnessing for the faith. He pointed to the witness of the early Christians who served God by serving the most vulnerable in their midst, regardless of who they were or what they believed. He said that such a witness is paramount in today's secular society.
After Mass, the archbishop and the religious gathered in the Pastoral Center's auditorium for a morning of conversation and dialogue to help the archbishop get to know the work of each order present in the archdiocese and discuss the challenges they face. The day's activities were moderated by the archdiocese's delegate for religious, Sister Germana Santos.
The religious sat at tables together, and after a brief introduction of the orders present, each was asked to discuss five questions posed by Archbishop Henning: "What would you like me to know about religious life in this archdiocese and in your religious institutes?" "Are there aspects of your community and its missions that may be in need of assessments and updating?" "How does your community evangelize? Do you have efforts that catechize the faithful? How do you contribute to the revival of church practice among folks who have drifted from the faith?" "How does the community include the poor, and the marginalized, in places at the table?" And "In what ways do you address concerns for the care of our common home? What ideas do you have to expand or increase our focus?"
The religious were given time to discuss the answers amongst themselves at their table, after which one representative was chosen to present a summary of the table discussion to the archbishop and the whole gathering.
The group was diverse, representing men and women from a wide variety of communities, charisms, and geographic areas, but many shared similar concerns: An aging population within their own ranks, the challenge of evangelizing young people in a secular society, the affordability of Catholic education for low- and middle-income families; and concern among the immigrant communities they serve amidst the current political climate.
After hearing the summaries presented by each table, Archbishop Henning spent nearly an hour addressing the questions and concerns raised by the religious communities, after which the gathering concluded with lunch.