The Consecrated Life

In 1997, Pope John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day, on which candles are blessed, symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. It is in preparation of this celebration that we are here today.

At our Baptism we are all called, set apart, given a vocation for some definite service.  To be baptised is to accept Christ’s call to follow him.  This is the way of holiness; it involves paying attention to the needs of others and to Christ, and living as an active member of the Body of Christ, the Church.  Another dimension of Christian vocation is the work that people do, we talk about having a vocation to a particular job, be that in education, health care, social services, in the media … in fact any work can be vocational if it is carried out as an expression of the person’s quest for holiness.

Underlying the rich variety of religious orders in the Church there is one simple reality: God calls men and women to live out their Christian vocation without owning personal property and without marrying, under obedience to a community. On the basis of that shared vocation to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, there are amazingly diverse ways of living out what the Church calls the consecrated life.

For some this religious Life can be in monasteries living a life of prayer and hidden work, like the Carmelites or the Poor Clares.

For others it is living Religious Life at the heart of the world responding to the needs of the Church and the world today, dedicated to teaching the poor, working in parishes, others serving the sick, or working with those on the margins of society and missionary congregations focused on the needs of developing countries.

As Jesus was the witness to his Father’s great love of humankind so are we religious called to show through our lives and work how much God loves each one of us. And as in Jesus ‘life there are three important dimensions:

  • A deep sense of prayer and being connected with the Father was a characteristic feature of Jesus and is an essential aspect of consecrated life. In order to experience God’s love in our lives and so to be able to witness to this love, we take time for prayer each day, in our communities and personally.
  • The passion for doing God’s will in ministry – through the sacraments, education, social service, nursing, and the contemplative experience of the monastic life – is an essential aspect of the consecrated life.
  • Community life is also a strong aspect of our chosen vocation.  As Jesus shared his life and mission with his disciples, we share, in community, all of who we are and what we have with Sisters, including our joys and sorrows, our frustrations and our fears and most of all we support one another. Sounds ideal… but just as the disciples let Jesus down and fought over who was the greatest and the least we often find ourselves having to forgive and be forgiven. 

The parish is blessed with the presence of three religious communities – St Gildas – the Sisters of Christian Instruction, the Sisters of Providence and the Sisters of Sion. Each order has its own charism which leads the sisters to involve themselves in various aspects of christian life both within and outside the parish.

The Sisters of Christian Instruction, known as the Sisters of St. Gildas, were founded in Brittany   after the French Revolution. The first Sisters made their Profession in 1820.

From the early years, the Sisters were meeting the greatest needs: the education of country children, the care of the sick and the poor, making the gospel available to all, especially the underprivileged. Communities were always situated in parishes and worked in collaboration with the clergy, with great apostolic zeal and openness as teachers, nurses and in other forms of service.

The presence of the Sisters of St. Gildas in England dates from 1903 – the founding of the first Community in Somerset was linked to the political events in France. However the Sisters envisaged their presence there as a missionary one, education being a priority.

In 1914, a Community was founded in the parish of St. Peter-in-Chains. Many Sisters taught in St. Gildas Independent School and in St. Peter’s Parish School. Gradually, the independent school was handed over to the Diocese but a few Sisters remained fully engaged in education and catechesis for many years.

The Sisters’ community is still very open to the parish, to its activities and to the people in their various needs. The Sisters are involved in  R.C.I.A., Padre Pio Group, pastoral ministries to the housebound, the sick, the handicapped, the Ascent Group, the Parish Team, music, the Soup Run – and to other parish groups as needs arise. The Sisters’ house is always ready to welcome small groups requiring space and quiet for various meetings

Through all this, in the simplicity and spirit of faith which characterises their religious family, “the Sisters of St. Gildas endeavour to be in the Church and in the world, humble and joyful witnesses of the love of God.”

The order of Sisters of Providence of Ruillé-sur-Loir was founded in 1806 in France by a rural parish priest who was overwhelmed by the lack of educational and pastoral care of the poor people in his vast parish. The group of young women he gathered to assist him pledged themselves to serve God by a life of prayer and dedication to the people of the area. This they did, giving the children a basic education and nurturing their faith as well as caring for families and ministering to the sick and housebound. They had very few resources and relied completely on God’s providence. Their motto even today is ‘Deus providebit’ – ‘God will provide’.

After a time, the women took vows and were recognised as a religious order, spreading to many other parts of France. They came to England in 1896. Today the Sisters are in England, France, Belgium, Holland, Madagascar and Sri Lanka numbering about 550, with a complementary branch in America and Taiwan. In the simplicity and joyful hopefulness of their original charism, they continue God’s work – witnessing by their life of prayer and presence with the people amongst whom they live and work in various ministries, with particular awareness of issues of justice.

The Sisters share in parish life whenever required – participating in the Soup Run, the choir, bringing Holy Communion to the sick and housebound, visiting and doing a bit of shopping when necessary.

You can find out more about the sisters on the order’s website.

‘We are called to witness by our life to God’s faithful love for Jewish people and to his fidelity to the promises He revealed to the patriarchs and prophets of Israel for all humanity. Our vocation gives us a particular responsibility to promote understanding and justice for the Jewish community, and to keep alive in the Church the consciousness that in some mysterious way, Christianity is linked to Judaism from its origin to its final destiny.’

It is by means of biblical and theological study and dialogue that the Sisters endeavour to build new friendships between the church and synagogue.

The Sisters of Sion in North London first came to Stroud Green in 1980 from Highbury, where they had a house in St. Joan of Arc parish.