|
|
Apostles of the Sacred Heart
Celebrate 100th Anniversary |
|
|
 |
The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gathered with families and supporters to celebrate a
liturgy of thanksgiving for 100 years of service to the
Catholic Church in the United States.
The celebration took place at St.
Rita Parish in Hamden, Conn. Archbishop Daniel Cronin of
Hartford presided and Archabbot Lambert
Reilly, OSB, of St. Meinrad Archabbey, Ind., was the
main celebrant for the event.
The congregation was founded by Clelia Merloni in Viareggio, Italy, in 1894. Headquartered
in Rome, the order's mission is to announce the message
of salvation to all people and to give witness to the love
of Christ. The community consists of nearly 1,500
consecrated women who currently minister to the church in
Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America.
To mark the centennial occasion
the sisters announced the establishment of a
spirituality center and the expansion of Sacred Heart Academy
at Mount Sacred Heart, the current U.S. provincial headquarters
in Hamden. Conn.
The sisters in the U.S. province
currently serve in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida and most
recently in Taiwan. Their ministries include education,
diocesan and parish positions, health care, and legal,
pastoral and social services. |
|
|
The Apostles of the Sacred Heart offered a live-in
experience for young women May 13th to May 22nd. The purpose
was for young women discerning a religious vocation to have an
opportunity to live with the Apostles of the Sacred Heart.
Living and praying at the Motherhouse and working in the
ministries with the sisters gave the women an experience of
religious life "up close and personal." Each evening they
had seminars with sisters in the
Motherhouse community. Sr. Clare shared her love of Clelia Merloni,
the foundress. Sr. Barbara shared her devotion to Mary
and planned a community May crowning. Sr. Mary Grace
integrated music into her presentation
and reflected on Scriptural Prayer and Discernment. A trip to
the sea and the call of the first Apostles was experienced
in a guided meditation led by Sr. Carolyn. The women
attended Sunday liturgy at St. Patrick Cathedral in New
York, while commemorating the 100 year celebration of the
Apostles of the Sacred Heart in the United States.
T
|
|
|
Sharing
the Love of the Heart of Christ in Service
|
|
Service
opportunities included days of teaching, assisting with May
crowning practice, play practice and music reviews. The
Apostles' Schools welcomed the help of the visiting women and the children loved
the individual attention!
|
|
| May |
|
13 |
|
Welcome
to Mount Sacred Heart! |
| |
|
14 |
|
Sacred
Heart Academy and Sacred Heart Nursery |
| |
|
15 |
|
St.
Rita Elementary School |
| |
|
16 |
|
St.
Raphael Elementary School |
| |
|
17 |
|
St.
Raphael Elementary School |
| |
|
18 |
|
Visit
Senior Sisters at the Manor/Drive to the Beach |
| |
|
19 |
|
ASCJ
Liturgy @ St. Patrick Cathedral, New York City |
| |
|
20 |
|
Sacred
Heart Private School - Bronx |
| |
|
21 |
|
Santa
Maria School - Bronx |
| |
|
22 |
|
Closing
Prayer Reflection - Pack - Airport |
|
|
|
Each participant
discovered new facets of religious life in one short week
and the Spirit of God was working to unite and inspire
the mini community of seekers. Many wonderful people were instruments
in the lives of these women and each played a special
part in helping the women grow in the love of the Heart of
Christ!
|
|
|
|
|
Millennials
in our Society |
|
Millennials
are those people born after 1980. The current
research about this age group has some very
complimentary things to say about them. |
|
|
|
|
Church
- Community |
Our
faith leads us to a basic attitude about life: to
give our love to others and to receive love. We
are communal beings; God calls us into community
with himself. Through baptism we become members of
God's family. The challenge today is to be able to
get along with each other. There are so many signs
of this lack of being able to live together--
violence, hatred, discrimination, etc. Faith calls
us to be in solidarity with our sisters and
brothers.
We are called to examine how we participate in the
community of believers and to look, in a special
way, at how we have been instruments of Christian
unity to restore the bonds of faith between
Christians and even among Catholic communities. We
are created by God and brought into community
through our baptism sacramental. It is through these communities
that we are enriched in faith and grow in the
knowledge and love of God. |
|
|
DISCERNMENT |
|
Pray
words of reconciliation |
"The Word of God is very near to you, it is in your
mouth and in your heart. See,
today I set before you life and prosperity, death
and disaster... Choose life," (Deut.
18). Now, having reviewed this day of your life,
look upon yourself with compassion and try to realize God's
manifestation of concern for you. Express sorrow
for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us
all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times
you resisted God's light today. Give thanks for
grace, the enlightened presence of God, and
especially praise God for the times you responded in
ways that allowed you to better see God's life. In
these acts of sorrow and gratitude you grow in
knowledge of God's gentle love for you.
"As the clay in the potter's hands, so are
you in
mine."
(Jer. 18:6) |
|
| Personal
Reflection |
How
does my life witness to the love of God for
others?
What do I do so that others may know God's love,
hear the name of Jesus or find a life-giving
community in the Church?
"God has set each member of the body in the
place he wanted it to be...God has so constructed
the body as to give greater honor to the
members so that there may not be dissension in the
body, but that all the members may be concerned for
one another."
1Corinthianns 12:18,24 |
|
|
|
|
|
For
More Information About Retreats, Days of
Reflection, Visit Days
please contact:
Sr. Christine Kiley, ASCJ
E-mail:
ckileyascj@yahoo.com |
|
|
|
