Luncheon at Providence College for the World Day of Consecrated Life

Throughout the time that I spent at SEEK24 in St. Louis during the first week of the new year, doing my best to represent Portsmouth Abbey at the annual conference of the Fellowship of College and University Students (FOCUS), I found myself answering all sorts of questions. Some visitors to our booth wanted to know “which” Portsmouth we were (New Hampshire? Virginia? Oregon? Ohio?). Some Irish lads, since we are of the English Benedictine Congregation, assumed that we were from Portsmouth, England. Other young men were curious about the differences among the other orders who were also at the gathering. Besides the various Benedictine houses, there were Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, Carmelites, and Salesians, as well as the Legionaries of Christ and the men from the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest (ICKSP), Regnum Christi and even the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A. (AMS) based in Washington, D.C. But I was reminded by a recent guest to the Abbey, Zach, an officer in the U.S. Navy I first met at SEEK24, about a fundamentally basic question that first needed answering: What is the difference between a vocation to the diocesan priesthood and diaconate, and one to the consecrated religious life?

A full month after our meeting in St. Louis, and while on a recent evening drive to Boston’s Logan Airport to deliver Zach to his pre-flight hotel, we shared deeply and unabashedly about many things, including our spiritual journeys to this point. We agreed that some young men are not even aware yet of the differences that make each vocation unique and separate, even though they may have heard a call to a life dedicated to getting closer to God. Thus, the confusion, if that is not too strong a word, might be more prevalent among recent converts to Catholicism who have not had the presence and influence of consecrated religious men or women in the formative years of their religious upbringing. The day before that drive, Zach had accompanied me to Providence College for the World Day of Consecrated Life as celebrated in the Diocese of Providence, an event which may have provided him with some answers for his questions about consecrated religious life.

Sr. Elizabeth Castro, HMSP, addresses religious

Coordinated by the inimitable Sister Elizabeth Castro, H.M.S.P., and her Diocesan Office for Religious (full disclosure: I’m part of it), the event brought together upwards of 75 men and women consecrated religious for an afternoon in celebration of their own service and dedication. In witness of his support for their work, His Excellency, The Most Rev. Richard G. Henning, D.D., S.T.D., bishop of the Diocese of Providence, was present from start to finish. Guests were greeted in the Ruane Center for the Humanities by the Providence College staff serving appetizers and soft beverages, followed by lunch in the Fiondella Great Room, with a welcome and introduction by Sister Elizabeth. Afterwards, Rev. Joseph Guido, O.P., Prior of St. Thomas Aquinas Priory at the College, gave the main presentation, titled Three Lives, Three Conversions, Three Lessons for Our Times. Prior Guido began by explaining that Sister Elizabeth had actually invited him to give a talk the previous year but mitigating circumstances around schedules did not permit it. He asked for a rain check for the following year. One day many months later, having apparently forgotten about the agreement, he received a reminder call from Sister which resulted in today’s presentation.

Lt. Zachary Sandler, Bishop Richard Henning, Br. Sixtus Roslevich
(photo: Adam Habershaw)

Following the talk, the group walked to The Chapel at St. Thomas Priory, where Bishop Henning presided at the Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, and Vespers II for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. In his homily, he expressed deep gratitude, as always, to Sister Elizabeth. Referring back to Prior Guido’s situation and his initial reticence to speak, the bishop strongly suggested that if she ever called any of us to do something, anything, we had best say “yes” the first time. In the past, the bishop has told the cathedral filled with worshipers that Sister could easily be running a small country all by herself. In his remarks, the bishop also warned us against placing full blame for the malaise and loneliness in society today on Covid-19 and the shutdowns incurred by the pandemic. Instead, he suggested, the loneliness was always there, below the surface perhaps, but it was Covid-19 which only “lifted the veil” and allowed so much angst and sadness to come to the surface. The countermeasure of “hope” has permeated Bishop Henning’s episcopate since the very day of his Solemn Mass of Reception in the Cathedral on January 26, 2023, just over a year ago. After he had walked to the ambo for his homily, he produced from behind it the Rhode Island state flag with its gold anchor, the ancient Christian symbol of hope, with the state’s motto “HOPE” emblazoned below for good measure. Earlier, Prior Guido reminded us that “we are called to be witnesses of hope” and spoke of worldwide preparations underway for the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025, branded as Pilgrims of Hope. Paraphrasing Pope Francis, the prior said that in order to offer hope in the sense of “healing, welcome, and hospitality to others, we have to work from the ground up.” In other words, echoing a theme central to contemporary evangelization, we must meet people where they are.

Religious gather for World Day of Consecrated Life, Diocese of Providence

The origin of World Day of Consecrated Life dates to 1997 and the pontificate of Pope Saint John Paul II. It typically falls on February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, also called Candlemas Day. Here at Portsmouth, we celebrated the feast with a blessing of candles at the beginning of our conventual Mass. This year, the World Day of Consecrated Life was celebrated in most parishes on February 3-4. It has taken on several forms of celebration in the Diocese of Providence over the years. Three years ago, on February 7, 2021, in the midst of health warnings and shutdowns, participants had to link in to a Zoom call in order to hear that year’s presentation. A substantial group was able to gather this year for the diocesan recognition of consecrated religious within the Providence diocese.

(l. to r.) Abbot Michael Brunner, O.S.B., Fr. Jeremy Hiers, O.S.A., Fr. Joseph Narog, O.S.A.,
Lt. Zachary Sandler U.S.N., Br. Sixtus Roslevich, O.S.B. (photo by Mr. Joe Soares)

Back to Zach. Hopefully the celebration of consecrated life also provided for him insights into the sense of a shared vocation, amidst the variety of religious orders and their diverse charisms and work. While at the abbey, he was able to connect with two Augustinian Friars passing through on the drive from their parish and college in Andover, Massachusetts back home to Philadelphia. He lunched with Fr. Jeremy Hiers, O.S.A., and Fr. Joseph Narog, O.S.A., of Villanova University. Fr. Jeremy is the Director of the Office of Peace and Justice for the Augustinians, as well as the Director of Evangelization and Discipleship at their National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in South Philadelphia. (I have worshiped there myself, while visiting my college roommate when he lived near the shrine). Fr. Joe is the Vocation Director of their Eastern Province. Although it was Abbot Michael’s first day back after the Board of Directors meetings in Miami, he was able to take the time to greet the visitors and extend to them our hospitality. It will come as no surprise that SEEK24, which began this article, figures prominently providing a venue in which these fraternal friendships could be forged, bonded by the love of this Consecrated Life we have chosen..., or been chosen for.