Sr. Socorro of the Missionary Carmelites of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity and others.
Dear Friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Temple and the World Day of Consecrated Life. Last night, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale we celebrated this Feast with the Candlemas, a Vigil Mass with the Rite of Lights, a procession with blessed candles that are lit. As we processed into a completely dark Church, our hearts were aflame with the love of God and the wonder of the Incarnation of our Lord, King and Savior. Filled with love and joy, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Bishop Eduardo Nevares and various Religious Sisters and Brothers of the Diocese of Phoenix were gathered to pray together and celebrate the gift of a vocation as a Consecrated Religious Sister, Brother or Priest. By the Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, Religious Priests, Brothers and Sisters give their entire lives to God as an offering to praise Him, to serve Him and manifest His light. That is what was visibly seen and contemplated at the Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Presentation last evening with Bishops Olmsted and Nevares. Bishop Nevares gave an inspiring homily about how the Religious surrenders his/her entire life to God in Religious Life by the Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.
The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia from Nashville, TN and the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity gather in front of the Church before Mass.
A nice chat among Sr. Mary Brigid, OP, Sr. Mary Claire, SOLT with Fr. Paul Sullivan, the Vocations Director of our Diocese.
Bishop Thomas Olmsted blesses the candles before the Mass, and he is assisted by Br. Athanasius, FHS and Fr. John Muir.
Many are gathered for the Blessing of the Candles, waiting for theirs to be lit.
As the sun set, Bishop Olmsted’s voice carried over as he blessed our candles.
What a privilege it is for us to be a light shining in the darkness! It is with a heart inflamed with love and charity that it shines for all we encounter.
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, with the Missionary Carmelites of St. Therese of the Child Jesus from Puebla.
After processing with lights in complete darkness, the lights of the Church were illumined.
The Religious Communities of Phoenix that attended this Vigil Mass for the Feast are:
Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the Sudan
Servidoras del Senor y la Virgen de Matara
Missionary Carmelites of St. Therese of the Child Jesus from Puebla, Mexico
Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI
Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity
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Bp Olmsted with the Dominicans of St. Cecilia and the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma.
The Groundbreaking of New School, St. John Paul II High School, in the West Valley
New school colors: white, black and turquoise!
Last week, on January 27th, there occurred an historic event for the Diocese of Phoenix: the Groundbreaking of St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Avondale, AZ. Surprisingly, it is the only Catholic school being built in the United States this year. Here is the link to the beautiful photographs taken by Billy Hardiman of this great event:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicsun/sets/72157676162192404
Sr. Mary Jordan Hoover, OP, the new principal of St. John Paul II High School.
Sr. Mary Gertrude, OP & Christine Accurso
Dr. Maria Chavira, Chancellor & Sister Anthony Mary Diago, RSM.
Fr Fred Adamson, Vicar General addresses 600+ people.
Superintendent Mary Beth Mueller inspired all of us!
Sr. Mary Jordan Hoover, OP gave an eloquent speech as the wind blew.
Last, but not least, Bp Olmsted spoke about St JP II’s holy example.
Bp Thomas Olmsted blessed us and the grounds with holy water.
Bp Olmsted led in the digging, and construction began that day!
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As we conclude Christmastime with this Feast of the Presentation, here are some pictures from our joy-filled Advent Dinner for Religious on December 17, 2016 at the DPC:
With much love and prayers,
Sister Anthony Mary Diago, RSM
Director of the Office of Consecrated Life
Waking Up the World 