Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228

www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org

“The consecrated life, deeply rooted in the

example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit. By the profession

of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus — the

chaste, poor and obedient one — are made

constantly ‘visible’ in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful

are directed towards the mystery of the Kingdom

of God already at work in history, even as it awaits

its full realization in heaven.”

St. John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, 1

Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia

LAUDARE, BENEDICERE, PRAEDICARE “TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH”

Advent 2014

Dear Friends, Many blessings to you as we begin this season of preparation for our Savior’s birth. This Sunday also began the Year of Consecrated Life announced by Pope Francis. The convergence of these celebrations allows us to reflect upon the role of consecrated religious in waiting with eager expectation, longing with heartfelt devotion, and preparing with continual conversion for the coming of the Bridegroom. This Christmas may we be ready to meet Christ the Lord with lamps of love burning brightly.

In Christ, The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

I am so grateful to be able to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life during my year as a novice. What a gift it is to study the evangelical counsels– poverty, chastity, and obedience – during this special time. In formation classes, we are reading and reflecting on the Church’s numerous and beautiful documents on religious life. These documents highlight the special role of consecrated persons in the Church, and of the particular vocation to religious life, which is a form of consecrated life.

The consecrated life is marked by waiting and watching. Saint Paul, in his writings, helps us to understand the mystery of the Church as the Bride of Christ. After Our Lord ascended into Heaven, the entire Church entered into a period of waiting for his return with eager expectation. We can think of the wise virgins who go out to meet Christ with lighted lamps. “Behold, the Bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet Christ the Lord” (Matthew 25:6). Consecrated women, in a particular way, are an image of the Church who is watching and waiting for the return of Her Divine Bridegroom. We are a reminder to the Church, and to the world, to look toward heaven, our eternal dwelling place.

I think it is fitting that we begin the Year of Consecrated Life as we begin the holy season of Advent. Advent is a special time of waiting for the Lord. It calls us to be mindful, not only of the Lord’s coming in the Flesh at Christmas, but it also urges us to contemplate Christ’s return in Glory. We should pray that the Lord comes quickly and does not delay. We should not be afraid of his return but should long for it as a bride longs for her husband while he is away.

During this Year of Consecrated Life, we all have the opportunity to reflect on our baptismal consecration, of which religious consecration is a deepening. No matter what our state of life, as baptized Christians we are consecrated to God and marked with “an indelible spiritual mark (character)” that sets us apart as “belonging to Christ” (CCC 1272). Through our Baptism we receive a special dignity as sons and daughters of God, and we are entrusted with a great mission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.

During this Advent season and the Year of Consecrated Life, we are invited to reflect on the great dignity we have received through the gift of baptismal consecration and the gift of consecrated life in the Church. Let us pray for the grace to seek the Lord more fervently that we may receive Christ more fully into our hearts this Christmas. Let us all cry out, “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Holiness Highlights

Lucy before the Judge by Lorenzo Lotto, 1523-32

SAINT LUCY Born: 283 AD, Syracuse, Italy

Died: 304 AD, Syracuse, Italy

Feast Day: December 13

Patron of: the blind and those with eye

problems

Known for: her fidelity to her vow to

God, firmness in her convictions,

intercession for relatives in

sickness, and courage in the face of

persecution.

How to imitate the saint: pray for

family members, those in need of

conversion, those who are sick, and

those who are being persecuted for

their faith; study the Catechism so

that you will be “ready to give an

explanation for the hope that is in

you” (1 Peter 3:15).

“You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins;

you light up your grace of body with your splendor of soul.

More than others you can be compared to the Church.

When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ,

and wait for his coming at every moment.”

Office of Readings for the Feast of St. Lucy, from a book on virginity by St. Ambrose,

Novice Reflection

“Consecrated women, in a particular way, are an image of the

Church who is watching and waiting for the return of Her Divine Bridegroom.”

Recommended Reading

Click above to order

Cradle of Redeeming Love:

The Theology of the

Christmas Mystery

by John Saward

In this book, John Saward explores the doctrine of the Incarnation through the lenses of the Church’s Advent and Christmas hymns and the teachings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. His insights and meditations enable the reader to approach the Mystery of Christmas with awe and wonder.

“When [one] looks into the Crib, he sees something tiny and

seemingly as easy for his mind to grasp as for his arms to

embrace—a newborn baby. But then faith recalls that this

newborn baby is the eternal God, that the Creator of the universe has become small in humanity

while remaining great in Divinity, and the pious student

falls astonished to his knees: ‘How great the mystery and wondrous the sacred sign!’”

pg. 49 (Ignatius Press, 2002)

YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE (YCL): Pope Francis declared that a Year of Consecrated Life be celebrated throughout the world, beginning on the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2014, and concluding on the World Day of Consecrated Life, February 2, 2016. Click the YCL icon for more resources.

“[R]eligious follow the Lord in a special way, in a prophetic

way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be

men and women who are able to wake the world up.” Pope Francis

82nd General Assembly of the Union of Superiors General Rome, 29 November 2013

MAGNIFICAT DAY: Twenty-five of our sisters were invited to attend Magnificat Day held in

Memphis, TN, on November 1, and to participate in the music for the liturgy. The

day’s events enabled participants to enter into the beauty of the Church’s liturgy and to

experience its doctrinal richness. Click here to view pictures from the event.

POPE FRANCIS: A GUIDE TO GOD’S TIME This collection of homilies and addresses from Pope Francis invites readers to enter into the liturgical year as “God’s time and God’s space.” Cindy Wooden & Paul Haring Libreria Editrice Vaticana and Catholic News Service, 2014 Click the icon for ordering information.

Resources and Events

The annual All Saints Vigil held at the St. Cecilia Motherhouse included

reflections from the writings and lives of St. John Paul II, St. Gemma Galgani,

St. Josemaria, and Bl. Chiara Badano; a meditation by Dominican Campus

chaplain Father John O’Neill; the Litany of the Saints; the veneration of relics; and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Artwork by Cassie Pease Designs: www.cassiepease.com Used with Permission

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