Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes yesterday thanked the men and women of religious communities, who chose to live consecrated lives and stressed their important role in the Church.
Cortes presided over a concelebrated mass at the Carmelite monastery in Sibulan town for the Feast for the Presentation of the Lord, or the Candlemas or candelaria, that is also attached to the World Day for Consecrated Life.
Cortes said the theme is really on thanksgiving for the work of the religious in the past and looking forward to the future with hope”.
Pope Francis has dedicated 2015 as the Year for Consecrated Life. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also released a Pastoral Exhortation in the Year of Consecrated Life for this year’s celebration.
Cortes said the evangelical counsels, rather radical — the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience — for the consecrated persons who are called to follow Christ more closely, living their baptismal promises more intensely.
He cited the vow of poverty as the consecrated men and women are practically “relinquishing all their rights to own (anything) in favor of their religious community.”
Everything they have is owned by the community unlike diocesan clergy, who are allowed, to a certain level, to acquire and own personal things, such as a bank account, Cortes said.
He said they contribute to the affairs of the diocese through the different charisms, such as taking in and feeding the hungry and those out in the streets, taking care of the sick and the elderly, spreading the word of God as missionaries in hard-to-reach areas, and many more, Cortes said.
He met with about 50 men and women members of the different religious congregations of the diocese during breakfast yesterday where he presented the CBCP’s Pastoral Exhortation in the Year of the Consecrated Life.
In his response, Fr. Dan Elemia, representing Fr. Gerry Griffith, whom Cortes had appointed as vicar for the religious in the diocese, assured the prelate that they are taking as a challenge the points raised by the bishops in the pastoral exhortation and look towards more collaboration with the diocese.
Cortes thanked the religious in the diocese for the good works they have done.
“Our belief is that the church is complete when you have the clergy, religious and laity under the bishop in one unity in communion in faith,” Cortes added. (JFP)
