World Day of Consecrated Life – Bishop’s message

In the days leading up to this year's World Day of Consecrated Life, Sr. April Mireau of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary responds to questions about discernment and vocations during the launch of new "Unveiled" podcast by 13-year-old Jacinta Leyne and 14 year-old Claire Ewan (left to right) at Saint Anne Parish, Saskatoon. Initiated with support from the Arise Catholic Movement, "Unveiled" will feature interviews with consecrated religious women in various religious orders. The World Day of Consecrated Life is marked each year on Feb. 2, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

World Day of Consecrated Life message – PDF

Bishop Mark Hagemoen will celebrate Mass for the World Day of Consecrated Life at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon.

To Clergy, Religious, & Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Saskatoon:

It is with joy and hope for the Church and the world that I call us all to join in prayer and celebration on February 2, 2025 – the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.

This day offers us the opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the remarkable reality and blessing of consecrated life in our world. Many men and women give witness to the deep joy that is found in living their baptismal promises by responding to Christ’s personal call to be signs of his saving love. Their lives are marked by publicly professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a sign of the in-breaking Kingdom of God into our reality today.

The world of today asks, as heard in Psalm 24 which will be read in the Liturgy of the day: “Who is this king of glory?” As Christians, we are called to proclaim clearly with our lives, words and deeds: “It is the Lord!” We are also challenged to be like Simeon and Anna in the Gospel in recognizing the presence of the Lord in our everyday life and embracing His ways so that we may be faithful to our baptismal vows to the end.

On this occasion, I take this opportunity to greet and thank you all for your joyful, generous and unceasing service to the Diocese. In a particular way, on this XXIX World Day of Consecrated Life, we pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life.

In our diocese, we are blessed by the presence of the consecrated life of men and women, religious sisters and lay consecrated.

Consecrated life, continues to be a prophetic sign for today’s Church and for the whole of society. In a radical and courageous way, women and men who consecrate their lives entirely to Christ, living in religious houses or a lay context, show to the world a glimpse of the life of heaven to come and the joy of the vision of God. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.

I cordially invite all lay faithful, priests, deacons and consecrated men and women, to this universal celebration of the renewal of our baptismal vows through continual prayer and unconditional offering of our lives in service for the Kingdom.

On Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 11:00 am at Holy Family Cathedral, I will celebrate the Holy Mass in communion with all the parishes of our diocese. After the Eucharistic celebration, all are welcome to join for a moment of fraternal gathering in the hall of the Cathedral.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. Mark A. Hagemoen

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Vocations, Communications, and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by gifts to the Bishops Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa