The community of the Daughters of Jesus in Ploeren, France, tell us about how they celebrated the World Day for Consecrated Life with other consecrated in Vannes on the 2nd of February 2025.
Celebrating consecrated life
In this Jubilee Year 2025, to be a ‘Pilgrim of Hope’, we have to :
– leave our parish enclave,
– expand the space of our tent
– open ourselves up to others,
– welcome the surprise and richness of the encounter that energises us.
Well, that’s what we did on the 2nd of February 2025!
We, the Consecrated of Vannes-Arradon: Sisters and Brothers, Consecrated Virgins and Widows, members of Secular Institutes, responded in large numbers to the invitation of Father Patrice Marivin, the Dean of Vannes Cathedral, to celebrate the Feast of Consecrated Life instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997. He wanted all the Christian communities in the deanery parishes to participate but Vannes cathedral, which is undergoing renovation work, is closed for worship. The 600-seat Chapelle Saint François-Xavier was therefore chosen as the venue for the celebration along with the Cathedral’s Christian community, which is accustomed to gathering here. A large and impressive crowd packed in ahead of time!
The candles were blessed at the back of the chapel, followed by the acclamation:
‘Joyful light, Eternal splendour of the Father,
Holy and Blessed Jesus Christ’.
Those who are Consecrated Persons then proceeded in procession to the places reserved for them, singing:
‘Let us lift up our eyes, here is the true light,
Here is Christ who gives us his peace.
Let us open our hearts to his mercy.
Our Saviour is in our midst!’
After the celebrant’s welcome, a Brother came forward to explain what consecrated life is and why we were with this people on this day. Around sixty consecrated persons took part in this Eucharistic celebration, prepared by representatives of each Congregation.
Renewing our vows
In his homily, Father Marivin emphasised that our lifestyle, our way of being and our daily commitment, the radical nature of our call and our ‘Yes’, are telling the world that we all need to wake up. He explained the three vows of Religious :
Poverty: is depending on one another and never ceasing to put on the apron of the Servant. How true this is today, given the fragility of our religious families.
Consecrated celibacy: is being the Son of God and a brother or sister to all. Chastity, lived in a positive way, gradually lightens hearts and bodies so that they can follow Christ in his way of loving, which was shown throughout his life.
Obedience: means listening, welcoming, discerning, accepting that another person is saying to us, ‘We have discerned that this path is good for you’. It means recognising that we are not indispensable and that others can do better!
Before the proclamation of the faith of the Church in the Nicene Creed, all the consecrated were invited to renew their vows and commitments.
The celebration ended with the song ‘Mary, witness of hope’. Many thanks to the parishioners who showed their interest in religious life by asking some questions.
Getting to know each other better
We were then invited to come together in the dining room of the establishment, where a team of volunteers from the Cathedral parish had made themselves available to serve us. Beautiful tables awaited us for a delicious meal, offered by our parishes. It really was our feast!
To get to know each other, we took our seats next to unfamiliar faces. At the end of the meal, a ‘Pilgrim of Hope’, appearing from who knows where, asked us about ‘our reasons for Hope’. He also wanted to know about the diversity of our Institutes and Congregations.
Each group presented its origin, founders, charism and spirituality, and its presence throughout the world. We found that this time of sharing was too short: with twelve different entities and so many individuals, there was so much to say!
Daring to look to the future
It was already time for Vespers which we celebrated on this day of the 2nd of February with joy and thanksgiving. The Dean hoped that this day would bear fruit :
– by sparking a movement of ‘Visitations’ for our communities.
– by getting to know each other better.
We left feeling ‘boosted’ by this meeting and sharing, with a renewed warm ‘THANK YOU’ for what each one of us had experienced and for this propulsion towards the future.
LET’S DARE!
As a souvenir of this day, we were given a bookmark with this powerful message from Pope Francis printed on it!
At the end of the Mass, we heard a little girl say :
Who knows? It’s promising…
Community of the Daughters of Jesus,
Ploeren, France
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