Year of Consecrated Life Concludes Today

The Year of Consecrated Life concludes today, February 2^nd – Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, with a special Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The aims of the of the Year of Consecrated Life, set out by the Holy Father, invited us to look on the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope.

The Year provided an opportunity to reflect on the Second Vatican Council and its impact over the past 50 years.

Addressing women and men Religious, in advance of the concluding mass, Pope Francis focused on three words – prophesy, proximity and hope. He pointed to how high levels of obedience were a gift from the heart and a form of prophesy while emphasizing the importance of proximity and the need to reach out to Christians and non-Christians alike. Pope Francis concluded by encouraging all in consecrated life to remain hopeful and that prayer, not money, was the answer for increased vocations.