SOLT MISSI N m a g a z i n e w i n t e r 2 0 1 6 Jubilee Year ofmercy
A Message from the General Priest Servant Close Encounters Dear Friends of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, I recently had the privilege of making a pilgrimage to Rome to attend the concluding events for the Year for Consecrated Life which ended on February 2. The highlight of the weeklong convention was the audience with Pope Francis on Feb. 1 and the concluding Mass with Pope Francis on the Feast of the Presentation. In the first address, Pope Francis emphasized three crucial concepts of the consecrated life: prophecy being a witness to Jesus Christ; proximity drawing near to others; and, hope being people of joy, living in anticipation and expectation of the new life to come. In his second address, delivered in his homily on the Feast of the Presentation, Pope Francis emphasized the notion of encounter. We are called to encounter Christ in a deep and personal way in our prayer and sacramental life, and this encounter with Christ is meant to be a springboard to our encounter with others. Interestingly enough, Pope Francis also referred to the Year for Consecrated Life as a river flowing into the body of water which is the Jubilee of Mercy that
we are currently celebrating. Combining the messages together, one can see how an encounter with Christ is really an encounter with the mercy of the Father, who drew close to us in order to make us members of His family. This encounter with Christ and the Father s mercy is ultimately one which leads us to share that same gift of mercy and love with others. During the pilgrimage to Rome, I also had the opportunity with Sr. Megan (SOLT General Sister Servant) to visit dear friends who are parishioners of the former SOLT parish in Vignola, Italy (SOLT served there from 1998 2013). Sr. Megan in particular knew the family very well over her four years spent in the area. During our visit, Bruno, the father of the family, looked at Sr. Megan and very proudly stated that she is like a daughter to him. Not to be outdone, Bruno s wife Natalina proceeded to say that the years our community was present at their parish were the greatest and happiest years of her life! In many ways, it struck me that the relationship between the members of our community and Bruno and Natalina were an excellent example of the precise reality of consecrated life that Pope Francis highlighted an encounter with Christ that draws one close to others, as if members of the same family. As we proceed forward during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us pray that each of us, whether lay or religious, would truly encounter the mercy of the Father revealed in Jesus Christ and share that gift with all those we encounter. In doing so, we will surely manifest that we are all children of the same Father in heaven! God bless, Fr. Peter Marsalek, SOLT General Priest Servant fr. peter marsalek, solt general priest servant of solt ON THE COVER: Sr. Maria Bella Enaje assisting an elderly resident at the Santa Maria mission in Queretaro, Mexico OPPOSITE PAGE (TOP TO BOTTOM): Fr. Peter and Sr. Megan catching up with old friends in Subiaco, Italy; Sr. Megan and Bruno at the Benedictine Monastery in Subiaco Winter 2016 SOLT Mission Magazine 1
jubilee year On December 8, 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy began. We are now in the midst of unprecedented opportunities for grace as we experience the unfathomable mercy of God. Seeing the need for conversion and a recognition of God s merciful love for His people, Pope Francis declared an Extraordinary Year of Jubilee focused on mercy. His theme, Merciful Like the Father is drawn from the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son in which the Father welcomes his lost son back into the family with unconditional love. In this Year of Mercy, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is being offered with more frequency and fervor. SOLT Priests from the Diocese of Corpus Christi Sr. Maria of Merciful Love entering the Doors of Mercy at the Cathedral in Santa Fe 2 SOLT Mission Magazine Winter 2016
of mercy 2016 have been designated by Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey to be ambassadors of mercy in extending an even wider opportunity for sacramental confession. Universally, Catholics are being encouraged to ponder and practice the corporal (bodily) and spiritual works of mercy in order to be God s instruments in a world sorely in need of His mercy. In the Ordinary Jubilee Year of the Millennium (in the year 2000), some may recall the opening of Holy Doors, symbolic of entering the new millennium with St. John Paul II s chosen theme Open Wide the Doors to Christ. In John 10:7, Jesus says, I am the door; if anyone enters by me he will be saved. In a Jubilee Year, pilgrimages to Rome to walk through the official Holy Doors are encouraged. In order to make this opportunity more widely available, Holy Doors are established every diocese. Attached to the tradition of the Holy Doors, a plenary indulgence is offered. A plenary indulgence is a grant by the Holy Father to remit all temporal punishments due to sin that may remain after confession and absolution. After confession, absolution, and penance, our souls are made clean again but they still may need to be cleansed of the effects of sin and strengthened to completely be focused on loving God and neighbor. Many forget that people who die in the state of grace often will need to spend some time in purgatory so that any effects of and attachments to sin can be purged away by the fire of God s love (cf 1 Cor 3:10 15), perfecting the soul for Heaven. Of course, In a Jubilee Year, pilgrimages to Rome to walk through the official Holy Doors are encouraged. Winter 2016 SOLT Mission Magazine 3
purgatory is not a pleasant place, and if we have the opportunity to offer sacrifices and prayer while we are in our time of trial here on earth, it is preferable to avail ourselves of those graces. Partial indulgences remit some of the effects of sin that would have been purged in purgatory, while plenary indulgences remit all of the effects of sin that would have been purged in purgatory The current edition of the Church s Handbook on Indulgences lists the partial and plenary indulgences we can be granted. In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year, pilgrimage to any officially designated set of Holy Doors and making a profession of faith (such as reciting the Apostles Creed) provides one plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions of receiving communion and sacramental confession within 20 days, having complete detachment from sin, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. Information about the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is available through the Vatican website and on most diocesan websites globally. It is a great privilege to be alive in such a wonderful year in which Christ, through His Church, offers us such bountiful opportunities for growing in union with Him. Information about the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is available through the Vatican website and on most diocesan websites globally. Beth nguyen received her master s degree in theological studies from ave maria university in 2012. in 2015, she moved with her husband and five children to corpus christi, tx, and joined the solt development office as communication specialist. 4 SOLT Mission Magazine Winter 2016
jubilee celebrating of mercy the The party has started! Pope Francis said to the youth on January 6: The most beautiful party we can imagine, [is] the endless party that Jesus has taught us to celebrate by his Spirit. The Jubilee [Year of Mercy] is the party to which Jesus invites us all, without excluding anyone. This invitation is shaking up the world, filling so many with excitement and boundless hope. The Year of Mercy is especially close to my heart. My religious name, Maria of Merciful Love, was chosen from my own experience of God s merciful love. When I first felt the Lord call me to religious life, I had no problem acknowledging that I was a sinner. I would even argue with Him that there was no way I could be His spouse. But He saw me in my messiness and still loved me in a real and concrete way through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God has placed priests in my life who see me as a daughter of the Father and are living witnesses of His tenderness and compassion. Mercy is a gift I have the privilege to share each day as a missionary sister, and one recent encounter with God s mercy gives me much to reflect upon. During a mission trip in Mexico ABOVE: Prepping crafts with parishioners for a children s Bible camp; Santuario of Chimayo in New Mexico at the end of a 100-mile pilgrimage for vocations in Santa Fe Winter 2016 SOLT Mission Magazine 5
last summer, a group of us sisters were waiting in a bus station and I noticed a woman who was staring at us and seemed upset. She slowly began walking our way, and I happened to look her in the eye and just smile. As she approached us, her aroma was that of alcohol and cigarettes. We greeted her and asked if she needed any help. We were all moved with pity for this woman and tried to comfort her, but she didn t want to hear it. She told us not to be kind to her. Then she broke down and wept. The more we tried to console her the more she refused. She was a woman with deep hurt and when she saw us, the anger in her welled up even more. She told us she had planned to throw dirt and insults at us, but she couldn t bring herself to do it. As she let the dirt fall out of her hands, she begged for forgiveness. Here was our sister who had forgotten the love of our Father. Many times when we encounter a person or even just see someone at a distance, we forget that deep down they want to be seen as who they really are: a child of a Father who loves them. Now is the time to look around and see who is missing from the party. Together with Our Blessed Mother, let us go out and make God s Merciful Love known. All are invited! Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances but look for what is beautiful in my neighbor s soul and come to their rescue. ~ St. Faustina Sr. Maria overlooking Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona, during the team vacation. Sr. Maria of Merciful Love, SOLT from premont, tx, professed her first vows in corpus christi, tx in 2014. she is serving the youth and parish ministries in mora, nm. 6 SOLT Mission Magazine Winter 2016
grace upon grace Sister Megan Mary Thibodeau recently returned from her trip in Rome where she participated in the celebration of the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life. While there, she was able to pause and write an edifying reflection about her experience. As I look back on these days in Rome, it s amazing to see how Our Lord wove it all together to create a masterpiece. I had originally thought of coming to Rome for the end of the Year of Consecrated Life and the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to celebrate these great gifts in the heart of the Church and to represent the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity at the symposium hosted by the Congregation of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) and at the same time to visit our two Sisters, Sr. Rejoice Mary and Sr. Mary Aloysius, who are studying in Rome. A third dimension was added when I was asked to serve on the board of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) an to attend their board meeting in Rome during these days. In my days here, these three words have come to mind: encounter, The entrance procession for the closing Mass for the Year of Consecrated Life at St. Peter s Basilica in Rome Winter 2016 SOLT Mission Magazine 7
communion, and mercy. Last night, during the homily, Pope Francis spoke of the Feast of the Presentation as a Feast of Encounter, and that seems to be the best way to summarize this pilgrimage. It has been one of encounter encountering Christ in the heart of the Church and in the Sacraments, encountering my Sisters from the CMSWR and growing in friendship with them, encountering thousands of consecrated men and women from all over the world, encountering old friends from college and my days in Subiaco. What a gift it has been to be here! The theme of theological symposium was Consecrated Life in Communion. We heard many talks on the different facets of consecrated life. The main points focused on being joyful and prophetic, being experts of communion, going to the peripheries, and listening to God and the cry of the poor. It was renewing and an excellent reminder of who we are called to be as consecrated men and women. Each day I had the grace and privilege of passing through a Holy Door: St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. John ABOVE: Sr. Megan Mary with members of the CMSWR enjoying their visit in Rome for the Symposium OPPOSITE PAGE: Sr. Mary Aloysius walking through the Holy Door of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome 8 SOLT Mission Magazine Winter 2016
He makes it so easy. God is waiting for us to enter into His mercy and His love, if we are willing to make the slightest movement towards Him. Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Wall, St. John the Baptist and Sacro Speco in Subiaco. For me, the ease of walking through the Holy Door became a beautiful image of the ease with which God lavishes us with His mercy. He makes it so easy. God is waiting for us to enter into His mercy and His love, if we are willing to make the slightest movement towards Him. He will run out to meet us just as the father of the prodigal son did. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20) As Pope Francis processed out at the end of Mass last night, he came out into St. Peter s square and spoke to those of us outside and said, Remember the moment when you were first called. Remember when Our Lord called you. It is my prayer and hope that as the year of Consecrated Life ends and the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy continues, that we may remember and live always from our encounter with Christ, to be experts of communion and channels of His mercy. Sr. Megan Mary Thibodeau, SOLT the general sister servant of solt, she is originally from monroe, ct, and has been a member of solt since 1997. Winter 2016 SOLT Mission Magazine 9
About Solt The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) was founded in 1958 by Fr. James Flanagan in the Archdiocese of Santa, Fe, New Mexico. SOLT has missions in 12 countries. The charism of SOLT is: Disciples of Jesus through Mary living in Marian- Trinitarian communion serving on Ecclesial Family Teams in areas of deepest apostolic need. Your prayers, financial support, and volunteer efforts participate in the merciful love of Christ, which we have all been called to share. We thank you for your consideration and may God bless you! To make a secure donation online, visit www.solt.net and click on Donate at the top of the page. Donations may be mailed to SOLT, PO Box 4116, Corpus Christi, TX 78469. For more information, please contact Sr. Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, SOLT at soltdevelopment@gmail.com or call 361.289.9095. Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity PO Box 4116 Corpus Christi, TX 78469 Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Robstown, TX Permit No. 774