News in Religious

The Story of Aloysius Gonzaga

by: Giovanni Arledler, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Religious,

Visiting the so-called “rooms” or “chapels” of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Rome, to a certain extent one can measure the distance – about four and a half centuries – between our time and his. But he also seems very present, because some things belonging to him – the crucifix, objects for daily use, the letters written in a beautiful script – seem to indicate to the visitor (as if the statue which portrays him very naturally, located in the great hall, is about to come to life and continue one of his favorite talks) the primacy of God over all of reality and, consequently, how little weight we must give to all the rest.

Matteo Ricci. Holiness through Encounter - The Apostle of the Church in China is Venerable

Matteo Ricci. Holiness through Encounter - The Apostle of the Church in China is Venerable

by: Federico Lombardi, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Religious,

On December 17, 2022, Pope Francis signed a decree stating that Matteo Ricci lived the Christian virtues in an “heroic” manner, i.e. in an eminent and exemplary way, and can therefore be venerated by Christians. This is a first official recognition by the Church, which may be followed by even more solemn ones, namely, beatification and canonization, should God deign to permit this.

St. Mother Teresa lives on 25 years after her death

St. Mother Teresa lives on 25 years after her death

by: John Dayal - UCANews in Religious,

If I may gloat, I am a member of the Mother Teresa Parish in India’s Delhi Archdiocese. I knew the Saint of Calcutta as a journalist in her lifetime, even argued with her on her position on abortion, and defended her in print when the editor of the country’s biggest English language newspaper sought to castigate her for supporting the cause of the Dalit Christians in the 1990s when they launched a national campaign for the restoration of their constitutional rights.

Freeing Hearts From Hatred’: Pope Francis meets the Jesuits of the Russian Region

Freeing Hearts From Hatred’: Pope Francis meets the Jesuits of the Russian Region

by: Antonio Spadaro, SJ - Laa Civiltà Cattolica in Religious,

On Thursday, September 15, 2022, during his apostolic journey to Kazakhstan, Pope Francis met with 19 Jesuits working in the Russian Region of the Society of Jesus. The appointment was set for 9 a.m. at the apostolic nunciature, but the pope showed up early at 8.45 a.m. In the hall, where chairs were placed in a circle, the regional superior, Fr. Bogus?aw Steczek, presented the activities of the Jesuits.

The love of my life

The love of my life

by: Sister Therese Nguyen Thi Giang - UCANews in Religious,

 In life, everyone has romantic love for one or some persons and they enter into marriage with one of them. I also enjoy a romantic relationship with a man named Jesus. He is the love of my life and changes my life by his love that is so strange, strong and extraordinary that there cannot be a second person in this world because he is the absolute and only love.

Do nuns know how to be attractive?

Do nuns know how to be attractive?

by: Diem Ngoc - UCANews in Religious,

 Nuns are also women and the symbol of beauty, so I am sometimes asked why I do not wear make-up or whether I need to nourish my skin as I am about to take solemn vows. I am touched by some people’s tender care of me. Those questions give me an opportunity to ask myself whether, as a nun, I am still beautiful and becoming more and more attractive to people, especially God.

Pope appears at Vatican audience in wheelchair

Pope appears at Vatican audience in wheelchair

by: CNS in Religious,

While the sisters should “not be afraid in this search for new ministries and new ways of exercising authority evangelically”, they should take care that it not be “a theoretical and ideological search – ideologies mutilate the Gospel – but a search that starts from approaching the feet of wounded humanity and walking alongside wounded brothers and sisters, beginning with the sisters of your communities”.

Alive… and no time to lose

Alive… and no time to lose

by: Timothy Radcliffe - The Tablet in Religious,

It can take a brush with death and an experience of total dependency on others to open a window into a deeper sense of who we are and what we are here for. I celebrate this Christmas and New Year with extra delight. Not just because I am still alive after major surgery, but because I have learnt a little more of what it means to live. I hesitated to write about my illness.

Victims in the cloisters: from grace to blasphemy

Victims in the cloisters: from grace to blasphemy

by: Erik Varden - The Tablet in Religious,

Thanks to Philip Gröning’s 2005 film Into Great Silence, that most unlikely of box office successes, La Grande Chartreuse widely evokes associations not just of exquisite liqueurs but of radical monastic life. The head monastery of the Carthusian order, it lies high in the French Alps, near Grenoble.

It's high time Indian religious sisters broke their silence

It's high time Indian religious sisters broke their silence

by: Myron J. Pereira, Mumbai - UCANews in Religious,

A recent report commissioned by the Conference of Religious Women in India, "It’s High Time, Women Religious speak up on Gender Justice in the Indian Church," edited by Hazel D’Lima, Cletus Zuzarte and Pallavi Xalxo, brings this out sharply. The hierarchy of the Church, the report says, is steeped in patriarchy. This contributes in no small way to its oppression of all women — but to religious sisters in particular. 

Do former religious deserve such discrimination?

Do former religious deserve such discrimination?

by: Cao Gia An, SJ - UCAN (hdgmvietnam.com) in Religious,

Religious life is a bumpy road and both the 'successful' and the 'failures' need prayers, love and support. Do you see something wrong when people compare ex-religious with the devil and ghosts? There are many unfair prejudices and blatant discrimination against former religious in Vietnamese culture.

The Way of Ignatius: A Spiritual Portrait of Dialectical Oppositions

The Way of Ignatius: A Spiritual Portrait of Dialectical Oppositions

by: Maurice Giuliani, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Religious,

Ignatius is born in 1491: Catholic Spain is completing the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula and consolidating its unity and the triumph of its faith; monarchs (and Christopher Columbus too) see themselves as invested with a divine mission. Ignatius dies in 1556 at the height of the Renaissance, which has succeeded in developing a new conception of humanity and its relationship with God.

The former marine commando who's now a Trappist abbot

The former marine commando who's now a Trappist abbot

by: La Croix International staff | France in Religious,

The Trappists at the Abbey of Notre-Dame d'Acey in eastern France can now rely on more than just divine protection after the community's recent abbatial election.The 28 monks last March elected Dom Godefroy Raguenet De Saint-Albin, a former marine commando, to be the spiritual father of their monastery, which is located about 35 miles east of Dijon heading towards the Swiss border.

The Vision and Mission of TICLA

The Vision and Mission of TICLA

by: Fr. Henry Omonisaye, CMF in Religious,

TICLA is the acronym for Theological Institute of Consecrated Life for Africa. It is a Theological Institute that will focus primarily on Consecrated Life as a form of life and vocation in the Church. We have 2 Institutes each in Europe and Asia. We think it would be important to establish one in Africa given the number of Religious Institutes in Africa and some locally founded Institutes that would require a lot of help and formation in building up their vision and charism for the good of the Church in Africa.

Patience is not a sign of weakness

Patience is not a sign of weakness

by: La Croix International staff | Vatican City in Religious,

Patience is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit, pope tells religiousConsecrated men and women need to be patient and courageous to keep advancing, exploring new paths, and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, says Francis.

Mother Teresa – the roots of a saint

Mother Teresa – the roots of a saint

by: Gëzim Alpion - The Tablet in Religious,

Mother Teresa was always clear about her identity as an Albanian-born Roman Catholic. But her near-silence about her family and private life was partly to block a painful memory. “By blood and origin I am all Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus.”

The medieval monks who 'delighted in fatness'

The medieval monks who 'delighted in fatness'

by: Michael Carter - The Tablet in Religious,

Massive daily calorie intake, overconsumption of meat, fat and salt, a dearth of fresh fruit and vegetables and a falling life expectancy due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. No, I’m not talking about the UK government’s renewed focus on diet, body weight and exercise brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic but a medieval monastic obesity crisis.

Authority and Abuse Issues among Women Religious

Authority and Abuse Issues among Women Religious

by: Giovanni Cucci, SJ - La Civilta Cattolica in Religious,

One issue that has not received sufficient attention so far is abuse within women’s congregations. For the most part it does not take the form of sexual violence and does not involve minors; however, this does not make it any less important or without significant consequences. From pastoral experience and from conversations we have had on the subject, it is mostly an abuse of power and conscience.

Newman’s profoundly subversive advice for Christian politicians

Newman’s profoundly subversive advice for Christian politicians

by: Jack Valero - Catholic Herald in Religious,

Is a Christian who believes that abortion is wrong in every case or that marriage can only be between a man and a woman suitable for public life today? These kinds of questions can make or break political careers, but such matters are hardly new. John Henry Newman faced them almost.