KUCHING — The Year of Consecrated Life ran from the First Sunday of Advent, 30 November 2014 to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February 2016 which is also the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
Himself, a religious, Pope Francis called for the past year to be an occasion of renewal for men and women in consecrated life, of thanksgiving among the People of God for their dedicated service and an invitation to young Catholics to consider a religious vocation.
Archbishop John Ha presided over the closing Mass in the Archdiocese of Kuching at the Carmelite Chapel on 2 February at 7.30 pm. Auxiliary Bishop Simon Poh was present with eleven other priests: religious and diocesan.
The Mass began with a blessing of candles at the entrance of the Carmelite Monastery, followed by a procession into the chapel for Mass. Many lay people came to join the men and women of consecrated life of the archdiocese in this celebration.
In his homily, Archbishop Ha mentioned about the journey of light. It is represented by the candle procession as our own journey, religious or lay, approaching the Light of Christ, the source of our life.
During the closing Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis described the just-ended Year of Consecrated Life as “a river”, saying “it now flows into the sea of mercy, into the immense mystery of love that we are experiencing through the Extraordinary Jubilee.”
After the Mass a simple fellowship of food followed at the parlour of the nuns and the chapel compound.
Fr Francis Lim, SJ
Today’s Catholic Vol.27 Nno.12 March 2016
