Jubilarians honored by Bishop Jugis during World Day for Consecrated Life Mass
Jubilarians honored by Bishop Jugis during World Day for Consecrated Life MassCHARLOTTE — For the first time in two years, consecrated religious gathered at the Eucharistic table with Bishop Peter Jugis Feb. 5 at St. Patrick Cathedral to celebrate Mass, honor jubilarians and commemorate World Day for Consecrated Life.
The last time religious sisters and brothers came to St. Patrick Cathedral to worship together and recognize jubilarian community members was Feb. 1, 2020 – just weeks before churches were closed for public worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the Mass on Feb. 5, Bishop Jugis honored 20 consecrated religious – those celebrating a milestone anniversary of their profession of vows in 2021 and 2022.
The presence of men and women religious in the diocese enriches the life of the local Church and all its ministries, Bishop Peter Jugis said.
“We thank God that we are able to come together in person this year to celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life,” Bishop Jugis said at the beginning of his homily. Read the full homily.
“This year we are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of the Charlotte, and we praise God for blessing the diocese with many different charisms of religious life to enrich our witness to the presence of Christ’s kingdom. From the very beginning of the diocese, in fact, and even before the diocese was formed, some of our religious communities were already here, making Christ known,” he added.
Bishop Jugis told the more than 50 women and men religious who had gathered for Mass that their lives are a powerful witness in our local Church of the primacy of God in one’s life. “You say with Isaiah, ‘My God is the joy of my soul, I rejoice heartily in the Lord.’”
He spoke of the demands of religious life, the self-denial and the carrying of one’s cross in service to the Lord. “Though the Lord does make great demands of those who follow Him, it is true, as we know, that His yoke is easy and His burden light,” Bishop Jugis said.
He recounted that some years ago, someone said to him, “You certainly chose a hard life for yourself, becoming a priest.” Bishop Jugis stated that, “Rather than calling it hard, it actually is more accurate to say, it is a constant companionship with Christ.
“The vocation of following Jesus, to make Jesus one’s life, does entail taking up the cross and sacrifice and self-denial, but the grace of vocation is humbling and fulfilling and enables one to say with Isaiah, ‘My God is the joy of my soul,’” he explained.
The presence of men and women religious in the diocese enriches the life of the local Church and all its ministries, he said.
“Consecrated religious can be found active in ministry to the poor, ministry to the sick and homebound, ministry to seniors, ministry to homeless pregnant women, ministry to battered women, ministry to those suffering with AIDS, healthcare ministry, ministry to disabled children and adults, daycare ministry to little children, ministry of contemplative prayer for the Church and the world, ministry to migrant populations, ministry of catechesis and faith formation and Catholic education at all levels, parish ministry and prison ministry,” he noted.
“May the Lord bestow His blessing on our religious sisters, our religious brothers and religious priests, and especially those who are celebrating special anniversaries of religious profession,” Bishop Jugis said at the conclusion of his homily.
After Mass, he joined the consecrated religious women and men for a luncheon in the cathedral's Family Life Center.
Instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997, World Day for Consecrated Life is marked in conjunction with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas Day, commemorating the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles. Similarly, consecrated men and women are called to spread the light and love of Jesus Christ through their unique witness of selfless service, such as caring for the poor, the contemplative work of prayer, or through their professional careers.
Pope Francis celebrated World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Feb. 2 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The Diocese of Charlotte is among those in the United States that are celebrating the vocation to consecrated life during the weekend of Feb. 5-6 to recognize the essential role of consecrated religious in the life of the Church. As engaged members of their local communities, consecrated men and women bring the presence of Jesus to all they encounter throughout their day, allowing His Spirit to live and move within them so that the truth of the Gospel can be proclaimed to all.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Catholic News Service contributed.
2021 and 2022 Religious Jubilarians
70 Years
Sister Mary Charles Cameron, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Francis Jerome Cruz, R.S.M. (2022)
Sister Bernadette McNamara, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Monica Perez, R.S.M. (2022)
Sister Mary Andrew Ray, R.S.M. (2022)
65 Years
Reverend Francis Forster, O.S.B. (2022)
60 Years
Sister Paula Diann Marlin, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Ann Marie Wilson, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Mary Louise Yurik, R.S.M. (2022)
50 Years
Sister Soledad Aguilo, R.S.M. (2022)
Reverend David Brown, O.S.B. (2021)
Sister Gertrude Gillette (2021)
Sister Martha Elizabeth Hoyle, R.S.M. (2022)
Sister Carolyn McWatters, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Acquina Pinnakatt, M.C. (2021)
Sister Jill Katherine Weber, R.S.M. (2022)
25 Years
Sister Jacquelyn Laster, R.S.M. (2022)
Sister Joann Ury, R.S.M. (2021)
Sister Ann Mary Pulimoottil, S.C.V. (2022)
CHARLOTTE — As Myanmar citizens observed a “silent strike” in defiance of the ruling junta Feb. 1, the anniversary of the military coup, Burmese Catholics in Charlotte are praying for those they left behind.
Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was on the path to democracy after more than five decades of military rule, but the political, economic and social freedoms begun in 2011 were abruptly ended by a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. This triggered anti-coup protests featuring people banging pots and pans, blowing horns and clapping hands.
Government killings and detentions followed. Nearly 1,500 people have died, including at least 50 children, and more than 11,000 people have been arrested since the coup. The Christian minority has particularly been a target of government reprisals.
Intense fighting between the Buddhist-majority military junta and rebel forces in ethnic minority areas, including the predominantly Christian Kayah, Chin and Karen states, has forced civilians to flee to forests or take shelter in churches and schools.
Mark Kuhp and his family are parishioners at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte. They’re one of more than 50 Burmese Catholic families that meet regularly for prayer services and Mass at OLA.
“We have been very sad. We have been praying for peace for our country,” Kuhp told the Catholic News Herald. “We especially pray for the people who have relatives, close relatives, who have been killed in our home country. They’re being killed by the military government. A lot of people have died.”
Kuhp left Myanmar in 2008 to escape the regime. He used to work for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Refugee Resettlement Office and still helps with interpretation services. He had looked with hope as Myanmar moved towards democracy, then watched as the country fell back into violence last year.
“So many people have fled over the years,” he said, but added, “I’ve not seen it this bad (before).”
Fighting has intensified recently. Churches and other community institutions are caught in the middle of the violence and deliberately targeted by government forces.
Kuhp prays that peace can be restored soon in his homeland.
Pope Francis has also been praying for the persecuted people of Myanmar.
For more than a year, “we have watched with pain the violence staining Myanmar with blood,” the pope said at the end of his general audience Feb. 2.
Joining an appeal launched by Myanmar’s bishops, the pope called on the international community “to work for reconciliation between the parties involved. We
cannot look away from the suffering of so many of our brothers and sisters. Let us ask God, in prayer, for consolation for that tormented population.”
“We’re grateful that Pope Francis is interested in us,” Kuhp said. He said he hopes the attention to his home country will also help end the violence.
— Kimberly Bender, Online reporter. Catholic News Service contributed.