Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
10 Aug 2012
Vocation Awareness Week has every reason to celebrate. On Saturday, 4 August, eight priests were ordained by Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell while in Nashville, Tennessee three young Australian women professed their vows as Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia. The next day a further four Australians became novitiates receiving the Dominican habits and a new religious name.
"And from next week, 11 August two more young Australians will enter our community in Nashville as postulants joining a group of 19 others from across the US, Canada and Sweden," says Sister Mary Rachel Capets OP, one of the of the original three sisters who came to Australia to help with World Youth Day 2008, and who now heads up the teaching order's Mission House here in Sydney.
She says she is filled with joy at the increasing numbers of women seeking a consecrated life and is filled with gratitude to God not only for the recent upsurge in religious vocations but the fact that after taking their final vows the Australians sisters will return to Australia to teach here in the years to come.
After spending a year as postulants, Kelly Edmunds, Rachel Reeves and Helenka Pasztetnik became canonical novitiates. Given the Dominican habit and the novice's white veil they spent the following year in theological, philosophical, ascetical and spiritual formation. At this time they were also given new religious names.
Then on 28 July this year - 29 July EST - Sr Susanna Edmunds 24, Sr Anastasia Reeves 37 and Sr Helena Pasztetnik 20 joined a group of 18 other young women and professed their vows of poverty, obedience and chastity at a moving ceremony and Mass celebrated by US Bishop Lee A Piche at Nashville's Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Friends and families of the three young women flew to the US from Australia to be at this very special Mass.
More than 1000 including 280 Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia packed the Cathedral as the white veils of novitiates were exchanged for black veils, symbolising conversion, penance and total consecration to God.
Each of the women who came from across the US, Sweden and Canada as well as Australia professed their vows kneeling in front of the Superior of the Congregation, Mother Anne Marie Karlovic OP.
Delighted at the news from Nashville, Fr Michael de Stoop, Director of the Vocations Centre for the Archdiocese of Sydney believes the number of women choosing religious vocations and the increasing numbers of men entering Australian seminaries is testament to a strong revitalisation of faith, particularly among young people.
He also believes Sydney's World Youth Day has played a leading role in this resurgence.
Australia's awareness of the Nashville-based Community of Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia grew after three of the community's American-born sisters, including Sr Mary Rachel Capets, arrived in Sydney in September 2007 at the invitation of Bishop Anthony Fisher, OP. Bishop Anthony, who is now Bishop of Parramatta, was Coordinator of Sydney's WYD and enlisted the sisters' help in preparing for the historic and momentous event.
A teaching Order, the Sisters from the Community have wide experience from their involvement with young people and their energies, faith, humour and warmth became a distinct feature of Sydney's World Youth Day, and was followed by the establishment of a Mission House in Sydney, the first to be established anywhere outside the USA.
As an engineering student at the University of Sydney, Sr Susanna whose family live at Wahroonga, vividly remembers the Sisters' first visit to the university's campus.
"I'll never forget the reaction of students. Just to watch them walking across the lawns wearing their habits. It was just such a powerful witness! My friends in engineering knew I was Catholic and would ask 'who are these nuns?' So it really was a great witness to me of the power of religious life."
While there is much going on in the world that is very irreligious she says what has also emerged is an idealism along with "a whole hearted desire to give of self," she says and since joining the community in Nashville two years ago to begin her discernment she insists there has not been one moment of doubt that this is the life to which God has called her.
"It's a really great...a springtime for the Church, I suppose. There is such a lot of hope here, and such a lot of life," she says.
Vocations Awareness Week began last Sunday. To find out more about vocations log on to the Archdiocese of Sydney's Vocation Centre at www.vocationcentre.org.au
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
10 Aug 2012
Familes and friends from Australia flew to Nashville to witness this moving ceremony
"And from next week, 11 August two more young Australians will enter our community in Nashville as postulants joining a group of 19 others from across the US, Canada and Sweden," says Sister Mary Rachel Capets OP, one of the of the original three sisters who came to Australia to help with World Youth Day 2008, and who now heads up the teaching order's Mission House here in Sydney.
She says she is filled with joy at the increasing numbers of women seeking a consecrated life and is filled with gratitude to God not only for the recent upsurge in religious vocations but the fact that after taking their final vows the Australians sisters will return to Australia to teach here in the years to come.
After spending a year as postulants, Kelly Edmunds, Rachel Reeves and Helenka Pasztetnik became canonical novitiates. Given the Dominican habit and the novice's white veil they spent the following year in theological, philosophical, ascetical and spiritual formation. At this time they were also given new religious names.
Then on 28 July this year - 29 July EST - Sr Susanna Edmunds 24, Sr Anastasia Reeves 37 and Sr Helena Pasztetnik 20 joined a group of 18 other young women and professed their vows of poverty, obedience and chastity at a moving ceremony and Mass celebrated by US Bishop Lee A Piche at Nashville's Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Three Australians and 16 others profess their vows in Nashville, USA
More than 1000 including 280 Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia packed the Cathedral as the white veils of novitiates were exchanged for black veils, symbolising conversion, penance and total consecration to God.
Each of the women who came from across the US, Sweden and Canada as well as Australia professed their vows kneeling in front of the Superior of the Congregation, Mother Anne Marie Karlovic OP.
Delighted at the news from Nashville, Fr Michael de Stoop, Director of the Vocations Centre for the Archdiocese of Sydney believes the number of women choosing religious vocations and the increasing numbers of men entering Australian seminaries is testament to a strong revitalisation of faith, particularly among young people.
Sister Anastasia Reeves with her parents after professing her vows in Nashville
Australia's awareness of the Nashville-based Community of Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia grew after three of the community's American-born sisters, including Sr Mary Rachel Capets, arrived in Sydney in September 2007 at the invitation of Bishop Anthony Fisher, OP. Bishop Anthony, who is now Bishop of Parramatta, was Coordinator of Sydney's WYD and enlisted the sisters' help in preparing for the historic and momentous event.
A teaching Order, the Sisters from the Community have wide experience from their involvement with young people and their energies, faith, humour and warmth became a distinct feature of Sydney's World Youth Day, and was followed by the establishment of a Mission House in Sydney, the first to be established anywhere outside the USA.
As an engineering student at the University of Sydney, Sr Susanna whose family live at Wahroonga, vividly remembers the Sisters' first visit to the university's campus.
l to r Sr Anastasia Reeves, Fr Albert OP, Sr Susanna Edmunds and Sr Helena Pasztetnik
While there is much going on in the world that is very irreligious she says what has also emerged is an idealism along with "a whole hearted desire to give of self," she says and since joining the community in Nashville two years ago to begin her discernment she insists there has not been one moment of doubt that this is the life to which God has called her.
"It's a really great...a springtime for the Church, I suppose. There is such a lot of hope here, and such a lot of life," she says.
Vocations Awareness Week began last Sunday. To find out more about vocations log on to the Archdiocese of Sydney's Vocation Centre at www.vocationcentre.org.au
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
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