At a news conference Jan. 31, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect for the congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Society of Apostolic Life spoke about plans for the 2015 Year for Consecrated Life, which Pope Francis announced in November.
The congregation hopes Pope Francis will celebrate the year’s opening Mass Nov. 21, when the church marks a day of prayer for cloistered religious. The events would conclude one year later on the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council decree “Perfectae Caritatis” on the renewal of religious life.
The Church recognises that we are experiencing a “difficult and delicate” time in religious life, Cardinal Aviz said.
The Year of Consecrated Life is designed to help religious face the future with confidence.
The cardinal encouraged members of religious orders to rediscover the original charisms of their communities, as set forth in their founding.
“We are convinced that the council represented the breath of the Holy Spirit not only for the entire church, but in a particular way for consecrated life,” said Cardinal Aviz . Continue reading