Mass for consecrated religious, Feb. 2
When Bishop Barry C. Knestout celebrates Mass for men and women religious on the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, celebrating with them for the first time in the Diocese of Richmond will be three members of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of Hanoi (LHC) — Sisters Hong Bui, Nhan Vu and Linh Do. With the bishop’s permission, the order began serving the community at Our Lady of Vietnam Catholic Church, Hampton, this past summer.
The Diocese of Richmond is served by 114 women representing 20 religious communities.
In addition to the convent in Hampton, LHC members serve in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin in education, healthcare, evangelization and social work.
In instituting the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life as an annual observance in 1997, St. Pope John Paul II said it was “intended to be a suitable occasion for consecrated persons to renew their commitment and rekindle the fervor which should inspire their offering of themselves to the Lord.”
Bishop Knestout will celebrate Mass on the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on Thursday, Feb. 2, 5 p.m., at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond.
St. Pope John Paul II specifically designated that day, which is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, as “an eloquent icon of the total offering of one’s life for all those who are called to show forth in the Church and in the world, by means of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus — the chaste, poor and obedient one.”
Editor’s note: Please contact Nazia Shafi, Director of Safe Environment/Coordinator, Women Religious at [email protected] for more information.