Introducing Sister Mary Emet, OCSO

On June 24th, the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Sister Mary Emet, OCSO (formerly Hailey) completed her postulancy and entered the novitiate of Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, MA.

Mount St. Mary's is a Trappistine (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance) cloistered community of contemplative nuns located near Boston, MA.

Sr. Mary Emet grew up in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, and attended the University of Alberta before discerning a vocation to enter Mount St. Mary's Abbey. After her entrance in June 2014, she completed a year of postulancy and has now been clothed in the habit of the Order as a novice, and has received her new name.

Emet is a Hebrew word meaning "truth." 

She will continue her discernment for about two years as a novice before professing her first vows.

Pray for Sr. M. Emet as she begins a new chapter of her discernment as a novice! Sister, we are so proud of you and hold you in our hearts and prayers.

View more photos of Sr. Mary Emet's Clothing Day here.

Father Catfish, I Miss You

Written by a young person in discernment.

Everything I know about consecrated life, I've learned from two people: my parish priest, and Father Mike "Catfish" Mireau. My parish priest teaches me through the way he lives. Fr. Catfish taught me through the way he died.

Fr. Catfish passed away almost a year ago now, after a long, cruciform battle with cancer. It was standing-room-only at his funeral at St. Joseph's Basilica on September 26, 2014, as the flags of Edmonton Catholic Schools flew at half-mast.

"Calling Father Michael Mireau 'unique' is a masterpiece of understatement," said presider Archbishop Smith. "He had an unmatched ability to connect with our beloved young people."

Fr. Mike was the District Chaplain of Edmonton Catholic Schools and the Chaplain of St. Francis Xavier High School when he passed away. He had previously served as a parish priest, and was a great advocate for the Archdiocese's Camp Encounter.

If you attended Catholic school, or Camp Encounter, in the not-too-distant past, chances are you've met Fr. Mike, and his dog/sidekick, Nemo. Father's characteristics included his love of Star Wars, Superman, and Pepsi, his antipathy towards the music of Justin Bieber, his pop-culture jokes, and the simple words with which he concluded every homily: "God is love."

Fr. Mike was also an avid user of Facebook and Twitter, as well as maintaining his own website and YouTube Channel.

It was actually his YouTube videos that affected my life the most. Though they were geared towards preteens and young teenagers, I, along with many other young and not-so-young adults, subscribed to his channel for encouragement, hope, and good advice.

As I watched over the year before his death, Fr. Mike lost his famous ponytail as he went through chemotherapy. He lost weight and strength as his tumour grew. He openly spoke about how much pain he was in. Yet, to my bewilderment, his message in his videos remained the same: he continued to tell us, with humour and simplicity, that God is love.

How can you still say that?! I wondered. Where is the love of God in your pain, in that ugly, hateful tumour that won't go away? What is loving about the fact that you are dying, that the young people who need you so much are going to lose you? God could heal you; why doesn't He? At first it seemed like a twisted joke. God is love.

After his death, I put Fr. Catfish out of my mind. It was too painful to think about. Then one day, I was reading something about Pope John Paul II. The author suggested that JP II's suffering and death from Parkinson's Disease were just as much a part of his ministry as his active days of energetic travel. Through the way he responded to suffering and dying, the Pope taught us how to suffer and die in a holy way.

I came to realize that suffering and death are something every one of us will face. My resentment about Fr. Catfish's cancer gradually gave way to a gratitude that I had been taught by his example, that I had this example of a consecrated person who was faithful even to the end. In sickness and in health, Fr. Catfish was faithful to his priesthood, to God, and to us, God's people.

It was Fr. Catfish who, by example, taught me about the fidelity of consecrated life. He was faithful. As I discern my own vocation, and think about consecrated life, I am daily grateful for Fr. Catfish's faithfulness and holiness, and his witness, to the very end, that God is love.

Photo cred: www.edmontonsun.com
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Discernment and the Vocation of Marriage

The fact that the word "discernment" is very often used in the same sentence as the words "consecrated life" or "priesthood" can be misleading. It seems to imply that the consecrated life is the only way of life which requires prayerful discernment. This is most emphatically untrue!

"Consecrated life" refers to religious life and priesthood, but in fact, all the ways of life we embrace as Catholics are consecrated to God. In the single life, we are called to remain faithful to God through our relationship with Him and with others. In the married life, we are consecrated to God through our spouse. Spouses are called to be Christ to each other, making the love of God sacramentally present to the other person. This holy calling certainly sets Catholic marriage apart — it consecrates it.

Because this is the Year of Consecrated Life, a time to raise awareness about religious life in its various forms, Abide focuses mostly on the discernment of consecrated life according to its usual definition. However, discernment is important for every Catholic, regardless of your vocation. 

Since the moment of our baptism, we are all consecrated to God. We are all set apart for holiness. This call to holiness will manifest itself in our lives through the wholehearted living out of our vocation, whether to the single life, the married life, religious life, or priesthood.

The call to the married life requires prayerful discernment in the same way that the call to consecrated life does. Marriage, like consecrated life, is a lifelong commitment, and should be approached with due reverence and much prayer.

It may be helpful to think about discernment in the following way. Rather than thinking of discernment as something you will only have to do once and which will set the course of your whole future ("discerning your vocation"), think of discernment as something which must be done everyday.

When we daily approach life with prayer, reflection, and the question, "Lord, what is your will for me — today? What is your will for this situation, this relationship, this decision? How can I respond to this circumstance with your love?", discernment takes on a whole new relevance and simplicity.

We discern daily the same way we discern the "big" things: through silence, prayer, Scripture reading, self-reflection, and waiting on God.

Daily discernment and surrender of our lives to God will slowly reveal our vocations. When we daily discern His desires, we are lead gradually, gently, organically, to the answer to The Big Question: what is my vocation?

For this reason, if you have been called to the married life, discernment is still relevant for you. Abide encourages you to explore our discernment resources and to prayerfully discern your daily life.

Sisters and brothers, His desires for you are so good. Be not afraid!

Under Her Mantle

Written by a young person in discernment.

"Before, by yourself, you couldn't. Now, you've turned to our Lady, and with her, how easy!"

  --St. José Maria Escriva

The first time I really gave any thought to what it means to be consecrated was two summers ago. I was bracing myself for the coming academic year: my second in university. That summer, my life felt chaotic, with changes and struggles facing me everywhere I turned. I felt the need to do something concrete to respond to the chaos with faith.

I knew that certain spiritual practices, such as a daily rosary, had helped me through other challenging times in my life. But I felt the need to do something more radical: something that was proportionate to the need I felt for God's help.

One day, in an email, a friend shared with me how he had consecrated himself to Mary through a spiritual practice called "Total Consecration to Mary." He explained that, with the aid of a book written by St. Louis de Montfort, he had prayed and reflected in preparation, every day for 33 days. On the last day, which fell on a Marian feast day, he used St. Louis' prayer of consecration to consecrate his entire life to the protection and intercession of Mary.

My first reaction was: woah. That sounds intense. My friend shared that St. Louis used phrases like "sweet slavery" to describe his relationship with Mary! I was a little freaked out.

However, I couldn't get the idea of Total Consecration out of my mind. Doing a little research on the internet, I discovered that many saints and blesseds had consecrated themselves to Mary through St. Louis' method. In fact, Saint Pope John Paul II was inspired by the language of Marian consecration when he chose the phrase Totus Tuus Maria ("I am totally yours, Mary") as the motto for his pontificate.

I also learned that, in addition to St. Louis de Montfort's book, True Devotion to Mary, a book had been written in contemporary language to guide people through the process of consecration. Thirty-Three Days to Morning Glory, by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, is a guide to Marian consecration that is a more approachable read. There is also a free online guide (this website is an awesome resource). 

After thinking about it for awhile, I decided to read St. Louis' book and go through the 33 days of preparation. I decided that if things seemed to be getting too intense, I could always back out before the day of consecration itself.

I read True Devotion to Mary and my heart was won. St. Louis' gentle, but passionate love for Mary touched my heart, and I knew that it was her motherly help that I needed to help me through the hard season of life I was going through. Doing the consecration would mean that I gave Mary permission to intercede for me and so lead me to Jesus. I came to understand that in consecrating myself to Mary, I was taking a step towards consecrating my life to her Son. It still felt like a radical step, but it was one that I wanted to take.

And so I began my preparation. I looked at the calendar and found that if I began the preparation that week, I would finish on August 22, the feast of the Queenship of Mary. Using St. Louis' book as my guide, I spent some time each day praying and doing some spiritual reading. Mary, the powerful prophetess, the gentle mother, the Queen of Heaven, the woman clothed with the sun, began to occupy a new place in my heart: and she never stopped pointing, with incredible gentleness and love, to Christ.

My consecration day arrived. After preparing for 33 days, I felt ready. I asked my parish priest to receive my consecration (listen to me pray the prayer of consecration and witness my promise). I went to Confession and Mass beforehand, and then, in Father's encouraging presence, I prayed the prayer of consecration aloud, standing in front of the altar. We both signed our names in my book below the prayer, along with the date. Every year on the same date, I renew my promise of consecration.

Since that day, my relationship with Mary has been an immense reservoir of strength and grace for me. Her powerful intercession and peaceful presence have changed my life, because her help leads me always towards Jesus.

Total Consecration was an experience of consecration, which means to be set apart, to be made sacred, and to be declared holy. I set myself apart as a daughter of Mary. Her prayer helps me to grow in holiness, and to see myself as sacred, because I am a temple of the Holy Spirit and a daughter of God. 

Marian consecration is a devotional spiritual practice, not a sacramental one. Baptism and Confirmation are unique sacramental experiences of consecration that set us apart as Catholics — members of Christ's Body, the Church. In the Sacrament of Marriage, a husband and wife are set apart for one another. At every celebration of the Mass, bread and wine are consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Christ, which then transforms those who receive it to become more like Him whom they receive. 

Sacramental consecration is a part of every Catholic's life. Devotional forms of consecration are embraced by some who find them beneficial in the spiritual journey. Every Catholic is called to a consecrated life, though the ways of consecrating yourself differ according to your vocation. 

Consecration is "taken to the next level," so to speak, in consecrated life. Through the vows taken by consecrated men and women, their whole lives and their entire beings are set apart for God.

If you want to deepen your understanding of what consecration is, and deepen the consecration of your baptism, consider consecrating yourself to Mary. Her gentleness makes the process easier than you might think. Entrust your heart to the Mother of Mercy. Be not afraid!

"Take shelter under our Lady's mantle, and do not fear. She will give you all you need. She is very rich, and besides is so very generous with her children. So take advantage without fear and with complete confidence, whenever you need anything. She loves giving."

--St. Raphaela Mary

Have you consecrated yourself to Our Lady according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort? Share your experience in the comments below! 

Prayer to St. Joseph for Wisdom in Discernment

"Saint Joseph, Patron of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, you were completely open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Through your intercession, obtain for me the grace to know the way of life to which God's love invites me.

Obtain for me the grace to know God's Will, to carry it out faithfully, and to discern the vocation that will best lead me to Christ.

Amen."

Discernment Vocab

Written by a young person in the process of discernment.

I've noticed that when I talk about my vocational discernment, I use terms that aren't part of most people's day-to-day vocabulary.

Often, when I'm talking to friends and family about religious life, I'll say something, and they'll be like, "What language are you speaking?!"

I've learned to clarify certain terms before launching into a discussion about consecrated life.

I'll say, "_____, which is monk-speak for _____."

Feeling lost among all the long and Latin-rooted words associated with the ancient and beautiful institution of religious life in our Catholic faith? Be not afraid! Allow me to translate. Then you can clear things up for your friends. (Or not. It's kind of fun to throw around words like hebdomadarian and sound like you have a PhD.)

Here is a brief glossary of some terms you may encounter in the process of exploring the rich heritage of religious life in the Church.

Apostolate: the specific type of work done by a community for the overall purpose of spreading the Gospel (preaching, education, healthcare, prayer, etc.)

Apostolic: in the context of religious life, used to designate communities with active apostolates (nursing, social work, etc.)

Abbot/Abbess: the leader or superior of a community. Depending on the community, the leader may be called Abbot/Abbess, Prior/Prioress, Reverend Mother/Father, Sister/Brother, or another title specific to the community.

Charism: the particular grace or gift given to the founder of an Order or congregation and passed on to his or her spiritual descendants for the benefit of the entire Church. For example, the charism of the Franciscan Order is poverty; the charism of the Dominican Order is truth, etc.

Cloister:  in cloistered communities, refers to the area of the monastery reserved for community members, which is not usually open to the public and which community members do not usually leave. A cloistered community refers to communities in which members stay in one place and do not usually leave it. Also called an enclosure/enclosed community. The land surrounding the monastery building (gardens, walking paths, etc.) is included in the cloistered area.

Contemplative: communities whose way of life is devoted primarily to prayer and union with God.

Convent: some religious communities live in convents. Can be used for both male and female communities; in common parlance, typically refers to the home of a female apostolic community. Depending on the community and their way of life, the home of the community may also be called a monastery, priory, abbey, or another name specific to the community. Monastery typically refers to the home of a contemplative community. Abbey is typically used in communities of Benedictine extraction. Priory is typically used in mendicant communities.

Diocesan: a diocesan priest (sometimes called a secular priest) is ordained to serve in a specific geographical area. A religious priest is a priest and a member of a religious community. For more on the distinction, click here.

Divine Office (aka the Liturgy of the Hours): the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei), is the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. Includes Morning Prayer (Lauds in Latin), Midmorning Prayer (Terce), Midday Prayer (Sext), Mid-afternoon Prayer (None), Evening Prayer (Vespers), Night Prayer (Compline), and the Office of Readings (Matins or Vigils). Note: though called "Hours," each Hour does not take an hour to pray! Typically the individual Hours take between 10 and 30 minutes to pray.

Almost all religious pray either some or all of the Hours each day. Contemplative communities typically pray all or most of the Hours, and apostolic communities and priests typically pray at least Lauds and Vespers.

The Hours are often prayed together in community, but may be prayed individually as well. The Divine Office may be spoken or sung/chanted.

Evangelical Counsels: poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Habit: the distinctive clothing worn by some religious. Some, though not all, religious communities wear a habit. Often includes a tunic-type garment, and, for women, a veil/head-covering. Other religious communities wear a symbol of their community (e.g. a cross necklace or a pin).

Horarium: old-school monk-speak term, meaning the daily schedule of a monastic community, which typically stays the same or very similar every day.

Monastic:  having to do with a monastery or the way of life of monks or nuns. Tends to refer to contemplative, rather than apostolic, religious life.

Novice: a novice is a person in training to become a fully-fledged member of a religious community. The novitiate period typically lasts one - two years. In some communities, a novice has already completed a time of postulancy (the first stage of formation when one has just entered a community). After the novitiate period, the person will profess their first vows.

Before a person enters a community officially as a postulant, they may complete a time of aspirancy as an aspirant, living with the community to discern if they feel called to the community's way of life.

Novice Master/Mistress: the community member in charge of training novices.

Novitiate: refers to the time period of being a novice, to the novices themselves, and to the building or section of the community home reserved for members in training.

Refectory: a monastic dining room.

Spiritual director: a person, often a priest or religious, who helps people discern where God is leading them. As an experienced guide in the spiritual life, he or she can help bring objectivity to a situation.

Third Order: Laity who affiliate themselves with a religious Order to share in the spirituality and charism of that Order; also called tertiaries. Active religious sisters may be called third order regular or third order conventual.

Typically first order refers to priests/friars, and second order to nuns.

Vocation: the way in which a person is called to live out the universal call to holiness.

Vocation Director/Directress: the member of a religious community who is the contact person for young people interested in becoming members of their community. They help the young person discern what God is calling them to.

Vows: religious profess vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Particular communities may have other vows that they require members to profess (for example, the vow of stability, which is the promise to remain in one community for the rest of one's life).

....and yes, hebdomadarian is a real word, and it has nothing to do with camels. It means "The nun or monk whose duty it is to begin and end the Hours of the Divine Office, and to lead the prayers at the graces before and after meals."

For more terms, click here, or go to FAQ/Ask Abide.