Center for the Study of Consecrated Life
December 2015 Newsletter
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Issue: 3
December/2015
Dear friends,

Greetings from the Center for the Study of Consecrated Life (CSCL) at CTU in Chicago as we close the month of November and Thanks Giving season and move to December and Advent's anticipation. This very much reflects the past few months in the CSCL.
In the US this Fall we were graced with Pope Francis' visit and strong calls to dialogue, peace-building, responding to persons living in poverty and on the margins of society, and a continuing call to integral ecology that sees the link each creature has with all creation and the Creator. Our Gospel message of love, hope and mercy reminds us that all is possible! This is not dissipated by the violence we see around us, but actually reminds us ever more that we must "wake up the world" and witness by our very lives that "another way is possible."  In this Advent season we are often reminded that with our God of Love all things are possible.
In all seasons, thank you for your interest and passion for the living God's call to you and for your support of the CSCL as we also seek to respond to the unmet needs in the church and world around us. Thank you for engaging in these conversations of consequence and joining our programs from near and far. At CTU and the Center we are also very grateful for a generous grant from the Hilton Foundation which made much of our programming possible.  For all - I and we give thanks.
 
Sr. Maria Cimperman, RSCJ 
Director, Center for the Study of Consecrated Life
Catholic Theological Union
773-371-5520
"Conversations We Must Have in Religious Life" Part II
Conversations
September included "Conversations We Must Have in Consecrated Life, Part II" in which a full house engaged the offerings of our theologians on the following topics: 
  • Befriending the Poor, Inside and Out
  • Living the Vows in Response to the Ecological Crisis 
  • Community: A Life To Be Lived - Awakening Hope, Courage and Mercy 
  • Interculturality And Religious Life 
  • Living Paschal Mystery Amidst Changing Realities of Consecrated Life Today 
The podcasts are available on our website and the link is below. The room was full for this energetic conversation and it quickly became clear that each topic needs more time.

We plan to have more "Conversations" in the future and invite YOU to offer us some further topics for conversations we must have. Thank you to many who joined us that evening!

Click here to download the podcast

Conference: "The Global Call of Religious Life Today"
CSCL - Global Call
A highlight of the Fall was our October conference on the Global Call of Religious Life Today.  It was a graced time for all ; each presentation and conversation flowed from one topic and part of the world to the next. 
 
Global Call Sr. Pat Murray, IBVM, secretary general of the UISG, opened our evening and our world as she offered a global vision of what religious life looks like and where we are called. The video has been posted on our website.  Click here!
It is profound and inspiring.

Over the next two days we looked at various regions in the world, their contexts and realities, and continually asked each participant to reflect on and respond to "what is the Spirit inviting consecrated life today?" A gift that is very much part of the ethos of CTU is that the participants reflected not only many parts of the world and the US, but many different religious congregations.

Global Call The input and engagement was substantial and the conversations among all built a community of hope among us. I will reflect more on this on our website, for the global call of consecrated life is an ongoing and emerging call. The 3 keynotes will be posted online as videos and the panels will be posted online as podcasts (audio).  You are encouraged to see, listen and use them for your own reflection, for your classes, your communities and your congregations and with your collaborators and partners. We would be grateful to know your responses and how you used the resources. Please email us at consecratedlife@ctu.eduEnjoy! 
Some Words About the Conference From Participants
Global Call 2

"At the Global Call of Religious Life Conference, I found a diverse community of familiar faces and new friends eager for vocational nourishment. The rich program provided a marvelous banquet! Together we prayed and listened to amazing speakers from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. At our round tables, we reflected on each talk and discussed its meaning for our lives and our world. We enjoyed delicious meals and conversation. It was communion at its best! Being a member of a religious community means being a part of the global family of consecrated people. Our collaboration and dialogue partners are growing, as a common theme was the necessity of "the inter(s)" (intercongregational, interreligious, intercultural, and intergenerational). In working together, we can be more attuned to the cries of the poor and respond with creative solutions. I also found that solidarity and fullness of life go hand in hand. Fullness of life (John 10:10) begins by "going inward" as Sr. Pat Murray shared. We cannot live prophetically without being mystics. We have to pray, discern, and listen to the voice of God so we can live more authentically. It is from this space that we discover the immense capacity for love and creativity that moves us into action. Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, SJ gave an inspirational message about our call to be "eternally generative" and in doing so we will awaken people to new life. Father Benigno Beltran, SVD witnessed this through his incredible work with the people in "Smokey Mountain." The gifts I received from this "feast" continue to nourish my spirit and encourage my vocation."
-- Christa Parra, IBVM, Student at Catholic Theological Union

Global call1

"The Global Call of Religious Life Conference affirmed my commitment to religious life in two ways. First, hearing the witness of religious from various parts of the world filled me with joy at the "catholicity of Catholicism" which I first encountered while a student at CTU. The call to serve the universal Church that we religious have been gifted with brings us beyond our own horizons and makes life quite an adventure! Second, it affirmed for me that the place for religious is at the peripheries: of life, of society, of the Church... wherever we are led... wherever we find ourselves. Whether we got there by choice or went with resistance, our presence brings the mission of Christ to those most in need of hope, healing and dignity."
-- Kevin Mannara, CSB, Scholastic with the Basilian Fathers

Upcoming Symposium with Timothy Radcliffe, OP
February invite
Click here for more information and to register by January 20!
Other Upcoming Events
Tolton Lecture: "Subversive Habits: The Untold History of Black Catholic Sisters in the United States"
This year's Tolton Lecture, in collaboration with the CSCL, will feature Dr. Shannen Dee Williams, Assistant Professor of History, University of Tennessee. The lecture promises to be informative and engaging. Please join us!
WHEN: Tuesday, March 1 at 4 pm
WHERE: Catholic Theological Union, 2nd floor conference room
Free parking available. 

Year of Mercy
We are putting plans in place for the Year of Mercy. More information will be available in early 2016.

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