Offices

Office for Consecrated Life

So it is that in accordance with the Divine Plan a wonderful variety of religious communities has grown up which has made it easier for the church … to be equipped for every good work and ready for the work of the ministry—the building up of the Body of Christ. —
Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life Perfectae Caritatis, no. 1

Forms of Consecrated Life

 
All information is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

Evangelical Counsels

915. Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple. The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God.

916. The state of consecrated life is thus one way of experiencing a “more intimate” consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God. In the consecrated life, Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.

Eremetic Life


920. Without always professing the three evangelical counsels publicly, hermits “devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous prayer and penance.” 

921. They manifest to everyone the interior aspect of the mystery of the Church, that is, personal intimacy with Christ.  Hidden from the eyes of men, the life of the hermit is a silent preaching of the Lord, to whom he has surrendered his life simply because he is everything to him.  Here is a particular call to find in the desert, in the thick of spiritual battle, the glory of the Crucified One

Consecrated Virgins and Widows

922. From apostolic times Christian virgins and widows, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church’s approval to live in the respective states of virginity or perpetual chastity “for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.”

923. “Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church.” By this solemn rite (Consecratio Virginum), the virgin is “constituted…a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church’s love for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to come.”

924. “As with other forms of consecrated life,” the order of virgins establishes the woman living in the world (or the nun) in prayer, penance, service of her brethren, and apostolic activity, according to the state of life and spiritual gifts given to her. Consecrated virgins can form themselves into associations to observe their commitment more faithfully.

consecratedvirgins.org. . .

Religious Life

925. Religious life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity. Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and witness given to the union of Christ with the Church.  

926. Religious life derives from the mystery of the Church.  It is a gift she has received from her Lord, a gift she offers as a stable way of life to the faithful called by God to profess the counsels.  Thus, the Church can both show forth Christ and acknowledge herself to be the Savior’s bride.  Religious life in its various forms is called to signify the very charity of God in the language of our time.  

927. All religious, whether exempt or not, take their place among the collaborators of the diocesan bishop in his pastoral duty.  From the outset of the work of evangelization, the missionary “planting” and expansion of the Church require the presence of the religious life in all its forms.  “History witnesses to the outstanding service rendered by religious families in the propagation of the faith and in the formation of new Churches: from the ancient monastic institutions to the medieval orders, all the way to the more recent congregations.”

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Celebrates our 2019 Jubilarians

85 Years

  • Sr. Mary Berenice Eltz, R.S.M.

80 Years

  • Sr.Consolata Pylilo C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. M. Regis Wesolowski, C.S.F.N.

75 Years

  • Sr. Nadine Rose Bennett, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Agnes Bonner, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Sally Dougherty, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Dorothy Dunn, G.N.S.H.
  • Rev. Joseph J. Getz, O.S.A. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Ann Bernadette Harron, G.N.S.H.
  • Sr. Veronica Kaiser, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Therese Benedict Maguire, S.S.J.
  • Sr. James Frances McGlashen, O.S.F.
  • Br. Emery Francis Mollenhauer, F.S.C.
  • Sr. Anthony Therese of the Sacred Heart Palchick, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Mary Rita Robinson, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Ann Muriel Ronan, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Dorothy Rooney, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Mary Rachel Torrieri, I.H.M.

70 Years

  • Sr. Jeanne Adams, S.H.C.J.
  • Sr. Dorothy Annas, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Sister Frances William Avery, G.N.S.H.
  • Sr. Maria Clemens Baronett, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Corda Marie Bergbauer, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Eleanor Mary Bringenberg, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Margaret St. John Brocato, O.S.F.
  • Rev. John J. Byrnes, O.S.A. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Helen P. Clifton, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Mary Teresa Coll, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Jane Coyle, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Nancy Crossen, O.S.F.
  • Rev. Silvio D’Ostilio, CSSp.
  • Religious Profession – 65 years ordained)
  • Sr. Lorraine Phyllis DeViller, S.H.C.J.
  • Sr. Incarnata Maria DiPilla, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Aletta Dorothy Donahue, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Joan Donahue, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Mary Rose Dugan, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Mary Shaun of the Holy Eucharist Dunphy, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Kathleen Fitzgerald, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Helen Ann Gaidos, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Mary Aquinas Hamilton, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Mary Louise Heinle, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Marie Patris Hogan, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Agnes Hughes, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Muriel Kershaw, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Ann Conrad Koerner, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Marie Bernadette of the Holy Family Lang, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Sister Miriam Theresa Lavelle, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Jean Levenstein, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Margaret Mary Lewis, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Mary Jacinta of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Lieber, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Theodosia Lukiw, O.S.B.M.
  • Sr. Alice Patrice, McGinnis, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Cora Marie of the Holy Family McGuire, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Mary P. McKinley, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Justina Marie Miller, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Ida Marie Nicklas, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Annie Frances Oman, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Laura Palka, O.S.B.M.
  • Sr. M. Rita Partyka, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. Helen Regina Schwarz, S.H.C.J.
  • Sr. M. Ruth Catherine Spain, S.B.S.
  • Sr. M. Bernadette Sznurkowski, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. Mildred Ruth Whall, S.H.C.J.
  • Rev. Thomas J. Wheeler, S.J. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Sally White, G.N.S.H.
  • Sr. Stephen Francis of the Precious Blood Winder, M.S.B.T.
  • Sr. Maria Prudens Wright, I.H.M.

65 Years

  • Rev. John P. Betoni, O.S.A. (Religious Profession)
  • Rev. William M. Cleary, O.S.A. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. M. Doloretta Dawid, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. Chrysostom Lukiw, O.S.B.M.
  • Rev. William Howard McGraw, O.S.A. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. M. Aurea Stroik, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. M. Ruth Ruster, C.S.F.N.

60 Years

  • Sr. Elizabeth Teresa of Jesus Baeringeer, l.s.p.
  • Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, M.S.C.
  • Sr. Kathleen Boyce, R.S.M.
  • Rev. Henry M. Bradbury, C.M.
  • Sr. Ellen Casey, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Maryan Chappetto, I.H.M.
  • Rev. Edward C. Dougherty, S.J. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Mary Margaret Fee, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Jane Fell, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Joan Freney, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Patricia Geary, G.N.S.H.
  • Sr. Kathleen Gennett, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Agnes Bernadette Gott, O.P.
  • Sr. Mary Alphonse Hamel, C.S.R.
  • Sr.. Janet Henry, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Maryann Horan, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Mary Hottenroth, S.B.S.
  • Sr. Ann Louise Impink, S.S.N.D.
  • Sr. Marie Bernadette Kinniry, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Louise Luby, R.S.M.
  • Sr. M. Kathleen Theresa Maguire, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Mary Catherine Manley, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Loretto Eugenia Mapa, R.A.
  • Sr. Marian Gregory Mazzotta, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Eleanor McCann, R.S.M.
  • Rev. John W. McDaniel, S.J. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Sheila McGinnis, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Arleen Mary McNicholas, S.S.J
  • Sr. Geraldine Mikulec, S.B.S.
  • Rev. James W. Moore, S.J.
  • Sr. Kathleen Moriarty, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Maureen Murray, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Barbara Anne Newton, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Sagrario Nuñez, A.C.J.
  • Sr. Jude Mary O’Donnell, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Anna Quigley, R.S.M.
  • Rev. Edwin J. Sanders, S.J.
  • Rev. William J. Sneck, S.J. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Joan Scary, R.S.M.
  • Sr. Joan Spearing, S.H.C.J.
  • Sr. Margaret Taylor, R.S.M.
  • Br. Joseph Jerald Willard, F.C.S.
  • Sr. Anne Woodeshick, R.S.M.

55 Years

  • Rev. James E. Dalton, O.S.F.S. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Ann Laszok, O.S.B.M.
  • Sr. Monica Lesnick, O.S.B.M.
  • Rev. Edward L. Rauch, O.S.F.S.

50 Years

  • Sr. Mary Gertrude Borres, R.A.
  • Sr. Mary Ann Besitka, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Dolores Joseph Bozzelli, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Barbara Burnett, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Anne Veronica Burrows, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Geraldine M. Cantwell, I.H.M.
  • Rev. Thomas J. Casey, O.S.A.
  • Rev, Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S.
  • (Religious Profession – 40 year ordained)
  • Sr. M. Ellen T. Convey, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Sister M. Angela Cresswell C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. Marlene Daltwas, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Mary Winifred Feeney, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Evelyn Marita Figueroa, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. M. Linda Filipponi, I.H.M.5
  • Sr. M. Francis Michael Finsterbusch, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Patricia Anne Flanigan, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Catherine of the Precious Blood Frain, l.s.p.
  • Rev. Vincent J. Genovesi, S.J.
  • Sr. Ellen M. Giardino, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Eileen Therese Gillespie, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Elaine Marie Glanz, I.H.M.
  • Rev. Joseph J. Godfrey, S.J.
  • Sr. Mary Magdalene Greco, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Madeleleine Jude Hamilton, S.S.J.
  • Sr. Barbara Ann Harold, O.S.F.
  • Sr. Mary Lorraine Holzman, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Rose Patrice Kuhn, I.H.M.
  • Rev. Brendan G. Lally, S.J. (Religious Profession)
  • Sr. Thais M. Margiotta, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Marjorie M. McCall, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Marie Christine McKenna, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Constance Therese Meck, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Kathleen Marie Metz, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Patricia Micklos, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Carol Mockus, C.S.F.N.
  • Sr. M. Barbara Ann Montague, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Michael Raymond Moore, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Sister Lorraine Mugli, S.S.J.
  • Sr. M. Kathleen Nuckols, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Mary P. O’Connor, I.H.M.
  • Sr. M. Janice Owens, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Patricia Rogan, S.B.S.
  • Sr. Sister Anna Saltzman, R.S.M.
  • Rev. Patrick H. Samway, S.J.
  • Sr. M. Helen Teresa Smythe, I.H.M.
  • Sr, M. Linda Uhrin, I.H.M.
  • Sr. Rose Mary Walsh, I.H.M.

40 Years

  • Br. Brian Henderson, F.S.C.

25 Years

  • Rev. Janez Percic, S.J.
  • Sr. Mary Sue Sopcynski, M.M.S.
  • Sr. Abhaya Thekkan, M.M.S.
  • Sr. M. Silvana Vega, I.H.M.

         September 8, 2019

         Jubilarian Mass at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul 11 a.m.

         All are welcome to come!

Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to the

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is sponsoring a PILGRMAGE to the NATIONAL SHRINE in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 19th, 2019. We are inviting all in Consecrated Life to join and participate in this great event. All local Parishes have also been invited to participate.

Please mark your calendars for this event. 

More information will be posted in the coming weeks and there will be the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which we would like those in Consecrated Religious Life to participate.

Join fellow Catholics in the Archdiocese on a Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

More details and registration information to come.  This pilgrimage is organized by Rev. Michael Olivere at Saint Timothy Parish.

 

Saturday, Dec. 14 2019

Advent Day of Retreat

Sunday, Feb. 2 2020
World Day of Consecrated Life
11:00am Holy Mass and reception to follow

Saturday March 14 2020
Lenten Day of Retreat

Saturday, Dec. 12 2020
Advent Day of Retreat

Details will follow for each retreat and celebration as we near the dates

Contact

Sister Gabrielle Mary Braccio, RSM
Delegate for Consecrated Life
222 North 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1299
10th Floor Room 1029

Phone: 215-587-3795
Fax: 215-587-3790
Email: sr.gbraccio@archphila.org

To assist those who feel called to the consecrated life, the Office for Consecrated Life lists those Congregations who serve in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Please see listing below.

Congregations of Men

Congregations of Women