Religious men and women celebrate life according to God’s plan
Sr. Beverly Pettke, OSM, celebrating 60 years of consecrated life with the Servants of Mary, participates in a Mass with other religious jubilarians June 5 at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.Dan Meloy | The Michigan Catholic
Detroit — During a homily before a chapel full of habited and non-habited religious, Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes paused.
“It isn’t easy to live with Jesus,” he said, “not that I have to tell that to people who lived with him for centuries combined.”
On June 5, Bishop Byrnes and 142 jubilarians, representing 8,835 combined years of living in a committed relationship with Jesus, celebrated consecrated life jubilees at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
The jubilee was a chance for those in the religious community from across the archdiocese to gather and reflect on their time in service to the Lord.
“Living with Jesus can be difficult at times, because he can be difficult at times,” said Byrnes, reflecting on the Gospel message of Joseph and Mary finding Jesus in the Temple. “Mary said, ‘We were looking for you with great anxiety; why did you do this to us?’ That comes from someone who feels betrayed. They don’t understand what he meant when he said, ‘I must be in my Father’s house.’”
Bishop Byrnes said the reason it can be difficult to follow Jesus is that Jesus’ message doesn’t come from another human being, but from God, making what he asks difficult at times.
“Jesus isn’t as we wish him to be, but he is as we need him to be,” Bishop Byrnes said. “Everything he does is under God’s divine plan. So we’re going to have to learn to live with Jesus.”
After Mass, the jubilarians gathered for a lunch, where Felician Sr. Rose Marie Kujawa, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s delegate for religious life, gave the keynote address before the blessing.
Sr. Mary Presentine Ugorowski, CSSF, and Sr. Mary Annelle Krych, CSSF, were each recognized for celebrating 75 years in consecrated life.
“Over the years, I learned to put more trust in the Lord; I’m still a little afraid to put complete trust in Jesus,” Sr. Ugorowski said. “I’ve also learned how important community life is. It’s an extension of family life and leads to Church life.”
Sr. Ugorowski reflected on how the world and the Church have changed since she said her first vows.
“People take commitments less seriously; however, the trend will hopefully go in a new direction,” Sr. Ugorowski said. “We need to be more family and community-oriented. Regardless of circumstance, the future will be what we work toward, and that needs to be done with a caring heart and prayerful spirit.”
Michigan Catholic jubilee supplement
Look for a special issue of The Michigan Catholic on July 8, which will honor all of the religious, priests and deacons celebrating jubilees in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
