NATIONAL VOCATIONS AWARENESS WEEK
Sunday 2 August – Sunday 9 August 2015
Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma
Dominicans celebrate 800 year Jubilee
Dominicans around the world are gearing
up to celebrate the 800 year Jubilee of the
Order. Their story can be traced back to the
early 13th Century when their Founder, St
Dominic, sought to establish a worldwide
Order which would dedicate itself to
preaching Veritas – the Truth – at the
service of Christ and His Church.
On 22 December 1216 Pope Honorius
III gave approval to the Order of Friars
Preachers. In 2016, Friars, Sisters and
Lay members around the world will
hold celebrations.
As the Order was founded to preach
against a heresy which taught that the
material world was evil, it is only right
the Order will celebrate in various ways
which reflect the goodness of its Creator,
a goodness which shines through men and
women created in the image and likeness of
God for truth, love and perpetual happiness!
The Province of the Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary will be holding
events across the territory of its province –
Australia, NZ, Solomon Islands and PNG.
These events include a Jubilee Mass for
the feast of St Dominic on 3 August 2016
celebrated by the Archbishop of Sydney,
Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP.
A Pilgrimage is also planned to visit
Rome, Spain and France in conjunction
with World Youth Day 2016 in Poland. A
Dominican Family Gathering is planned for
the second half of 2016 for all associated
with the Dominican Family to discuss where
the Dominicans have come from and where
we are going in the future.
Vocational discernment days will also take
place for those who think they may have a
calling to the Dominican way of life.
For further information please contact Fr
Karl Emerick OP, Jubilee Coordinator (karl.
[email protected]), or Fr Thomas Azzi OP,
Vocations Promoter ([email protected]).
“It’s hard to know what to do!” is a
common statement of frustration from
those discerning their vocation. We may
easily forget that God doesn’t hide His will
from us.
Part of our “Call to Holiness” is to
remove the obstacles in our human nature
that keep us from recognising what
He wants of us. Most of us have fears,
inadequacies and frailties, all of which
God’s assistance will overcome.
Although Adam and Eve first walked
calmly with God in the Garden of
Eden, after Adam had eaten the
forbidden fruit, his first words to
God were that he “was afraid”.
It’s not surprising, then, that the mostrepeated phrase in the Bible is “do not be
afraid”. It’s there more than 300 times!
God is with us, even when we may not feel
him near.
Similar to the experience of having a
cuppa with a close friend that changes
our outlook for the rest of the day, our
encounters with the Lord are meant to give
us spiritual effects.
One of the ways we encounter the Lord
is in the celebration of the sacraments.
We are given spiritual strength from those
encounters. For example, in Baptism we
receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the
virtues of faith, hope and love. We never
lose those gifts and virtues.
It depends on us, though, how much we
exercise the gifts and virtues, so that they
are developed and useful in our life.
Confirmation is another encounter with
God that spiritually strengthens us to be
able to answer that question, “What does
the Lord want of me?” The new increment
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that comes in
Confirmation helps us to look out on the
world with more spiritual attentiveness.
The events in our lives and the
people placed in our path reveal the
path best meant for us. Then, as the
Lord said to Joshua when he was given
the vocation to lead God’s people
after Moses, He says to you “Be strong
and courageous!” (Joshua 1:9).
Visit www.rsmofalma.org
Sr Mary Rachel Nerbun, a medical doctor, in
our apostolate.
Religious
Sisters of Mercy
of Alma
Where the Mercy
of God Meets
the Misery of
Mankind
A
strong prayer and common life
allows us to extend the Mercy
of God through the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy in professional disciplines that include the fields of education
and health care and wherever we can be
of service to the Church.
“Those who have been given the priceless gift of following the Lord Jesus more
closely consider it obvious that he can
and must be loved with an undivided
heart, that one can devote to him one’s
whole life and not merely certain actions
or occasional moments or activities.”
– Vita Consecrata 104
We invite you to visit us at our
convent in Camperdown.
(near the University of Sydney)
• 02.9557.2398 •
• 0447.381.439 •