World Day for Consecrated Life Mass to be held Feb. 3

The annual Mass for World Day for Consecrated Life will be held on Feb. 3 at 4 p.m. at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Cresskill. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., will celebrate the Mass, and all are invited to attend.

This celebration was instituted by then-Pope John Paul II in 1997 and is held every year on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also called Candlemas Day. It commemorates the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles. In the same way, consecrated men and women are called to spread the light and love of Jesus Christ through their selfless service.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., presents a congratulatory letter to religious sisters of the Archdiocese of Newark celebrating milestone years of professed religious life during Mass on World Day for Consecrated Life in 2023.

On Feb. 3, we will recognize consecrated religious in the Archdiocese of Newark who are celebrating a milestone or “jubilee” anniversary. While the World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated worldwide on Feb. 2, parishes across the Archdiocese will celebrate it over the weekend of Feb. 3-4 to highlight the work of consecrated men and women in the community.

Let us pray for and thank all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life on their special day. May they continue to draw inspiration from Jesus Christ and generously respond to God’s gift of their vocation.

More information on World Day for Consecrated Life is available online: USCCB.

To learn more about consecrated life at the Archdiocese of Newark, visit rcan.org/vocations-for-religious-life.

Featured image: Sister Patricia Wormann, O.P., Delegate for Religious (third from right), joins a group of Friars and Consecrated Virgin Irene Tevi-Benissan, of the Archdiocese of Newark in marking World Day for Consecrated Life in 2023.