What does ‘consecrated life’ mean to you?

Consecrated life is a special gift of God to man. God calls to consecrated life because He trusts in those whom He invites.

How do you live consecrated life in your everyday life?

In everyday life I serve those whom I meet, I carry out my duties. There is time for both prayer and work in our convent. And what is important is that whatever I do (prayer, work, friendships) I do it with all of my heart.

Do you remember the day of your first or perpetual vows? Do you have a particular memory from that day?

I remember the day of my first vows and the day of my perpetual vows quite well. I was nervous because I knew that I was answering God, to His calling. Despite this I realised my incapacity, and I was grateful to Him for His trust in me. The only thing I wished that day was to remain faithful to God all my life and to be able to distinguish the needs of the specific time so that I could always serve God, the Church and people.

What would you like to say to consecrated people?

Every person consecrated to God knows and understands well that life consecrated to God is full of many challenges and crises. That is why I would like to wish my brothers and sisters perseverance for God. Let our life and service help all those around us to go forward. Let us be joy, love and grace for this world – which it so much needs.

Sister Veronica (Ukraine)

What does ‘consecrated life’ mean to you?

It means to understand that you no longer belong to yourself, that every day you offer your heart, strength and life to God alone. As St. Paul says, ‘It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal 2:20). This is the meaning of a life fully consecrated to God.

How do you live consecrated life in your everyday life?

I try not to plan, to control anything. I try to listen and accept people and situations which God sends to me in a given moment. In the past I wanted to know everything and understand the mechanism of a situation. Step by step, I understood that God does not like this. We lie when we say that we do God’s works but are in fact planning and doing everything by ourselves. Now I thank God. I simply try to accept situations and people as they are, because I cannot change anyone or anything. I can only allow Him to change me. I can only love.

Do you remember the day of your first or perpetual vows, the day of your ordination? Do you have a particular memory from that day?

Before my ordination I met a man. The result of our friendship was that he decided to become a priest too. He gave up his career as a lawyer and went into the seminary. His parents were not believers and did not approve of this decision of their only son, and they blamed me for everything. They often expressed anger and hatred towards me and the Catholic Church. But this man was firm and regardless of the fact that he gave up his parents and sister, he continued to follow Christ. On the day of my ordination I was really shocked when I saw them standing in line to greet me. I expected that they would continue to show hatred towards me. The father of the seminarist had a big lily in his hand. He approached me, gave me his hand and said, ‘Congratulations. Please forgive us for behaving so badly to you. Only now do we understand that our son has made a decision for the best that can happen in life.’ I couldn’t believe it because I had had to put up with a lot because of them. It was a big miracle. And then later on they came to help me a lot in the church.

What would like to say to consecrated people?

Don’t be afraid of being natural, the way God created you. The Church loses a lot when we start being two-faced and put on masks. God wants us to be natural but we are afraid of being the way God created us. I notice that many priests are afraid of failure, mistakes, they think about what people might say about them, and soon they change their face and start adapting. This is not necessary. We have to try to be like Jesus – free, living, alive. Just like fire. 

Father Andrew (Latvia)