Consecrated life: a year to understand

Convents, monasteries, religious institutes and monastic orders, along with dioceses across Europe, have made known the initiatives for the Year of Consecrated Life, which has just commenced. In the Netherlands, for example, the Trappist Abbot of Our Lady of Koningshoeven, Bernard Peeters, called on all religious and monastic communities in the Netherlands to participate in a “prayer chain”, to “give thanks for the past; embrace the future with hope; become spiritually united with the prayers of world monasteries. “Concretely, every religious community will devote a week to prayer according to these three intentions. Sarah Numico for Sir Europe interviewed Fr. Bernardus who in 2006 was chosen by twenty-one confreres as their abbot. Koningshoeven was founded in 1881 and was the first contemplative male monastery in the country after the Reformation. Other communities branched out from Koningshoeven in the Netherlands, Indonesia and Uganda. The monks also live of their production of Trappist beer, cheese and bread. What are your expectations for the Year of Consecrated Life? “I hope it may lead to a greater consideration of the role that the religious have played in the life of society and of the Church in the Netherlands. There is a lack of understanding and knowledge regarding the major contribution given to our society by congregations of active life in particular, for example in the fields of healthcare or education. I also it will bring a deeper understanding and awareness of the specific charism of each order and religious congregation. For our part it consists in providing an answer to the question: ‘how do we live our charism today?’ Finally, I hope it may be an opportunity to show in the Church and in society that the choice of religious life is possible and makes life fruitful and meaningful”. Will there be something special in The Netherlands during this year? “The Conference of Major Superiors in the Netherlands (Knr) will organize a special day of ‘open doors’ in all convents and monasteries. Probably, although the date is still not defined, it will be on the World Day for Vocations (fourth Sunday after Easter). The Conference is also organizing a high-level meeting on ‘Perfectae Caritatis’, the document of Vatican II on religious life, while January 31 there will be a day dedicated especially to the religious youth, those who are doing their formation course; another day will focus on foreign religious who work and live in the country. Each order and congregation, as well as the dioceses, are preparing special initiatives. For example in our diocese, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the bishop asked a group of religious to form a committee tasked with organizing events at diocesan level. A parish in Tilburg has scheduled ten evenings throughout the year to deepen the spirituality and charism of various religious congregations. And then we launched the prayer chain of monasteries. There is a website that coordinates everything (http://godgewijdleven.blogspot.nl/)”. What does it mean today to be a monk in The Netherlands? “For me, being a monk today in our secularized society means keeping alive the memory of God. We have to show with our lives that there is God who loves us and wants us to live. We have to create places where people can meet God and can meet each other in order to experience authentic and joyful relationships”. What is the role of Christianity in Europe? “I think it is to highlight the central role of the human person. A human being is a person only when he/she is in relationship with God and with others. Without communion and without relationships there cannot be a human person. The Christian faith is important because it shows people their value and that they cannot be reduced to being a product, a machine or a means to make more money”. What is Pope Francis giving to the Dutch Church? “It seems to me that Pope Francis is giving to the Church a more human face without forgetting divine inspiration. His appeal to show everyone the tenderness of God and go out on the streets is an important message for the Church in the Netherlands. Because of our past and forced by the dominant secular culture, the Dutch Catholics are too shy; but Pope Francis is giving them the courage to bear witness to their faith. The Church in our country direly needs his reminder to always look to Jesus. Sometimes we are locked inside ourselves”.