Fr Adam Sowa writes on the Celebration of Consecrated Life – Brentwood Cathedral – Monday 2 February 2026
On the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life in Rome, Pope Leo XIV said: “You are called to bear witness in a society in which life and faith seem to drift further and further apart.” He was speaking to consecrated persons and members of societies of apostolic life during Mass on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
The Holy Father pointed to the prophetic mission of religious as a sign of opposition and hope in a world marked by fear, violence and forgetfulness of human dignity. In his homily delivered in St. Peter’s Basilica to numerous consecrated people, the Pope emphasised that prophecy consists in a life dedicated to God and man: “You are called to do this above all through the sacrifice of your lives, rooted in prayer and ready to burn yourselves in love.” The Holy Father reminded us that prophecy is a characteristic of the consecrated life. “The Church asks you to be prophets: witnesses and heralds who proclaim the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for Him.”
In Brentwood Cathedral, a similar message was delivered by Bishop Alan Williams SM in the presence of numerous men and women religious and consecrated persons who gathered around him to renew the vows and promises they made in their own religious communities. Mass for the Presentation of the Lord began with the blessing of candles symbolising our own personal decisions to follow Christ, the Light of the World, and to say ‘Yes’ to the gift of religious vocation each one of us received from God. The same candle also resembles the total Fiat of Our Blessed Lady when she was invited by the Archangel Gabriel. After listening to the Liturgy of the Word, Bishop Alan, himself a Marist, spoke prophetically of the heart of religious which needs to be filled with the presence of God in order to be fruitful and a useful tool in the hands of God and the Church.
After Mass, the religious and consecrated gathered in Cathedral House for a shared lunch. Teas and coffees were served to us by the consecrated women of this diocese. Fr Adam Sowa MS, with Sisters Josephine Canny OA and Frances Moore OCV who serve the religious of the diocese in their respective roles, shared memories of their own recent experiences in their ministries. Many members of communities also shared their own stories and how they served in the various places where they live. Bishop Alan was wholeheartedly behind this initiative and animated our sharing with his own memories. The meeting closed with the Liturgy of the Hours for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
Our diocese is very blessed with many religious congregations of men and women. There are 12 religious communities of men and 22 religious communities of women serving in the diocese. Twelve consecrated virgins and widows also serve the diocese. We all look forward to our next meeting as planned by the steering group of our Diocesan Religious Vicariate.
You are called to bear witness in a society in which life and faith seem to drift further and further apart.