Page 10 - The Priest, Summer 2015

Consecrated Religious in Australian parish life
Thoughts on collaboration in the new millennium
Fr Benedict La Volpe is a Friar Minor Conventual, and the parish priest of St Joseph’s,
Springvale in the Melbourne Archdiocese. He delivered this paper at the 2015 national conference in Hobart.
This paper puts together some thoughts on how we as Religious and you as diocesan priests can collaborate, so that together, as Bishop Schneider reminded us, we can show the People of God the way to Heaven. Rather than an academic presentation, I feel this area is better discussed applying theory, more often that not from the Post-Synod- al Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (1996), to practical life, perhaps includ- ing a few anecdotes along the way.
Even though this Year for Consecrated Life is “a bit of a zz,” as we would say col- loquially, there are many treasures that can be unearthed. I would like to use this time to show how Religious can be collab- orators in the vineyard and how as dioc- esan priests you may be able to appreciate their presence and make the most of it. My only quali er is that when I use the word
by Rev Benedict La Volpe OFMConv
“Religious” I am generally referring to any member of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
I would like to brie y explain what Consecrated Life is, then look at the role of Clerical Religious Congregations, es- pecially at work in the Parish, and then a reminder of the role of non-ordained Re- ligious men and women and what they can contribute to our Parish life.
1. Vita Consecrata
In calling for a Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis enumerated three aims for the year. Firstly to look to the past with gratitude, secondly to live the present with passion, and thirdly to embrace the future with hope.1 These three aims for this Year of Consecrated Life remind us of
1 Francis, Apostolic Letter To All Consecrated People, 21 November, 2014.
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