Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) – Today 2 February, Feast of the Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple, the Church celebrates the 8th Day for Consecrated Life. In his message for the first such Day in 1997, the Pope explained that purpose of the initiative was “to help the Church give ever greater value to the witness of those people who have decided to following Christ more closely practising the Gospel counsels and also to offer consecrated persons an opportunity to renew their resolutions and vivify the sentiments which inspire their self giving to the Lord.”
The Pope wished the day to have three special aims: to praise the Lord and thank him for the great gift of consecrated life; to promote knowledge and appreciation of the consecrated life among the people of God; to invite consecrated persons to gather to celebrate together with solemnity the wonders God has worked in them,.
The Day for Consecrated Life is held on the Feast of the Presentation, which recalls that in keeping with Jewish law that every first born male child should be consecrated to the Lord the Holy Family of Nazareth, Mary and Joseph went up to Jerusalem to present Jesus to the High Priest at the Temple and "to offer Him to the Lord". The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is an eloquent icon of the complete gift of self made by those who are called to imitate Christ "chaste, poor and obedient" (Vita Consecrata 1).
According to the Church’s Book of Statistics (31 December 2001), the total numbers of men and women Catholic religious in the world are: 54.970 men and 792.317 women distributed by continent as follows:
Africa 7.249 men ; 52.695 women
America 16.734 men ;230.049 women
Asia 7.972 men ; 140.826 women
Europa 21.258 men ; 357.840 women
Oceania 1.757 men ; 10.907 women
(S.L.) (Fides Service 2/2/2004; lines 24; words 278)
