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The Present MomentUSA District of theVoluntas Dei Institute
January 2020HEART SPEAKS TO HEARTFr. Tony’s letter translated by
Hector and Ernestina PínaDear Voluntas brothers and sisters,
Spring is almost here! Spring coincides with the Lenten season, a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving leading to the new life of Easter. As the weather begins to change on the east coast, blossoming flowers, trees and grass will be bringing new life.
Our Institute in the United States is filled with many signs of a spiritual spring filled with new life. I will be going to Germany in a few weeks for Sebastian’s ordination to the diaconate. I have also had the opportunity to visit our two new teams in California and will be on my way to visit the new team in Indianapolis in May. My hope is to visit our other six new teams in the coming year. Fr. Dunstan and Fr. Rory Murphy are just back from visiting our Ethiopian sector where we have over one hundred members and Fr. Getahun who is the first Voluntas priest to be ordained for our members there.
I am filled with awe and gratitude for all that God is doing with and for us. I look forward to our March Gathering in Newark airport and the new venue for our annual Retreat and Congress in the Holy Family Retreat House in Hartford, Connecticut. Let’s continue to support one another to embrace the movements of the Holy Spirit that call us to new life and change in the Institute and the Church.
Fraternally, Tony
Queridos hermanos y hermanas de Voluntas Dei,
¡La primavera ya casi está aquí! La primavera coincide con la temporada de Cuaresma, un tiempo de oración, ayuno y caridad que conduce a la Pascua de Resurrección. A medida que el clima comienza a cambiar en la costa este, brotan las flores y los árboles y la hierba se llenan nuevamente de vida.
En los Estados Unidos, nuestro Instituto está lleno de muchas señales para una primavera espiritual llena de nueva vida. Dentro de pocas semanas, me iré a Alemania para la ordenación diaconal de Sebastián. También tuve la oportunidad de visitar nuestros dos nuevos grupos en California y en mayo estaré visitando al nuevo grupo en Indianápolis. Mi esperanza es visitar a los otros seis nuevos grupos el próximo año. El Padre Dunstan y el Padre Rory Murphy acaban de regresar de visitar a Etiopía, donde tenemos más de cien miembros y al primer sacerdote de Voluntas, el Padre Getahun, a ser ordenado allá.
Estoy lleno de asombro y gratitud por todo lo que Dios está haciendo con y para nosotros. Espero con ansias nuestra reunión de marzo en el aeropuerto de Newark, así como el nuevo lugar para nuestro Retiro y Congreso Anual en la Casa de Retiros de la Sagrada Familia en Hartford, Connecticut. Sigamos apoyándonos unos a otros para aceptar el impulso del Espíritu Santo que nos llama a una nueva vida y a cambios en el Instituto y en la Iglesia. Cordialmente, Tony
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SAVE THE DATES!
March 2020 Plenary Gathering
March 6-7, 2020Crowne Plaza Hotel (at Newark Airport)
Elizabeth, NJ
Presenter: Sr. Ann Amati, OSF
Theme: TBA
Coordinators: Paul and Eileen Lang [email protected]
Annual Retreat
August 3, 2020 (begins w/lunch) - August 5, 2020 (ends 11:00 am)
Holy Family Retreat HouseHartford, CT
Presenter: Fr. Daniel Renaud, OMI
Annual Congress
August 5, 2020 (begins w/lunch) - August 7, 2020 (ends w/brunch at 11:00))
Holy Family Retreat HouseHartford, CT
Presenter: Sr. Sharon Holland, IHM
Remembrances
Robert BorisRoy Brown
Claudia BrunoArthur Candreva
Julie DevineThomas Furlong
Malachy HiggistonAugustine KatadyRaymond Lefebvre
Frank MasielloRuth and Bill McClellen
George PerreiraJohn Schotka
Eleanor & Bob Suroweic
Thank you!
2020 Greetings and thoughts to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ of Voluntas Dei, who have lovingly and graciously remembered me all year long, especially at Christmas. Thank you for all the cards, notes, prayers and Masses that have come from all the teams. I have been overwhelmed by your kindness. My heart and love goes out to each and every one of you. May the New Year be filled with God’s love and grace. Because of my loving daughters and family and all of you I am truly blessed by God. May His love surround and embrace you. Prayerfully, Frances Brown
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Recollection Days
On a beautiful fall day in New England, the Voluntas Dei Bay State team gathered for a day of reflection on Mercy & Love provided by Sister Carol Perry. Twenty-two people gathered for a front row seat to reflections and contemplations on Mercy in the world today.
As one participant commented “Sr. Carol is awesome! Talk about life giving! Her presence and thoughtful presentations give me new excitement about the opportunities for birthing that I might still find in my life. I appreciated the time for small group discussion, as well as whole group reflection/sharing. This was a wonderful day that grounds my sense
of an expanding, all-encompassing family as an aspect of being Christ-like rather than a cultural choice.”
As the Bay State team of observers and seasoned Voluntas Dei team members took to recognizing the real fruit provided by Sr. Carol and her 90 years of dedication to the Catholic faith in diverse paths in the greater New York metro area, each participant realized the real beauty of Sr. Carol’s message and direction. Her flawless and unique conversational style of presenting mercy in new and energized terms made for a day that many wished could be “bottled and saved,” and certainly celebrated as we all departed for our work in the world.
Sacred Heart Parish CenterHopedale, MA
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We were blessed to have 22 people come to the Church of the Magdalene on a crisp November day (hard to believe a few months have passed already) and were blessed to be led by a National and Internationally known retreat director - OUR OWN Fr. TONY.
Members brought pastries and fruit and an abundance of goodies to share as we gathered and then for dessert after lunch. Our morning prayer was graced by the lithesome Nazomi praising God as she danced and we sang to the Our Father. It was deeply moving. Both Nazomi and Claire renewed their commitments as lay affiliates and MJ as starting his aspirancy process as part of our morning prayer.Fr. Tony led us on a journey that day on how we are all (and different groups down through the ages) called to transform ourselves into Christ and gave several models: Cosmological; Activist; Intellectual; Mendicant; Community; and Desert with examples from each group. Then, Fr. Tony spent some time on the "Vitality Curve" and the "Path of Revitalization" and where we are in the process and where we hope to go. Both in the morning and the afternoon, we broke into small groups to discuss some of these questions and differences were evident as they are in the wider Church and we held each other in love and respect.We had some guests. Andrew Sioletti had his brother visiting from Greece and he was able to join us. Rebeca Ford invited a friend and Tom Wilhelm invited a couple he met on a Retrouvaille weekend who are parishioners at the Magdalene.
All in all it was a very fruitful day which helped renew our commitment and bonds with our Voluntas Dei community.
Church of the MagdaleneSleepy Hollow, NY
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Highland Reach Team hosted a Day of Recollection at St. Dorothea Church, Eatontown, NJ. Twenty four people participated as Fr. Alexis Ibarra, IVDei, led the group through two enlightening sessions, with the Theme of "All Is Grace." Alexis shared the awareness and movement of grace through our daily activities, focusing on their origins within God, Jesus, and our Blessed Mother. It was a thought-provoking theme, seeing, feeling, and transference of grace in all our events in life; success, joy, advancement, sorrow, sin, hardship, etc. The group shared their experiences (joys and struggles) of grace within their daily lives, along with its visibility within Voluntas Dei. The atmosphere of the day felt like all our Voluntas Dei community was present and connected. Alexis closed out our afternoon session with the celebration of the Eucharist.
The group departed as all Voluntas Dei events usually do, filled with joy, anxious to meet again, and a sense the Holy Spirit is illuminating our path to do God's will in our daily lives.
St. Dorothea ChurchEatontown, NJ
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Chesapeake Bay Team hosted a gathering of 8 people in our area beginning with dinner prepared by The Table Foundation chef. After dinner, Fr. Luke Ballman, the Executive Secretary for the Office of Priestly Formation & Consecrated Life for the USCCB gave two very impactful presentations. His topic was about "Friendship with Jesus." We originally gathered at St. Leo's Church in Little Italy, and because it was a more intimate crowd, the gathering continued at Leo's house (with cheese and wine) and where Fr. Ballman shared some amazingly deep insights on what spiritual friendship looked like in the modern world. It was a challenging topic, but presented so beautifully and peacefully. Everyone that attended felt that it would be a wonderful presentation for all the members of the USA District. It was an evening of deeper reflection, personal sharing, spiritual challenges and ultimately encouragement in who we are as members of a Secular Institute.
Fr. Ballman was very impressed with the gathering that he likened it as something very similar to the first disciples of Jesus' time. The Chesapeake Bay team continues to sense the workings of the Holy Spirit strengthening our members to a deeper understanding of our call to fulfill God's Will.
St. Leo the Great ChurchBaltimore, MD
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
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Happy Birthday!
May01 -! Frank Berna10 -! Hector Pína15 -! Michael Denk16 -! Ernie Chaplin, Leo ! Patalinghug23 -! Skip Buckman24 -! Maryjane Trexler26 -! Ron Galt27 -! James Burns28 -! Greg Kremer, Rory Murphy31 -! Benjamin Chinnappan
Happy Anniversary!
Selma & Neil Flood - January 24, 1959Mary & Skip Buckman - January 28, 1967
Tim Sullivan - February 3, 1990Daniel LeBlanc - February 16, 1978Joseph Kabali - February 24, 1996
Angelus Croce - March 1, 1958Eileen & Marty Theys - March 8, 1975
Damian Colicchio - March 24, 1962Jean Pierre Jaccius - March 25, 2001
John Campoli - April 4, 1970Carly & Patrick Felicetta - April 10, 2010Ernestina & Hector Pína - April 15, 1978Patricia & Daniel Buckley - April 23, 1988
Jim Musumeci - May 1, 1976Lenin Delgado - May 11, 1991Michael Denk - May12, 2007
Mariann & Steve Rossi - May 15, 1971Bill McKeone - May 20, 1972
George Hazler - May 20, 1967Joel Livingston - May 21, 1994Daniel Whelan - May 22, 2004Frank Berna - May 24, 1980Jamie Bono - May 24, 2003
Julian Gonzalez - May 25, 1984Benjamin Chinnappan - May 26, 1988
Anthony Ciorra - May 26, 1973Anthony DiPalma - May 26, 1973
James Burns - May 29, 2003Timothy Corbley - May 29, 1993
Michael Seis - May 29, 1993James Bromwich - May 31, 2003
January07 -! Jorge Bueno09! -! Eileen Theys15 -! Gonzolo Morocho16! - John Schultz20! - Joseph Dietz22! -! George Hazler24! -! Alex Ibarra29! -! Diane Conforti
February05 -! Sebastian Springob, ! Daniel Whelan07 -! Marty Theys11 -! Ruth Surak13 -! Thomas Crangle15 -! Ernestina Pína16 -! Tim Sullivan17 -! Bill McKeone20 -! Kay McGlynn29 -! John Campoli
March02 -! Paul Lang10 -! Ed Pirela15 -! Anthony Bruno23 -! Jim Musumeci28 -! Dom Basile30 -! Patricia Ruane, Carly ! Felicetta
April01 -! Paul Tolve03 -! Steve Rossi05 -! Tom Devine10 -! Angelus Croce, John ! Szamreta11 -! James Bromwich20 -! Mary Mosquera24 -! Carol Livingston
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FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF VOWED/COMMITTED MEMBERS
Our statutes require that by virtue of our vow of poverty that all vowed members contribute 7-10% and committed members 2% of their net income. Aspirants and Probationers participate in the financial support of the Institute according to their means.
All contributions should be sent directly to the Chair of the District Finance Committee: Mr. Paul Lang, 26 Settler Court, Tinton Falls, NJ 07753.
If any member is unable to contribute according to our statutes, they should communicate this directly to Tony Ciorra. He is the only one that will receive this information and it will be received with compassion and kept strictly confidential.
A weekly homily by John O’Neill reflecting on the Sunday readings
and applying them to ourVoluntas Dei spirituality can be
found on the international website at
www.voluntasdei.org
Visit our website at voluntasdeiusa.org
In order to keep our address list
up-to-date, please send any
changes to Julian Gonzalez at:
Voluntas Dei USADistrict Council
Fr. Anthony CiorraDistrict Director
Fr. Francis BernaAssistant Director
Fr. Michael CroninCouncilor
Fr. Leo PatalinghugCouncilor
Eileen and Paul LangCouncilors
