September 12th marked the beginning of a new school year for the religious seminarians, priests, and sisters of the Religious Family. After all their summer activities, the religious were blessed to return to their regular schedules and formation.

As with every year, the academic act began with the blessing of the houses. The current rector of the Venerable Fulton Sheen Seminary, Fr. Mariano Vicchi, IVE led the community in prayer and then priests and deacons were sent to different parts of the campus to sprinkle Holy Water in the dormitories, studies, and other communal areas.

The annual Lectio Brevis (Latin for “shorter reading”) was then given by Fr. Vicchi about the consecrated life according to the teaching of St. John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation Redemptionis Donum. Providentially, the Holy Father published this important letter on the same day that the Institute was founded, March 25th, 1984.

The Act ended with the Holy Mass with the whole religious family.

Please continue to keep the religious in your prayers as they begin the new academic year!

See also: Redemptionis Donum