Denver Catholic

BY NISSA LAPOINT Little versions of a Franciscan broth- er and Dominican nun walked before a crowd of young people gathered in a room, tugging at their white habits or adjusting their brown robes. For many of the children at Our Lady of Loreto Church in Foxfi eld last week, it was the fi rst time they had seen a re- ligious brother or sister or wore a habit. "I think the habit is really comfort- able," said 7-year-old Sydney Shivar, who wore a Dominican-style cream habit and black veil before the group. More than a time for dress-up, youth leaders organized the religious vocations presentation with religious brothers and sisters as an extension of the summer youth program Totus Tuus to acquaint children with another way of life dedi- cated to Christ and service of others. "One of the things we're trying to point to is it's not just a job, it's a life, a life given to God," said seminarian Daniel Ciucci, who directed Totus Tuus in the Archdio- cese of Denver this year. "A habit, with all its symbolism, points to a great charity, a great act of self-gift." In previous years of Totus Tuus, Latin for "totally yours," held at parishes across the nation, priestly vocations were em- phasized to children, yet there wasn't a presentation about religious vocations, especially for women, Ciucci said. Our Lady of Loreto parishioners, par- ents and Totus Tuus leaders wanted to give a message that all are called to holi- ness and a particular vocation. It takes a community, primarily the family, to assist a child to discover their vocation, said pastor Msgr. Edward Buelt. "The most important community out of which vocations come is the family," he said. "A school and a parish's only role is to assist the family in drawing that out of the child." And exposure at a young age is key, he added, when children are quickly learn- ing and may be discovering a call from God. "There is never an age at which we should not be … drawing out of them their vocation that has already been instilled in them from their mother's womb," Msgr. Buelt said. A group of 12 parent and parishioner volunteers and an anonymous donor made a vision a reality when they sewed and made 28 religious habits to make re- ligious vocations more tangible. Parishioner Jane Eusterman helped organize the sewing before the June 26 presentation. "It makes it much more real to them," Eusterman said. She said the volunteers all prayed while making the habits in hopes that vocations would be realized. "It's not just a fun effort—it's praying that these seeds would be planted here," she said. Eusterman and volunteers also asked religious from various orders to speak to the children about what led them to their vocation. Capuchin Franciscan Brother Anthony Monahan of San Antonio Friary in Den- ver, who recently made a lifetime profes- sion, told the youths about his vocation. "I'm here today, because I was called by God," he said. Sister Esther Mary Nickel, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich., who teaches at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, talked about true happiness. "Our happiness lies in fi nding what it is that the Lord is asking of us for our life," she said, "and then we know why we were created to love him and love one another." Msgr. Buelt also shared his own dis- covery of his vocation. As a child he felt unloved but realized Christ's own love for him. "I wanted to give my life back to (Christ) and the only way I knew how was to be a priest. I decided early on I was going to give my life for you all so you all could have life in Jesus," he shared with the group. After the presentation, 7-year-old Aiden Segovia, who wore a Franciscan habit, said that he could "wear this ev- ery day." Totus Tuus leaders who helped with the presentation said the children were excited to see the religious and try on the habits. "Being exposed to (religious life) is the fi rst step," said Summer Swisher, 21. Nissa LaPoint: 303-715-3138; nissa. lapoint@archden.org; www.twitter.com/ DCRegisterNissa YOUTH I 7 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I JULY 2, 2014 "Ad Gentes"), because her essence and commission by Christ is to continue preaching the Gospel "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The Church's mission- ary essence also means each of us has a personal call that is driven by the same spirit of giving and sharing what we are. In this context, St. John Paul II said that the Church "possesses a dynamism that concretely unfolds in preaching the Gos- pel, in spreading the faith and in calling to conversion" (General Audience, April 19, 1995.) Primarily, we are children of God, bless- ed in so many ways. And because we have one same Father, our identity goes beyond skin color, culture, language, or speak- ing English with an accent. Our Catholic identity is bigger than our national iden- tity. The Church has no borders, just areas of service. By nature, Catholics ought to have an open heart to go forth, starting with those next to us, in the next pew at Church and in our communities, especially with those in greater need. By nature, we should also never settle in terms of sharing and learn- ing our faith. That is part of the dynamism St. John Paul II talks about. It is part of the richness of our universality. Abraham Morales is a seasoned com- munications consultant and the former associate director of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver. He lives in unin- corporated Arapahoe County with his wife and two daughters. Morales From Page 4 Youths try on new habit PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR CHILDREN model religious order habits as part of a Totus Tuus youth pro- gram at Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Foxfi eld on June 26. Back row from left: Samantha Shivar, Taryn Hash, Sydney Shivar and Hannah Exstrom. Front row from left: Aiden Segovia, Alex Schott and Hayley Exstrom. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and School Community wishes to thank MSGR. PETER QUANG NGUYEN for his service to our community and school during the past six years and wish him well at the Church of All Saints, and to warmly welcome our new pastor FR. BRIAN LARKIN. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 2298 S Logan St., Denver 60 YEARS • 1954- 2014 DISCLOSURE: *To qualify, you must refinance a Home Loan between 6/1/2014 – 12/31/14. Member must mention promotion code Home14 for the $100 incentive. This will be automatically deposited into your NUFCU Savings account. Incentive is subject to a 60-day period pending verification and will be reported as dividend income; any federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the member. Offer valid for refinance from another lender. Other offers or discounts DO NOT apply. All loans are subject to approved credit and loan-to-value requirements. Membership required. 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