Kathleen says that she had had this desire to know God for a long while, “God has placed a desire to know Him in my heart; a desire to know the truth. Both faith and reason were important in my journey to discover the truth.”

What is the consecrated virginity vocation?

You cannot tell if a person is a consecrated virgin.  There is no outward sign. Kathleen does not wear a habit or a cross, “We are called to be like the salt in a pot, which is not seen but gives taste.”

Consecrated virginity is a relatively new style of consecrated life in the Maltese Islands. It was introduced in 2008 under the guidance of the then Archbishop Paul Cremona. Currently, there are two consecrated virgins in Malta and four in Gozo. “The  Church  has  always  recognised  the  call  given  to  a  virgin  to dedicate her perpetual virginity to Christ, in imitation of the Virgin Mary. Such a vocation has its roots in the times of the Apostles. During the persecutions of the 4th century, a number of virgins decided to live in communities to pray together. When the persecutions were over some of them decided to go back to living individually within society. This is part of our calling, as we are called to be in our vocation. Others continued to live in groups. Consequently religious life stemmed out from these communities.”

Nowadays, Kathleen and other consecrated virgins, live a completely normal life. Kathleen lives in a house not a convent.  She works and prays. Kathleen plays the pianoforte and the guitar, and she also likes to swim. “We are consecrated virgins but we do not live in a community. Every consecrated virgin lives her own charisma. My charisma is to work with children and contemplation.” Kathleen works as a Kindergarten teacher and also teaches catechism to children. “I also like to play music as a way to sustain my faith”, she says.

Kathleen’s background

Kathleen was brought up in an active and practicing Catholic family: “I was brought up in a family of seven, my parents, four brothers and myself. My experience of God began to widen in a gradual way. At home we used to pray together everyday. When I was a child I used to attend a Catholic school. In the afternoon I attended catechism classes. Then, as a young person I attended various youth groups.”

Kathleen’s consecrated virginity vocation

One of the youth groups which Kathleen attended in her youth was the Franciscan Capuchin Youth Group called Gi.Fra. During this time she matured in her faith. She also realised what her calling was. “This youth group sustained me a lot in my faith. The multiple experiences and the different people I met in this group helped me to encounter God in everyday life. I started to experience God in every circumstance; in good and tough ones. During one of these meetings I encountered God in a deeper way. In that meeting I realised that He was asking something from me. At that moment I felt confused. A lot of questions popped up  in my head like, ‘Why me?’ ‘What about the other dream I always had; to have my own family?’ ‘What would my style of life be as a consecrated person in the world?”

Through spiritual direction and prayer, Kathleen started sorting out her questions. She reasoned them out logically but always through the eyes of faith. “In time I started to confront and accept that God was calling me to know Him more radically; to be totally His.”

Getting ready for the big day

After being accepted in the Order of Virgins, Kathleen started her formation.  “This time of formation was challenging. In this time I began a process of self-transformation. This time of formation also helped  me  to  continue  to  persevere  in  my  faith  and  to  grow holistically. Throughout the seven years of formation I gained more knowledge about the image of God. Formation included attending meetings in Italy, with other consecrated virgins, and carrying out studies and research” Kathleen has a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and a Master’s degree in Spirituality from the University of Malta. “I chose to enroll for the M.A. in Spirituality because spirituality opens many windows on the human experience.  Through spirituality I got to explore universal themes like altruism, wisdom, truth and compassion.”

Kathleen’s consecration took place on the 16th of September 2012 with the revised rite for consecrated virgins of 1970. “We were two consecrated virgins, myself and another one, the first two from Malta. Since in Malta this type of vocation is new, I still attend meetings abroad to sustain me in my call. These meetings are an opportunity for me to learn more about consecrated virginity. I also get to share experiences with my sisters in Christ, who live the same vocation. Our common charisma is virginity.”

Kathleen’s relationship with God and with others

Kathleen finds God in the people she meets, “Through my studies of theology, I became more conscious of God’s goodness and greatness and of my weakness.  In my weakness I cannot describe who God is. However, through the person of Jesus Christ, I understand that God is always longing for a relationship of friendship with His people; with us. I realised this in my profession as an educator, as a catechist, and through other experiences in which I am involved. Working with children has helped me to perceive that God is communicating with me through them: That  He  is  present  in  each  and  everyone  of  them. My work in education has taught me that Christ is present in every circumstance I face; everyday.”

Kathleen continues to recall her experience with children. “Kids are great professors. They taught me to surrender. As a Kindergarten teacher, I am the first person they encounter after the time spent with their parents. Thus I replace their parents while they are at school. A strong relationship is forged during this time spent together. Children share their love, their smiles, their hugs and their cries. They also share their experiences, even though they are very young.  All this creates a resonance in me, to someone who is bigger than me; someone  who  is following and leading me. As the Russian story writer and journalist, Fyodor Mikailovich Dostoevsky says, in one of his books, ‘The soul is healed by being with children.’”

Sustaining the faith

Kathleen sustains her faith mainly through her work, following retreats with Carmelites, and doing voluntary work. “All these experiences continuously sustain my faith.  Carmelite Spirituality  focuses  on  the  transformation  and  psychology  of  the  human  being. Thus I learnt that, to sustain his faith, the human being is to be transformed in all virtues – human and spiritual. I also found that voluntary work is another means that helped me to persevere in faith.” Kathleen did voluntary work in Kenya and Albania. “These experiences have helped me to continue to get to know myself more. They also helped me see what is essential in life – faith in God. As Saint Augustine writes in his autobiographical work: ‘Because you have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You.’  Faith is nothing without love and hope.”

Read more:
– Pope Francis’ Inspirational Quotes on Religious Life
– Meet the Down to Earth FCJ Nun Maryanne Francalanza

The post “I’m a Member of the Ordo Virginum” – Consecrated Virginity Vocation appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Early Years – Raised In Australia By Maltese Parents

Both from Birżebbuġia, Malta, Fr Antonio’s parents raised him in Australia. “My mother worked hard at having me grow up in the Catholic Faith, Mass every Sunday, prayers before meals, and enrolment into a local Catholic high school. But as the years went by, I began to bury my faith not only in Jesus but also in God, refusing to be an altar server and not wanting to go to mass anymore. I began to drink in high school and then take light drugs.”

First Visit to Malta – A Strong Sense Of Community

However, Fr Antonio Maria Speedy vividly remembers his first visit to Malta in the 1980s during his childhood. “At nine years of age, I made my first visit and experienced feast days, beautiful clear blue water and old ladies out on the streets complaining about the heat saying, “xi dwejjaq”. I also received my first Holy Communion in the same parish my mother and father had also received all their sacraments.” Fr Antonio Maria Speedy described this experience as powerful, “in particular, the sense of family and community who loved me unconditionally.”

“I Wanted To Become A Famous And Influential Artist

In the very secular society of Australia, Fr Antonio Maria Speedy had difficulty relating such experiences to his friends. As a young adult he completed a degree in Visual Communication – specialising in illustration, which led him to work in commercial TV adverts and Australian films like Heaven’s Burning and Hotel de Love. “I began working in the film industry as a scenic painter. I also began inquiring into “new age” spirituality, reading about ‘living off of the land’ and desiring a disconnection with society as we know it, hopeful to discover an alternative way of life that would have me live more in harmony with the “Universe” as I knew it.  A stress-related injury to my wrist left me unable to follow my dreams of becoming a famous and influential artist and I soon became depressive and questioning my very existence in life.”

“I Chose Travel To Fill The Emptiness Inside

After having earned enough money Fr Antonio Maria Speedy decided to travel around Europe. Malta was first on the list. “Overwhelmed again by the unconditional love I received from my family, I felt somewhat disturbed. I chose to travel northern Europe to fill the emptiness inside. Whilst looking for the biggest year 2000 New Year’s celebrations, I came to my senses and remembered my nanna Mary back in Malta who was praying the rosary with her sisters out the front of her house every day at 5pm for my conversion. This only thought together with the prayers of my mother was enough to re-ignite a desire to stay alive, given that the flame of faith had almost extinguished completely from my heart.”

“I Was Stunned To Find People Who Lived Without Touching Money”

Fr Antonio Maria Speedy related how as he was travelling in Catania, Sicily, he met the community which he later joined begging for help in the street to get to Northern Italy. They were only three in number: “I had happened to make one of the most sincere prayers of my life asking for direction and meaning to my life. A desire had grown within me after seeing the grave effects on the environment due to heavy consumerism and tourism, to live one night as a poor man. There I met the two brothers and one sister, who reflected everything I sought for even at first sight. They were poor, happy, and living in community. Stunned to find people who actually lived without touching money, I could literally see the freedom they experienced apparent by the joy and glow that emanated from faces. They told me that Jesus says to: “Take nothing for the journey; no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.” (Luke 9:3). I had trouble believing it was true… Could it be that all my heart’s desires could possibly be found in the Gospel and Church that had been under my nose all of these years? It took these simple but courageous young adults to give me an authentic witness to the truth to open the stubbornness of my eyes against the Catholic Church. That night I slept with them in the train station.”

It Was Not Easy To Change My Life

It was not an easy change for Fr Antonio Maria Speedy to face reality head-on and turn his life around. “I was not yet mature or strong enough. Once back home in Australia, I opted out and chose to go into seminary to be a diocesan priest. This is a noble and holy calling – but not if you are called to something else, like in my case, to be a friar. After more than two years I finally found the wisdom to leave Australia. I returned to the community in Italy to officially follow my calling and begin my formation as a Poor Friar. After having returned to Italy, I discovered that the community had grown from three members to five members. I was now the sixth.”

Fr Antonio Maria Speedy has been serving in Louisana USA as the Bishop asked his community to open a branch there in 2010. He was ordained a priest in Louisana three years ago. “The last time I was in Malta was for the last week of my nanna Mary’s life where I had the honour of celebrating Mass for her over her hospital bed. Later her funeral. God willing we will be back soon in Malta.” he said. In Malta, a certain Miriam Bonello has asked to start a group of prayer on behalf of the Poor Friars and Nuns who meet once a month at St Anne’s Church, Marsascala.

Fr Antonio Maria Speedy, described this personal journey as long but beautiful and also feels a sense of gratitude for those who have supported him along the way: “I am especially grateful to our founder Fr Volantino whom I met at my first encounter at Catania; his sacrifice, loving service, his words and authentic lifestyle have contributed greatly to my formation over the years.”

About the Little Friars and Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary, commonly known as Poor Friars and Nuns:

Website: www.poorfriars.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poorfriarsandpoornuns/

This religious community of poor brothers and sisters is similar to that of the first Carmelites and the first Franciscans. They live in total poverty, simplicity, semi contemplative and in a professional nature. Female cloistered life in a convent are distinctly separate from that of the males. Through hitchhiking they encourage souls to receive Catholic Sacraments. Though the friars and nuns cannot touch money whatsoever, there are a group of laity who have opened up a non-profit organization, the Allies of the Little Ones who can take donations on their behalf to pay for things such as education, health and housing bills. They are found in Italy, France and the USA.

The Little Friars and Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary have been recognised by the Catholic Church in anticipation of becoming an Institute of Consecrated Life with an Episcopal Decree of the 30th of May 2014.

Fr Antonio’s experience in more detail can be watched here: https://vimeo.com/9748031

Read more:
– Meet The Down To Earth FCJ Nun – MaryAnne Francalanza
– Pope Francis’ Inspirational Quotes On Religious Life

The post Fr Antonio Maria Speedy – Religious Life Experience appeared first on Universe of Faith.

1. Consecrated people are meant to bring hope to discouraged hearts

“Totally consecrated to God, they are totally given to their brothers, to bring the light of Christ wherever the shadows are darkest in order to spread his hope to discouraged hearts.”
Pope Francis, Angelus, 2nd Feb 2014

2. Poverty should be lived in concrete terms

“Poverty…should also find concrete expression in your lifestyle, both as individuals and as communities.”
Pope Francis, Korea, 2014

3. Religious people should go against the cultural tides

“We are called to undertake an exodus out of our own selves, setting out on a path of adoration and service. We must go out through that door to seek and meet the people! Have the courage to go against the tide of this culture of efficiency, this culture of waste. Encountering and welcoming everyone, solidarity and fraternity: these are what make our society truly human. Be servants of communion and of the culture of encounter! I would like you to be almost obsessed about this. Be so without being presumptuous.”
Rejoice! A letter to consecrated men and women, Pope Francis, 2014, 10

4. Renewing our love story with God would be good for our consecrated life

“With Jesus we find again the courage to carry on and the strength to remain firm.  The encounter with the Lord is the source.  It is important then to return to the source: to retrace in our mind the decisive moments of encounter with him, to renew our first love, perhaps writing down our love story with the Lord.  This would be good for our consecrated life, so that it does not become a time that passes by, but rather a time of encounter.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2nd Feb 2019

5. Consecrated life is about life not survival

“Consecrated life is not about survival, it is not about preparing ourselves for dying well: this is the temptation of our days, in the face of declining vocations.  No, it is not about survival, but new life.  “But there are only a few of us , it’s about new life.  It is a living encounter with the Lord in his people.  It is a call to the faithful obedience of daily life and to the unexpected surprises from the Spirit.  It is a vision of what we need to embrace in order to experience joy: Jesus.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2nd Feb 2019

6. Consecrated life is about praise and prophetic vision

“This then is the consecrated life: praise which gives joy to God’s people, prophetic vision that reveals what counts.  When it is like this, then it flowers and becomes a summons for all of us to counter mediocrity: to counter a devaluation of our spiritual life, to counter the temptation to reduce God’s importance, to counter an accommodation to a comfortable and worldly life, to counter complaints, – complaints! – dissatisfaction and self-pity, to counter a mentality of resignation and “we have always done it this way : this is not God’s way.”
Pope Francis, Homily, 2nd Feb 2019

Pope Francis’ quotes on religious life

Read more:
– “I Lived With Mother Teresa” – Mother Teresa Personality Traits
– “I Compare Myself To Others” – How Can I Stop Doing This?

The post Pope Francis’ Inspirational Quotes on Religious Life appeared first on Universe of Faith.

God:

How do you relate to God? 

God is the faithful and constant companion in my life. I can speak to God like a friend. I like to go and sit in our chapel with a cup of tea and just be for a while, but I also bring to God the joys, sorrows and difficulties in my life as they happen. This does not mean that I ‘feel’ God with me all the time (although sometimes I catch glimpses!), but there is a part of me that knows that God is. It is very hard to put this down in words, they seem so small near the immensity of an experience of God.

How has your relationship with God evolved over the years?

Now I am more relaxed. I know that nothing I do can impress God, or please God or make God angry. God just loves me. And the closer I let myself get to her/him, the more I can let that love transform me into the best person I can be. I am more willing to let God be in every part of my life, the parts I am proud of and the parts I know need healing. I long to be freer and more willing to let this transformation happen, but I know that I often resist God’s work in me.

When I was younger I was more worried about doing ‘it’ right, praying correctly, for a particular amount of time, using particular pieces of the gospel, etc I was trying to impress God!

What made you give your whole life to God?

It is hard to know really. I suppose as I grew into a relationship with God, I fell in love. And so it became obvious that the object of my love had to have all my energy and focus. But in reality, I was drawn to this life and I was half way there before I realised that I had decided to be a religious sister.

What’s the link between your background in science & maths and your life of faith?

That is an easy question! The more I study and know about how the world works (in the large things – the planets, stars, galaxies, and the small things, DNA, electrons, quarks, and everything in between), the more I am in awe at the beauty, the genius, the complexity of it all. It fills me with wonder and gives me a ‘wow’ feeling and this always turns me to God. My subject is mathematics and one of my images of God is that of infinity, and how there are infinities and then there are bigger infinities. It’s mind-blowing and amazing! The more that I learn about science and mathematics, the more my image of God has to explode out and expand so that there is always more to know, more to experience, more to reflect on.

Vows: 

What are the hardships of leaving everything?

I feel like a hypocrite when I am asked this question because I don’t feel that I have left everything. There’s so much more that I have gained than that I gave up. I have a community that loves and supports me. My family in Malta who are only ever a Skype call away. I have a ministry I love and that gives me joy and a sense of fulfilment. I have had so many opportunities to meet people from all walks of life and go places that I would not have had had I not been an FCJ nun (FCJ means Faithful Companions of Jesus).

Also, I think of some of the people I have worked with who really have nothing, not by choice, but because life has been hard for them. People who live in unimaginable material poverty in the Philippines who rely on a rubbish dump for their livelihood; persons who have debilitating mental health issues that cause them to lose touch with their families, lose their jobs and become homeless on the streets of London; those who live in abusive situations like those who are trafficked for slave labour or the sex trade. Compared to these people I am rich both materially and with respect to my relationships.

There are some hardships in my life as there are in all walks of life, but they are not the first things I think of when I reflect on my life.

You meet a nice interesting guy but you have to lead a celibate life; you wish to buy something but you don’t have your own money; you want to do something your way but you have to be obedient. How do you deal with these moments of “not having your man, your money, your way”?

There are times when I feel that I lack something, maybe a special person for whom I am ‘the one’, maybe an item that might be considered a luxury, or a time of holiday. When this happens I try to be gentle with myself while also placing it all in perspective. It often doesn’t take me long to realise how much I have that I am grateful for. The best remedy for these times of desolation is a chat with a good friend, or even taking time out of the busyness of everyday life to do something fun and relaxing.

I do not see the vows as things I have chosen NOT to have, but rather as life choices that free me to be a happy person who is sometimes able to cooperate with God in bringing this wonderful dream, that we call God’s kingdom, to reality.

Social Justice: 

How do find God in the public sphere, in your daily life?

First of all, nothing is outside of the realm of your relationship with God. God is in your private moments of prayer, reflection and rest; but also in all your public moments, all your conversations, your work, your politics.

In the Ignatian tradition, which is the way of life of the FCJ nun, God is alive and active in all things, so we can find God in all things, in all persons and in all moments. If you believe this is true, it has a lot of implications on the way you view the world around you.

When you feel helpless in front of injustices, what do you do?

If all of creation is a revelation of God, then injustice in any form is just not acceptable. I am called to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, whether they are plant, animal or human person. It is important that I continually reflect on my life and ask myself: In what way are my actions oppressing others? How do I collude with systems that are unjust, by my words, my silence, my vote, my shopping choices?

So often I feel overwhelmed, there are so many issues and problems in our world. This can cause me to be paralysed and I end up doing nothing. At these moments I try to remember that I am not asked to save the world (as much as I would like to!) but to play my small part, and leave the rest in God’s hands. This means that I am empowered to act and speak in my small way.

How do you link prayer and social justice?

If you want to live a comfortable life where you can focus on your needs and meet them as best you can, then do not pray. In prayer, God opens our heart to compassion and love, and so we ‘see’ more and cannot help but act. In reading the Gospels we encounter Jesus who was so passionate about the inclusion of all, and justice for all. As we see him healing, preaching and challenging the status quo, we are invited to do the same. This comes with a health warning since Jesus ended up on a cross. The way of the Gospel is often not the way of comfort and popularity.

What is companionship about? How have you helped others experience it?

Companionship is about the breaking of bread together. It’s about sharing our life, not just being in the same geographical space. To be a companion is to walk or stand alongside someone in joy and suffering. It asks a lot of generosity of heart.

In the FCJ tradition, the role models for companionship are the women who were with Jesus at the foot of the cross. They stayed with Jesus in that moment of pain and desolation, unable to offer anything except their presence. But they were also with Jesus in his moment of resurrection, rejoicing with him and being sent by him to spread the news of joy to others. It is their faithfulness that inspires us to try to live the same faithfulness with people we meet. Companionship calls us to somehow hold on to hope for people who have no more energy to hope or to believe.

Vocation:

What do you do as an FCJ nun? What are the joys of your vocation? 

As an FCJ nunI love my work in school. I work mainly in the sixth form teaching mathematics to A-Level students and having pastoral responsibility for the students. I enjoy the relationships that I have the privilege to build with the students at this crucial time in their lives. They make me laugh, and sometimes cry! It is wonderful to see them grow to be mature, responsible adults, to accompany them as they choose their future careers. I have a real sense that my work is worthwhile, and this is a constant source of joy for me.

One of the free gifts that I received when I was born is a love for music and singing. I enjoy singing in my parish choir, in the classroom, in the shower, wherever… It is truly a way of expressing my feelings, my faith, my love for life.

What attracted you to the FCJ nuns?

The first thing that attracted me to the FCJ nuns was the fact that they lived the Jesuit Constitutions. I had become familiar with Ignatian Spirituality and wanted to live it in my own life.

When I actually met some FCJ nuns, it was the way they embodied Ignatian Spirituality that really attracted me. It was a way of living it that was feminine. I met strong women who were very capable and independent and chose to live with gentleness and a great sense of companionship with each other. They were women of prayer and reflection who were free to be sent anywhere in the world where there was a need. I felt welcome among them.

Updated: March 2018

To meet the FCJ nuns or get to know more about them you can visit their website or their Facebook page.

Read more:
– Pope Francis’ Inspirational Quotes on Religious Life
– “I’m a Member of the Ordo Virginum” – Consecrated Virginity Vocation

The post Meet The Down-to-Earth FCJ Nun MaryAnne Francalanza appeared first on Universe of Faith.