Happy anniversary!

The Community of St. Joseph celebrates 25 years

A Letter from the Superior of the Community of St. Joseph, Brother Vincent Ignatius, reprinted from the community’s newsletter, Sursum Corda.

Dear Community,

Today, as I write this, we are celebrating Memorial Day in the United States. This is not just a holiday but a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives to purchase our freedom and ensure our way of life. These brave men and women who even today defend our country and assist other countries in peril and oppression, as well, should be the subject of our prayers and our deep gratitude.

Yesterday, we celebrated Pentecost—the ‘Birthday of the Church’ as it is sometimes called. This feast marks the end of the Easter season. Back to Ordinary Time we go! For some, it may be a relief from the extended celebration that lasted 50 days. For others, it is a bit sad to have to say goodbye to our Easter feasting, but we do not say goodbye to it entirely, as every Sunday of the Church year (with the exception of Palm Sunday) is a day of feast and remembrance of the Resurrection of Our Lord. Throughout the year, we also celebrate key moments in Our Lord’s life and Our Lady’s as well as the great saints and martyrs.

Tomorrow, May 26th, we celebrate a great milestone in our Community history—our Foundation and not just any commemoration of that date but the Silver Jubilee—25 years—of our existence. As the Founder, I must say it is hard to believe that it has been 25 years already. It often seems like yesterday that I stood in Trinity Church in Natchez before the bishop and a congregation and professed my first vows, after which I was charged by the bishop with the foundation of this Community and given the awesome responsibility of serving as its first Superior. It was a key moment in my life, seconded only by my Solemn Profession three years later. It was a moment that I approached with not a little fear and doubt as to my ability to fulfill the task at hand. But Our Lord never fails to give us the strength and the confidence to move forward in any endeavor to which He calls us if we but dedicate ourselves to following Him.

Our Community has undergone many changes and ‘seasons’ over these years—most of which I would never have been able to visualize beforehand. Again, God’s hand at work. We have come to a place of great stability and a true sense of who we are. These are great gifts for any community. To embody a culture within of loving family, dedication, stability and perseverance, all wreathed in great joy—these are our strengths. Let us never cease to give thanks to God for these great and wondrous gifts to us. They come not from our efforts, though we know we must ‘do our part’ in God’s work; they come from His loving care of our Community over these many years, His guiding hand. And that hand is still guiding us!

As we move into what is hopefully, if it be God’s will, the next 25 years, let us take this year to celebrate our own hard-won ‘Easter season’. Let us rejoice in this great milestone and rededicate our lives to this endeavor anew, placing all our trust and hope in God’s love for us and that of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Our blessed Lady, and St. Benedict.

Blessings to you all and Happy Anniversary!

Pax-
Br. Vincent Ignatius, OSB
Superior