Living in the Heart of God

FMS staff was overjoyed to be able to participate in Sr. Ilia Delio’s Profession of Perpetual Commitment ceremony and mass.

At Franciscan Mission Service, we are blessed to have as neighbors Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF and the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C.

Sr. Ilia, an author and expert on St. Francis, has been an asset to the FMS community through her knowledge and understanding of Franciscan Spirituality. Her books are an essential part of FMS’s core curriculum in preparing Mission Candidates to live out Franciscan values overseas.

This past Saturday, January 1st, 2011, Sr. Ilia made her profession of perpetual vows to live out her vocation to the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C. all the days of her life. The order began in January 2006 under the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Child Jesus. Last year, the D.C. sisters became an independent order because the two orders’ primary ministries were different from one another.

“Our mission,” said Sr. Ilia, commenting on the charism of the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C., “is to bring the heart of St. Francis into the world through work, prayer, and community.”

At the mass and vows ceremony, which took place in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the Franciscan Monastery, Sr. Margaret Mary Kimmins, OSF was present to act as a witness to Sr. Ilia’s vows and to give the homily reflection. Three of the sisters in Sr. Ilia’s community – Paul J. Scraba, Laura A. Fitzgerald, and Sr. Lisa Marie Drover-provided readings.

Sr. Margaret Mary Kimmins, OSF invites Sr. Ilia to come forward to make her commitment.

Rev. Jeremy Harrington, OFM, the principal celebrant of the mass, leads Sr. Ilia in “The Call to Commitment”

FMS Staff member, Jill Staudt, led the congregation in music, playing the piano and singing a beautiful rendition of Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven.”

Jill Staudt, FMS Staff Member, offers her talents both in piano and vocals. One guest commended her, noting how she not only sang the songs, but also “prayed the songs.”

During the “Call to Commitment,” Sr. Ilia professed her desire to belong to the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C., “to live the Gospel life by bearing witness to the goodness of God in all peoples, cultures, and the community on earth.”

“This is what we seek, to live in the heart of God, who dwells in the heart of the world.” ~Sr. Ilia Delio

“As Franciscans, we are called to live evangelical life,” Sr. Ilia noted, “to make Christ alive, to live with attentiveness to the intricate connectedness to all that is, to see God’s hidden presence in fragile reality.”

It was wonderful to be able to celebrate New Years Day through presence to Sr. Ilia as she professed her vows.

Congratulations, Sr. Ilia Delio! We were grateful to be a part of your Profession of Perpetual Commitment. Thank you for your wisdom and commitment to Franciscan values!

The Franciscan Servants of the Holy Child Jesus traveled from Yardville, NJ to see Sr. Ilia make her vows.