Fulfilling the Catholic Church's Call to Penance and Repentance

in the Modern World

The Confraternity of Penitents

"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind, (and) you shall love your neighbor as yourself."  (Jesus's words as recorded in Matthew 22:37-38)

 Personal Vocation to a Life of Penance

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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton with One of Her Children

by Joseph Dawley, 1975

The grace of even wishing to belong to God must come from Himself.

--St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Each state in life has its special duties; by fulfilling  them one may find happiness in the world as in solitude; for not all are called to separate themselves from the society of men.

--St. Nicholas of Flue

A good vocation is simply a firm and constant will in which the person who is called must serve God in the way and in the places to which almighty God has called him.

--St. Francis de Sales

Just as every sort of gem, when cast into honey becomes brighter and more sparkling, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets that vocation in the context of devotion.  Through devotion family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe the prince becomes more faithful, and our work, no mattter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.

--St. Francis de Sales

Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them, we see the people who have achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well.

--St. Anthony Mary Claret.

At last I have found my vocation.  My vocation is love.

--St. Therese of Lisieux

The Immaculate Conception

by Velazquez

 

"Repent and believe the Good News!" 

Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of Penitents is a world wide private Catholic association of the faithful, completely loyal to our Pope and the Magisterium. 

Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and recognized in these words:  "this Rule does not contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it may be safely practiced privately by you or by anyone inclined to do so.  . . . His Excellency is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the neglected practice of penance and he wishes you success" (January 30, 1998). 

 Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance, fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings of

St. Francis,

St. Dominic,

St. Therese,

St. Benedict,

St. Augustine,

St. Ignatius,

and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother of God, who lived a life of true penance (conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.

May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in the world, so that the grace of God will assist them to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.

PRAYER OF PENITENTS
 "Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen." (Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano Crucifix)

MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San Damiano Crucifix.)

ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's specific direction in one's life so that, through humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the world.
 

Personal Vocation TO A LIFE OF PENANCE

(See also related article on this link)

Your Personal Vocation

"Vocation means thinking of one's whole life as a response." (Pope John Paul II)

Each person has a "personal vocation." That includes you!

Germain Grisez, professor of Christian ethics at Mount St. Mary's College and Seminary, has co-authored a new book, "Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name" (Our Sunday Visitor, 2003). In an interview with Zenit (2 October 2003, Feast of the Guardian Angels), Grisez defines personal vocation this way:


  • "We define personal vocation as God's call and plan for one's entire life. Ephesians 2:10 says: 'We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.' Personal vocation is unique for each one, and it includes absolutely everything -- all the good choices God would prefer one to make, all the things he allows to come one's way and expects will be handled rightly.

  • "Finding, accepting and faithfully fulfilling one's personal vocation is the way to respond to the universal call to holiness, for that means doing God's will in everything and accepting whatever comes as coming from, or at least permitted by, him, as described in Vatican II's dogmatic constitution on the Church ['Lumen Gentium'] in Nos. 40-41. "

  • "Since God has a particular, personal plan for everyone's life, he wants everyone to find out what the plan is. The process by which that is done is called discernment.

  • "It is not something mysterious nor is it something reserved only for an elite group consisting of those who think they may be called to the clerical or religious state. Everyone needs to discern what God wants of him or her.

  • "Discernment involves prayer, serious reflection, consultation with good spiritual advisers and levelheaded friends. Taking part in a retreat or something similar can be helpful.

  • "The central question is not 'What do I want out of life?' but 'What is God's plan for my life? Lord, what do you want of me?' People who approach discernment that way can be confident that God will answer their question. "

DISCERNING A VOCATION TO PENANCE


 "Lord, what do You want of me?" is the question St. Francis asked before the Crucifix of San Damiano. It is the perfect question to ask in discerning your personal vocation. Only in fulfilling your personal vocation will you become all who God created you to be.

How do you know if God is calling you to a life of penance (conversion)?


 Ask yourself these questions:

 + Do I desire to give myself totally to God?


+ Will I allow God to do with me whatever He wills?


+ Do I want to help others?


+ Do I recognize that the values and possessions of this world are fleeting?


 + Do I recognize that the teachings of Christ are the means to joy and union with God?


 + Am I willing to voluntarily relinquish my worldly desires for the good of my soul and the souls of others?


 + Am I willing to offer my sacrifices, trials, and sufferings to God in reparation for my sins and those of others?


 + Do I trust God enough to let Him use my penances as He sees fit?


 + Am I willing to transformed into an instrument of love for God and neighbor?


 + Am I docile enough to forgive my enemies, to pray for them, and to wish them well?


 + Do I repay evil with good?


 + Am I willing to renounce sin in my life and to follow the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Christ, and the doctrines of the Catholic Church?


 + Do I see penance as a positive good that will bring me spiritual joy and great freedom?


 + Am I willing to obtain and be obedient to a spiritual director who will assist me on the path of holiness?

 

 + Am I basically a happy person?

 

 + Do I understand that a life of penance is not a life of denial but a life of exchange of worldly things for spiritual ones?

 

 + Can I be flexible in my prayer time and duties?

 

 + Do I try to put myself into the shoes of others so that I may understand them better?

 

 + Do I strive to live moment to moment trusting God, and loving Him and neighbor?

 

 + Do I understand that any good I do is by the grace of God?

If you can answer "yes" to the above questions, or want to, you may have a vocation as a penitent, that is a person who moment to moment strives to embrace conversion for the love of God and of others.

 

God has led you to these pages for a reason, for all things work together in His plan for our lives. Pray about what you find here and ask God what He wishes for you. Then "Do whatever He tells you."

 

ADDITIONAL HELPS

 

Please contact us if you would like us to pray for you as you discern a possible call to embracing the life of a joyful, modern penitent. We will add your name to our prayer list and pray for you daily, by name.

 

 If you inform us of the state (in the USA) or nation in which you reside, we can also put you in touch with your Regional Minister who will assist you during your discernment process.


May God lead you into His perfect Will for your life, whether it be living this Rule of Life or in another way, and may you follow Him always until you live with Him forever!

Madeline Pecora Nugent

 

Confraternity of Penitents

520 Oliphant Lane

Middletown RI USA

02842-4600

401/849-5421

bspenance@hotmail.com

copenitents@yahoo.com