Celebrating the Day We Dedicated Our Lives to This Community
This article explaining the religious profession anniversary is a follow-up to last month’s article on Religious Profession.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15 is a special day at Conception Abbey. For the past several years, most of the monks of Conception Abbey have professed their first vows on August 15. As a result, many of us share a common religious profession anniversary.
Every night at supper we announce the names of monks celebrating their religious profession anniversary the following day. We also announce death and ordination anniversaries. (If there will not be reading for some reason, we announce an extra day or two ahead.) The list for most days fits in the space for a day on the calendar. Because the group is so big, the list for August 15 takes almost a whole page!
Jubilee: A Special Religious Profession Anniversary
On a broader scale, it is not just monks who celebrate their anniversary. Many vowed religious men and women celebrate the anniversary of their profession. It is just like married couples celebrating the anniversary of their wedding. A significant religious profession anniversary of 25 or 50 years is called a jubilee. It is also common to call anniversaries of 60, 70, or 75 years a jubilee.
Origin of “Jubilee”
Not surprisingly, the term “jubilee” is actually biblical. In Leviticus 25:8-13 we read how God instructed the Israelites to
“…count off seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years…. 10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you…”
Celebrating with Them
Since the monks of Conception Abbey run The Printery House, we understand religious profession. We are ready to help you celebrate with all of the special religious sisters, brothers, and priests in your life. Check out our selection of cards for Religious Profession and Profession Anniversaries.
For religious themselves and their communities, our series of ordination invitation materials contains some pieces appropriate for celebrating profession anniversaries and jubilees. Here are some of the more appropriate general designs:
- ORD57 Benedictine Cross with Cross Overlay
- ORD19 Celtic Cross
- ORD53 Celtic Knotwork Cross
- ORD18 Chi Rho
- ORD11 Jerusalem Cross
We custom print all of these pieces with your own text inside.
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