Secular third orders aid laity in deepening their spirituality, undertake works of charity
(Editor’s note: This is the second part of a series about the secular third orders in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.)
SALT LAKE CITY — As Lent comes to an end and Easter approaches, some Catholics may be looking at this time of renewal as an opportunity to deepen their commitment to their spiritual life and the Church and its good works. Among the organizations in the Diocese of Salt Lake City whose members strive to lead a prayer-filled life and to work to meet the needs of the sick and poor are those of secular third order religious, of which there are several groups in Utah.
Oblates of St. Benedict
Oblates of St. Benedict affiliate with a monastery or convent without actually living with the community itself, but seek to incorporate the principles of the monastic way into their daily living. The oblate life is open to anyone, including non-Catholics.
In Utah, the Oblates originally affiliated with the Sisters of St. Benedict at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Ogden. However, since the monastery closed in 2013, the Oblates have been associated with the Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., the motherhouse of the Ogden sisters, who returned there in 2013.
The community of St. Benedict Oblates of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Price consists of five oblates and one candidate. Members of the community engage in study, prayer and good works. They follow the Rule of St. Benedict, a 6th-century book of precepts that outlines a simple, prayerful way of lives for monks. Members of the group pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, morning, evening and night. They also perform lectio divina, a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer every day.
“It takes some discipline,” community president Nora Larsen said of the Benedictine way, “but it has drawn me closer to God and His ways, and the character of who God is.”
The Price group meets monthly May through September usually in members’ homes. The schedule varies based on the availability of members. After a shared potluck lunch, the meetings are opened with prayer, followed by study of spiritual writings. After study time, the oblates perform lectio divina.
The community members also fill a “St. Martha’s baby basket” with a variety of items for newborns and their mothers, which they give to those in need or to the Children’s Justice Center. They also donate to local causes or to the Sisters of St. Benedict.
“This way of life forges a powerful connection with the monastery, prayer work and peace and a deeper understanding of the Lord and his work through the Rule of St. Benedict,” Larsen said.
There is also a community of Oblates of St. Benedict in Ogden. Currently the group is not meeting, but president Mary Iverson said she is very interested in talking with anyone in the area who would like to find out more about the Benedictine way of life.
Lay Dominicans
The Dominican order, formally known as the Order of Preachers, was founded in 1216 by Saint Dominic de Guzman. Lay members of the Dominicans devote themselves to the four pillars of prayer, common life, study and preaching.
The lay Dominicans were sanctioned as a chapter at Saint Catherine of Siena Newman Center in Salt Lake City in 1995. Members attend Mass as often as possible, say the rosary daily, and perform the Liturgy of the Hours and night prayers. They also try to observe the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout the year.
In seeking to live by the pillar of study, members meet monthly to complete a program of study and to pray as a community. They study the teachings of the Dominican order and of the Church, along with other materials that can help deepen an individual’s faith.
Members support each other in living the Dominican life and engage in community outreach programs.
“We try to connect with each other as much as possible,” chapter moderator Paul White said. “This is not a book club or a spiritual support group. We are members of the Dominican order.”
Becoming a lay Dominican has deepened his faith and changed his life, White said. “It made me consider the definition of how I live my life and the daily interactions I have with people. My faith is not just when I’m at Mass, it is in everything I do.”
To become a lay member of the order, a candidate must be at least 18, be a practicing Catholic for at least a year and cannot be consecrated to another order. He or she must undertake a year of what is known as formation, attending the chapter meetings and learning the four pillars. Then, after the third year, the candidate may make a temporary profession, and has up to six years to commit to a life profession.
The group meets monthly on the third Sunday at the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center at 1:30 p.m.
Ladies of Charity
The Ladies of Charity is an organization of Catholic laity (primarily women, but some men also volunteer) that was founded more than 400 years ago by St. Vincent de Paul, aided by St. Louise de Mariliac. Brought to the United States in 1857, the organization has 47 associations across the country.
“The reality of human pain and misery may be lost in the midst of an impersonal world. The Ladies of Charity, recognizing this lack of human awareness, seek every opportunity to make Christ present by serving the material and spiritual needs of the sick, the poor and the marginalized of our society,” the organization’s website says.
In Utah, there are two Ladies of Charity associations. While independent of the local parishes, the two groups draw their members from the parishes of St. Olaf in Bountiful and Our Lady of Lourdes in Salt Lake City.
The Bountiful association runs a food pantry called Center of Hope at 74 South Orchard Drive, which is open the second Saturday of the month and serves 150 local families. Association members also deliver 55 boxes of food to families in St. Patrick Parish in Salt Lake City.
Members of the group also participate in the diocesan jail ministry and visit shut-ins and nursing homes.
Members who are elderly and who can no longer actively serve help out where they can, such as baking goods when the group holds bake sales and making phone calls where needed.
“Each of our members gives as much time as she is able,” Vincentian moderator Daughter of Charity Sr. Germaine Sarrazin said.
The only requirement to become a member is to be “a good Christian woman,” Sr. Germaine said.
However, most of the group’s 30 members are Catholic because “the Eucharist is very important to us,” she said. “That’s where we get our impetus to serve. St. Vincent de Paul said we were to see Christ in the face of each person we serve.”
The Bountiful Ladies of Charity hold a general membership meeting the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the pantry. Along with reporting on the work the group does, members engage in prayer, meditation and shared experiences.
Members of the Salt Lake Ladies of Charity association visit the food pantry on the second Wednesday of the month and box up food for those they serve. Volunteers have five routes and deliver to 30 families throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Most of the recipients are the working poor, Vincentian moderator Jackie Harrover said.
This group is in need of volunteers and individuals who could drive a route and deliver the boxes in the evenings. A husband-and-wife team would be ideal because volunteers need to be able to carry computer paper-sized boxes filled with items, Harrover said.
“It is very humbling to meet these people and to see what they have to do to survive,” Harrover said. “They just need help and to be treated as fellow humans.”
Several members of the group also work at the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen once a month, covering two meals.
“We’re always looking for volunteers to come and help, along with donations of non-perishable food and cash,” Harrover said. “There is much to do.”
The Salt Lake Ladies of Charity group has 22 members. They meet monthly on the first Sunday after Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Each meeting begins with prayer and is followed by a guided meditation and a presentation on the group’s founders.
Both Ladies of Charity groups attend a yearly retreat in the spring. Next year, the Utah groups will host the Ladies of Charity national assembly, with representatives coming from associations from all across the U.S.
Oblates of St. Benedict
In the Carbon or Emery area, contact Nora Larsen, 435-650-3152 or 435-637-3767.
In the Ogden area, contact Mary Iverson, 801-520-9092.
Lay Dominicans
Contact Paul White, paulzilwhite@gmail.com
Ladies of Charity
In the Bountiful area, contact Daughters of Charity Sr. Germaine Sarrazin, 801-971-3353.
In the Salt Lake City area, contact Jackie Harrover, 801-809-7645.
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