Consecrated life is not merely a human project or personal preference; it is first and foremost a gift of the Holy Trinity to the Church and the world. The Father calls in love, the Son consecrates through His self-gift, and the Holy Spirit sustains and guides those who respond generously. Rooted in God’s loving initiative, consecrated life expresses a radical following of Christ through the profession of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
Sixty-three years ago, on October 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII opened the historic Second Vatican Council, fully convinced that it was time to “throw open the windows of the Church and let the fresh air of the Spirit blow through.”
Alphonsus Mathias, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore Archdiocese, passed away on July 10, 2024, at 5.20 p.m. at St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, Karnataka, south India. He was 96 years old.
