The Catechism teaches: “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by [the angels’] watchful care and intercession. ‘Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life’ (St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, 1: PG 29, 656B). Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God” (CCC 336).

To say it simply, the angels bring God to us and bring us to God.  In His loving care, God provides an angel to watch over each of us and to help us come home to Him.  One clear message is that we are not meant to make our journey to God alone.  The spiritual life suffers from self-sufficiency and self-reliance.  We are accompanied by human beings and angels as we move together as a whole Christian community towards our heavenly homeland.

When the American-Cassinese Congregation was founded by Abbot Boniface Wimmer in 1855, Blessed Pius IX placed the Congregation under the patronage of the Guardian Angels.  The Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF) at Saint Vincent Seminary embraces the ministerial spirit of this patronage.  Starting this weekend, the IMF will be accompanying a new cohort of pastors in parish renewal through our STEP4ward process.  Like the guardian angels, we come alongside pastors to assist them in effecting transformational change in their parishes.  We help them to form a leadership team, work with the parish and leadership team to establish a vision and measurable goals, and then help them to engage the team and parish in committing to a unifying strategy to meet those goals.

Please pray for our new STEP4ward cohort and pray for our team at the IMF.  May we all become little more like angels, always bringing God to others and others to God.