An act of sacred offering

I attended the Final Profession of a friend of mine, Sr Margaret Atkins, a few days ago. For those who don't know, this is the moment when somebody who has lived in a religious community for a number of years definitively commits to remaining a member of the order for the rest of his or her life. Sr Margaret, whom I've known for a good number of years and with whom I share a love of walking (our best walk to date was across Morecambe Bay) and tennis (she won our last two matches), is a Canoness of St Augustine at Boarbank near Grange over Sands in Cumbria. Before joining the order, she was a theology lecturer at Leeds Trinity.

The part of the ceremony which especially stands out in my memory was the homily. Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster, who is himself an Augustinian, speaking from the lectern, addressed Sr Margaret, who was sitting some ten metres or so away on the edge of the sanctuary. Quoting St Paul, he exhorted her to keep her "eyes fixed on Christ." He recalled that St Augustine had said that Christ is the destination and that Christ is also the way to that destination. A short distance away, forming the apex of a triangle, was the altar, the symbol of Christ, upon which Sister Margaret was soon to sign her formal declaration. The sanctuary was awash with light from the high windows, a light which picked out the sisters' white habits and also the white stone of the altar. There was an arresting dramatic depth to the moment. The Bishop was talking directly to Sister Margaret but those of us who were present - and there many of us - felt included in what he said. She was making a radical gift of herself to Christ through her religious vows and each of us, I am sure, felt moved to rediscover Christ in our own lives as a consequence. It's hard to put this connectedness into words but that's the best I can do. In the closing prayer Bishop Michael petitioned the Lord "to inflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit" Sr Margaret who was now bound to God "by an act of sacred offering."  It was a privilege and joy to be present at such an event. The memory of it will keep me going for weeks to come! The photographs show Sr Margaret lying prostrate before altar during the Litany of Saints and then cutting the cake afterwards.