27th Anniversary of the IVE

On March 25^th, 2011, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) celebrated the 27^th anniversary of its foundation.

See the photo gallery here.

Since its establishment the Institute has been saying with Mary, "Let it be done unto me according to thy word" (Lk 1:38). We seek to remain docile to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit so that in all that we do, wherever we are, at whatever time, we might be doing the will of God. You can read more about the IVE here.

The celebration of the anniversary began with the vigil of the Solemnity. First a large number of priests, seminarians, and SSVM sisters took part in a holy hour and evening prayer followed by dinner at St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in Chillum, MD. After eating and sharing some time in community, the religious returned to the church where Matins were chanted and the Litany of the Incarnate Word was sung. As part of Matins, Fr. Franco Liporace from St. Francis Assisi in Chicago, IL preached a homily about the centrality and importance of the belief in the Son of God staying fully divine and yet taking on a human nature. After Matins there was some more community recreation before  going to bed.

The following day, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, began with a holy hour and afterwards the seminarians of the FSHF had a chance to play sports in the morning. Later, at 5:15 in the evening, the Holy Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. by His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. Fr. Gustavo Nieto, Provincial of the Immaculate Conception Province, Fr. Walter Mallo, Vicar Provincial, Fr. Gustavo Domenech, Rector of the Fulton Sheen House of Formation, and priests from the Institute and other dioceses around the USA concelebrated the Mass.  In his homily, Cardinal Wuerl emphasized Mary's openness to God's Will and how we should all imitate her example of complete faith in God.

After the Mass all the members of the Third Order and friends of the Institute went to the Elizabeth Anne Seton High School for a reception and show. Of particular note was the performance by Fr. Andrés Ayala from St. Michael the Archangel's Church in Cobourg, Canada whose two Italian songs won him a standing ovation. Throughout the night there was a lively atmosphere of joy as parishioners and family members of religious came together from all over the country to celebrate as a Religious Family.

We give thanks to God for all that he has done through us for the last 27 years and pray that we might be able to carry out His Will more perfectly in the future. As we begin the our 28^th year, please continue to "Pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38) so that we might continue the work which has been entrusted to us from God Almighty.

"Verbum Caro Factum Est" (And the Word became Flesh) Jn 1:14