Cardinal Leo Message for World Day for Consecrated Life
Cardinal Leo Message for World Day for Consecrated Life
Message for World Day for Consecrated Life
2 February 2026
His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo
Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Consecrated Life,
May Jesus and Mary be in your souls.
In anticipation of the upcoming celebration of the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life,
celebrated annually on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, along with the faithful of the
archdiocese, and indeed the universal Church, I wish to reach out to you with gratitude and
recognition. We prayerfully consider the gift that you have made of your lives to God and his
Church. The Gospel account relates how in the Temple, Simeon and Anna recognize the child
Jesus to be the Light destined for the nations (cf. Lk 2:22-38). Today the Church recognizes in
the many and varied forms of consecrated life a living reflection of that same light - radiant,
faithful, and enduring—offered for the salvation of the world.
Your vocation places you at the heart of the Church’s mystery (cf. CCC, 916, 932). By your
profession of the evangelical counsels, you proclaim that God alone is sufficient, that the
Kingdom of Heaven is already present and growing among us, and that the ultimate horizon of
human life is communion with God (cf. LG, 44). In a world often marked by division, relentless
busyness, perpetual dissatisfaction, and unbridled self-assertion, your consecration speaks a
different language: one of radical availability, obedience and humble service, prophetic
witnessing, and true joy found in simplicity of life – modeled after that of Our Lord and Our
Lady. Consecrated life is not a retreat from the world, but a prophetic way of loving the world as
God loves it, and in so doing inviting others to a more authentic way of life (cf. Vita Consecrata,
80, 109).
The Feast of the Presentation reminds us that consecrated life is fundamentally an offering (cf.
Vita Consecrata, 22). Just as Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, you continually
place your lives into God’s hands in complete love and surrender for the salvation of the world.
In your daily fidelity to the Gospel, to the Church, to your charism and rule/constitutions of your
community, you make visible the beauty of Christ’s own choice—a life poured out to the Father
in love for all. Simeon’s proclamation of Jesus as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for
glory to your people Israel” (Lk 2:32), has guided the mission of consecrated men and women
throughout the history of the archdiocese. Finally, Anna’s witness, done within the context of
her calling (Lk 2:38), reminds us of the transformative power of encounter in the ordinary and
everyday circumstances of life.
In the Archdiocese of Toronto, your offering, proclamation and encounter have shaped
generations of the faithful and continue to guide us today, especially as we embrace the call to be
disciples who belong to the Lord in a very special way all the while being engaged in the world
spreading Christ’s Kingdom, working in unison, in a synodal manner, with other ecclesial
instances thus reflecting the holiness of God to every man, woman and child on our path.
On this World Day of Consecrated Life, the Archdiocese of Toronto, and I personally, thank you
most sincerely. We are grateful for your faithfulness, prayerfulness, and sacrifices known only to
God. For all the spiritual and temporal works of mercy you accomplish, for your spirit of
welcoming and generosity, for your willingness to go the extra mile and radiate the face of Christ
to our polarized, frustrated and anxious world, for the love you bring to those who suffer and
have no one to turn to – our gratitude is immense. I entrust you anew to the intercession of the
Blessed ever Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. May Christ, the Light whom
you have chosen above all things, continue to illuminate you personally and your communities,
renew your joy, and draw many hearts closer to Him through your loving witness.`
