Sì, lo voglio. With these words, Yes, I desire it, Padre Giuseppe della Croce, better known to you as Fr. Joe Barbieri, repeated his desire to live the life of a consecrated religious as he made his Perpetual Profession as a vowed member of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus on September 12, 2009 in the Passionist Monastery in Manduria, Italy.
Supported by the Provincial, Padre Antonio Curto, c.p., brother Passionist priests and brothers, Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, Sisters from many convents, parish members, family and friends from Canada, Italy and the United States, Fr. Joe was asked at the beginning of the Liturgy, “What do you want from God and the Church?” His answer, “I want a consecrated life in the Lord, lived in fraternal charity dedicated to service of the church.”
In the beautiful parish church of the Sacred Heart, a choir from the city of Novoli sang the parts of the liturgy, the celebrant, Fr. Antonio, celebrated the Liturgy, gave a homily in which he talked about consecrated life, Fr. Joe in particular and his journey to them, and the great blessing they were about to witness. After the homily, Fr. Joe was questioned on each of the vows, to which he answered, Sì, lo voglio. The particular charism of the Passionists and the fourth vow that they take, is to keep alive the memory of the Passion of Christ in word and in deed, as they live their life of poverty, chastity and obedience in light of the Passion of Christ. As Fr. Joe prostrated himself before God, the Altar, and his Provincial, the choir sang the Litany of Saints, and the gathered congregation prayed that God would bless Fr. Joe and the fire of the Holy Spirit would purify his love.
Fr. Joe wrote out his vows and signed them in the presence of all, they were witnessed by his brother Maurizio, the Provincial ( and another Passionist. ) Father Provincial accepted Padre Giuseppe into the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ. After the solemn prayer calling down the Holy Spirit and the faithful adherence to the Word of God, Fr. Joe was presented with a Crucifix, held by his mother, as a sign of his profession. He then shared the Sign of Peace with all his brother Passionists as he was told that now he belonged forever to the Congregation and everything would be shared among them.
As a witness to this most solemn event in the life of Fr. Joe, we were filled with a sense of awe and wonder. It was not easy to follow everything as it was spoken in Italian, however the adage that “actions speak louder than words” was really true. We may have not known each word spoken, but prayer is universal and we were all one, praying for Fr. Joe and by his actions knowing what he was saying. It was truly a privilege that we will always treasure.
Scritto da Loretta Tarter per la rivista parrocchiale di St. Anne’s, Garden City, NY
Auguri di santità Joe.
Facezoom - Passionisti
[...] simpatica galleria fotografica riguardo la professione perpetua di Padre Joe Barbieri, celebrata il 12 settembre 2009 a Manduria (Ta), presso la nostra casa [...]
bellissima cerimonia ,bravissimo il fotografo!!
Dear Fr. Joe,
Permettez-moi de vous présenter mes voeux les plus sincères pour votre bonheur à la suite de cette occasion culminante dans votre vie.
It’s Judith Esser, whom you knew as Mademoiselle Konings, your French teacher from your grade school days at St. Charles Garnier C. S. in North York when you were “Joey Barbieri” at least to your teachers and to Angie Giancola, the school secretary.
Years ago, we briefly met at the anniversary of St. Charles Garnier School in the school Gym. It was Mrs. Giancola who pointed you out to me, distinguished in a black suit. I recall you mentioning that at the time, you were in Toronto visiting your parents, pointing out to me that the pin on your lapel signified “Msgr.”, and relating some detail about your Vatican-directed work. It was adelightful for me to discover how you and your other classmates were journeying through life.
Following that, (you had mentioned that as a student you had enjoyed some of my travel stories), I had had the idea of sending you a greeting from Havana, which, as I realized much too late, had been deposited not in an official mailbox, but in an ornamental postbox (affixed to the wall of an historical city building) that was probably never emptied!
Now, years later, with a mini-reunion of St. Charles Garnier alumnae (including David Cartlidge – the principal when you would have been in Gr. 8 – fresh in mind, I thought I would put Google to work. Not having ever forgotten your kind words to me about “great” French classes back then, I thought I would try again to locate you. Et voilà, grâce à la technologie, ça fonctionne à merveille! And the research paid off with another wonderful surprise!
This beautiful picture of you at your consecration is one I will save for certain and possibly point out when our little alumnae sub-group gets together again.
Currently, I am in my eighth year as Program Coordinator for French As a Second Language programs in the 201 schools of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Other Modern and Classical Studies (Latin) are also part of my portfolio, as is Assessment for Learning. Life in education is always busy, challenging, fun and fulfilling!
I wish you and your family the very best and will remember you, Joe, at appropriate moments of prayer. You have chosen a very special path, indeed – challenging in different ways.
Avec mes meilleurs sentiments et à la prochaine si vous le permettrez,
Judith Esser
(Votre ancienne prof de français, 1974-76, St. Charles Garnier C.S.)