Nun at the prayer vigil for consecrated life in St. Peter's Basilica, Jan. 28, 2016. (Credit: Alexey Gotovskiy/CNA) This Feast of the Lord’s Presentation in the Temple has been observed for many years now as an occasion to acknowledge the contributions of Religious to the life of the Church. That day was chosen by Pope John Paul II precisely because on that day the Infant Christ is proclaimed as a “light for the nations” and the late Holy Father – along with the whole Church – saw Religious as particularly responsible for bearing that light of Christ to the Church and to the world, giving us an opportunity to thank God for the life and witness of those in consecrated life and also to pray for many more young men and women to join their ranks.