SANCTUS is a ministry of the Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey & is organized by the Office of Christian Discipleship and Religious Vocation.

5825 Coors Blvd. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87121

(505) 873-4399 ext. 237
contact@sanctusnm.org

Our team answers the question, "What does holiness mean to you?"

Br. Patricio Chacón, O. Praem.

Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey - Albuquerque, NM

When I think of holiness, or what it means to be holy, I can only think of dignity. More specifically the dignity that each and every one of us has because we were created by God. I think holiness is the call to recognize every person’s dignity and to love that person. Ultimately, holiness is a deeper call to seek God and grow closer to him through the Sacraments, friends, family, and everyone we encounter daily.


 

Celina Chavez

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community - Albuquerque, NM

Some of my favorite lyrics are from a song I heard during Advent by Catholic artist, Aly Aleigha, called "You Are": 'In seeking You, I'm already found.' 
With these lyrics in mind and heart, I think holiness means to seek God, in everything and in everyone. It means to recognize and pursue moments to adore God, to love unreservedly, and to live gratefully for His divine presence with us, for in seeking Him, I am also seeking who I truly am called to be.


 

Fr. Graham Golden, O. Praem.

Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey - Albuquerque, NM

To be holy is to be fully and authentically who God created you to be. It is to be "whole," as one made in God's image and likeness, living in communion with our Creator, God's holy people, and creation.


 

Greg Hakeem

Taylor Kingston

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community - Albuquerque, NM

To me, Holiness is a journey, a path that we are constantly taking. My journey to holiness doesn’t look the same as yours, but all of our paths will lead us to build the kingdom of God. While on that journey to holiness, we are called to use the gifts God has given us and share those gifts with others. Essentially, we are all called and capable of being Holy; it is up to us to choose to be (inspired by Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation: Gaudete et Exsultate).


 

Alandra Madrid

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community - Albuquerque, NM

Holiness is to be completely in submission to Christ's love and dedicating your life to being a gift and ministering to other people.


 

Daniel Medina

Holiness to me means "pure". Jesus is pure - without sin. We as Catholics are called to be pure (holy). Jesus, pure as He was, died for me, a sinner, so that I may become pure. It's a daily and conscious effort to surrender to Jesus' will and strive to be pure.


 

Fr. Michael Niemczak

Archdiocese of Santa Fe - Sacred Heart Catholic Church - Clovis, NM

I understand holiness to be, most simply, union with the God who knows you to the core and loves you completely. It is to be so close to Him that we prefer nothing to Him and that we share in the very love He has for all that He created. So it is less a matter of imitating God by adhering to some sort of checklist as it is to enter into communion with Him through prayer and then allow that communion to come to life in our acts of service toward the people He places in our lives.


 

Br. Lorenzo Romero-Ramos, O. Praem.

Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey - Albuquerque, NM

Holiness means to find out who you are and be that perfectly (inspired by St. Francis de Sales).


 

Linda Sepulveda

Holiness means a growth in a sustained notion to serve God with all of our mind, body, heart and spirit. Shown by our daily actions and how we we give of ourselves in order to be a presence of unity and peace, drawing those around us to praise God for the good works being done through us. 

Holiness is living your life everyday with a spirit that you are an instrument being played in God's song.