My wonderful experience on the Eve of Perpetual Profession!

 

I

made my perpetual profession on 27^th August 2020 and so my memories of perpetual profession are still quite fresh in my mind. One particular experience that moved me was that during the profession Mass, I was thinking to myself, "I guess God was serious about this!" I couldn't grasp that this was really happening to me. I never really considered a religious vocation growing up. I always consider discovering my vocation to the religious life. Played out quite vividly in the parable that Jesus talks about the landowner who goes in search of laborers to work in His vineyard Jesus says that the landowner goes out and calls laborers at nine o'clock, at noon, at three and at five o'clock. I'm that five o'clock laborer that had no clue that the Lord was calling me to work in His vineyard! God was very serious when he popped the desire in my heart to belong to him in my early age and helped me to discover that he was calling me to be a religious sister. And so, I am so grateful to be called to give my life to such a worthy cause and to such a worthy Person: Jesus Christ. I feel like I have found the greatest of treasures. I have found what my heart was looking for. I have found the dearest of Friends. To proclaim him as God for all my life is the greatest of quests. Belonging to Jesus forever as a religious sister is one of the greatest gifts for which I will be eternally grateful, especially knowing that I am not perfect, I am often afraid, weak, and feel incapable. But that does not stop Jesus from calling me again and again to Himself. I delight in knowing daily that I am loved unconditionally by this great God of mercy and still called to witness His love and mercy to the ends of the earth.

The most important lessons that I have learned in formation are: the first is that I will be continuing to learn all my life. The second one is about my humanness and interdependence. In regard to my humanness, the things that I struggle with – my questions, confusions, imperfections, tragic mistakes, etc. are all a natural part of being human. The things that I see as my greatest faults are only the shadow side of my greatest gifts. I learned that shared spirituality is real, and the connection to something greater than me is very much there. Living with the sisters made me more aware of my own place as a member of the Body of Christ, and of the responsibility towards others.

On the vigil night and profession day, I was filled with joy to have the sisters rejoicing and witnessing my perpetual profession of vows. The holy Eucharistic celebration was a solemn and grace-filled experience. During the litany prayers I felt my life being transformed. I was a new person, at peace with myself.

 The seed of faith which my parents planted in me continues to grow as I enter deeply into religious life, prayers, faith sharing, spiritual reading, retreats and spiritual direction. These together help me to enrich and deepen my faith. Faith keeps me strong as I journey. None of this would have been possible without the guidance of my parents, formators and my sisters in community. The love I have experienced in community has truly taught me how to love myself and to love others in return. I know that growing in love as a Claretian Missionary Sister is a life-long journey, but it is one that I desire to embrace with my whole heart, more now than ever before.

 After the gift of my life and of my baptism, the gift of my call to be a religious sister is the biggest gift God could give me. I still remember how I felt when I pronounced my vows of Poverty, Obedience and Chastity “for all my life” for the first time. My vows express my love for God, my trust in God and my desire and commitment to be God’s alone. In one way, I can say that it is a very mutual relationship, God gives God’s self to me and I give my self to God. This is the most precious relationship I could ever have. It actually continues to deepen and grow as I live my vows daily. 

 I see Profession as a covenant of love and commitment between God and the soul. He calls and I answer and continue to answer every day of my life. I see the terms “Final Vows” and “Perpetual vows” as two different things. Final implies the last time that the vows are pronounced publicly, the “final yes” to commit to my community's charism (Spirituality and Mission). My perpetual vows are not the end but the true beginning of my covenant with my Lord. They make me who I am, "Apostle of the Lord," Chosen and Beloved, Evangelizer and bearer of his Word. Each day I must recommit myself in love and open my heart to the voice of God. It is a continuous process, to humbly accept the endless graces granted to me to become another Christ - "He must increase, I must decrease".

By Rahil RMI

RESPONDING COVID SITUATION

The day we heard about the name covid-19 it was not necessary for us to explain what the effects of the virus are. As we all are witnessing and experiencing the situations that have happened and happening.

We Claretian sisters in Kotapitiya and Koswatta community received a donation from KORIMA to help the poor people who were struggling to sustain their basic needs, especially food due to lockdown all over the nation. Coming to know the most needy ones in the parishes both in Kotapitiya and Koswatta, we were able to distribute them dry rations to fill up their hunger for a week; in addition we offered some fresh vegetables from our home garden. At first we invited some people in need who came and received their due in our community and then on other days we visited some other poor areas and shared the benefit.

All expressed their gratitude for the timely help they received from the sisters. There are still many who are in need and we hope that in the future too similar help will be granted.

Our sincere thanks to KORIMA whose generosity through which the Claretianas in Sri Lanka could show our solidarity with the real needy.

Thank you KORIMA IT WAS GREAT HELP.

Claretianas

Sri Lanka

some actvities of APN during this month

some of the activities of Antonia paris nilaya, during this month. done by Revathi Ambati

Lockdown experience of APN community:

“For everything there is season and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to keep silence and a time to speak,

A time for war and a time for peace.”

         As we see the rapid spreading of corona virus to the world wide and in India too, at present pandemic is giving a lot of fears, panic, worries among the people because of this cause all the Institutes (like colleges, schools, shops etc….) were shut down and this is the reason, that we must trust in God and to be patience and to have faith like Abraham (our father of faith).

           During these days we were unified with the whole world as well as with our Mother Church and with our Congregation to offer for the Intention of our humanity that to conquest the sickness of covid-19.It helps us to be one with the suffering world and to be cohesion with the world through our small sacrifices that we are doing in our community.

          It is gift of valuable time for us by God, to reinforce our spiritual life, through various activities, like a talk on spiritual conversation, presentation on christus vivit, deepening on history of the congregation, our spiritual exercise like retreats, daily Eucharist. It strengthened us to deepen our relationship with God and to witness his love to all the creatures.

            In our community, it is a challenge as well as the occasion for all of us to be in the community and live as one family, by sharing our fraternity and love, through all the activities that we have done. And being responsible for each other’s lives, by holding and leading every one towards God.

“We accept the situation and learn to live with the world and continuing the journey of life ,by placing our trust and laying our hope in the Heavenly Lord and we move forward……..

SHARING EXPERIENCE

                       “Do not be troubled, Trust in God and trust in me. (Jn 14:1).”

When I recall my one year as professed Claretian sister, I find joy and content of myself because I find my joy in God by responding my call to him in each day of my life. At present I am residing in Novitiate community, India. I am blessed to be a member, to share Gods love to all here. I bring the Spirit of God to all the younger ones with my way of being Claretian. I find the family atmosphere in my community, by our support and care for each other. Thou there are times of I find difficulties and struggles in the community, but amidst of all these experiences I and We learn to forgive and care for one another and learn to grow and live in unity as well as we live as one family.

In my prayer life there were many God experiences, but I would I like to share one of my experience, when I went for Anjali Ashram experience, It made me to experience God with in me. In one moment of I strongly experienced that the God’s spirit was within me and moved me to keep away from worldly things and to live in the spirit of God. This experience continue to draw me to live by the spirit and to spend my time with the Lord in the silence of my heart and the voice that strengthens me said ‘Do not troubled or disturbed by anything, I am with you and I have chosen you and you are mine’. And to be rooted in Christ, who is the source of life. This is the spirit that inspires me to continue my Religious life with commitment and fidelity towards God. “I thank God and praise be to his name.”

Revathi Ambati

Antonia Paris Nilaya

Naguvanahalli

CLARETIAN VOCATION DAY

“The whole world is homeland for the missionary of Christ”- Maria Antonia Paris-

Our Mother Church and especially our Congregation urges us to pray for vocations during this month and as consecrated women we are so faithful and happy to celebrate and to renew our gift of vocation with Mary. The Church prioritizes and honours our Blessed Mother as patron of our consecrated life.  Our constitution No 21 says; “Following Mary’s example we wish to make our life a constant and generous ‘fiat’ to the will of the Father”. Through her consecration we the Church begin to learn and to accept the will of our Father. As we dedicate this month to pray for our own calling and for increasing of vocations to our Congregation, we are aware that the religious vocation is a special gift and a call from God that is received in faith and cultivated and discerned in prayer. As a community we spend quality time with the Lord and pray through the intercessions of our Mother Mary for all.

As we pray for each Continent, for each of our sister, we feel that the Lord prepares, moves and helps those He calls, giving the graces and the blessings needed in order to embrace the religious state and persevere in it joyfully. Though we are far away from each other, through prayer we feel the movement of the spirit in us to be united in the Lord who calls us to life. We pray for each of our perseverance and that all of us whom He has chosen as ministers and dispensers of His mysteries may be found faithful in fulfilling the ministry received. We too remember and pray for the perseverance of our candidates, aspirants, postulants, novices, juniors and for all of us and for those young people who are ready to put out into deep, to be the sign through our own consecration may say “YES” to God.

As we place ourselves to pray in a creative way in the community we cherish the joy within us. Month of prayer for vocation teaches many thing to be aware; how my contribution towards promotion of vocations, as well it enables each of us to discover with grateful hearts the God’s call in our lives, which make us to have courage to say “YES” day by day to God.

 Koswatta Community

THE RESIDENTIAL FORMATION PROGRAM AT KANDY 2020

On 30^th of January 2020, we three sisters along with other sister formees and our Academic Head travelled to Kandy where we had the residential program. Though we are from different Congregations, we stayed for forty days as one community. It was an enriching experience to form ourselves with the sisters from 8 Congregations and seven Nationalities. On the first days of our program we had the sharing about our personal life and vocational journey, which made us to know, understand and accept each other as we are. On the following day we had the cultural program which depicted our cultures and reminded us to look back to our origins.

Afterwards we had classes by various Priest - Professors which helped us to know and mold ourselves in a spiritual way. The topics were very much real to our lives and mainly in Non Violent Communication, we learned how to maintain quality relationships, being non-Judgmental communicants, and learned that forcing others to do what I wish, is a violent and which will not be helpful to maintain the quality relationship. About prayer and discernment we found our way of being in relationship with God and others, that is through the nature and all the means provided to us.  And also the session on Eucharist and Sacraments have helped us to internalize our own participation in the Eucharistic celebration.

During these days of our stay we had the recollection and the Lenten preparation which helped us to live our life faithful to God.  Living these days integrating ourselves by knowing who we are and enjoying the diversity of persons, we experienced the transformation in us. The day before leaving to our respective communities we visited Sigiriya, the world famous heritage of Sri Lanka. With all these enriching experiences we were back to our communities on 9^th of March 2020.

We thank the Congregation and the Delegation, for giving us the opportunity to participate in this formation course. 

Huguette, Janitha, and Jeevathy

Sister Fomees 2020

Manori's First renewal of the Vows.

Catechism

“let the children come to me for the kingdom of God belongs to them.”

I teach Catechism in our parish (Our Lady of Poor), Mysore.

It was an enriching experience for me. I consider it a privilege, introducing them the faith. At the end of the year we had a day-out with Catechism children. It was a joyful moment for all us to be together playing and enjoying the beauty of nature and art.

COVID 19 TIMES

“ I know I am facing the last chapter of my life and I don’t know what awaits me, I know, however, that  the light of God exists, that He is risen, that His light is stronger than any darkness, that the goodness of God is stronger than any evil in this world” – Pope Benedict XVI

The world is in darkness, today human has become stranger to one another, we have closed ourselves within the doors of our houses, the environment is much silent than ever it was in the history; because the world is battling between the unseen virus named Corona (Covid-19). The history never had a story such as that the whole world is suffering at the same time, in this way unable to help one another, when flood or any natural or manmade calamity affects certain area some other states or the countries generously volunteer to help; but today can’t move out at all, because there are not yet medicines found. All have become afraid of the life. At times health department and science seem to be failure and it is very much disappointment for the people and specially for the health authorities.As the flood of patients start increasing in hospital and the death rate too. Even the child is unable to embrace its own mother…. What a peculiar situation….!!!

As of each countries concern the government have taken decision to lockdown for certain period of time that will help to decrease the spread of the virus, on the other hand there are people dying due to the virus named hunger, the farmers and the daily wagers  are unable to feed themselves and their family. The government, supplies the food and hygenic, but still there are many place where it has not yet reached. There are many people affected psychologically by the corona virus. What will be our solution??? What will be our future???

“Behold I make all things new” Rev 21:5, through this atypical situation God promises that He gonna make all things new and he will make us His witnesses. In the book of Genesis:7:12-23 the flood brought destruction to the life of the people, but there after came the new life and new creation through the covenant that God made with Noah.  It is the time for us to renew our hearts and lives. It is also a sign that God does not leave anything to remain static or completely dead.

On the day of easter the day of joy and celebration, it was very sad to experience, the churches are closed, the bells stopped their tones, the tombs that we make every year has not yet made, the gloria and alleluia that we sing with loud voice has no sound, the candles that we light in the dark nights have not yet lit, the history has become different story this year because of this pandamic. But we belive in Jesus’ resurrection that he is really alive and active in this present situation of our world.

In the  community too I experience, that this is the time to come closer to God and the sisters in the community, to strenthen our fraternal life and share our daily experience that we experience individually and as a community. We take lot of interest and show our enthusiasm in special prayer for the people all over the world specially for the healing and make little sacrifice and extend our hands to the needy those who come to our doors. I too personally experice that all are in the same boat of fear and there are times I have been afraid to see the daily news as the numbers of the people affected and the case of death increases, it really frightens me and also makes me to become aware of the shortness of our life. we don’t know when the Lord will come with His angel to take us to his home. But let us pray along with our beloved Mother that,  “ Let Your Will Be Done in Our Lives”. May the light of the Risen Lord Shine thruogh out the our lives, our communities, our families, our Societies, our Nations and our World.

                                           May God Bless US…!

                                                                                                        Saranya K

                                                                 Nirmala Nivas community

EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATIVE MINISTRY

My experience in the school

I am Sr.Romeshi Paul. After completing my degree in India I was sent to the mission community of Casa Antonia Paris-Kotapitiya, Chilaw. While getting adjusted to the new community and some parochial ministries, I was given an important ministry as a teacher in the diocesan school named St. John Paul II English medium college. The school welcomed my availability with lot of enthusiasm expressing their long time desire of wanting and needing a religious Sister and showed true happiness about my presence.

Apart from the fear of not knowing the local language which many people speak in this area I took the challenge to work. But it was not difficult to communicate to Children since it is an English medium College. At the beginning I found it a bit difficult to communicate with the parents, however, soon I found that most of the parents speak English as well as my own mother tongue except some.

As I began my work my task was to teach Catholicism and Tamil as the 2^nd language. From this year 2020 I am appointed as the in charge of the primary section which is from play group to grade 4. Being 6 months in the school is a very rich experience; with the children, the staff, the parents and all who are involved in the school there are a lot to learn every day. It’s a mutual learning in fact.  

Aside from this I also find it very striking that there are many young girls who are eager to know about our religious life. They often come and talk to me asking about our life, and also there are teachers who seek advice for their personal and school difficulties too.

The staffs as well as the students are very much welcoming and supportive. Looking at the little children, their childlike works and etc., gives me lot of energy to go on in the service that I do. There are also different challenges; being in the school there is lot of expectations from sister, which makes me to play the roles of a teacher, mother and a sister.

I am truly very happy about this mission entrusted to me as well as I believe that I can do much more with endurance, dedication and enthusiasm. I believe at this moment I have really found my place and my mission here in the school.

                                                                                                                         Romeshi Paul

RENEWAL OF OUR SISTERS..
 

CONGRATULATIONS

Our special Prayers and wishes  to you dear sisters on this day.

Be a Joyful Missionary by responding to the call that you have received.....