In the first part of this issue, we recalled that September 24, 1903, the day on which St. Candida Maria de Jesus and the first Daughters of Jesus pronounced their perpetual vows, sealing a “forever” that would mark the life of the Congregation. That initial dedication opened a path of fidelity that continues to this day.
We want to enrich this living memory with current voices by approaching in the first instance, the Daughters of Jesus who are being formed and taking their first steps in consecrated life: postulants, novices and juniors. Their testimonies show us with freshness and sincerity how the path of fidelity begins to be traced from the first commitments, and how each stage of incorporation has its own weight and beauty in the life of the Congregation.
APPLICANTS
Hanna Nokrek – applicant from Bangladesh.
“When I heard the word “perpetual vows,” I felt like crying. I asked myself: ‘Can I get to this stage? I sat down to pray and asked the Holy Spirit to help me see. I listened to the movements of my heart, and I felt good, happy and at peace. I realized that this is the life I have been searching for. I deeply desire to one day be a perpetual Sister Daughter of Jesus. Thank you for this question; it helps me to affirm my vocation to Religious Life in the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus.”
Frasiska Emiliana Sesil – applicant from Indonesia.
“For me, making my perpetual vows as a Daughter of Jesus is a great joy, since I fully belong to the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus. I am grateful because I give myself totally to God and commit myself to do His will. I am passionate about serving my brothers and sisters in the mission wherever I am sent, without choosing the place I prefer.”
NOVICIAS
Jeniffer Castillo Otero – 2nd Year Novice, Dominican Republic.
“For me, perpetual profession is an act of unconditional love that unites the Daughter of Jesus forever with God, the Church and the Congregation, embracing her mission to bring the hope and love of Jesus through her life. It is the generous response to a call, which is concretized in a “YES”, but which is lived and renewed every day in service to others”.
JUNIOR
Francisca Wu – first stage juniora in Grenada
“My perpetual vows express a deeper affirmation of God’s call upon me and my response to Him. As I expressed in my temporary vows, I commit myself to live within the Daughters of Jesus according to their Constitutions. After years of preparation during my temporary vows, prompted by life experience and an inner longing, I now desire to live in this way forever, following Jesus and serving God.”
Crystal Bermejo – Second stage Juniora, Philippines.
“Perpetual Profession is about God’s love and fidelity to me, to which I respond with commitment and fidelity. It also means accepting the responsibility to care for the body of the Congregation with his grace, wherever I am sent.”
Cintia Malaquias, from Brazil – Second stage Juniora in Argentina.
“It is to say yes to life moved by the bond with the Lord, with the determination and willingness to offer and share, in the small and simple, what I have, what I am.”
These testimonies show us that the journey of fidelity begins from the first steps in consecrated life and that each stage of incorporation is an opportunity to discover the depth of God’s call. Continue reading the testimonies of perpetually professed sisters to learn how the “forever” continues to be alive and well in the life of the Congregation.
We can also ask ourselves about our own consecration, whether in religious life or in baptismal consecration. How do we live it? What gives us meaning? And, above all, how do we discover in it a call to make the Kingdom possible here and now?
