In this series, we’ve been discovering what the Final Probation is, and we met Magda Zhang, the instructor who guides us on this journey. Then we began getting to know the junior members; first, we met Inma, Crystal, and Celina, and in the second installment, we introduced Cecilia and Mary Mae.
Today we’re wrapping up our introduction to the seven junior members participating in the 2026–2027 term. They are: Ann Nguyễn Thị Nga and Cíntia Malaquías Rodrigues
Ann Nguyen Thi Nga
Country/province of origin: Vietnam. East Asia Province
What are you bringing with you to the Final Trial? As I enter my Final Probation, I bring with me the entire story of my vocation: the joys, the difficulties, the lessons learned, and the many gifts I have received during these years of formation. I bring with me my sisters in the community and so many people with whom I have shared life and mission. They are all part of the story that God has been writing within me. I am currently studying Spanish in the Montellano community in Salamanca, Spain. This experience is teaching me to step outside of myself, to be patient, and to trust more, as I discover that God continues to guide my path even through the little things of each day. I arrive with gratitude for all I have experienced and with an open heart to whatever God still wishes to accomplish in me.
What do you hope will happen within you over the next few months? I hope that this time will be, above all, a deeper encounter with Jesus, so that He may increasingly become the center of my life. I want to look at my life’s story with sincerity and allow myself to be healed, purified, and transformed by Him; to grow in freedom, trust, and love, so that my “yes” may become more conscious, faithful, and generous each day. I also wish to come to know and internalize more deeply the spirit of Mother Candida María de Jesús: her simple faith, her complete trust in God, her humility, and her heart that was always open to the mission. I do not merely want to know her, but to let her spirit come alive within me.
What would you ask of the Madre Cándida Family? I ask you to accompany me with your prayers and your witness, so that I may know how to open myself to all that God wishes to accomplish in me during this time. Please pray that I may grow in trust, love Jesus more and more each day, and respond generously to His call. I believe that a vocation is never lived in solitude. Prayer and the support of our family help us to walk with greater confidence and joy in the vocation we have received.
A short phrase: “What I hope for during this time is… to letJesus find me and transform me; for the spirit of Mother Candida to take root in my life; and to be able to give myself to God and to others with freedom, joy, and generosity.”
Cíntia Malaquías Rodrigues
Country/province of origin: Brazil / Brazil – Caribbean
What are you bringing with you—from yourself, your community, and your current mission—to this time of UP? / Is there a person, place, or experience that is “traveling” with you to the Final Probation? I carry with me everything that has been moving me in my current mission and that is a source of enthusiasm and gratitude for God’s call: the experiences of a genuinely fraternal community, the shared challenges and quests, the experience of working and being present in the educational community and in the apostolate, and the desire to serve them. I carry with me life stories, faces, bonds, and the confidence that God will continue to watch over you.
What do you hope will happen within you over the next few months? I want to continue on this pilgrimage… May I, along this path, connect deeply with the roots of the Daughters of Jesus; encounter many stories; and be moved by the experiences of God shared by people very different from me. May the Lord continue to open my heart and strengthen my vocation.
What would you ask of the Madre Cándida Family? May she accompany us in prayer, just as Mother Candida has taught us. May each of us speak to the Father with simplicity and spontaneity.
Thank you, Ann and Cíntia, for sharing a little bit of your journey with us.
With this installment, we’ve now introduced all seven junior members who will undergo the Final Probation for 2026–2027. We invite you to stay tuned for our upcoming posts and to accompany them in prayer.
