From October 21 to 26, Graciela Francovig, Superior General, accompanied by General Councilor Rosa Espinosa, following her visit to Bangladesh, visited the novitiates of the Indo-Pacific and East Asia Provinces located in Quezon City, Philippines.
What is a canonical visitation?
According to our Constitutions, the canonical visit is a fundamental means of living out the communion, discernment, and governance of the Congregation in the person of the Superior General. It is an opportunity to experience the universality of the Congregation and to feel that we are one body on a mission, part of a universal community expressed in diverse languages and ways.
Conducting the canonical visit to the Novitiate is a good way to accompany these young women who wish to become Daughters of Jesus. It is a time dedicated to getting to know and nurturing in each one the characteristics proper to a Daughter of Jesus. A vocation is a gift received, but it is also the life of each young woman who allows herself to be transformed by that personal call to follow the poor and humble Jesus. To follow him so that his way may take shape in each one, starting from who she is.
For the Daughters of Jesus, Saint Candida is the first teacher who shows us what it means to be and to live as a Daughter of Jesus. The deepest experience is to keep God as Father before our eyes—that is, to trust in Him always, to live in readiness to fulfill His will, and to seek and serve Him in all the events of our lives.
Community Gatherings
The Superior General has observed how the lifestyle of the novices and postulants helps them grow in the vocation to which they feel called and to which they wish to respond with generosity and responsibility. Their simple and joyful welcome expresses their sense of belonging to the Congregation. Personal conversations with each of these 12 young women have helped her get to know them better and sense the work God is doing in each one. The community gathering provided an opportunity to delve deeper together into what it means to nurture the vocation to which we are called.
There are other gatherings that also play an important role in the visits: formal ones, such as community meetings, prayer services, and the Eucharist; and informal ones, such as meals and conversations that help us better understand the backgrounds of these young women—Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China-Taiwan. Their expressions through food, music, and dance have allowed us to enjoy and appreciate their efforts to share the richness of their culture with us.
A shared meal on Sunday, the 25th, with all the Daughters of Jesus in Metro Manila was an opportunity to welcome Graciela and thank her for her visit. There was also a fun-filled segment during which all the Daughters of Jesus created a joyful, family-like atmosphere full of humor through musical skits, puppets, dancing, and a theatrical performance.
Many Reasons to Give Thanks
We have many reasons to thank God for so many expressions of unity, communion, and sisterhood—manifested in the warm welcome, the genuine interest, and the desire to share the best we have—which reveal that deep bond of feeling like daughters of a God who offers us opportunities to become sisters.
You can view all the photos in the Daughters of Jesus Flickr album.
