MY EXPERIENCE IN ROME

2022-12-03

“This mission, which should know no limits, calls forth in us an availability which is full of hope and joy, and enables us to make known the name of Jesus his mercy and love, in all those places where he is pleased to call us”. Constitution Number 08

I thank God for the gift of life, for his love and protection. I also thank God for his continuous call in my vocation life, as he is now calling me to go and serve him through serving the people I will encounter in the new mission.

I express my gratitude to the General council for welcoming me in this community and for all the adaptation given to me. In a very special way I am grateful for the opportunity given to learn Spanish while processing the visa.

This encourages me a lot because I see the concern of the sisters about the mission I am going to participate in. Learning Spanish is teaching me that the congregation is providing for me what I need thus leaning the language of the place where I will go. Being given the opportunity to learn the language is reminding me that I am going to serve on behalf of the congregation because the congregation is the one sending me.

The interaction with the Spanish teacher is being of good help for me, through this I have come to know that, Spanish differs from one country to the other. I have also realised that as Christians each one has a mission to accomplish in life. Hence she is from Mexico living in Rome and teaching Spanish. The love she has for her profession has been a call for me to love what I am doing in the present life and to find joy in the daily activities.

Through community life I have experienced the joy of living together. I have felt this through the concern for each other, the solidarity lived in different experiences, the time we spend together, the acceptance and respect for one another with our differences.

The love for Jesus and the desire to serve him, has enabled me to fulfil the responsibility given to me in the community with the sense of belonging, knowing that when I serve the community, my sisters, I am serving Jesus who is present in the humanity.

I am happy for the opportunity given to me when I go with the third year sisters to visit different places, churches in Rome.

Through the visit of different churches in Rome, I have realised that each church has a history, as I reflect on these history I feel so encouraged because I see how God has been present, working in the life of the humanity, leading them to salvation.

When we visited Florence, I was able to see the place where Our Mother foundress Blessed Emilie died from, thus understanding well the history. Also the visit we made to our elderly Sisters reminded me of the number 14 of our constitution saying ‘the presence of our aged sisters among us witnesses to the Lord’s fidelity and theirs throughout their lives. This was a call for me to continue being faithful in serving God through serving my brothers and sisters.

I was happy to see where our Mother foundress was buried and I was encouraged to see how the place is being well maintained. When I was reading and contemplating on the life of Blessed Emilie, I felt a special call deep in my heart. I felt that God is calling me to learn from her, to be open to the different realities and to be positive in life knowing that everything happen for a purpose.

Attending the Papal audience made me feel grateful. I was so encouraged to see Pope Francis and to receive his blessing. I was so enriched by the catechesis he gave to us talking about discernment and the aspects of discernment, such as consolation and desolation. Through this I felt a call to continue reflecting on the meaning of discernment in my daily life.

The visit we made to Assis was a nice experience for me where by I was able to see and learn more about the life of Saint Francis and Saint Claire of Assis. Reflecting on the life of these 2 Saints, I was so encouraged by their lived faith in God, their deeds of care and generosity and their care of the creation. This was a call for me to learn from them and to develop these attitudes in my daily life.

I am grateful to God for all the opportunities he has given to me and for all the experiences I have gone through during this time spent in Rome. I am also grateful to the General council because through them I have been able to experience a lot here in Rome.

I thank the General council for the service they are offering to the congregation, I also thank the sisters doing the third year, I appreciate the life we have lived together, the love and concern I have received from you all.

I ask for God’s grace to continue accompanying me as I prepare myself to go for the new mission.