La Salette Sisters Celebrate Life

Often during the summer, families gather together to celebrate. And so it is with the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette. 

 

In the Philippines, on May 12, 2012, we celebrated the perpetual profession of Sr. Minerva Boado, SNDS, at her home Parish at St. Isidore Parish, Tubao, La Union with Bishop Carlito J. Cenzon, CICM, the Bishop of the Diocese of Baguio.

 

This was a special celebration because it’s the first profession in this newly-erected province of our sisters. At the request of Archbishop Michael Miller, CSB, we responded positively to his invitation to minister in his diocese.  As an international community who relishes exploring and serving in new missions, Sr. Minerva will be one of the first three sisters to serve in our new mission in the Diocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, the western-most diocese on Canada. Joining her will be two other La Salette Sisters who will minister in both pastoral ministry and religious education. 

 

In Poland on May 19, 2012, we had another milestone to celebrate; namely, the gift of a vocation to La Salette of the perpetual profession of Sr. Renatka Gawlik, SNDS. What was unique about this celebration was that Sister Renatka had served for many years in the Sisters of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Similar to Mother Teresa’s own vocation, Sr. Renatka felt a deeper calling from God to serve the Church within the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette. We see Sr. Renatka as another gift for the growth and development of our community in Poland. Her celebration was characterized by a prayerful thanksgiving to God, truly a gift to our congregation.
 

In Attleboro, MA, on May 30, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of profession of Sr. Ma. Milagros dela Cruz, SNDS. This is also a celebration of the Congregation (SNDS) as our sisters returning to ministry at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, having served there several years ago. Since Sr. Ma. Milagros is a native Filipino, this is also a reconnection of our sisters with the birthplace of the first mission of La Salette to the Philippines in 1964.

 

We are joyfully collaborating with our confreres, the La Salette Missionaries, and with our accompanying laity as a La Salette family. These three celebrations signal for us our fidelity to the spirit of our 2010 General Chapter: “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5b).