“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom 8:35).
The outbreak of the second wave of COVID, the uncertainty of the future, the shortage of oxygen, the dilemma of the people and the fear of COVID – 19 turned everything upside down. But nothing could deter the spirit of the 18 Tertians ofthe centenary batch who were preparing intensely for their final commitment to their eternal bridegroom. We, the 18 Tertians anointed with the Spirit dared to say ‘yes’ and committed ourselves totally to our Beloved spouse Jesus on 5th May, 2021. Indeed, it was a blessed day in our lives as we were led to the altar to surrender ourselves to the Lord.
Most Rev Aloysius Paul D’Souza,Bishop Emeritus of Mangalore Diocese celebrated the Holy Eucharist and invited us to remain steadfast in our love for Christ and show to the world that we belong to Christ through our lives. He appreciated our dauntless ‘yes’ to the Lord and encouraged us to love Jesus, live for Jesus and serve Jesus alone.
It was a divine moment when we prostrated ourselves invoking the assistance of the angels and saints. Although we felt the physical absence of our family members, we truly believed in the presence of the whole heavenly hosts gathered and praying for us. Thereafter, we made our promise to our beloved by pronouncing our vows. Sr Rose Celine the Superior General received our vows. Having received the solemn blessing from Bishop Emeritus, we were presented the cross and ring as a sign of our being wedded to Christ our inseparable companion. Thus, the deep bond of belonging to our divine spouse was forged and strengthened through the symbolic ceremony.
After the awesome ceremony of perpetual profession, we were led to the Grotto of Mother Mary to sing Magnificat to thank our dear Queen Mother of Bethany. It was indeed a splendid moment as we were greeted by the Superior General and those gathered. Sr Rose Celine the head of the family enhanced our joy as she welcomed us warmly to Bethany family and advised us to remain faithful to our beloved spousetill the end of our life.
We remain grateful to our Superior General and her team, Provincial Superiors and their councillors, our directresses and all those who accompanied and prayed for us. It was a day of celebration and jubilation for the dream of our life was fulfilled.
News by:Sr Smita Chauhan BS and Sunita Edith BS,Rosa Mystica Tertiate