March 17, 2019, will always remain a red letter day in the novitiate calendar. Our joy knew no bounds when we heard of the visit of the Sisters and after months of waiting the day finally dawned.
It is truly an auspicious day as we were blessed to have amongst us – Sr. Maria Nieves Reboso, General Councillor for Formation and her team consisting of Sr. Maria Fisichella and Sr. Anelfreda Miranda. Our Provincial Sr. Ritha Dora Thomas accompanied them.
An Indian welcome is incomplete without a namaste and an aarti. We welcomed the Sisters in the traditional way. The children of the boarding of Maria Vihar gracefully performed a welcome dance as they walked our Sisters in. After the sprinkling of water and applying of the tilak, we proceeded to the Chapel. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, we praised and thanked the Lord for the Sisters and invoked His copious blessings on each of us.
The first session was conducted for the novices. The session dealt with the sharing of our experiences and our journey so far. ‘I am attracted to Jesus because he is attracting me.’ The very first beginning of the session, when Sr. Nieves made this statement, it made a deep impact on me. She concluded the session with a fable about a group of dogs chasing a fox through the tunnel. On the way, many others joined the race. Initially, the dogs chased with great fervour…if I could call it… but some time later they grew tired and eventually stopped. However, some of the dogs, who had seen the fox, continued their chase. They would not stop until they caught it.
The lesson we learn from it is obvious and when applied to religious life has indeed great meaning and depth. Thus we concluded the first session with this thought to chew on. The hours we spent later on that day and during the next, involved a lot of interaction among ourselves and with the sisters. Through the session, we reflected on the different ways through which we can grow to grow in our journey.
Language didn’t seem a barrier at all. Though we heavily relied on Sr. Anelfreda to explain to us all that Sr. Nieves said, somehow she spoke to our hearts. More than what she said, her presence itself brought so much of joy to us. Sr. Nieves is a person of interiority and deep thought, her reflections and convictions, her simple yet spontaneous ways, her kind and gentle words, her being herself, being a truly humane person.
Our formation is an ongoing journey; a journey of love and joy, of challenges and struggles and it will become a beautiful one as Christ is our centre and focus.
In the evening the Formation Team visited the neighbouring community, Maria Vihar. The Sisters interacted with the boarders and the hostelites of the community. Through the ‘Goodnight’ Sr. Maria Nieves encouraged the youngsters to be cheerful, to be happy and joyful. She urged them to seek happiness in the heart and not elsewhere.
Sr. Maria Nieves, Sr. Maria Fisichella and Sr. Anelfreda Miranda through their presence transmitted the joy of belonging to the Lord.
