“Awake, encounter Christ and be witness of Joy to the world”
The members of Mary, Mother of Divine Love Province in India had their General Visitation from 28th October to 15th December 2019 made by Sr. Josephina D’Souza, the Vice – General and Sr. Liberata Niyongira, the General Councilor.
On their arrival, the Sisters were warmly welcomed by the Provincial and her community with the traditional Arathi and garlands to express the joy and importance of having the guest in their midst. With great acceptance they started their onward journey to the different states within the country namely: Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Odissa, Maharashtra, Goa, Andrapradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, where our communities are established. In every community the Visitors had the joy of experiencing the remarkable hospitality of our Sisters, various religious congregations and parishioners. In India one can truly witness the unity in diversity in spite of the various languages, cultures, traditions and religions.
In this area of the country, our Pallottine Sisters are engaged in different apostolate such as; education, health, pastoral care, Senior Citizens Home, Orphanage, hostel for young girls and social work. The presence and hard work of the Sisters is very much appreciated. In every ministry Sisters dedicate themselves to upholding the dignity and respect of human beings. In the midst of persecution and accusation of conversion, our Sisters truly give witness and go forward courageously, to fulfill the mission of evangelization. While visiting, the welcoming eyes and simplicity of the poor, needy, and neglected brethren of our mission areas touched our hearts and raised our spirits in gratitude to God for having allowed our sisters to serve them and journey together towards the Promised Land.
Srs. Josephina and Sr. Liberata had the opportunity to meet each Sister of the province and listen to the significant stories of their faith which helped them to grow in their religious life. They also visited the bishops, parish priests, directors of the Institutes, Union communities including Pallottine Fathers, CSAC Sisters and Cenacle Sisters. While in Goa, it was a golden occasion to visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus which contains the tomb and mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the Indies.
At the completion of the visitation, the meetings, sharing, discussions and reflections with the Local Superiors, Formators, Institutional Directors, Coordinator of the Vocation Promoters and Provincial Council, paved a way to look into the present situation of the province and gave the Sisters a renewed vigor to implement the Pallottine Charism according to the signs of the time in India.
Sisters from the General Council are very grateful to Sr. Helen Lourdusamy, Provincial Superior and all the Sisters of the Province who collaborated very well to make this Visitation successful and fruitful in the sight of God. May God shower His abundant blessings upon each one of you for your love, care, concern and kind gestures. May Mary, Mother of Divine love be your constant model to be awake and be witnesses of Joy to the World.
