Congregational Novitiate

Sr. Colette sees her Call as a gift from God, a seed that developed after being planted by the hand of God.

Growing up in a very poor family where sometimes, as a child, she had to go to school without breakfast because there was just nothing to eat for a family of seven in post-war Ireland.  Things changed when a sister of Sion, a distant relative, working in the school in   Worthing, England helped two children of the family to continue their education in the boarding school in Worthing. That meant that as child I never went home during the school year, as we just didn’t have the money for travelling. So I stayed with the sisters.

After finishing my education, it was quite naturally the next step to enter the sisters and become one of them. I went to France for my novitiate and the next couple of years seemed to proceed very naturally, I experienced no big surprises or difficulties; I saw my life like a tapestry woven by the hand of God. At that time we observed silence through much of the day; only necessary words were spoken, which prevented gossip and other perhaps unnecessary forms of communication.

We also never went home after we entered the Convent. On the 14 of August the whole community gathered to learn our “obediences” for the coming year: it was then that I heard, “Sr. Collette is going to the Community of Ein Karem” and I accepted this as in obedience without question, “why me, not her?” With that, I left Ireland in 1954 as a young professed knowing I probably would not see my family again. My life belonged to God and only to God..

So, this year, I am celebrating 60 years of living in the Holy Land and 60 years of my commitment through vows in the Congregation of Notre Dame de Sion. During these years in Israel I have served in the ministry of our institutions as well as, for 25 years, working with the mentally handicapped in the Illwen Center for mentally handicapped which is known now as the Swedish Institute. In Sion I have learned how important it is to follow the signs of the time and God never asks of you more than you can do.

We novices had the Opportunity to visit the home of 60 Jewish and Arab children with special needs. The home of the children is cared by the daughters of Charity, Saint Vincent of Paul in Ein Karem. We had strong feelings of emotions walking through the living quarters of this children so many of them are young adults. We marbled at  the love of God  which is revealed in the Goodness of people who open their hearths to give time and love in serving the mentally handicapped that despite their  physically and mentally handicapped  want to give love and want to be loved.

Feast day of St. John the Baptist

A day before our feast day everyone was busy preparing things to make our celebration memorable. Each one prepared their delicacy food from their own country. The day of our feast there was a palpable excitement, we recieved gifts, greetings and cards from Sion´s family. We had games after, the novices prepared questions from the five books of Fr. Theodore and Sr. Rita prepared questions too from the Scripture. Everyone enjoyed claiming their prizes.

We ended our day with an Irish coffee prepared by Sr. Collete and Sr. Maureen Cusick.

A big thanks to everyone for your untiring supports!