Fear not, O Daughter of Sion!

“…when we live in permanent union with Jesus Christ, we spread the perfume of the Lord around us…” Father Theodore Ratisbonne

On the day of the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and also the day that the Church celebrates religious life, we – Andrea, Maria, Nancy and Lúcia made our first commitment by vows in the Congregation of Notre Dame de Sion. The celebration took place at Ein Karem’s chapel at the convent of the sisters and brothers of Sion in Jerusalem, and Fr. Carlos NDS was the Presider.

“The walk of Joseph and Mary to bringing the child to be presented helps us to think about the journey of those two years that you did until you got here. You Maria, Nancy, Andrea and Lucia are sent to be light among the nations. Because we receive our call from God and therefore part of God’s plan in history, our being Sion is not static, Sion is an action. You have had the chance to experience the novitiate here – it is a privilege and a responsibility. And our vocation, as Sion, is to deal with the Written and Oral Word of God, and its interpretation, according to the Tradition of Israel and the Church. On the other hand, being here in Saint John in Montana, Ein Karem, in the house of Alphonse Marie, a privileged place for him, makes you and us in direct contact with our beginning as a Congregation.” Br. Elio Passeto, NDS

In response to pronouncing our commitment we received the Congregational cross and the Constitution – in which we committed ourselves to live it, deepen our faith life and our daily prayer, and our love and study of the Scriptures.

We want to thank the One who has loved, created and called us to this vocation. 0ur call to religious life is a gift from God to the Church and to the world. We express our gratitude to our parents for always walking with us, and for helping us to deepen our love in Jesus, and for those people who helped us to deepen our call in Sion. Thank you to the Congregation for these two rich years of living novitiate in the Holy Land. We thank you all sisters and brothers of Sion and friends for being a part of our journey and to help us make this experience special and unforgettable.

In the evening the sisters, brothers and friends continued celebrating this joyful event.