On Monday 15th our Sion’s communities got together for the celebration of the feast of the Assumption. We were united with the Church in this special feast of the Virgin Mary. Besides on this day we had a great opportunity to thank the Lord for all the time Sister Diane has been in Jerusalem. She is having her Sabbatical year and for that reason we were very thankful for all her service and work.

Since 4:30 pm people arrived to Ein Karem. At 5:30 we had the Mass prepared by the Contemplatives and the Apostolic Sisters. We, as novices, also had our participation in it by giving the offerings to the priest and singing in Bahasa Indonesian and English.

When the Celebration finished and after a hot day we were lucky to have a very nice weather with a cool breeze. It made people happy to be sitting outside having talks while we were waiting for the supper. Soon we were enjoying a delicious meal. We had a diversity of dishes; for example, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes and salads. Then we had a tasty dessert; ice cream and chocolate cake.

In the middle of the supper we had time to thank Sister Diane for her time and also for being part of the Region. Because she has been working very hard in the different ministries she has had. As a sign of gratitude with her, Sister Colette gave her a beautiful bouquet. Because of that, Sister Diane was so happy for all the details we prepared for her. She said “Even though I will be far from you I will be thinking of you and I will be looking forward to come back and share with all of you the new experiences and knowledge I will have then.“

Happy feast of the Assumption!

Magnificat! “Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!” Zech 9,9

Nancy Mena Fernández NDS, Novice
Congregational Novitiate Ein Karem, Jerusalem