Religious Professions in Belgium and the Philippines yesterday

Sr Marie Elizabeth of the Divine Mercy OCD (standing)

Yesterday Sr Marie Elizabeth of the Divine Mercy, from the Philippines, pronounced her first vows in the Carmel of Our Lady of Consolation, Vilvoorde, Belgium, the oldest existing community of Discalced Carmelite nuns in the world, founded in 1469 by Blessed John Soreth. Her companion in the photo, Sr Marie Paul Therese, also from the Philippines will make her profession, God willing, within this year. The officiaiting priest was Fr Paul De Bois OCD, a former provincial of the Discalced Carmelites in Belgium.

I visited the Carmel in Vilvoorde in 2005.

A group of Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family in the Philippines



Meanwhile, another Discalced Carmelite, Fr Alan Rieger OCD, an American, was the celebrant at a Mass in the Diocese of Bacolod, where I live, when seven young women made their first profession as Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family. I was unable to be there as I am directing some retreatants at the Carmelite Retreat House, Ozamiz City, across the road from the Carmelite Monastery. The retreat house is right on the sea-shore. Father Alan is no stranger here as he has come a number of times on official visitation.

At our Mass yesterday morning we prayed for the new Sisters in Vilvoorde and here in the Philippines.

Sr Juliet Mantos TC, after her final profession in July 2009 in Cagayan de Oro Cathedral, with Sr Maria Elena S. Echavarren TC, Superior of the Vice-Province.

The Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family came to the Philippines in 1982 and are now part of the Vice-Province of St Clare, with its headquarters in Cebu City. The Vice-Province includes missions in South Korea and in India. There are plans to establish a community in Sri Lanka. There are now Filipino Sisters working in Korea, India and Tanzania. The Vice-Province has Sisters from China who have had their formation here, made their professions here and are working here. Their are also eight young women from Vietnam in the Philippines who are preparing to enter the aspirancy shortly. Sr Juliet Mantos, above, is the Directress of Aspirants in Bacolod City.

The newly-professed are Sisters Ronalyn C. Moreno, Megan M. Nudalo, Soseth P. Soliva, Maricel L. Fuerzas, Markris B. Bios, Myra F. Grijaldo and Maris Stella D. Magno.

The Sisters in the group photo above are wearing the normal 'working' habit. Sisters Juliet and Elena are wearing the darker habit, worn on special occasions.

You can read about Holy Family Home, Makati City, here and about Holy Family Home, Bacolod City, where I'm unofficial chaplain and where the joy of the Sisters and of the girls they take care of gives me a real taste of the joy of the Lord, here. 'The Lord takes delight in his people' (Ps 149:4).

Every month, usually on the night of the first Saturday, the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters in Bacolod hold a two-hour vigil in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed, a vigil to which the girls in Holy Family Home are invited, for vocations. As far as I know, the Sisters hold a similar vigil in their other houses.