Sr. Francine Maas, Winooski, United States
Missionary and Vocational Animation continues through all of our lives to be an essential aspect of our Missionary Call. However, according to me, it takes on a different appearance in the living out of our lives.
Now, in my senior years, more than ever I sense the call to be mission in all that I am and do. I pray that at least some of the elderly individuals with whom I live and the members of our staff will be touched by Jesus through me. This is Mission!!!
As far as vocational animation goes, to tell you the truth, as the youngest American MSOLA, at 77 years of age, I will not do vocational animation in the hopes that young American women might join the congregation. However, if one would “knock upon our door”, I would welcome her, listen to her and explain to her everything to help her discern her way forward. She would have the right to know our reality. If asked, I would, according to what she had shared with me, present her with other options. From there all would be in the hands of the Lord.
Caring for African vocations is another matter. I share with my sisters all that I hear concerning our young women in formation and am the one most focused on assuring that we pray for vocations each week.
When I was appointed to the community of Arusha in September, 2017, with the approval of the other formators, I began a system of linking older, experienced MSOLA with postulants … a link of correspondence and prayer.
Some of these links have been really successful, continuing on until today, between sisters who have become friends. Others did not last due to individuals who did not keep up with the correspondence, left the congregation or were called to the Lord.
No longer in Arusha, I continue to provide this service of searching for sisters who are interested in this type of relationship as I feel it is a beautiful way of joining together the generations amongst us. This is a service that I am happy to render.
