Pilgrimage in the footsteps of Cardinal Lavigerie: Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska, Sr. Julia Alonso Martinez (animator), Sr. Iwona Cholewińska, Sr. Kandongo Kibole Yollande, Sr. Marietha Asimwe Joakim Rupia
At the end of the Juniorate our sisters share their experience:
At the end of this important and very profound journey, which is the beginning of another one, with Mary and with all of you who have been with me physically and spiritually, who have encouraged me and supported me on this journey of transformation, I turn to God as I say:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness. The Mighty one has done great things for me, holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age.”
I am grateful to the Congregation which gave me this opportunity to grow, to be rooted in Christ, to know myself better in order to understand and welcome others as they are and finally give thanks to God by being available to serve my brothers and sisters wherever I will be sent.
Yes, this journey made me love more our Congregation its charism and spirituality above all it made me love God and love our Catholic Church with its beauty, challenges and struggles.
Sr. Marietha Asimwe Joakim Rupia
What made me happy and helped me to live this juniorate time well was first of all the personal contribution of each of my sisters in building our community, which had this beautiful capacity to be “life-giving” and to heal. We trusted each other from the start, and through the safe
spaces for our deep sharing we allowed that trust to grow more and more.
It helped me to open up and embrace my vulnerability.
What carried me was also our walk together in faith and this common desire to let ourselves be transformed together by daily prayer, especially in the time of adoration and in the sharing of the Gospel and the weekly Eucharist celebrated between us. Watching the series “The Chosen” together was for me an extension of this process, a discovery and awe of the humanity of Jesus and an awareness of the possible reality in which He lived with His disciples.
Our recreations: games, films, chats gave me the immense joy of being together, getting to know each other better and recreating ourselves,
forgetting the misery I had experienced during the day. Our walks in the parks during the week and our outings to the sea, to St Calisto’s
catacombs and to Assisi cemented our unity, adding to it wonderful opportunities for getting to know each other, making new historical
and spiritual discoveries, working together and laughing out loud…
With all this I tasted the happiness of being together and believing in the transforming love of the Risen Jesus and the love of the sisters who love and help each other.
We didn’t choose each other, but we lived linked to each other by the same vocation, in the spirit of our MSOLA religious family.
Sr. Iwona Cholewińska
As I share my journey during this precious period of juniorate, it is gratitude that emanates from my heart. I am grateful to the Lord for his
unconditional love and the work of his Holy Spirit in me. All my gratitude goes to the Congregation for allowing me to continue discerning my vocation as a follower of Christ.
During the juniorate, I became aware of the importance of placing Christ at the centre of my life, thanks in particular to the wonderful experience of the great retreat. For love and communion flow from this deep and ardent attachment to Christ. I really appreciated the family spirit that reigned between us and the large community of the Generalate, where I experienced the
love one another and help one another”
of our Mother Marie Salomé. I really enjoyed the trusting and sincere sharing we had with each other, where I was able to share my strengths and weaknesses with my sisters. I felt listened to and welcomed as I am. In turn, I listened to and welcomed my sisters. This enabled me to experience the journey of transformation that we have embarked on together as a Congregation.
We experienced some wonderful moments of joy and sorrow together with the community activities and recreations. It was truly wonderful.
The Lord has journeyed with us. I would say that the community is an excellent school for the art of living Love on a daily basis.
The great art is the art of giving thanks for abundance at every moment.” (Christian Bohin)
Sr. Kandongo Kibole Yollande
The time of the juniorate was for me a true pilgrimage with the loving Lord and towards the Lord whom I met deep within myself. It was a
pilgrimage of personal transformation in which I looked back on my past experiences, had the chance to deepen my self-knowledge, let the
Lord heal untreated wounds…
It was a pilgrimage that would not be possible without our life-giving community! This journey together as a community towards transformation was for me like a glimpse of the synodal church communities to which we are aspiring.
Individually and together, we have experienced the transforming love of the Risen Lord, listening attentively and allowing the Lord to begin this process of transformation in us. It’s a difficult and demanding journey, but knowing that we are together, accepting each other as we are, with all our strengths and vulnerabilities,
helps us to overcome our fears and to take small steps towards “magis”.
Sr. Magdalena Orczykowska
