Sister Julienne with an aspirant and her parents
Shared by Sr. Julienne Bouda, Ukusijoni community, Uganda
Missionary and Vocation Animation is a ministry that awakens the missionary spirit in people and helps them discern and respond to God’s call. It is also a ministry of encounter, where we meet people in their unique cultures, histories, and life situations and witness the love of God.
What often touches my heart is the reaction of parents when their children express the desire to enter religious life. Some struggle to accept the decision, while others entrust their children to us with deep love and concern, asking us to care for them. Their words remind me that every vocation is precious and that every young person who comes to us is a seed of hope entrusted to our care.
Through family visits and accompaniment, I have come to appreciate the sacredness of God’s call. A vocation does not begin with us; it is first nurtured within families, parishes, and schools. We are simply servants through whom God works. As Saint Paul reminds us:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the growth.” (1 Cor 3:6).
Each young person carries a unique story and stands on holy ground. Like John the Baptist, our role is to point them to Christ, saying,
Look, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:35).
In doing so, we recognize that the vocation entrusted to us is God’s gift, not our possession.
Therefore, as missionary and vocation animators, we hold a precious treasure in fragile pots, called to accompany and nurture it with humility, reverence, and trust in the God who gives growth.
“We hold a precious treasure in fragile pots,
called to accompany and nurture it with humility,
reverence, and trust in the God who gives growth.”
