Ardere etLucere
Dear Friends, This year, Pope Francis called us to celebrate a year dedicated to Consecrated Life. The Pope is asking us “to wake up the world” and rediscover the beauty of this beautiful vocation. Consecrated men and women are being invited to “look to the past with gratitude, live the present passionately, and to embrace the future with hope.” I would like to take a moment to share with you how we, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, are called to live this out. Look to the past with gratitude – We are reminded as a Congregation to remember that we stand on the “Yes” of our foundress and those sisters who have gone before us. We are encouraged by their courage, dedication, and faithfulness as they responded to God’s call in their time. Remembering our history helps us to understand how we are called today to follow in the footsteps of generations past so that we can be inspired by their vision. As we reflect on our past, we recall the words of our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, who said “Let your faithfulness be your thanksgiving.” In gratitude to our past, may our lives witness the holiness of those called to follow Christ in consecrated life. Live the present with passion – Remembering the past calls us to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us today, knowing that how we live today has an impact for future generations in our community. We are being called to be faithful and passionate to the mission entrusted to us by God through our foundress. Embracing the future with hope – Our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, spoke eloquently about the future of our Congregation when she said, “He alone founded the Congregation; He alone will keep watch over it. I didn’t do anything. I have done nothing but to undo His work.” She is challenging us to embrace the future, knowing that all is in God’s hands. Like our foundress, we place our trust and confidence in God. Religious communities are experiencing various challenges today. It is through these challenges that we all hope in the One who does not disappoint. We keep writing our great history, knowing that we are called to wonderful things. As you go through this issue, you will learn how we, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, are being faithful to what the Lord has called us to. I ask that you join me in prayer to the good Lord that he may give young people the grace to listen to His voice when He invites them to this sublime vocation. Let us also pray in gratitude for all the consecrated men and women for their “Yes”. May this year bear much fruit for the Church.
Mother Carla Bertani, OLS Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
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Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
“We are called to know and show that God is able to fill our hearts to the brim with happiness; that we need not seek our happiness elsewhere; that the authentic fraternity found in our communities increases our joy; and that our total self-giving in service to the Church, to families and young people, to the elderly and the poor, brings us life-long personal fulfillment.� Pope Francis
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Mary, the Mother of Jesus united to her Son by an intimate bond, is the model of our vocation and mission. Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows Constitutions
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Our Lady, Model of our
Consecration
Using our imagination, we can wonder how
this special place, like Mary, we humbly submit
Mary’s life, together with Jesus and Joseph
ourselves to the Will of God. It is because of Him
in a small town in Galilee, was lived. If we
that our lives are filled with a mystical presence,
look closer, with the eyes of faith, we can
just as it was in the house at Nazareth.
contemplate Mary serving in silence, feeling
With an open heart, Mary was able to
in her womb the pulses of life. She is the one
“turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor
chosen by God to be the mother of the Savior,
swaddling clothes and an abundance of love.
the co-redeemer of humanity. Mary is the
She is the handmaid of the Father who sings
standard for how we are called to live
His praises” (Joy of the Gospel). Following her
consecrated life. In her life, we see how she was
example, we open our eyes to the miracles the
resigned to do the Will of God as evidenced by
Lord accomplishes in our midst. Mary challenges
the words she spoke in the gospels, “May it be
us to communicate hope and love to our
done unto me according to your word” (Luke
brothers and sisters in need, that even in the
1:49).
midst of uncertainty, we can trust in God who
Following in Mary’s footsteps as women consecrated to the Lord, we live our everyday
loves us. Mary stood faithfully at the foot of the cross.
lives in relationship with the One to whom we
Together with Mary, the Sisters of Our Lady of
belong. Our convents are places of mystical
Sorrows stand at the foot of the cross to offer
experience because He is present in the Blessed
rays of hope to the world - hope found in the
Sacrament in our chapels. It is there that we
cross.
consecrate our day to Him each morning. In
Our Lady’s life is the standard for consecrated life. We entrust ourselves to her that she may lead us to her Son.
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Spiritual Motherhood
“Spousal love always involves a special readiness to be poured out for the sake of those who come within one’s range of activity. In virginity this readiness is open to all people who are embraced by the love of Christ the Spouse… In this way a consecrated woman finds her Spouse, different and the same in each and every person, according to his very words: ‘As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me ’(Mt 25:40).” Mulieris Dignitatum 21
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During this Year of Consecrated Life, it is very appropriate to reflect on how the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows are called to be spiritual mothers. When we are called to religious life, we live our lives to the fullest through spiritual motherhood. We do not renounce the vocation of motherhood. Instead, we live this vocation on a supernatural level. Spiritual motherhood is about nurturing life, and being a mother means caring and giving life. We do that by giving life to those we are called to serve, and we help them grow into the people that God has designed them to be. We stand at the foot of the cross through prayer and sacrifice, with care and tenderness, as only a mother can do. hroughout the history of our Congregation, our sisters have mothered and innumerable number of souls the works of our apostolate, through especially in the classroom and our residential programs. Our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta, tells us that with generosity, we are called to “make any sacrifice whatever for the children and young women who are entrusted to us, without claiming any other reward than to see God glorified in the perfect realization of His will.� For us, this means we are called to help our brothers and sisters live life abundantly in the way Christ invites them to live.
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" he Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice” (Evangelii Gaudium, 5). These words from our Holy Father Francis are a fitting way for me to open this article on the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. I first became acquainted with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows when I was attending the University of Louisiana – Lafayette (UL) from 2003 – 2007. I began attending Mass and spending time between classes at Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center shortly after I began college. During my time at Wisdom, I began to notice this student that was a little different. She was different yes because she wore a habit, yes because she spoke English with an accent, but most of all because she radiated joy! I came to know that joyful witness of Christ as Sister Fatima. Over the course of my next four and a half years at Wisdom, I got to know Sister Fatima better, along with the other sisters that came through. The sisters always had smiles on their faces and were a wonderful presence to have on campus, and at Wisdom. When I graduated from UL in 2007, I went on to seminary for the next six years. After finishing my studies, I returned to the Diocese of Lafayette to begin priestly ministry. To my surprise (and in God’s Providence) the bishop sent me to Wisdom as Associate Pastor for my first priestly assignment! What a joy it has been to reunite with Sr. Fatima, and to get to know the rest of the sisters that grace us with their presence. The sisters have been witnesses to joy, and they truly add a unique flavor to the ministry here on the campus of our secular university! Not only is their presence a blessing to our community, but also I think I can safely say, it has been a blessing to the sisters and to the entire community. At this time, the sisters have three young women living with them in the convent as they work towards degrees at UL and discern religious life. What a blessing to have a convent literally across the street from a university with 10,000 Catholic students! What a wonderful opportunity to invite young people to think about what God might be calling them to do with their lives, both with personal invitations and conversations, and also simply by wearing their habits and being joyful. I am very thankful for having met the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. I hope and pray that their involvement in Lafayette, at UL, and at Wisdom continues for many years to come. May God bless the sisters for all of the work they do to make the Kingdom of God present here at the University of Louisiana! In Christ,
Reverend Patrick S. Broussard Associate Pastor Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center
Sister Fatima and Father Patrick Broussard
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From the time Pope Francis announced the Year of Consecrated Life, a year of reflection and prayer that must lead to change, every religious community throughout the world has accepted the challenge and has begun a journey of transformation which, though necessary, is not easy. The Pope has invited us to look ahead, to take courage, to get up just as Jesus did with the paralytics of his time. In a simple but powerful way, the Pope has modeled for us what religious life needs to be today – the presence of Christ for the world, for our brothers and sisters! A presence filled with tenderness and mercy bringing people to know Jesus. Many religious families, like the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, were founded in the old world around the seventeenth-eighteenth-nineteenth centuries, as an answer to people’s needs. At the time, the government was not able or willing to meet people’s needs, wealth was in the hands of a few, and the poor were unattended. The Lord heard the cry of the poor and inspired men and women to attend to the needs of the poor, to give their lives for them, and to witness to them the Lord’s love for all His creatures. Therefore, many corporate ministries were born. Countless religious men and women began to minister with the sole desire of bringing people to Christ, to better the living conditions of many, to provide them with quality education, to provide them with medical care, shelter, and, most of all, to nurture their faith. When people migrated from the old world to the newly discovered world – the Americas – many religious men and women followed them, providing education and doing works of mercy. Now, perhaps, we are witnessing the ending of an era, and the beginning of another
Times of change are always times of hope! May we be women of hope!
one, one that remains a mystery for us. Vatican Council II marked a definite passage from the way religious life was understood, and the way it needs to be in order to bring Christ to our world, and many of us did not realize it! What will religious life be in 30-50 years from now? No one knows the answer to this question, all we know is that the Spirit is at work in the Church, that the Lord continues to call people to communion with Him and with one another, and that we want to be those people! A passionate love for the Lord remains the foundation of all consecrated life, and communion among us is the witness the world needs today. The world is hungry for God, starving for love, a love which, to be recognized, must be clothed in justice and mercy. These convictions will guide us in these difficult times and will give us the courage to make the necessary changes. As we struggle to respond to the needs of people today – which seem so overwhelming, so great for our little family – we recommit ourselves to a life deeply rooted in God, to loving the Lord with all our heart, our mind, and our soul. Times of change are always times of hope! May we be women of hope!
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BRAVE HE ARTS “You will find life by giving life, hope by giving hope, love by giving love.”
In his Apostolic Letter to all Consecrated people on the
with many donated items for the people of Brazil, from
occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis
school supplies to sewing machines to weed eaters...
challenged us to come out of ourselves and go forth to
For some on the trip, this was their second time to
the peripheries, to spread the spirituality of communion
Fortaleza, so there was the anticipation of meeting old
beyond the boundaries of our own communities. We
friends and seeing how things had changed. For others,
did just that when we accompanied a group of 16 young
it was the first time being on mission, and they were
people to Fortaleza, Brazil on mission to serve and help
open to the amazing surprises and blessings that God
the people there. Though none of us spoke Portuguese
had in store for them.
and none of them spoke English, we both found life, hope, and love in our interactions and self-giving. A smile
In Ephesians 6:11, St. Paul advises, “In all circumstances,
crosses all language barriers!
hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.” Our faith was tested from the get-
On June 9, excitement filled the air as we traveled
go. The trip got off to a rocky start with what felt like
by bus to catch the plane in New Orleans. Besides
several flaming arrows being thrown at us to deflate our
ourselves and our own luggage, we were loaded down
enthusiasm and interfere with our plans. From delayed
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especially in the extreme heat. The challenge became staying hydrated and working in spite of our weariness. Our love of neighbor and zeal for God gave us the strength we needed to persevere. It reminded us of Mother Teresa’s urging, “Do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts.” In sacrifice came joy! We worked side by side with our sisters in Brazil and with the children at the orphanage. It was a great gift to all of us knowing that we were helping flights to problems with the luggage, our complications with the airlines led to our arrival in Fortaleza a day later than planned. Very quickly, we learned that an open, patient, and flexible attitude is a necessity on mission! And despite the obstacles, we arrived with all our luggage, weed eaters included! Once in Brazil, we had five days to offer our service and gifts to the poor and those in need. We spent our days working at the orphanage in Maracanau and the school in Messejana. There was much work to be done in a short amount of time, work that was physically demanding,
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the sisters accomplish things that they were unable to do on their own. It was also moving to see even the smallest of the children pick up a broom or a rake or a paintbrush to help. It had to make you smile! And they did it with such joy! They were so excited to have us with them, and we were so touched by their outpouring of love and generosity. Almost instantaneously, a bond was formed between our young people and the children there. Besides the work, the mission brought with it the opportunity to experience a different culture. Being exposed to the lack of amenities that we take for granted in the U.S., like having warm water to shower, air conditioning
to cool you off, having a washing machine and dryer to wash clothes, not needing to sleep with a mosquito net, and being able to flush toilet paper down the commode – a different way of living that caused us to pause and be grateful for what we have. It was also eye opening to visit with the poor in their
“How can I repay the
one room dirt floor homes, to listen to
Lord for all the great
their stories, and to
good done for me?”
feel such compassion
(Psalm 116:12)
for their plight in life. At the same time, we were also able to experience their celebration of life as we
participated in the feast day Mass of St. Anthony, followed by their very own street party. There was music, food, dancing, and good, wholesome fun! It reminded us of any weekend festival in Louisiana. Despite the poverty that we found in Brazil, one thing is certain, Brazilians know how to celebrate and love to have a good time!
As Pope Francis stated in his Message for World Mission Day, “Mission is a passion for Jesus and at the same time, a passion for his people.” We followed Jesus’ command to “go forth” and we came back with hearts full of love and joy. That is usually the case with every mission trip we take. We go thinking we have so much we have to give to the people we serve, and yet, we return having received from them much more than we could have ever imagined, and it’s nothing material… these are the gifts that are priceless and last a lifetime… their love, their faith, their hope, their simplicity, their gratitude, their joy.
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After becoming a Bishop, I came into contact with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. Besides teaching, they brought a special gift of ministry to the disabled. Responding to the invitation of Bishop Greco, they established St. Mary’s Residential Training School for those little ones who were disabled and difficult to care for at home.
Over the years I have seen the
tender, motherly care and compassion of these women of God in their ministry to those whom the world would call the least. And yet, the sisters are motivated by a higher evaluation, that of Jesus. He said: “What you did to the least, you did to me.” To see Jesus in anyone is not easy. But to see Jesus in these disabled, but truly gifted ones, is the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Their mission sums up their vision:
“Our mission is to provide every person the opportunity to develop to his or her full potential, intellectually, spiritually, mentally, physically, vocationally and socially.”
Retired Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux.
I have been associated with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows since they arrived at UL Lafayette in 2004. They have been an unwavering source of inspiration, living out their Charism of love and sacrifice, to all including my family, the students and parishioners of Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and Student Center. They have been a constant source of encouragement for me through their daily prayers and by reaching out in love to all members of the Wisdom Community. They have served humbly and with love by teaching and 13
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
My first encounter with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows was as a parishioner of Our Lady of Wisdom chapel on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. At the request of the pastor, Father Chester Arceneaux, the sisters arrived to help out at the Catholic Student Center. Their presence was a welcome sight indeed. I can’t tell you how many years it had been since I had seen sisters in traditional habit in my lifetime. And I can tell you, their arrival began to help transform the center, for how could one not be affected by the joy and goodness that radiated from these simple sisters? It was then my fortune to have the pleasure of transporting Sr. Anthony, one of the OLS sisters, to Saint Martinville where she was helping a local religious community. It was during our conversations on these rides that I was able to learn more about the work of the sisters and to see first hand the genuine goodness and effort of this one sister in particular. And to add to this, who could ever resist this Italian sister’s ability to cook up an authentic and delicious lasagna! I continue to thank God for His goodness in bringing the good sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows to Acadiana here in Lafayette, Louisiana. I well know what a void our society experiences today after the disappearance of so many religious sisters and brothers in our schools. I especially know this reality since I felt, if I wanted to pass on the authentic and traditional Catholic faith to my three sons that my only option was to home school. My sons are grown now, however, I think of others and how wonderful it would be if families today had the opportunity to send their young children to a Catholic school run by a religious order, as the OLS sisters. What a difference this would make in transforming our society. preparing young ones for the sacraments of
has helped me to grow in my faith. Our community has
Reconciliation and First Communion, conducting mission
been blessed to have the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
trips for college students and mentoring young women
from all over the world, each one bringing their special
into religious life. The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
gifts while always being grounded in their faith and
have been an integral part of our family life through the
loving toward all. My day is never complete unless I
faith formation of our children and by their living out the
attend Mass and seek the guidance of one of the sisters.
gospel with love, self-sacrifice and a joyful heart. As
As I continue on my journey toward developing a closer
Mary stood by Jesus at the foot of the Cross, the Sisters
relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, the sisters have
have been present to each of us as teachers and
been my beacon of hope and my strength through their
advocates to help all suffering members of our
prayers, kindness, love, support, and guidance.
community without asking for anything in return. I am thankful for their service and humility that
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Sr. Nina Vincent
My experience of God was not tangible until I reached college and was introduced to the Catholic Student Center on the ULL campus. Without Our Lady of Wisdom and the people I met there, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It was there that my faith journey really began.
holy. My greatest desire was to serve this God that I had fallen in love with, and to know and love Him more. That was the desire that led me to question if religious life was a possibility and that’s the desire that continues to inspire me today. My yearning for God was bigger than anything else.
Without exaggerating, walking through those doors for the first time totally changed my life. It introduced me to a God I had never known before, and it sparked my interest to get to know this God. The God of my childhood was a God of indifference, there on Sundays, but the God I met at the Catholic Student Center was a loving God, a present God. The people there were on fire for Jesus, and it was like a magnet. It was something I wanted within myself; and so, the presence of God and the love I felt there kept me coming back for more. I was so hungry for God, and I didn’t even know it. In the words of St. Augustine, “Our hearts are restless, O God, until they rest in You.” I started getting more involved in anything I could – Newman nights, praise & worship sessions, mission trips, daily Mass. Jesus was extending an invitation to me to develop a relationship with Him; and, whether or not I realized it, I was accepting that invitation. I knew a conversion was happening in me when I began to schedule my classes around the Mass schedule. The Eucharist became such an important part of my life. I was fed and nourished by it. In her book, A Tree Full of Angels, Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr writes, “I never knew how empty my soul was until it was filled.” Our Lady of Wisdom is where my soul began to be filled.
Really, though, religious life was nowhere on my agenda. What did I know about religious life? I went to public school my whole life and had no contact with sisters growing up, so my ideas on the subject came from The Sound of Music and Sister Act. But I truly believe that God uses all of the situations and circumstances, the struggles and the choices in our lives to guide us along His path, to form us and mold us into the persons we are to be. God draws straight with crooked lines. And as I look back on my life, I can now see how His hand led me to the convent, without my knowing it.
As time passed, I developed a prayer life, and I was challenged to stretch and grow. I was given many opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and to let God into the depths of my heart. My time at Wisdom led to my falling in love with God, and it helped me to ask the big questions: - God, what do You want for me in my life? - What are you going to do with the one precious life God has given you? - What is my greatest desire? My desires shifted from wanting worldly things, like being successful, to just wanting to be faithful, trusting, and 15
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I fought it for awhile. I put many obstacles in God’s way. I had my own plans for my life… I had wanted a family, I wanted to travel and see the world. But with my “yes” to Him, God gave me that and so much more. St. Therese says that, “to have beautiful and holy thoughts do not count so much as to answer as soon as you are called.” That line stood out for me when I was discerning my vocation. My experiences at Wisdom helped me to hear God’s call and provided me with the resources and support to discern and to answer that call. For me, my discernment was a journey of discovering the truth in myself and finding God in the process. For the more we come to know ourselves, the more we come to know God. It was about getting out of my head and learning to listen to my heart. It was learning to let God love me and seeing myself and others with God’s eyes. I think that’s a lifelong lesson. It was about learning to trust in God along the way and not trying to always be in control of my life. That’s been a difficult lesson. It was coming to recognize the sound of God’s voice in my life and being still enough to listen. That’s still a challenge… It’s a grace to know I’m still a work in progress, always becoming, always being invited to go deeper into relationship with my Divine Spouse.
Sister Nina and her godchild, Colin.
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Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious sponsored 100 sisters from different communities to attend World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Some of our sisters were able to attend with the group.
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Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows at World Meeting of Families
World Meeting of Families was begun by Pope Saint John Paul II in Rome in 1994 to strengthen the family around the world. The theme for the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia was “Love is our mission: the family fully alive.” People from all over the world came to share their love for the family. Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States captivated and inspired
“All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth.” Pope Francis, Festival of Families, Philadelphia
many Catholics and non-Catholics. He challenged all to a call to “openness to miracles of love for the sake of families in the world.” Four of our sisters who made the pilgrimage to Philadelphia are pictured above at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The sisters joined thousands of other religious women from different communities to witness the beauty of consecrated life. www.ols.org
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Washington, DC
Sisters joined John Paul the Great Academy students and staff in Washington, DC for March for Life Pilgrimage.
Covington, LA
Sisters joined thousands of youth for Abbey Youth Festival in Covington, LA. 19
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Sisters with a group of young women at a discernment retreat.
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows at Sacred Heart School in Moreauville, Louisiana for the dedication of a buildings to one of our sisters, Sister Marisa Ricci, who worked at the school for many years. The students and people in the community loved Sister Marisa and remember how she was a witness of God’s love and tenderness to them. Some of her former students attended the dedication to
Moreauville, LA
honor her memory and dedication to education. May her passion for learning inspire all the students at Sacred Heart School.
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Postulancy
Celebration of Heather Sikes' entrance into the Postulancy celebration
Las Cruces Retreat
The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows held a retreat for young women in the Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico
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“Those who let themselves be seized by this love cannot help but abandon everything to follow Him.” Vita Consecrata
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