“Saying ‘Father’ is not simply to pronounce it, but to entrust the best of our life to Him”. These words of our beloved Father Founder were written in our minds during the celebration of the profession of vows of our sisters Kyla Gonzalez y Valerie and the perpetual vows of our sister Fátima Aguayo, in a splendid ceremony held in Manila, on 16 November 2019, in the parish of St. Michael the Archangel.
Our Provincial Superior, our sister Rose Calabretta, on behalf of our President, and General Superior received the vows of our three sisters. This important celebration counted on the presence of approximately one hundred eighty people, among them, our sisters’ families, colleagues and students, members of the Idente Family, and Idente Youth,.
The Holy Mass was presided over our friend, father Tomy Mundankunnel, claretian priest, native of Kannur (India).
Father Tomy remarked in his homily that Christ must be the center of our life and that we have to let Him to take care of everything. He said that in the search of meaning and direction for our life, our sisters have found -as our father Founder- the meaningful way of holiness in total dedication and communion with God. He also emphasized that this is our vocation and our mission because this is precisely what gives us our true identity as idente missionaries.
Our Provincial Superior, our sister Rose Calabretta, on behalf of our President, and General Superior received the vows of our three sisters. This important celebration counted on the presence of approximately one hundred eighty people, among them, our sisters’ families, colleagues and students, members of the Idente Family, and Idente Youth,.
The Holy Mass was presided over our friend, father Tomy Mundankunnel, claretian priest, native of Kannur (India).
Father Tomy remarked in his homily that Christ must be the center of our life and that we have to let Him to take care of everything. He said that in the search of meaning and direction for our life, our sisters have found -as our father Founder- the meaningful way of holiness in total dedication and communion with God. He also emphasized that this is our vocation and our mission because this is precisely what gives us our true identity as idente missionaries.
Some fragments of the testimonies of our three sisters are presented below:
Testimony of our sister Kyla Gonzalez
“What happened? Why am I here standing in front of you?
The answer is very simple: because of LOVE. True love.
I learned that happiness is not found in doing what I want to do, but because I do the will of our Heavenly Father who knows what is the best for me and what could make me truly happy.
The answer is very simple: because of LOVE. True love.
I learned that happiness is not found in doing what I want to do, but because I do the will of our Heavenly Father who knows what is the best for me and what could make me truly happy.
Now, I realize how silly I was because before I didn’t want to give my life to Him because I had a lot of attachments…I liked a lot of things. Before I entered common life, I felt that I was sweating blood because of fear and anxiety. Is what I am going to do right? Is this really the will of our Heavenly Father? How about my family? There is only one consolation for me: God can be trusted. I can trust in Him.
And it is true…because God cannot be outdone in generosity because I only gave my little life to Him; He has blessed me with more. Truly, everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
Testimony of our sister Valerie
“The first point that I want to share is the significance of our Yes. The same Yes of our Blessed Mother 2000 years ago and the same yes of our parents in choosing life. That’s why we are all here. We are all here because of that Yes, a Yes that is forever.
The second point is freedom; I thought before that freedom is doing whatever I want. I could say that was a wrong philosophy because if you just do things because you want it, you end up being a slave. The more I chased “happiness”, the more it deceived myself. But when I met Christ (the only one who can give us freedom) I learned that real freedom is choosing the best for others. Our ability to perform actions with excellence is connected with holiness; it’s a revelation for me! Yes, we can be holy! Look at Christ, our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints. Holiness is not a boring life; it’s a continuous journey of being-More. That is my third point, the being-more. We, the young people, long for truth. The reality is that truth is only Christ because He never changes. There is always more when we stay with Christ. That’s why I dare all the young people here to contemplate in the Eucharist, experience the silence of Christ, and you will find answer to your questions.”
The second point is freedom; I thought before that freedom is doing whatever I want. I could say that was a wrong philosophy because if you just do things because you want it, you end up being a slave. The more I chased “happiness”, the more it deceived myself. But when I met Christ (the only one who can give us freedom) I learned that real freedom is choosing the best for others. Our ability to perform actions with excellence is connected with holiness; it’s a revelation for me! Yes, we can be holy! Look at Christ, our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints. Holiness is not a boring life; it’s a continuous journey of being-More. That is my third point, the being-more. We, the young people, long for truth. The reality is that truth is only Christ because He never changes. There is always more when we stay with Christ. That’s why I dare all the young people here to contemplate in the Eucharist, experience the silence of Christ, and you will find answer to your questions.”
Testimony of our sister Fátima Aguayo
“Christ speaks to us in the silence of our heart and that changes our life. Many years ago, my mother taught me that our Heavenly Father when He created us had a dream and mission for each one of us, and that we should ask Him, ‘Father what is your dream for me?’ I did it, and He answered me through Christ. Christ speaks in the silence; Christ speaks in the Eucharist, especially when we receive Him with love. During a mass, after receiving the communion, I perceived Christ was saying to me ‘Fátima, come and follow me.’ ‘Don’t follow me in an ordinary way.’ ‘Follow me and be holy.’ And I said ‘Yes’ to Him. It is a ‘Yes’, which throughout the years, has been shaped to be more pure and complete.
The Holy Spirit has guided me to this Institution. This is a true school of holiness that teaches me how to unite myself each time more with the Holy Trinity.
This ceremony is not a social event, it is a moment of a divine intimacy and you have been chosen to witness this eternal reality of love, that we belong to the Father.”
Really, the generous surrender of our three sisters is a special grace that was visible in this ceremony, through the innocence and joy of not only the professed sisters but in all the attendants. The offering of their life confirms us that our mission is holiness through Christ´s love. A true love that helps us to become one with Him. Our Father Founder reminds us in this way: “Father, I have known you; may they be completely one with You.”
This ceremony is not a social event, it is a moment of a divine intimacy and you have been chosen to witness this eternal reality of love, that we belong to the Father.”
Really, the generous surrender of our three sisters is a special grace that was visible in this ceremony, through the innocence and joy of not only the professed sisters but in all the attendants. The offering of their life confirms us that our mission is holiness through Christ´s love. A true love that helps us to become one with Him. Our Father Founder reminds us in this way: “Father, I have known you; may they be completely one with You.”
