They have travelled thousands of miles to come together: from the Philippines and Singapore, from Indonesia and India, and from three African nations. Nine Canossian Sisters who, from September to November, will share a unique journey of formation.
The last group arrived on Wednesday 17 September, and with them the international mosaic was finally complete. “It is so moving to see us all together at last,” one participant reflected. “We are different, we come from different countries, and yet we understand each other immediately. This is the beauty of our vocation, and of the common language we share: the Canossian Charism.”
No formal speeches were needed to inaugurate the programme. Instead, a simple evening prayer — Vespers — became a liturgy of opening: a moment both quiet and intense, entrusting this new journey to God.
The guiding theme for the months ahead is:
“Renewing the New Life: a journey towards living our vocation with deeper unity, in the spirit of the Jubilee 2025.”
Behind these words lies a deeply practical desire: to pause, to listen, and to learn from one another. “For me, this is a time to breathe,” explained another Sister. “I want to rediscover the freshness of my calling and bring it into my daily service — in our communities, in schools, in families, and among the lay people with whom I work each day.”
Nine women, nine languages, many cultures. Yet one dream: to grow together, and to witness that fraternity is not a utopia, but a living possibility. That Fratelli Tutti, so dear to Pope Francis, is not simply an ideal, but a way of being — day by day.
