Hello, I am Sr. Shilpa Rodrigues and I belong to the Canossian Daughters of Charity, Servants of the PoorCongregation. I was born and brought up in Vasai diocese, St. Gonsalo Garcia Parish, Gass. I lived with my parents, granny and two sisters. Our parents raised us in a very faith filled atmosphere, imbibing spiritual and moral values. I have completed my Masters in IT and I worked as an assistant professor in a degree college teaching computer programming.
As a child I never thought of becoming a religious sister ; I felt it’s not my cup of tea. I was busy enjoying my life and just flowing with the current of the world. I had many friends and I loved travelling and exploring different places. Among themany friends I had one friend who was a religious Sister (Sr. Crystal) whose cheerful life made an impact on my life.
In 2008, I attended one charismatic retreat in Vasai and there I experienced God’s unconditional love for me. Mycarefree lifestyle turned into a prayerful life. I started praying my personal prayers and slowly God whispered His plan in my heart, for a few months I ignored it but It didn’t leave me.
After some years, I kind of accepted it but with lots of confusion, reluctance, and uncertainty. With all this when I approached my parents they didn’t take it seriously, they thought soon my mind would change. But God didn’t change His and my mind and heart for ten years.
I kept on discerning and searching God’s will for my life. In the meantime I joined different lay associations and youth groups at Parish and Diocese level trying to divert myself and serve the Lord in other forms of service but in all that my heart was still restless. I googled and visited websites of different Congregations,even followed religious on Instagrambut for a long time I didn’t take that one step to move out, to visit and experience real religious life. In 2021 one of myfriends told me, Shilpa , you are searching for the right thing in the wrong place and she introduced me to one Canossian sister. I spoke to her and shared all my doubts and fears and she guided me to go for an Ignatian discernment retreat. This retreat brought a lot of clarity and conviction to me. I visited some Canossian convents and stayed with the Sisters for some days….I saw their work, their lifestyle and I found them relevant, walking with the time and answering the present needs. But the most important thing that captured me was the joy of those sisters, the joy of belonging to God.
Once again I shared with my family but this time with conviction and I received strong support from them. I left myjob and joined the Canossian family. My greatest joy is the joy of belonging to Jesus, as his bride.
I feel blessed that I took that one step, to stand for many, to voice out for the voiceless and to be a sign of God’s unconditional love.
If you feel called, even 1%, in the deepest corner of your heart then don’t hesitate, don’t wait , give it a try, talk to someone, discern your vocation, meet religious and let the Lord work wonders in your life.
We have only one life, let’s live it to its fullest.
