We have lived four days of immediate preparation for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the foundation of our Congregation, all together at the Provincial House.
The first day was February 23, in which we had a meeting with the objective of how to begin the new historical moment that begins with the Bicentennial Celebration, sharing in a synodal way how God wants us to prepare the near future of the Province.
On the 24th and 25th we lived two days of mini-retreat, accompanied by a Jesuit, Fr. Silvestre Horie, who was a missionary in Brazil and Timor d’Oeste for almost 60 years. With his missionary life in poor countries, and very moved by the life of Joaquina when he discovered her, the dialogue with him had a strength that marked the heart of all of us. So he helped us to discover more deeply our Vedruna Charism among simple and poor people. And the center of his discourse was always the historical Jesus who lived with sinners, poor and sick, excluded from society, to help them discover the Love of God. So God the Father gave us a very special gift in this retreat in preparation for the great day. Many sisters were moved, and expressed their joy of encountering Jesus in a more personal and profound way, being motivated to live the great moment of the Bicentennial. For this reason, they also prepared to receive the Sacrament of Pardon to begin a new historical moment of the Congregation.
On the 26th, we celebrated a Eucharist of Thanksgiving, presided by Archbishop and Cardinal Thomas Aquinas Maeda Manyo, who is also a cousin of our sister Maeda. Fr. Amado, pastor of our parish and Fr. Julio, Claretian missionary in Japan, also celebrated. The Archbishop emphasized in his homily that the Vedruna Charism is a gift for the Church, and that now a new historical moment will begin with new vigor of the Spirit, with a very special blessing from God the Father.
During the Bicentennial Jubilee Year, in our province we decided to celebrate this day each community with its parish community, so this time, it was a very familiar celebration only of sisters and some teachers of Aitoku College.
Mitsue Shirahama, ccv
