Third Batch of the Associates of Visitation Province, Bangalore.
In simple words, to be an Associate of the Sisters of Notre Dame is to have a deep experience of the goodness of God and to share His goodness with everyone around us. We ‘The Fourteen’, the third batch of Notre Dame Associates of the Visitation Province, Bangalore, who were chosen for this experience truly believe that it was a calling from above. We feel truly blessed to be part of the Sisters of Notre Dame.
In spite of all the troubles and tribulations, St. Julie always found the goodness of God in every aspect of her life which brought hope to the depressed and deprived people around her. When we see the Sisters of Notre Dame, we see the same joy and happiness in their hearts which is reflected and radiated externally. This is exactly what resonates with us as we truly believe that, if you are not truly happy with yourself, you cannot really help anyone else in this world.
Sr.Mary Roslin, SND was our companion throughout this journey and played a major role in aligning us with the Charism and spirit of the Sisters of Notre Dame. She has always been our guide, mentor and a true friend during this journey. We were also nurtured by Sr. Mary Chetana, Sr. Mary Kripa, Sr. Mary Sandhya, Sr. Mary Shobha, and Sr. Mary Pratimawho took classes for us to learn about the Spirit, Charism, Mission, Spirituality and Culture of the Sisters of Notre Dame. We also learned the significance of the Associate programmein the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Church at large through their valuable classes. Sr. Mary Chetana gave us some beautiful insights aboutthe ASSOCIATE COVENANT a few days before we pledged our COVENANT relationship. It truly enlightened us and made us aware of the spiritual relationship that we were about to enter into, with the LORD and the Sisters of Notre Dame.
From the time we said our Yes, we could notice changes in our lives and families. We never missed our family prayers and even if we did, our children made sure that we didn’t. We may not be able to list all of them here but we definitely noticed the transformation in our lives and in our families. We believe that it is the intercession of our Mother Mary, St. Julie and the Sisters of Notre Dame which is bringing us and our families closer to the Lord.
July 24, 2021 was our Covenant day. It was one of the most beautiful days of our lives. The day started with a talk on ‘our call to holiness’ by Fr. Joseph Royan CSSR. We were reminded about the reason of our being here and the purpose of our lives. As he rightly said itis not we who decided to take it up, but it is God above who chose us for this mission. He told us many beautiful short stories. One of them was about a blind child in the airport who was helped by a sales person and the child asked that person if he was Jesus. That is exactly what we are called for, to imitate Christ and to spread his Joy and Love. He also told us about being an instrument to radiate the Light of the Lord and how we could do this in our simple day to day lives. After the talk he offered the Holy Mass and he gave us a thought provoking homily.
Finally the much awaited moment arrived… The Covenant Oath… Just before the offertory, Sr. Mary Chetana led us through the covenant ceremony… We felt like it was our Baptism again. We were renewed and filled with the Holy Spirit and as we received our Associate medal we felt it very especially divine. We thank all the ND sisters for their prayers, support and guidance through out our journey. You have always inspired us.
Following the Holy mass, Sisters and the senior associates wished us with a melodious wishing song, a memento, rosary and flowers. The ‘agape’ witha sumptuous mealfilled ourhearts and stomachs. At the end of the day we felt very happy to be part of the SND family. We pray that along with all the Sisters and our fellow associates we continue to grow towards God to be selfless and to be committed to radiate God’s goodness in our personal and professional lives, families, churches and the society at large.
