Entrance into Novitiate

On February 9, 2018, in the community of Caxias do Sul (Brazil), the following young women entered the novitiate: Antônia Bianca Oliveira dos Santos, Samillis Castro Beach (Brazil), Jessica Carolina Vallenilla Perez (Venezuela), Marilina Anabel Rodriguez Palmeri (Argentina) and Sara Bonaccini (Italy).

The rite was conducted by Sr. M. Micaela, Superior General, who was visiting the communities in Brazil.

The novitiate is a period of initiation into the consecrated life among the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master in which the novice is gradually accompanied and grows in awareness of the vocation of the Sister Disciple, in the community life and in the specific mission according to the Rule of Life.

This is their testimony:

Antônia: There are two words that accompanied me and are very important for me up until now: patience and perseverance.

Patience with myself, with my talents and limitations, accepting myself as I am, in confidence that the love of God is manifested in every person.

Perseverance in my goals and the courage to see that all my efforts are good and necessary to follow Jesus.

Samillis: : I am happy in the community life, living the experience of being a family.  The witness of each of the sisters and the young women has taught me many new things and helped me to detach myself from useless things.  They inspire, teach and encourage me in the proclamation of the Kingdom.  I am grateful for the communion shared until now, and count on the prayers of all of you that invigorate us considerably.

Jessica: During this time in Brazil I learned to appreciate my culture that enabled me to love the essence of my being and place it in service.  I am grateful for the solidarity in prayer with each one of the sisters for Venezuela, in this important and difficult moment it is experiencing.   This experience reawakens my heart to love and to allow myself to love the Lord in my sisters who lead me ever more into the school of the Divine Master.

I am grateful to my companions and to my sisters for the journey we have travelled together, that we will continue, walking steady and strong.

Marilina:

I feel the joy of having left everything to follow God: my family, my community, my country, my language, my customs…

It is the treasure of certainty in the love of God, and enjoying all of his richness, that I must renounce all that impoverishes me as I work within the depth of my heart to find ever more fully this precious stone that I can already begin to see, since here in Brazil I can be myself and see that this is good.  Journeying with a group from three nations has been a challenge that is positive, enjoyable, entertaining, profound and demanding.

Sara:

I have greatly enjoyed this experience in Brazil!

I am being enriched from both the human and spiritual perspectives.  It is a great gift to be able to share this time of formation with a group of companions from different nations.  I am grateful to God and to the Congregation for this beautiful experience.

Here I received a great and warm welcome, and I was able to enjoy the generosity and affection of many sisters.