The “Josefinas” 2014 recount their preparation experience, for Perpetual Profession, lived in Spain.
Everything began in Ciempozuelos
With much excitement and highly tuned in to the challenges facing us today, on 7 February in Ciempozuelos we commenced the second phase of training for the Perpetual Profession (Josephite). On a day of retreat we opened ourselves to: “Once again feel the call of Jesus confirmed in love”.
We formed a group of nine sisters from different continents: Asia, Latin America and Africa. Sister Margarida Silva accompanied us as trainer, together with three other sisters: Cristina Hernández, Remedios Sanmartín and Isabel Santamaría. Our days were divided into four periods: prayer (personal and community), training, the apostolic mission at the centre and time spent living in the community. We ended each day with a personal summary.
Re-reading of vocational history
We first re-read our vocational history, enabling us to have greater trust in and confirmation of our vocation, acknowledging that God passes through our lives. Then we evoked the vocational history of our Founders, surprising ourselves at seeing how they loved and cared for their vocation.
Many sisters, priests and laypersons joined us during this preparation phase, helping us to gain greater awareness of our consecrated being in the Church and in the congregation. The monthly retreats, being accompanied by a trainer and the atmosphere of community life helped us along this path. We also valued the encounters with the elder sisters who are testimony of the loyalty to the vocation and who transmitted hope to carry on providing our response to Christ.
Experience of the Hospitaller Mission
After four-months’ training, we went our separate ways to live a month of fraternity and mission in different homes in Spain. In the end we realised that it had been a time of grace, of profound contact with those who were suffering, a time for fraternity with the communities which had welcomed us. A short time but whose fruits were abundant.
Following the footsteps of our Founders in Granada
On our return to Ciempozuelos, we met two more colleagues returning from Vietnam, with which we formed a group of eleven Josephines.
We all travelled together to Granada, where we peregrinated to the most significant corners of our history, the land of our hospitaller roots. Among the many exciting experiences lived by us, we highlight our climb up to the Sacromonte, which moved us and generated awareness, on being able to touch the ground which wove the faith of our Founders and their devotion to hospitality.
We express our gratitude to the people who have made this experience possible, especially Sister Concepción Ochotorena, who accompanied us, guided us and lit the steps of our congregational history. From now onwards, when we talk about the history of hospitality, we will return to Granada to live the same feelings as our Founders.
A month of spiritual exercises
Between June and July we moved to our house in Palencia (training centre) in order to perform spiritual exercises. Following this experience we can state that the exercises have been for us a true school of prayer, discernment and a review of life. We have walked with Jesus in a dialogue of love, with Jesus who lives with us, especially in the most vulnerable people, with Jesus who changes our look to acknowledge that his love is greater than our limitations.
In this final stage, we await excitedly the meeting with our General Mother Superior, Anabela Carneiro and with Asunción Riopedre, Vicar and First General Councillor.
This experience will end on 2 August a highly significant date for our Congregation, since it is the anniversary of our Co-Founder, María Angustias Giménez.
We end entrusting this YES to our Mother that we are soon going to pronounce, and that it be a full, free and faithful response to Jesus, who sends us to make his love visible among the most vulnerable.
Thanking you with all our hearts!
The Josephine Sisters 2014
