Freely and joyfully,
we respond to the gift of his love
by the gift of ourselves in religious life,
confident that “He who is faithful” (1Th 5:24)
is always acting in us. (Const. 57)On the 14th June with great joy we celebrated the final vows of Sr Selena Jackson in the Cathedral of Chulucanas. It was the Feast of Corpus Christi, a very appropriate day to celebrate Selena’s total gift of herself to God in the context of Selena’s theme “My Soul Proclaims the greatness of the Lord”.
Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Dan Turley, priests from parishes in Chulucanas and of course priests from Frias, Selena’s Mission. The added joy for Selena was the presence of her family her mum, dad and her sister Tanya. Selena’s parents lit her candle and stood beside her as she pronounced her vows. Sister Michelle de Silva sang the Litany with one of the young men from the Cathedral parish. It was very moving. The fact that God’s love is universal was apparent in the various multicultural symbols; the choir had learnt some hymns in English, the prayers of the faithful were in various languages. During the offertory procession a number of symbols were presented that represented Selena’s consecration for mission for all of her life. Tanya presented two white doves as signs of peace that when released flew off to the roof and accompanied us for the rest of the Mass. The celebration continued in the Pastoral Center in Chulucanas with a delicious meal and folklore dances from Peru. Srs Helen Muller and Saane Pofaiva entertained us also with a beautiful Tongan dance.
