Love, gratitude and joy marked the Perpetual Profession of Vows of Sr. M. Nguyen Thi
Bach Mai and Sr. M. Chu Thi Nguyet Hoa
last September 8 at 2 p.m., Good Shepherd Chapel in Toyonaka, Osaka,
Japan.
Good Shepherd Sisters, religious men and women from different congregations,
lay mission partners and family members, guests and friends arrived for the afternoon Eucharistic Celebration. Presider
was Bishop Paul Toshihiro Sakai of the Archdiocese of Osaka, and concelebrating
priests were: Fr. Marcel Fortin CSSR, Fr. Masakatsu Nakano of theToyonaka Catholic
Church in Osaka, Fr. Haruo Someno CP and Fr. Shin Takayama SJ, a Vietnamese
priest missioned in Japan. In the Introduction, Sr. Joanne Isejima of Sendai
community identified those gathered including the family of Sr. Hoa who came
from Vietnam and the United States.
| First Reading: Sr. Assumpta Takako | |
| Second Reading: Sr. Ronafel de Leon | |
| Gospel: Fr. Haruo Someno CP | |
| Prayers of the Faithful: 2 Japanese - Ms. and Sr. Euphrasia Katoh 2 English- Sr. Ananita Borbon, Sr. Carmelita Arenas, 1 Vietnamese- Ms. Truc |
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| Litany of Saints: Sr. Euphrasia Katoh, Sr. Paula Seiki | |
| Master of Ceremonies: Sr. Elizabeth Takeda | |
| READ FULL TEXT: | |
| Homily: Bishop Paul Toshihiro Sakai | |
| Thank You: Sr. Mai and Sr. Hoa |
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| Message: Sr. M. Regina Kuizon RGS | |
The readings spoke of God’s love, “Come then, my love,
my beautiful one, come with me… (Song of Solomon 2:2-14), Let us love one another, because love comes from
God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. .. and we ourselves know
and believe the love which God has for us.”
The Gospel Jn 15:9-17 vividly captured God’s love for all, “My commandment is this
love one another as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can have for
his friends is to give this life for them… I do not call you servants any longer,,, I call you friends because I have
told you everything I heard from my Father.”
In his homily Bishop Sakai, recounted the conversations
with Sr. Mai and Sr. Hoa and how they have waited 12 years from the beginning
of formation to Perpetual Profession of Vows. “Did it seem too long for you to wait for 12 years?, he asked. May be it was for Sr. Mai and Sr. Hoa, but I’m
sure it must have also been quite long for the other sisters who cared for you,
as well as for your respective families. But above all, the one who has been
waiting for this happy moment the most, is our Lord Jesus: He was longing to welcome you for this day for
2019 years.”
Bishop Sakai who first gave his homily in Japanese,
then in English said, “So in this Profession of Perpetual Vows, and also
throughout your entire religious life, I ask you to respond to Jesus with all
your heart and strength—to Him who has waited for you for 2019 years.”
The Ceremony of Perpetual Profession that followed the
homily was in three parts: The Call, The
Dialogue and the Covenant. Sr. Regina Kuizon, province leader of
Philippines-Japan called on the two sisters Mai and Hoa to profess before the
whole Assembly their commitment to the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the
Good Shepherd led by Sr. Ellen Kelly. The Dialogue between the bishop and the
two sisters touched on the willingness of the sisters to follow Jesus through
the Good Shepherd congregation and the living of the vows of poverty,
obedience, chastity and zeal, the commitment to serve Mother Church and guided
by the Hearts of Jesus and Mary to work for those in need of God’s love and
mercy. The Covenant is the individual
profession of vows of Srs. Mai and Hoa and the wearing of the rings blessed by
Bishop Sakai. The ceremonies included signing of the vow book by the two
sisters, Sr. Regina as province leader
and Bishop Sakai as presider. Sr. Regina then announced that the congregation
is happy to accept them as Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. All the Good Shepherd Sisters present stood
and sang the Aspirations of St. Mary Euphrasia.
The Litany of the saints led by Srs. Paula Seiki and Euphrasia Katoh followed. The Prayers of the faithful read in
Japanese, English and Vietnamese gathered intentions for the pope, the church,
the congregation, the newly perpetually
professed sisters and their family, for the people we serve and for vocations.
As a Mass of Thanksgiving, bread and wine were offered
and the faithful called on God to receive and confirm in his love the gifts of
the two sisters who perpetually professed the evangelical counsels and vow of
zeal.
Srs. Mai and Hoa rendered a Vietnamese Song during Communion.
After Communion, Sr. Mai thanked those who attended the
celebration, in Japanese followed by Sr. Hoa who expressed the same message in
English. “When Mai and I first came here in Toyonaka Convent of the Good
Shepherd Sisters, we did not know anything about Japan, but, we came as we felt
God’s call to become religious nuns. The Good Shepherd Sisters received us.
They were always kind and warm to us. We felt their love for us. We are very
grateful for this experience… Since we came to Japan, we are happy to meet many
friends. We are grateful for all of you who support us. “
“We are especially grateful to our Sisters in Toyonaka,
Sendai and Enzan communities who nurtured us in our our vocation and journeyed
with us throughout our formation. Our hearts are deeply touched by God’s
faithfulness in Psalm 118:1: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love
is everlasting.”
“Trusting in God’s merciful love, we are happy to make
our perpetual profession of vows. Full
of joy, we thank all of you for your presence and we continue to ask you to
support and accompany us with your prayers so that we will remain faithful in
our covenant with God and to the Congregation as Good Shepherd Sisters
throughout our life.
Sr. Regina, in her message quoted St. Mary Euphrasia,
foundress of the Good Shepherd Congregation, “ I no longer say, I am French. I
am German, Spanish, I belong to all
nations where there are souls to save.” Today, we are here Filipinos,
Vietnamese, Japanese, Canadian… gathered to be God’s channels of mercy and
compassion.
She continued, "September 8, is the day Catholics mark
as the birthday of Mary, our Mother. She said Yes/FIAT to God for all eternity.
She is our model of discipleship. Today is very special because this is the
first Perpetual Profession of Vows of two sisters in the three-year-old
Province of Philippines-Japan.
“Thank you very much, Sr. Mai and Sr. Hoa, to your
families who prayed for you and also for the religious family that you have
embraced. Thanks to all of you who have come and have prayed that there will be
more who would have the courage to follow the Good Shepherd, so that we may be
able to serve families especially women and girls, and together uphold the
integrity of creation and “protect our common home”.
The celebration was followed by a group picture taking for posterity, then by sharing
of Japanese and Vietnamese food, and stories of various cultures and
internationality.
Please read Related Story: Perpetual Profession of Vows on September 8 in Osaka Japan
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| Srs. Mai and Hoa with friends. | Snacks and refreshments |
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| With Sr. Regina Munemoto and Sendai community | With Bishop Paul Sakai, Good Shepherd Sisters and friends |
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| With Sisters from the Philippines | Sisters with the statue of Mary at the Toyonaka community garden. |
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| Hoa with her brother Ky, niece Truc, father Phuc and Bishop Paul Sakai | Sr. Mai, Bishop Paul Sakai and Sr. Hoa |
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Photos: Courtesy of Sr. Ana de Guzman, Sr. Emma Marzan and Sr. Regina Kuizon |
| At the Toyonaka garden |