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| Sister Cecilia, Congregation of Mary, Queen-American Region |
Four years ago, some of our Sisters flew to Rome to attend
the first CMSWR Summer Program. They
came back with so many great stories.
Since then, I have dreamed of coming to Rome to be at the Heart of the Church! Thanks to God, to my community, and the CMSWR
Sisters, my dream became a reality!!!
I
was able to walk on the streets that many Saints had walked upon, visit many
Churches where Saints and Christians throughout the centuries lived, worshipped,
instructed others about their faith, and shed their blood for their belief. With help from our wonderful tour guide Priests,
I was able to appreciate the significant details in each Church, learn more
about the lives of the Saints, and the history of our Church.
From the conferences that our eloquent Priest
speakers gave us, I was able to re-enkindle the fire of faith, hope, and
charity in my heart and in my life, deepen my love for the Church, strengthen
my commitment as a religious, and grow more fervent in my zeal for
mission. In addition, through
interacting and praying with ‘the group’, I experienced how beautiful and
diverse and rich ‘CHURCH’ is and how powerful, how awesome the loving hand of
God is at work within and among us.
Not
only did I grow in my love, knowledge and understanding of the Church, I also
learned to embrace the beauty and the history of Rome. Not only is there a church on each corner,
there is also beauty and history on each block!
I was surprised to find out that Julius Caesar was assassinated just 2
blocks from the Domus, that the Jewish temple is right across the street, the Tiber
river is only 3 blocks away, and the ruin of an ancient temple is right behind
the building! I have been here for 3
weeks, the program is about to end, yet I still feel like I am dreaming!!! I have seen much and I have learned so
much! I have been nourished and enriched, physically, intellectually and spiritually!!! Once again, I would like to thank God, my
sisters, the CMSWR sisters, and our priest speakers for making this experience a faith-filled,
grace-filled, and fun-filled summer for us.
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ReplyDeleteThank you to each of the Sisters who maintained and contributed to this blog. This whole blog has been a source of inspiration and grace. Of special note has been the personal sharing's. A common theme among these sharing's seem to have been a deepening experience of the Church Militant and Triumphant. Here at home I have experienced this too as I've followed your journey on this blog and through my Sisters. I look forward to hearing more about their experiences and about each of you and your communities now that they back home.
ReplyDeleteI am praying for a peaceful transition for each of you. A special prayer for you Sr. Mary Joseph as you return to school in only a couple days.
May God be praised for His lavish generosity to us His brides. He who feeds us materially, spiritually and communally. To Him be all honor praise and glory now and forever, Amen!