Thursday 25th July 2024.  As we were about to take our vows, we kept silent in order to remain connected to God in prayer. And thanks be to God, we were able to welcome all our families, some of whom were worried about travelling.

At 6 p.m. sharp, the prayer began with an opening address by the vice-provincial, Sister Anthonia AYENI, followed by an introduction by Sister Stella OLUWAFEMI, our formation director. Priests and religious from various dioceses were present, as well as some of our Daughters of the Holy Spirit. The invocation to the Holy Spirit opened the prayer, with a reading from Scripture – 2 Cor. 4, 7-11: ‘But we carry this treasure as in earthen vessels; so we see that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us…’. – A reading prolonged by hymns and psalms.
During the prayer, we shared our sacred story using the symbol we had chosen, linked to our formative journey: a broken clay vase. All nine of us took a piece of the broken vase, while the congregation listened attentively to our expressions. We were surrounded by our parents, who were invited to offer their personal prayers, which ended with songs of thanksgiving, everyone singing and praising God with us.

On Friday 26 July, Holy Mass opened with a procession made up of altar servers, us who were about to take our vows, accompanied by two representatives from each of our families, ESF sisters and priests. The homily was given by the Reverend Father HENRY, a Redemptorist priest, who urged us to face up to the challenges and difficulties in order to achieve our goal of doing God’s will throughout our lives. He explained that our growth is ongoing, that following Jesus comes at a cost, and that we must therefore let go of what is irrelevant in order to go where the Spirit is calling us. On this journey we must strive to have a guide and above all cling to God in prayer.
After the homily, each of us was called to take our vows and was thus received into the Congregation of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit. There was great joy for everyone, especially for all the sisters and all the members of our families who joined us in thanking God.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, there was time for photos with our sisters, families and friends, the cutting of the Profession cake and a show.
It was a beautiful and joyful celebration, especially as it took place in the new novitiate building.

By Sisters Agathar, Bridget, Calista, Elizabeth, Esther, Florence, Florentina, Acinta et Mary-Anne.
Sent by Patience EFFIONG, DHS. Published on 29 July 2024