On January 31 three young women: Paulina, Amelia and Anne-Sophie, took their religious vows and dedicated their life to God and to his mission. They were among a group of five novices who came to Dublin, to Raheny, in September 2024 for their novitiate programme. We are missionaries, so to go abroad is something normal for us. But Ireland became a land where these three young women had their initiation into religious life, which is a very special and intensive time.
In Raheny we found a new home. The most impressive was the kindness and openness of the local people whom we encountered every day”
Leave their secure homeland? For what? Our group of novices from Poland, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine came together to be in a group and to have an international experience which gives them a greater chance to grow. Five ladies with five completely different stories, family backgrounds, professional preparation, values and expectations. We lived, shared our time, experience, talents and prayed together. With three other sisters from England, Switzerland and Ukraine we became a novitiate community of religious women who follow Christ.
Was Ireland our new home? God is so generous and always gives abundantly. In Raheny we found a new home. The most impressive was the kindness and openness of the local people whom we encountered every day. Our parish community with Fr Cyril Mangan, the parish priest, welcomed us as their own. We were able to learn from each other and to share our talents especially in the liturgy with singing and playing musical instruments. The Easter Triduum celebration and Good Shepherd Sunday encounter with the parishioners in our garden and the talks by the novices about women in the church were unforgettable.
The collaboration we experienced with religious congregations like the Divine Word Missionaries, Capuchins, Redemptoristines, Jesuits and different congregations of sisters in the area supported us in our spiritual journey. The precious moments when we visited Knock, Glendalough, Clonmacnoise, Trinity and Maynooth College gave us a rich insight into Irish Celtic spirituality. Ireland, with all its heritage and spiritual wealth, is a fertile ground for vocations. We hope that this novitiate programme will be an inspiration for young women to think of dedicating their lives to God and his mission.
Professed
Shall we let our newly professed speak for themselves: Sr Amelia writes, “Our house was open to people and we created various projects that helped people grow in faith. Singing in the choir we formed as novices, sharing our talents, being with people and creating a community with them in the church, and serving in the soup kitchen for the poor also had a big impact on my personality. I was able to learn new things that are not part of my culture.
In Ireland, the warmth, openness, and helpfulness of other people was a very positive experience that touched my heart. The spiritual guidance provided by a Jesuit priest and the silent retreat at the Manresa Centre helped me grow spiritually in my vocation and in my relationship with God. And of course, contact with Irish nature, including the sea, cliffs, and birds, allowed me to discover God in it and feel His power and closeness in His creation”.
The novitiate is a time of many struggles that accompany life decisions, but it is also a time of encounter with God. For power is made perfect in weakness”
Sr Paulina writes, “The 15 months I spent in the novitiate in Dublin was a time of abundant graces for me. A valuable source of these graces was the daily Eucharist, frequent confession, and adoration. This direct encounter with God, who is love, gave meaning and helped me overcome all challenges and difficulties. It was a fruitful time, especially thanks to the community in which we lived. Working together, praying, talking, and reflecting on the Word of God was a great support during the process of discerning our vocation. It also allowed us to establish and develop relationships that continue to this day. Thanks to our apostolate in the parish and our work with the poor, we were able to become more open to other people, which helped us grow in our charism and spirituality. The novitiate is a time of many struggles that accompany life decisions, but it is also a time of encounter with God. For power is made perfect in weakness”.
Novitiate
And Sr Anne-Sophie writes the following: “What do I appreciate about my novitiate in Ireland? My novitiate in Dublin made me discover the warm-hearted welcoming Irish people. It was a real blessing to experience their interest, their openness, their friendliness and their time and to share about my life and my way in a very sincere and authentic way.
Secondly, my novitiate in Dublin made me aware of the different situations of the Catholic Church in different countries in Europe. What I experienced in Dublin reminded me very much of our founder St Arnold Janssen who said: ‘We live in a time when many things are falling apart, but that is precisely why other things must be created anew.’ Yes, the situation of the Catholic church in Ireland is far from being ideal, a lot of things have fallen apart yet, (young) people are still there. It is precisely because many things don’t exist anymore that there are so many missionary opportunities to be present. There is space to try out and create new things in order to reach people with the best message the world has ever had”.
May the Holy Spirit inspire many other young people to dedicate their lives to God.
Sr Carmen Lee and Sr Svitlana Matsiuk are Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit at the novitiate in Raheny, Co. Dublin. Sr Matsiuk is the novice directress.
