By Sister Khochem Mossang, CSC
I am deeply grateful to God who loves me, guides me and strengthens me every day. I am grateful for the gift of life and gift of vocation in Holy Cross. I am grateful to be entering this stage in my formation and for the wonderful day of celebration of my perpetual profession of vows. I feel the love of God, family, friends, and my sisters in Holy Cross who participated in the celebration. I know that the members of the Congregation around the world prayed for me and were present in spirit with me. I was happy and blessed to have the General Leadership Team members and the Area coordinators in attendance. I missed Sister Brenda Cousins, Leadership Team general secretary who could not attend, but her love and prayer were with me.
The celebration began with the night vigil, the Holy Hour, the holude ceremony[1], and the light blessings. It was a peaceful and grace-filled celebration. When I held the light and each sister, candidate and discerner receiving the power of the light blessed me with the same light, I was touched and felt the vibration of Holy Spirit and strength of a community filled with peace. During the solemnity of the eucharistic celebration, I felt that I was not standing alone, but had the entire Congregation standing with me. The experience of the power of prayer, love, care, support and encouragement gave me a feeling of wholeness.
Looking back on my life in Holy Cross, from the very beginning until today, it is an amazing journey! During the past 10 years of preparation, I experienced joyful moments, much enrichment, hopes and dreams of ministry, growing together in community and in the love of Christ, as well as challenges, discouragement, hopelessness and sadness. I experienced God’s grace and blessing through the joyful moments, and the challenges strengthened me to love Christ deeply and follow him.
My strength and my limitations and my struggles—I treasured them all. They led me to grow in my humanness and in the light of God. I am grateful to all the persons in my life who helped make me who I am today. I am grateful to all the sisters in the Congregation for their prayerful support and love.
Sisters, continue to keep me in your prayers for God’s guidance and the strength to say a loving, “yes” to him each day I live, so that I may serve Him faithfully and with a joyful heart.
[1]holude: A Bangladeshi ceremony in which turmeric, a yellow spice obtained from a flowering plant in the ginger family, is used as a reminder of baptismal promises and Christian responsibilities. For religious, this ceremony is now a symbol of purification of body, heart and mind to prepare for a deeper call. Blessing with the holude, we pray for them that the promise they are going to announce may strengthen their faith and trust in God’s gift of new life: hope, joy and prosperity. We pray that they fulfill God’s will through Holy Cross. They have come from different cultures with faith, values and languages to help them do this.
