News from the international novitiate in the Philippines

August 15, 2014

On July 15, 2014, the novices and their two formators, Sr. M.Julia and Sr. M.Monika, went to Tagatay to join a course on Human Sexuality where Fr. Nato Naca was the speaker. We joined the Hospital Sisters of Mercy and stayed in their community.

The Course started on July 16 and ended on July 19. The first night, we experienced the Typhoon Glenda which was very strong and made a big sound like a wave. During the whole night, nobody could sleep well. Early in the morning, we found that the chapel floor was already full of water, so we needed to clean it up before Morning Prayer. The Typhoon destroyed many things: trees, houses, etc.

For two days, there was no electricity but we kept attending the course. On July 21, we continued our journey from Tagatay to Marisinag, Manila. Staying in the Camillian Sisters’community, we attended a course on Theater Art. This is a program which is offered in collaboration with all the novitiates of religious men and women in Manila. The course was from July 22 to 24. Both of these courses are very helpful for the novices so as to improve and develop their character, confidence, and self-esteem.

They were opportunities for each sister to face her realityas a human being who wishes to offer her life to God and to others and who bravely faces today’s world in her mission and ministry as she journeysinto the future.