Shillong (India). Celebrated on 13 August 2025 in Shillong, at the headquarters of Immaculate Heart of Mary Province (INS), was the beginning of the intensive time of Temporary Vows lasting ten months, in which twenty Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from the six Provinces of the PCI Conference of India participate: Bombay, Chennai, Calcutta, Tiruchirappalli, Guwahati, and Shillong.
The opening ceremony centered on the theme, “Called to be sowers of hope,” began with a moment of prayer with a symbolic offering; each presented seeds, signifying their commitment to growth and their future role as sowers of hope. The Animator poured water on the seeds, representing the care and grace that will support them during their journey of formation.
Sister Chantal Mukase, Visiting Councilor of the FMA Institute, addressed the participants, encouraging them to see this time as a unique opportunity to strengthen commitment to religious life as an FMA. She also underlined the importance of living and growing together as a community, highlighting that sharing experiences, joys, and challenges can be of support to each other on the journey. She affirmed that, “Walking together means supporting each other, listening to each other, and learning from the history of others. Unite your strengths and share your intuitions; together, you will be able to overcome difficulties.” Sister Chantal also left the Sisters three recommendations for starting their course:
- Remain rooted in intimacy with Christ: quoting John 15:4, she urged the Sisters to make their relationship with Christ the center of the experience. She encouraged them to consider daily prayer and reading the Scriptures, not as a task, but as an “encounter of love” with Jesus, their spouse.
- Embrace humble openness: based on Luke 18:14, she advised the participants to keep a heart available for learning, open to advice and the unexpected ways in which God conducts His formative action. She reminded them that true growth often comes from hidden struggles and moments of humility.
- Let the community be your sacred ground: quoting Romans 12:10, Sister Chantal underlined that community life is a holy place where they will become refined. She invited them to treasure their Sisters and let their love be concrete, generous, and marked by forgiveness, as they are shaped together “like stones in a living temple.”
The ceremony concluded with a blessing for the participants and the animators who will guide them on their journey, including the Provincial, Sister Rosa Pyngrope, and the Animator, Sister Euginia Laloo.
This intensive course proposes to be a period of profound spiritual growth, community building, pastoral experience, and vocational strengthening for Sisters with temporary vows. A specific formation program will accompany the formative journey of the young Sisters with the aim of helping them prepare for total consecration to God according to the Salesian lifestyle.
