From “Come and See” to “Come and Stay”—Sunday was a marker day for Allison Crawford, our new Candidate. From the West Coast to the East Coast is a trek for sure, but the real journey, of course, is the internal one of prayer and wrestling that always precedes a step as significant as crossing the threshold of the convent, to stay. Come, Follow Me.
Allison’s joyous arrival would be enough to warrant a celebration (and a reflection). But you know that one event per day has never been the CFR way, so we also had the renewal of vows of four of our temporary professed sisters and the missioning of Sr. Guadalupe, who has been assigned to our convent in Ireland—all on Sunday.
It is a beautiful thing to witness a person hand their life over to God with peace and with freedom. And that is what I saw in the faces of our four sisters professing their vows. The profession of vows, in case you have not had the opportunity to witness it, is made in the hands of the Community Servant. Kneeling, the sister places her hands in mine and professes her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and I, on the part of the Church, receive her vows and on the part of Almighty God, promise the sister everlasting life. What an exchange. A life given and Life received. Whoever loses his life for My sake finds it.
At the end of the Holy Mass we had a missioning, and Sr. Guadalupe was blessed and sent forth to join our sisters in Drogheda, Ireland to live the Gospel and to proclaim it. The missioning was an act of faith and hope because she doesn’t actually have the needed visa yet. She is nonetheless ready to go at a moment’s notice. Like a true disciple of St. Francis, who wanted his friars to go out and bring the Love of God to all, Sr. Guadalupe is ready. Go out to all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.
But the sisters remaining here in New York are ready too, and every day brings a new opportunity to set out—even if only to our own streets—to bring Jesus and find Jesus. He is with us. And Sunday was a celebration of Jesus and of His call, which is still ringing out in this world, still being heard, still being answered. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Thank you for praying for us.
Mother Clare, CFR