By
Father John Gerritts
Below is a recent letter from Brigitta Kaiser. Brigitta left this past spring after working for our parish to enter religious life with the Salesian Sisters.
Dearest friends,
What a whirlwind of a summer! On August 5, I returned to the US after an amazing time with the sisters in Montreal.
On August 29, my parents and I arrived at Mary Help of Christians Academy. The convent attached to the academy is the community where the other aspirants and I will spend our first year of formation. My parents were given a tour of the school and convent, and had the chance to attend Mass. I was very grateful that my parents were given the opportunity to see where I would spend the next year and to get to know the sisters in the community a little bit.
My group of aspirants, called my “companions”, is made up of five other young women. We come from a diverse variety of backgrounds, and it has been such a gift to start discovering the many beautiful gifts and talents we each have to offer the community.
We have been settling into life in the convent for the past few weeks. The sisters here are so kind and patient with us. One of the hardest challenges for me is getting up at 5:00am every day and trying to stay awake and attentive during our morning prayers, meditations, and Mass. Slowly I am getting used to it through God’s grace. We are taking a variety of classes, such as classes on our founders, St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello, prayer, and discernment. I have particularly enjoyed our Italian class, which we take with the freshman students at the academy, and the month-long flower arrangement class with the art teacher. This week we also began courses to obtain our certification in Level 1 of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Last week we received our uniforms, and on Saturday, September 26, we will receive our medals of Mary Help of Christians in a special ceremony. You are all welcome to view the ceremony on the Salesian Sisters Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you would like to see my companions and me be formally welcomed into our aspirancy, please view by finding the links to the Salesians Facebook page and their YouTube channel BELOW.
Overall, these first few weeks have been a joy-filled experience, but there have also been opportunities for growth. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord is wanting to do in my life. Know that you and your intentions are in my prayers, and please pray for my companions and me to continue to be open to God’s graces and promptings. As my phone use is limited, please feel free to contact me by email or mail if you have any questions about my journey or wish to share any updates on your lives. I would love to hear from you. My email is brigitta@rescuevocations.org and mail can be sent to 659 Belmont Ave. North Haledon, NJ 07508.
Entrusting you all to Our Lady, Help of Christians
In Christ,
Brigitta
LINK TO THE SALESIAN SISTERS FACEBOOK PAGE
LINK TO SALESIAN SISTERS YOUTUBE PAGE
SPECIFIC LINK TO ASPIRANT MEDAL CEREMONY
