Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, Bishop of Nagaland, solemnized the Perpetual Profession Sr. Otoli Chisi and Sr. Rosily Tikhir and the First Religious Profession of nine Novices in the Congregation of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters of North East Province on 30th, April, 2014, at Assisi Convent, Khermahal, Dimapur.
Sr Milly Fernandes UFS, at the very beginning of the Holy Eucharistic Celebration, welcomed, all the invited guests, particularly the parents and relatives of the Sisters and Novices and thanked them for offering their daughters to the service of the Church, to the mission of Christ.
Bishop James in his homily applauded the Sisters for their courage to work for God’s Kingdom, and their willingness to face the challenges of obedience, poverty and Chastity. His homily was based on the based on the conversation of Pope Francis on the religious life titled, “Wake up the World”. Speaking of the identity of the religious today, he said that they are both “sinners and prophets”. Religious life must promote growth in the Church by way of attraction. The Pope also said that religious “charism is not a bottle of distilled water”, meaning that the charism is to be lived energetically and reinterpreted culturally. The four pillars of religious formation according to the Holy Father are: spiritual, intellectual, communitarian and apostolic. Formation to religious life is a work of art and not a police action.
The newly professed sisters expressed their gratitude to God and to all those present through their songs and words of gratitude. The program ended with a Felicitation to the newly professed sisters and the community meal.