Philippine-Australia-Saipan Province

“Witness Awakens Vocations”

(Pope Benedict XVI)

The 25 April 2010, Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations, was a welcome opportunity for us Pastorelle to celebrate our Congregation feast with our parish communities and to offer opportunities to reflect on our vocation taking up the theme of Pope Benedict’s Message for the 47^th World Day: Witness Awakens Vocations... “The fruitfulness of our efforts to promote vocations depends primarily on God's free action, yet, as pastoral experience confirms, it is also helped by the quality and depth of the personal and communal witness of those who have already answered the Lord's call to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life, for their witness is then able to awaken in others a desire to respond generously to Christ's call”.

The Pastorelle Sisters from Bundoora and Thomastown – Australia – joined St. Luke’s parish community on Sunday at 6.00 pm for the celebration of the Eucharist which was animated by a group of young people together with Sr. Nelia. “Listening to the voice of the Shepherd” was the focus of the celebration, and the call to unity in diversity was symbolised by the rainbow streamers flowing from the lectern. In the offertory procession, together with the gifts of bread and the wine, ten candles representing the Pauline Family Institutes were brought to the altar by young people to proclaim that Jesus is the Good Shepherd that leads us and is light for us even in the darkest moments of our story.

At St. Francis of Assisi parish, Newton, Sr. Estelita and Sr. Mary met on 23 April with a group of young people and a few children with their mothers, to reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, its relevance for us today and the importance of listening for his voice and following him wherever we might be: home, school, work, play etc.

On Sunday evening in the parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Payneham,  another group of parishioners came together for a time of prayer using the Gospel of the 4^th Sunday of Easter on the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:27-30),  and to reflect on Pope Benedict’s Message for the 47^th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Ever mindful of the need to reach out and walk with young people and to share the richness of our mutual vocation, we continue to be involved in various diocesan and school based youth activities. Recently, the chaplain of La Trobe University, Fr. Peter Porteous OSM, and Sr. Rita who is the School-Home-Parish Liaison Person at Loyola College, met with the youth leaders from the Diamond Creek Deanery to explore ways of encouraging greater youth participation in the life of the Church. .

On the weekend of 5-7 March 2010, Sr. Mary took part in the Remar Blue-Gold re-embarkation camp at Lyrebird Camp. A group of committed Year 11 & 12 students who are open to deepening their understanding of discipleship and the challenges of being a witness within the school community and beyond.

We look to the future with hope and in the words of Pope Benedict XVI we pray that “the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, watch over each tiny seed of a vocation in the hearts of those whom the Lord calls to follow him more closely, may she help it to grow into a mature tree, bearing much good fruit for the Church and for all humanity”.

Sr. Mary La Bruna sjbp