Probation 2014: Open your being to the depth of God’s love

On Saturday, 20 September 2014, 13 RSCJ were welcomed by the General Council to the English-Spanish probation at the Villa Lante in Rome: 

Paula Grillo  (ARU)                             Sushma Topno  (IND)
Viviana Mián  (ARU)                          Lee Sang Min  (KOC) 
Murielle Pitti  (BFN)                          Maricruz Trigueros Manzo  (MEX) 
Iris da Silva Amaro  (BRA)                Elizabeth Ruíz Rojas  (PER) 
Bernardita Zambrano  (CHI)            Rita Castillo Espichan  (PER) 
Albina Guria  (IND)                            Solange Mbuaki Mawete  (RDC)
Monicah Nthanze Muthini  (UGK)
 
Ellen Collesano and Clara Malo will accompany them;
while Mary Finlayson will provide communication support.

During this time of "living together as an international community, praying, reflecting on, sharing and deepening [their] experience of God and of religious life in the Society," the probanists will be guided by this theme:

Open your being to the depth of God’s love

Superior General Kathleen Conan, in her Opening Conference, shared some reflections on the different segments of this theme:  the openness asked of them by probation; openness to the self and one's life story, to the Word, to our charism, and to each other; openness to "discover, welcome, receive, embrace, absorb, breathe anew the depth of God’s love."  She invited the probanists "to live the strong and compassionate love of Jesus, and in so doing to discover more of its truth and fullness."  She likewise reminded them (and all of us) that opening our being to the depth of God's love opens our hearts to the anguish of humankind. 

For us, Religious of the Sacred Heart, we learn over and over again that “the pierced heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and the anguish of humankind.” (Constitutions 8)  As you open yourself to the depths of God’s love, may you open yourself too to the anguish of humankind, experiencing it with his heart, letting your life and choices be transformed by that love.  We do not know what will happen in our world during your time here, whether nearby in the Middle East or Ukraine, or in your home countries or other more distant places; what will happen through the devastations of war or hopefully new peace agreements; through the Ebola crisis, or hopefully an outreach of generosity and commitment of resources to respond to it.  During these months, your probation group will become a community of prayer, a nucleus of spiritual energy which can extend to the whole world.  As you become more and more God’s heart, knowing both the joy and pain of a heart that loves, may that love extend through you to our whole world.  

We pray for our Sisters as they open their being to the depth of God's love, and live the gift offered to them in and through this privileged experience of probation.....

First Row (seated): Monicah Nthanze Muthini, Rita Castillo Espichan, Kathleen Conan, Maricruz Trigueros, Solange Mbuaki Mawete, Sushma Topno. Second Row (standing): Bernardita Zambrano, Elizabeth Ruiz Rojas, Hiroko Okui, Ellen Collesano, Lee Sang Min, Paula Grillo, Murielle Pitti, Viviana Mián, Iris da Silva Amaro, Maria del Socorro Rubio, Albina Guria, Clara Malo, Catherine Lloyd, Mary Finlayson, Kim Sook Hee

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