Celebrating a Milestone of Unconditional Love.

On April 21, 2024, six Tertiary Sisters celebrated their Jubilee of Consecrated Life in Brixen. This celebration of seventy and sixty years in the Lord’s vineyard coincided with the celebration of the Good Shepard Sunday. During his sermon on Good Shepard Sunday, Pope Francis said: ”Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has sacrificed his life for us … he thinks about every one of us, … he thinks of each of us as the love of his life … for Christ, I am important, he thinks of me, I am irreplaceable, worth the infinite price of his life. “This day which was also the  World Day of Prayer for Vocations, under the theme: “Called to sow hope and build peace”  was an opportune moment for Sr. Herlinde Thaler (70),  Sr. Eva Maria Pichler (60), Sr. Alphonsa Innerbichler (60), Sr. Eduarda  Bachmann (60), Sr. Ermelinde Willeit (60)  and Sr. Herta Klammer (60) to look at the past with gratitude to God for his unconditional love and faithfulness.  In their ministry over the years, the sisters have been sowers of hope and instruments of peace through different ministries and life in community. The Provincial Superior, Sr. Mirjam Volgger,  testified to this in her welcome address. After congratulating the jubilarians and commending them for living their vocation like good Shepard, she thanked them for the services they have rendered down the years and observed that their small and great experiences make their consecration a mosaic.

Celebrating 70 and 60 years of resolute commitment to prayer, community living, Christ’s mission and ministry is a testament to the fact that life-long commitments are still possible in a world where consistency is challenging,  and can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Celebrating a milestone of unconditional love, of self-giving, of faithfulness in impacting lives in profound ways and building lasting relationships are visible signs of the fact that when God calls, He gives us the graces needed for mission and that all things are possible if we are anchored in Christ. To this end, the priest who presided at the jubilee mass underscored that the life of self-giving means readiness to follow the path God wants us to tread.

The beautifully animated liturgy was followed by a time of friendly encounters in the Mother House Garden and a fraternal meal in an atmosphere of conviviality.