From December 27 to 29, 2024, the Our Lady of Hope community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in Dumaguete City, Philippines, opened its doors to 30 girls who wanted to have a community experience and understand the essence of their own life and vocation.
The life of Blessed Frances Schervier, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, accompanied us on this adventure, to which the SFP Associates also offered their own contribution.
We are all attracted by Blessed Frances’s love for Jesus and for people in need, which pushed her to extraordinary acts to help those in need.
The girls acted out different episodes from the life of Mother Frances and from her first companions, bringing their testimony of real love for the other to life. During these days, we were also accompanied by Mary of Nazareth, a girl like many others who made her life an authentic gift, accepting to become the Mother of the Son of God.
Together with Mary we rediscovered the importance of our personal vocation and asked for the courage to say our “YES” to life like she did.
In contemplating Mary’s caring, dynamic, and concrete love, we created for her some magnificent flowers through an activity in which we set free our creativity. The testimonies of the personal vocations of Sr. Marina and our Associate Glenda resonated in our hearts. We prayed the Rosary at night and celebrated the Eucharist in the morning.
There was no shortage of important questions that arose in the hearts of the girls: ‘Am I on the right path?’, ‘Do I really know myself?’, ‘Can I forgive and heal what causes me pain from the past?’, ‘What are my deepest fears and how can I overcome them?’, ‘What really gives me happiness?’. And many others. We want to continue to walk together to find the answers and live life like a gift.
Now some of the girls who participated in the camp will share their own experiences:
“My experience of the vocational camp was very beautiful because I experienced a deep sense of peace and joy. We began each day with prayers, which helped me to feel closer to God. I had fun. I learned new skills and made new friends. The moments of sharing inspired me, and I learned to apply what I took in to my own life. What I experienced during these three days was beautiful. I am very happy to have participated because I learned new things that I can put into practice in my life.” Michelle
“I was very excited to be invited to the camp. I asked my friends if they wanted to come with me, and they accepted my offer. Sr. Rose and the other Sisters welcomed me warmly. The first thing we did in the morning was to pray because prayer is truly the first and most important thing to do. I also made new friendships. Our meeting was very deep and intense.” Noemi
“It was a really beautiful experience because I learned many things, especially when we talked about the life of Mother Frances. I also appreciated the conversations on religious life. This camp allowed us to communicate with God and to meet new friends. I really liked the activities we took part in, helping one another, and sharing. This camp was a call from God to meet. During the three days we rejoiced in the time spent together, laughing, and welcoming the time being offered to us.” Hanna
“My personal experience was learning a lot about Mother Frances and the Virgin Mary. This is a source of encouragement and inspiration to help me to live acts of service and compassion. I feel drawn to the idea of getting to know the Franciscan lifestyle better. I am passionate about serving others and living a life of simplicity and compassion, values that I understand and appreciate a lot. I would like to continue on the journey in the direction we started during this camp to deepen my understanding of the Franciscan charism and to discern if this is the right road for me.” Allene
“The vocational camp wasn’t just a moment of joy in being together. It was also a moment of connecting with God. Everything is a gift from God. The camp led each person to the essence of their own existence and opened them to happiness and consolation.
When the girls shared their experiences, their joy and communion grew together to the recognition of their own identity. We thank God for all the blessings and gifts that this meeting brought each girl, Sisters, and everyone.
Let us keep our eyes and minds open, rooted in the Word and faithful to God. Thank you. May God bless us all.” Sol, SFP Associate