RELIGIOUS PROFESSION JUBILEES “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I remain faithful to you.”
On September 4, 2026, in the Motherhouse Chapel—on the liturgical memorial of the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd—we celebrated anniversaries of religious profession. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Msgr. Vincenzo Viva, Bishop of the Diocese of Albano Laziale, and concelebrated by brothers from the Society of St. Paul and Fr. Gianfranco Poli, Episcopal Vicar for Consecrated Life.
But why celebrate anniversaries? In his homily, the Bishop clearly explained the meaning, drawing from the Gospel of John, which states: standing near the Cross of Jesus were His Mother and the other women. This act of standing beneath the Cross offers a key perspective through which we can also understand consecration.
Jesus’ Mother does not flee, does not hide, and did not seek specific explanations. While others ran away, she remained there and shared with her Son—with the Lord—even the ultimate hardship, that of the Cross; she remained standing while others fled.
Celebrating 25, 60, 70, or even 80 years of religious life is also an act of celebration, of standing firm, and of remaining faithful—a fidelity that endures over time. This is true even when, after so many years, one might be tempted to take stock and reflect on what went well and what did not; on the headwinds faced, the struggles endured, and perhaps the bitterness of not having seen all the fruits of one’s labor. Yet, we must remember: in celebrating these anniversaries, while we certainly honor the fidelity of these sisters of ours, above all we celebrate the fidelity of the Lord—for it is He who has been faithful and present in their lives. And, again through the Bishop’s words, we were urged to reflect with deep gratitude on the Lord’s call to shepherd the flock entrusted to us: for it is precisely because the Lord is faithful that He spoke words of entrustment from the Cross. He entrusts the Mother to the disciple and the disciple to the Mother. The Good Shepherd, at the very moment He lays down His life for His sheep, feels the need to make this entrustment; He does not leave the flock without a mother.
Your consecration is like an act of entrustment—one that is both existential and spiritual in nature. One day, the Lord looked upon you, too, and said to you—using words unique to each of you—"Here are your children; this is the field of your apostolate; this is the parish or the ministry entrusted to you. Over the years, you have certainly served people—encountering children, young people, women, and families with their wounds and their hopes—and you have stood close to priests and to parish and diocesan communities. These are the people, the flock, entrusted to you by the Lord. You were entrusted to Mary so that you might learn from her how to stand beside those who suffer and those who serve.
Can one still engage in apostolate during one’s senior years? The world we live in—this "throwaway culture" where the elderly are cast aside and it seems no one is ever supposed to age, where we are expected to live in eternal youth—would say no.
Pope Francis has emphasized this repeatedly, and Pope Leo recalled it too: even in the "third age," in old age, and even in infirmity, one can carry out an apostolate. It is a different season—one that holds painful moments, certainly—but it is a season to be embraced, for it teaches us new things and reveals a profound dimension of the apostolate: it reminds us that an apostolate not sustained by prayer and the offering of oneself quickly becomes sterile activism.
Following the celebration, attended by various representatives of the Pauline Family as well as friends and relatives, Msgr. Vincenzo Viva took the time to meet the sick sisters. He drew close to each one, showing care and attentiveness, and listened with interest to their brief stories.
The joy continued with a time of fellowship and shared hospitality.
What words can express the thanksgiving that wells up from a grateful heart? "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I remain faithful to you." Yes, celebrating an anniversary means growing in the joyful awareness that God’s love lies at the origin of life and every vocation, and that His faithfulness endures from everlasting to everlasting.
Sr Irene Tollini
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