by Sister Daira Figueroa, STJ After making my perpetual vows in the Company of St. Teresa of Jesus, what comes next for me is to persevere, to keep listening each day to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and to bear fruit wherever He sends me. I am not the protagonist of this story, but …
by Sister Daira Figueroa, STJ
After making my perpetual vows in the Company of St. Teresa of Jesus, what comes next for me is to persevere, to keep listening each day to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and to bear fruit wherever He sends me. I am not the protagonist of this story, but a disciple, and my desire is to be a pilgrim of hope in the places where God places me.
Sometimes people think of us as “nuns,” but actually we are consecrated women, part of apostolic religious life. From the moment of the novitiate—when we receive the constitutions of our congregation—we begin to live this call. It is not a title, but a vocation.
Our charism rests on three pillars: prayer, teaching, and the gift of one’s life. Every morning God calls me anew, and I try to renew my “yes.” Love, if it is not cared for, fades away; that is why I strive to live with faithfulness and joy, always learning, because in consecrated life we are both teachers and disciples.
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Lo que sigue para mí, después de haber hecho mis votos perpetuos en la Compañía de Santa Teresa de Jesús, es continuar desde la perseverancia, buscando escuchar cada día la voz del Espíritu Santo y dar frutos allí donde Él me envíe. No soy la protagonista, sino una discípula, y mi deseo es ser peregrina de esperanza en los lugares donde me toque estar.
A veces se piensa que somos “monjas”, pero en realidad somos mujeres consagradas, que pertenecemos a la vida religiosa apostólica. Desde el noviciado —cuando recibimos las constituciones de la congregación— vivimos esta llamada, que no es un título, sino una vocación.
Nuestro carisma tiene tres pilares: la oración, la enseñanza y la entrega de la vida. Podríamos decir que cada mañana Dios me vuelve a llamar, y yo renuevo mi respuesta. El amor, si no se cuida, se marchita; por eso trato de vivir con fidelidad y alegría, siempre aprendiendo, porque en la vida consagrada somos a la vez maestras y discípulas.
Sister Daira Figueroa, STJ, professed her perpetual vows on July 3. Sister Daira is a trained social worker from Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA) and is here in the Diocese of Alexandria through the Catholic Extension Exchange Program. The Perpetual Vows ceremony took place at the Casa de Convivencias y Retiros Espirituales S.T.J (The House of Familiarity & Spiritual Retreats S.T.J [St. Teresa of Jesus]) in Bogata, Colombia. Pictured with Sr. Daira (center) is her family, fellow Teresian sisters, colleagues, theologists and others.
