‘Courage to Move’ invited Provinces to look at the needs of their neighbouring countries. This call was at the beginning of this mission.
Loreto sisters arrived in East Timor in 2006, seeking to respond to the Gospel by ‘going where the need is greatest’. They live and work in two communities, one in the larger centre of Baucau and the other in the village of Gari-uai.
Sister AiThien is the director of ‘Centro Loreto,’ a pre-school and community centre that supports and encourages the development of local teachers who, each year, provide quality education for 70 young children.
Sister Margie recently returned to Australia after years of ministering to the health and spiritual needs of many people who live in more remote areas of Gari-uai. She responded to health needs by organising visits from the local clinic or by driving people to the hospital in Baucau. She also visited the sick and elderly, bringing them the Eucharist and praying with them.
First profession in Timor-Leste
In Baucau, both Sisters Margaret Mary and Selvi live and work with young Timorese women wanting to become Loreto Sisters. There are currently seven pre-candidates learning English and coming to understand what is involved in being a religious sister.
There have been candidates and novices from Timor-Leste. Some of them are currently studying in Manila, Philippines.
We are an international multicultural congregation of around 1,800 sisters present in more than 40 countries around the globe. Founded in 1609 by the Venerable Mary Ward, we are a group of unenclosed apostolic religious women, rooted in the Ignatian Spirituality.
We are working in different areas and projects – not out of ourselves, but because we allow ourselves to be sent by God. We form our sisters to be mobile and available, willing to go wherever they are sent. We expect them to strive, like Mary Ward, to have that inner freedom to respond to the call to leave all and follow Christ with passion and compassion.
“Vocation” – a word that tastes of MORE, of what Saint Ignatius of Loyola called “THE MAGIS”: Longing, meaning, fullness of life, a task and the experience of being needed. It sounds like someone who is calling me personally and with whom I can give my life a unique shape.
People all over the world are inspired and enthusiastic about Mary Ward and her way of following Jesus. There are different ways to join our network and become part of the wider Mary Ward Family.
Mary Ward once said: “I listened to God’s deep dream for me and felt a longing to respond.”
In this spirit, we invite you to pray with us. We offer a variety of prayers and material for reflection.
