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The experience of God and Silence affirms my calling

mary-alberta-pkarmSr Mary Alberta made her final profession as a Putri Karmel Sister on 16 July 2016 at Kaingaran.  Below is her story.

The longing to be with God in prayer and silence has been in my spirit since I was a child, although at that time I haven’t thought about being a religious.

I expressed my longing to be a religious when I was 12 years old. I saw the Sisters serving in our parish and my heart said, ‘I want to be just like them.’ This longing was further strengthened when I joined the Life in the Spirit Retreat in my parish, organised by the Putri Karmel Sisters and CSE Brothers.

In the retreat, I was touched by the prayers held throughout the days. After the retreat, I wanted to know more about prayers and faith. One of the Sisters suggested that I should come down to Carmel[Kaingaran] myself and join other retreats. So I did.

In 2005, I stepped into the Putri Karmel Monastery for the first time and joined the youth camp themed, ‘You are precious in My eyes.’ The experience of God and the silence in this place affirmed my calling. I was confident that this was my calling. I joined the Vocation Retreat in Putri Karmel in 2006 and was given a chance to see the place further. I discerned for two years and finally in 2007, I took the courage to say ‘Yes’ to God.

I was accepted as a postulant at Putri Karmel on 28 April 2007. On 15 July 2008, I received my religious habit and entered the novitiate. During my second year novitiate, I was privileged to be sent to Indonesia, with others, for formation for six months.

With God’s grace and strength, I made my first profession on 16 July 2010. Since then, I have experienced the faithful presence of God. By God’s grace, I made my perpetual profession on 16 July 2016.

With this, a new chapter of my life has begun. My ‘Yes’ does not stop here as I continue to say ‘Yes’ every day until I breathe my last. In all this, I surrender myself to God because I believe He is working in everything to bring goodness to those who love Him (cf Rom 8:28).

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