Suore Missionarie di San Pietro Claver
"La più divina tra le cose divine è cooperare con Dio nella salvezza delle anime"
You seduced me, Lord, and I let myself be seduced; you strengthened me and you prevailed.
I am Sister Puspa, I come from a small village called Chikat Nali, (Odisha) in India. We are five brothers and sisters in the family and I am the fourth child. I was born on February 20, 1995. The seed of my vocation began to grow in a family and in a small local church. Even though we don't have a celebration of Holy Mass every Sunday, I never missed the opportunity to get to catechism. The villagers gather to pray and the catechist leads the prayer service every Sunday. We have the opportunity to go to Holy Mass for rare occasions, such as the important feast of the Church, since the parish is located very far from our place.
One day it happened to me while I was cleaning the church, a kind of fear went through me. It was when I was studying on the 9th year of study. Looking at the cross I asked God to help me and I was granted what I was looking for. Usually when I went to the parish I was used to seeing the Sisters who carried out many activities in the parish and this made me think to myself, how happy I was with their work. After my tenth banner, my pastor introduced me to the religious life. I was interested and agreed to go and see the program in Bangalore with the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver. Since I felt that it was the right place for me where God wants me to be, I continued my formation as an aspirant, postulant, novice in the Congregation.
In this period i had a different life experience like doing things, a new language, food and culture. There were difficult times, but I could still experience the joy and happiness within me that helped me to go forward in life with the grace of God. All this was truly a great gift from God, capable of facing a new way of life, learning things everyday. I have had many opportunities to know God and to discern my vocation realizing his most powerful love, once I was going through some difficulties in my life and sitting in the chapel, the word that Jesus revealed to me in the Gospel said: "Do not doubt but believe" (Jn 20:27), it gave me more courage to move forward, and also the story of our Mother Foundress, the lessons, the instructions, the retreat, the kind and encouraging words of the sisters helped me to discover the love of God personally and the call to religious life. I had a good and memorable experience during my training period.
Now I thank God for his call to this religious life and all those who introduced me to the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver; I remember when Jesus said to his disciple "come and see". After having done all my experience in training: July 6, 2016 in the community of Bangalore I was able to hand over my life into the hands of God, making my first religious profession and give my heartfelt thanks to the goodness and greatness of the Lord's love, for the gift of my vocation.
Thank you Sr. Pushpa