Perpetual Vows of Sister Conceição Thcicomba - Region of Portugal

I have called you by your name... (Is 43:1)

Here I am, Lord. I abandon myself into your arms. Do with me what you want!

On September 15, in the Cathedral of Viana, I experienced the most important moment of my life: my perpetual consecration, giving myself totally to the love of God. That day, I felt the fullness of God's presence, as if he himself were taking me in his arms, confirming my choice and my vocation to religious life. That date will remain forever engraved in my heart as the day on which I became irrevocably his, his servant forever.

Reflecting on the verse of Isaiah 43:1, I feel that this passage reflects the call that God addressed to me from the beginning: he knew me, he called me by name, and, during my childhood, I always felt that there was a special path that was opening to me. Consecrated life therefore consists in living every day this certainty that I am called to belong to him, to serve him through the poorest and most marginalized, and to be a sign of his love in the world. Being a sister is more than a title or a state of life, it is a way of existing in the world, totally given to God and to one's neighbor. In the Franciscan spirituality that I have embraced, the mission of living the poverty, humility and simplicity of Christ is my guide. When I look at Saint Francis of Assisi, I see the perfect model of someone who gave up everything to live the radicality of the Gospel. My vocation reflects this same abandonment. Being a consecrated sister means, for me, living with joy the call to serve others, especially the poorest, in the manner of Jesus, poor and crucified.

Religious life is a response of love. To love as Christ loved us, without reserve and without expectation of retribution, this is my mission. As a sister, I am called to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, not as retributions, but as paths to freedom and a deeper love. In pronouncing my perpetual vows, I committed myself to living this love fully, as a living testimony that it is possible to find happiness and fulfillment in the humble service of others and in total abandonment to God.

When I pronounced my vows, I felt a deep certainty that I was fulfilling what God had always called me to do. Although there were moments of emotion and tears, above all I felt a serene joy and a sense of total belonging.

This yes was not just for one day, but for eternity. During the ceremony, as I knelt before the altar, I remembered all the steps that had brought me to this moment: the doubts, the challenges, but also the growing certainty that this was my vocation. It was as if my whole life had been a journey towards this moment of total abandonment. When I recited the evangelical counsels, I felt the hand of God guiding me, confirming that I was not alone. He was there with me, enveloping me in a boundless love, a love that will sustain me in every moment of my life. Knowing that I am his forever filled me with an indescribable peace. There were no more uncertainties, no more fears, just the certainty that the Lord had chosen me and that my life was safe in His hands.

Today, when I look back and reflect on that very special moment, I know that final vows were the culmination of a long and meaningful journey of discernment and love.

Sister Conceição Tchicomba