Visitation Sisters Annually Renew Vows on November 21

Nov 20

Each year on November 21st, the Memorial of the Presentation of Mary, when Saints Anne and Joachim presented their daughter to the Lord in the temple, Visitandines around the world renew their holy vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In preparation for this moment, the Sisters take three days of retreat, sometimes referred to as their “little retreat,” to reflect more deeply on their lived experience and listen to the Spirit’s promptings.

While each Sister intentionally states aloud her renewed commitment on November 21, she also writes in the Vow Book kept at each Monastery to affirm this promise to answer God’s calling to live a life of deep listening and action in God; essentially to “Live Jesus” as a Visitation Sister.

Sr. Susan Marie Kasprzak, VHM, reminds us all, religious or lay person, that, “Sometimes [we] get so caught up in the minutiae of daily life that we can lose sight of our purpose and even of our commitment. We do well then to renew our vows, giving them careful consideration as to what they mean and how we are living them. A renewal can be a reminder, but it is also a celebration–we are so happy we did it that we want to do it again!”

This is at once a solidification of a promise and a reminder that each Sister shows up intentionally for the covenant made with God. St. Francis de Sales, the cofounder of the Visitation Order along with St. Jane de Chantal, commented on the occasion of these annual vow renewals in a sermon. Francis de Sales insists that perfection consists in struggling against our imperfections. As long as we are willing to continue fighting, then we will be victorious; we will be winners. In his sermon on the Presentation of Our Lady, he gives a word of encouragement to those early Visitandines and to us on this occasion. “For this custom of renewing our vows,” he says, “can repair any faults we may have committed when we first made them” (Sermons on Our Lady, p. 43).

Sr. Karen Mohan, VHM, of the Minneapolis Monastery reflected, “I feel especially united with my Sisters across the globe on our vow renewal day, knowing that we were all pondering the call of God in our lives and voicing our response to Christ’s love through this renewal. Sr. Karen’s reflection can be an invitation to each of us, “Let my heart be reminded that it is Jesus who invites each of us into a life of deep union with him.”