Sister to make final vows in Cambridge

Sr Mary and Sr Maryjohn

Source: Diocese of East Anglia

Sr Mary Gonçalves, FDC, is set to make her final vows after nine years with the Daughters of Divine Charity, who have been in East Anglia for over 100 years. All are welcome to attend the profession of vows in Cambridge. Sr Maryjohn Kamps, FDC, reports.

The Daughters of Divine Charity have been active in the Diocese of East Anglia since missionaries from their Congregation arrived in England from Vienna, Austria, in 1914. They settled in Swaffham and have served the community there for over 105 years. They also opened a Convent in Hunstanton, where they are still present today, striving to make the invisible love of God visible in the world and sharing in Christ's mission of Love.

It is a great joy to announce that after nine years of formation and preparation since she entered the Convent, Sr Mary Gonçalves, F.D.C., is preparing to make her Perpetual Profession of Vows in the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity on August 28, 2023, during Holy Mass at 12 noon in the Church of Our Lady and English Martyrs, Cambridge. During the same Mass, Sr Maryjohn Kamps, FDC, will be renewing her vows for one year. We hope many of you will be able to join us on this special occasion!

The Church of Our Lady and English Martyrs in Cambridge is a special place for Sr Mary, as it is the parish community where she was welcomed and found a home in England when she first arrived after her journey across the world from East Timor seeking refuge and a new home.

During this period in the Catholic Church's history in Europe, where vocations to the consecrated life are rarely pursued, this moment is anticipated with great joy for the Sisters, the Diocese, and the Church as a whole. As Sr Mary consecrates herself to God for her entire life, please accompany her with your prayers and pray for all those young men and women whom God is calling to Religious Life, that they may have the courage to follow Him.