A Blessed Day
“Be the quiet sanctuary lamp that consumes itself” (Marie de la Passion)
We are five virgins of God, who constantly praise Him because of the consecrated life that He grants us by His fidelity and unconditional love. June 28, 2025, was an unforgettable day, an important turning point in each of our lives, and the day we openly and definitely responded to God through the perpetual profession in the Institute of Franciscan Missionary of Mary.
Each of us perceives that the grace of pronouncing a perpetual vow is not a last destination, but the commencement of the journey of self-giving and serving. From now on, we will walk together with the sisters in the Institute, hand in hand, in the Franciscan spirit, to serve God and His people by following Jesus’ example.
The scared moment, that we were waiting for, took place at 8:30 a.m. on June 28, 2025. Bishop Peter Kieu Cong Tùng was a principal celebrant, twenty co-celebrant priests, and plenty of lay people. Wearing the ring of our commitment to our Bridegroom, we are truly happy and experience His love more deeply. The vows and the ring are tangible signs to remind us every day that we belong completely to God through the Congregation. The joy of the final vow mass also lasts until lunch to connect the biological family with the spiritual family. We gathered together as if we had always been familiar and met each other frequently.
“Be the quiet sanctuary lamp that consumes itself” — the motto we have chosen to live out on our journey of consecrated life — is like a personal message from God, through our Mother Foundress, spoken to each one of us. The sanctuary lamp before the Tabernacle never goes out; it illuminates during the Adoration and prayer time, and it is a sign of the living presence of the Lord. We also long to become that “lamp”: by God’s grace, that the lamp of our lives may be illuminated, continually renewed in daily conversion, so as to live fully the words of Saint John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Along our journey, each time we light the sanctuary lamp, we desire to be like the wise virgins, keeping vigil before the Lord. Through our community life where we are sent, or even in the places where we pass through only briefly, we hope to reveal the face of Christ by a life that is simple, hidden, humble, trusting, and surrendered to Him.
“Be the quiet sanctuary lamp that consumes itself” will always be our compass, so that, like Mary, we may live “the fundamental attitude of ECCE and FIAT”. “Grant us the courage to offer our lives, to embark on an adventure, to say ‘yes,’ to set out, to answer: ‘Here I am, Lord. (From the song Grant Me, O Lord, Fr. An Duc). This is like a prayer for each of us, and we are firmly convinced that we do not walk this path alone, but with the loving accompaniment of our sisters.
In this moment, we perceive how truly blessed we are for all that we have freely received, through the intermediaries God has sent along our journey of consecrated life. At the beginning of the period of the initial formation, we were also privileged to live the historic period of our Institute — the time of transformation. Mentioning this point, we are especially grateful to Sister Anna Tao, former Provincial Superior, and the former Provincial Councilors. Thank you for your love and accompaniment throughout a long journey. We also express our deep gratitude to the Regional Superior, the current Sector Councilors, and all our FMM sisters both in the country and abroad, for welcoming us with love, accompanying us, and guiding us. In a special way, we thank the sisters in formation team at different stages, and the sisters in the communities where we were able to share the community life; you helped us grow and live joyfully in our FMM vocation.
The words “thank you” feel far too short and limited to express the sentiments of our hearts for the countless blessings we have received from God through the mediation of our FMM family. Once again, we thank you, dear sisters, for the sacrifices and hard work, for forming us and welcoming us just as we are. We are like fragile clay jars, easily broken, so we humbly ask you to continue accompanying us and remembering us in your daily prayers before the Blessed Sacrament.
With all our gratitude!
Hoa, Dung, Lan, Cúc, Trinh, FMM