Loving Tribute to Sr. Juliana Xavier

Sr. Juliana Xavier passionately lived her fmm call

FMM Call

Juliana wrote about her vocation thus:“I got the seeds of my religious vocation from my mother’s mother, who stayed with us to look after us and help my mother. She taught us to pray as little children at sunset after the Angelus. We repeated whatever grandmother said. So I was saying every day “Little Jesus, give me the grace to join a convent”. My grandmother died when I was 6 years old. She had told my mother that of her 6 daughters, at least one she must give to God. My mother liked the idea and she encouraged me.”

After her first communion, she taught Catechism for the little ones in the parish. When she completed her S.S.L.C in 1949, the parish priest requested one Ms. Thankamma teacher to take Juliana to Thoppumpady in view of preparing for the Sodality Anniversary in the parish.

Juliana wrote that it was this teacher who was instrumental in bringing her to the FMM convent. Juliana’s father too accompanied her by boat to Thoppumpady and they met the superior. They were taken to the chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the high altar, with 6 lights burning, surrounded by lovely flowers and the sisters with choir veil kneeling on the pre-dieu. 

This was the first sight that captured her and in her heart she said, “This is the place where I want to be”. She felt overjoyed.They went back to the mother’s house for lunch and returned to the convent and she stayed on. The parents were broken hearted but content because she had got what she longed for.