Life at FMM
Juliana entered as a postulant on 11th August 1949 and received the habit on 15th August 1950 with the name M.Laetitia. Soon after her first vows on August 15th 1952, she was sent to Stella Maris to continue her studies.In 1957, she returned to Palluruthy and taught there till 1960. She was sent to St.Francis convent to prepare for final profession. In May 1961, she was sent to U.S.A.via Rome, made her final profession on Sept. 17th 1961 at Fruit Hill, Rhode Island. She did her Masters degree in Boston College and returned to Stella Maris College to teach in the Mathematics Department. She worked together with her teacher, Sr.Patricia Kingham (Magdalen) who was the Head of the department. They raised the department to the post-graduate level in 1965 and worked in unity and made the department a close-knit family.
In 1977-80, Sr.Juliana was asked to take charge as superior in Child Jesus Convent Trichy. She accepted it in faith. In 1980 Sr. Mary Lily, the provincial, asked her to return to Stella Maris and she continued her teaching ministry till 1992.After her retirement from teaching Maths, she continued to serve the college by teaching Catholic Doctrine, Value Education and other activities of the Campus Ministry.In 1997, she was sent to the Pre-Novitiate to teach English and Catechism to the Candidates and Prenovices till 2001.For health reasons, she returned to Stella Maris and after getting better, she continued to teach English and Bible to the beginners in the college.
In 2003, Sr. Juliana was given a chance to serve the destitute aged at St.Thomas Mercy Home Trichy. She felt drawn to this ministry after being at Chetpet with Little Sisters of the Poor. She writes, “ I feel very happy to be with the elderly men and women, who are broken in many ways. I try to bring God’s acceptance to them. I pray the rosary and spend an hour of adoration, read the Bible and practise hymns with them. When I am free, I help to serve food for them and listen to them individually. I love them and feel God’s love through them.”
She concludes saying, “From the time I entered the Institute, I felt loved, accepted and cherished by all my sisters and I too felt happy to respond in love. I love silence, prayer, and my happiest moments of the day are when I am in communion with the Lord. My heart sings, “The Lord has done great things for me.” And my favourite quotations are: “Abide in me and I in you”, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
The Lord has done great things in the life of Sr.Juliana Xavier FMM.