THANKSGIVING
As we close the 150th Jubilee Year of our Congregation, our hearts are filled with gratitude and joy! Thanks to Archbishop of Cebu, Most Rev. Alberto Abet S. Uy for celebrating the Eucharistic Mass with some friends priests of the Congregation. To all our Sponsors, Benefactors, Friends of Nazareth, Associates, Youth of Nazareth and all those who joined us in this thanksgiving, thank you.
At the end, we brought the words of challenge of Archbishop Abet Uy:
“Sisters, today you stand here like that one grateful leper, coming back to Jesus and saying: “Lord, thank You for the 150 years of grace.” But Jesus tells him – and tells you – “Stand up and go… your faith has saved you.” Meaning: “You have more work to do. Your mission isn’t finished.” A Jubilee is not an ending – it is a launching pad.”
HOMILY
Readings: Isaiah 63:7–9; Colossians 3:12–17; Luke 17:11–19
Today, we are celebrating something very special: 150 years of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. As we celebrate this Jubilee, we cannot forget the woman who started it all—Blessed Frances Siedliska, a courageous Polish woman who founded your congregation in Rome in 1875. She wanted to spread the love of Christ in the world through active apostolic service, modeled on the humility, simplicity, obedience, and love of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Her dream became your identity. Her vision became your mission. Her courage became your heritage. And now, 150 years later, her small seed planted in Rome has become a great tree bearing fruit all over the world—and especially here in the Philippines.
This is why today feels like a family reunion. We look back, we laugh, we remember the hardships, and most of all we say: “Lord, You have been so good to us.”
In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah says: “I will recall the glorious deeds of the Lord.” Isaiah invites us to look at life and see not the failures, not the disappointments—but God’s fingerprints. And Sisters, your 150 years are full of divine fingerprints. Every child you taught… every family you healed… every sick person you comforted… every migrant you accompanied… Like Isaiah, you can confidently say: “The Lord carried us —- all these years.”
A personal word of gratitude
Allow me to say something very personal and heartfelt: For almost 30 years, you have served the people of Bohol with extraordinary love. The Holy Family of Nazareth School in Tubigon continues to form future community leaders, teachers, public servants, parents, and parish volunteers. From my heart as a Boholano, and now as Archbishop of Cebu, I express to you my deepest gratitude. Your presence in Tubigon did not only educate minds— it strengthened families, healed hearts, and planted seeds of faith that continue to bear fruit today.
In the second reading, St. Paul sounds like a spiritual fashion adviser, telling us the garments a follower of Christ must wear. “Put on compassion… kindness… humility.” Sisters, these are not just instructions for you. They are a description of who you already are.
- You put on compassion in your family apostolate.
- You put on kindness in your schools and ministries.
- You put on humility in leadership and in community life.
- You put on patience in the small daily sacrifices of religious life.
- You put on forgiveness that heals and restores.
- And above all, you put on love, the bond of perfection.
If someone were to ask, “What does a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth look like?” We could simply respond: “She looks like Colossians 3:12–17 in human form.”
The Gospel story is simple, but very powerful. Ten lepers were healed. Only one returned. And that one didn’t return because he was told to— he returned out of love. Sisters, today you stand here like that one grateful leper, coming back to Jesus and saying: “Lord, thank You for the 150 years of grace.” But Jesus tells him—and tells you— “Stand up and go… your faith has saved you.” Meaning: “You have more work to do. Your mission isn’t finished.” A Jubilee is not an ending—it is a launching pad.
Looking Ahead: Challenges that Call Us to Deeper Faith
Every Jubilee invites us not only to celebrate the past, but to prepare for the future with courage and hope. Let me lovingly reflect on a few realities we all face:
1. Declining vocations
Yes, this challenge is real. But young people today are not afraid of religious life. They are afraid of living without meaning. When they see your joy, your authenticity, your community life, your deep prayer… vocations will come. The true question is not “How many will enter?” The question is: “Are we living our charism in a way that makes young people say, ‘I want that kind of life’?”
2. An aging congregation
Your elderly Sisters are treasures. Their wrinkles tell stories of sacrifice. Their smiles reveal decades of fidelity. Their memories are your living history. Honor them. Listen to them. Celebrate them. Because they show you who you are and who you must continue to be.
3. Families in crisis
Many families today are hurting, separated, stressed, or spiritually struggling. Your charism—bringing the spirit of Nazareth to the world— is exactly the medicine our communities need.
A Jubilee is a Restart Button
As you step into a new chapter, let me suggest three simple invitations for your next steps:
A. Go back to Nazareth every day.
Return to the basics: simplicity, tenderness, prayer, silence, joy.
B. Make every ministry a “family apostolate.”
Wherever you go, let people feel: “Here, I am accepted. Here, I am loved. Here, I am not alone.”
C. Be joyful witnesses.
Joy is the best vocation promotion. If a young woman meets you and feels peace, authenticity, and meaning—she will say, “I want what she has.”
Closing
My dear Sisters, 150 years is something the world will not believe unless they see it. A Congregation does not survive this long without faith, courage, and love. So today, we celebrate YOU—your sacrifices, your hidden tears, your laughter, your love.
But above all, we celebrate GOD—who carried you, sustained you, formed you, and now sends you again.
As we move forward, let our prayer be simple: “Lord, thank You for the past. Walk with us in the future. Make us faithful, joyful, and brave. Amen.”
Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCD6aZ
