From December 27, 2025, to January 6, 2026, another meeting of Professed Sisters from around the world took place at the General House in Rome. Participants came from Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, France, Ghana, Croatia, and Italy. Most flew, but one Sister arrived by metro.
Much could be written about this time. Each of the participating Sisters undoubtedly carries many experiences, encounters, and personal reflections from these days in her heart. May these few words serve as our shared expression of gratitude: Thank you for this GOD-GIVEN TIME.
Above all, each day was an experience of the Church embodied by Pope Leo and the liturgical celebrations. As a group, we attended the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. In the afternoon, we participated in Vespers to mark the end of the year. Obtaining admission tickets was nearly impossible, but our Sisters from the Generalate made great efforts—one might even say they worked miracles—so that we could all be present.
We also experienced the Church while walking through Rome, especially during our time with Sister Alina, the Assistant General. Her vivid stories, full of mysteries unknown to us about many holy places and martyrs, left a deep impression on each of us. In the following days, we returned to these places on our own to immerse ourselves in the richness of the early Church.
Our stay in Rome was a tangible encounter with 150 years of CSFN history, as seen through the General Archives’ lens. Sister Lidia prepared many invaluable documents for us to touch, view, and reflect on. We considered what was written there and how it is lived out today in our daily lives at Nazareth. Our stay at the house on Via Machiavelli was a profound experience. The Motherhouse is always an encounter with our Blessed Mother. Each of us had time for individual prayer and to be in the presence of our Mother Foundress. There was also a hospitable touch in the form of delicious pizza for lunch.
We also experienced our “Return to the Roots” through conferences given by Fr. Wojciech Giertych, OP, and through beautiful online meetings with Sister Maria Kielnowicz from the USA.
We experienced many beautiful moments at the shared table during conversations about what shapes our lives in each place and ministry we undertake. Our slight unfamiliarity with languages did not hinder us, as the invaluable Sister Karolina was always ready to assist with translation.
The final days of the program were profound: we took a shared trip to Loreto, participated in the Eucharist, touched the Nazareth House spiritually and physically, and visited our hospitable community of Sisters. On January 6, miraculously obtained tickets enabled a delegation of Sisters to participate in the closing of the Holy Door rites at St. Peter’s Basilica.
From Rome, we take with us the spirit of Nazareth hospitality, the loving care of the Sisters from Via Nazareth 400, the taste of mandarins picked by our own hands from the garden, and interesting experiences connected with the number 906. Most importantly, we take with us a strengthened heart, a deepened unity, and a deepened Nazareth charism.
Sr. Katarzyna Jakubiec, Kraków
