Affective Maturity in the Consecrated Life

October 13, 2023

To celebrate the Patronal Feast of Junior Sisters and the 173^rd Anniversary of the Congregation on October 1^st, the Indonesian Province offered a Junior Sisters recollection from September 30^th to October 1^st, 2023.

The meeting was filled with enthusiasm and gratitude as the junior sisters gathered to greet, share, and enrich one other. The theme of the recollection was, ” Affective Maturity in the Consecrated Life,” by Fr. Eko Sulistio, SJ.

There were several individual and group sessions for this recollection. In the first session, Fr. Eko shared the purpose of this recollection, to remember and recall the experiences of being a young sister in ministry, prayer, and community life.

This recollection also encouraged the participants to consider becoming affective and mature. It guides, organizes, and reorganizes the heart to focus more on needs. Self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-esteem, healthy identity, and sexual integration are characteristics of affective maturity at the personal level. Affective maturity with others includes authentic sharing of self, trust, taking initiative and responsibility, balanced self-care, and listening.

“A young sister matures when she is placed in a situation and environment conducive to her growth.” This quote helped each one to reflect on her growth as a young sister. In the second session, Father Eko gave each participant time for individual reflection and to create symbols from their feelings to share with others.

At the end of our recollection, Sister Maria Kharita, as Provincial, emphasized in her speech that our young SNDs must follow in the footsteps of our Foundress, Sister Maria Aloysia, SND, who maintained her prayer life amid her busy schedule because prayer carried her through all difficulties. She added: “We are precious as members of the Sisters of Notre Dame and we are part of the great Congregation’s story. I encouraged each of us to create a meaningful story in our community, wherever we are”.

On October 1^st, we had the joy of celebrating the Patronal Feast of the Junior Sisters and the 173rd Anniversary of the Foundation of our Congregation with the Senior Sisters in the Community of Our Lady, Pekalongan.