Catholic Mission’s Work with Church Leaders

$863K*

distributed to programs for Church leaders

70,320

seminarians supported by the Society of St Peter the Apostle**

35

projects supported through Catholic Mission programs

There are tens of thousands of novices and seminarians around the world who are training to be Church leaders who care and advocate for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco novitiate in Cambodia is an example of that training and formation. Novices like Teresa and Cecilia receive life-forming education and training that will help them prepare for religious life – a life of supporting their communities and lifting up those in need.

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Cecilia and Saren Teresa are both novices with the Salesian Sisters.

Cecilia has felt the call to serve for many years, especially in her desire to educate disadvantaged children.

“I felt that by becoming a Sister I could give good education to the young, especially the poor ones just like me… I could be a sign of hope to the people.”

Born into a Catholic family, Cecilia’s life has always been sustained by faith. “Every time I go back to my first call, and the Lord’s goodness, I gain the strength and courage to move on. When I meditate on the life of my Lord, I could not but give my ‘Yes’ generously.” Saren Teresa grew up in a Buddhist household in rural Cambodia. She first engaged with the Salesian Sisters when they provided her with the opportunity to continue her education at a high

“Every time I go back to my first call, and the Lord’s goodness, I gain the strength and courage to move on. When I meditate on the life of my Lord, I could not but give my ‘Yes’ generously.” – Cecilia

school in a larger town, as her village had no further education opportunities. After completing a teacher training course, Saren Teresa worked with the Salesian Sisters, teaching Maths and Physics to elementary and high school students. She continued to experience the love and care of the Salesian Sisters. Over time, this led her to the Catholic faith and realising her call to religious life. Novices like Cecilia and Saren Teresa are the future generation of Church leaders. As professed sisters, they will be instrumental in their communities, supporting mission programs that reach out to those in most need, providing spiritual and practical support for children and families. This is why their time as novices, completing their own spiritual formation and education, is so important. Sr Gertrudes Ditching FMA, Provincial of the Salesian Sisters in Cambodia and Myanmar, is very proud of the novices and how they have adapted to the challenges of COVID-19. “The demands of the mission in this pandemic are greater than before. And in order to manage the mission effectively and provide continuity, we have to invest in the formation of the young women in the various stages of religious formation.” By supporting novices like Teresa and Cecilia on their journey through the novitiate, Catholic Mission’s supporters and partners have an ongoing impact on the lives of children and families around the world.