Irmã Joseleide da Silva Neves — 25 years

BORN: Aroeiras, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
ENTERED CONGREGATION: Feb. 17, 1985

It is with great joy that I celebrate this moment and share a little of my religious journey of these years of dedication.

I became a postulant in 1983. It was a year of becoming better acquainted with the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph. This experience strengthened my vocation. Then my experiences as a novice, beginning in 1985, renewed my belief that it is possible to walk the path with persistence and courage that comes from Jesus Christ. Even though our reality today is challenging, the Gospel is our rule of life.

Two years later I had the joy of pronouncing my vows, in which I felt more committed in the mission that was entrusted to me through religious life.

The first years of my formation were in the Formation House in the Buenos Aires district of Teresina, which was the area where I was raised. Being so near to my family became a great challenge and test of my vocation but proved also to be a strength for me.

In 1996, I pronounced final vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. This was a year of renewal of religious life and confirmation of the commitment to the mission that I had chosen with the help of the congregation and through the sisters who witnessed to me the charism and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

To celebrate this jubilee is a recommitment to a life that I began 25 years ago. It is a reaffirmation with the same enthusiasm with which I began the journey.

I desire to continue serving God through religious life in the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, embracing our charism of simplicity and unidade.