Vows for Sister Liz

In my  community, the Daughters of Charity of St.Vincent de Paul, sisters never make what in religious congregations is known as "final vows" or "solemn profession."  All of us make what canon law calls "simple vows" and we make them for one year at a time, from year to year, all our lives.We do this each year on March 25. We make them silently, during Mass.

 For the first five or so years in the Daughters, a sister doesn't make vows at all. So the first time she does this is a special occasion, and she pronounces them out loud.  We had one of these holy moments today at Sunday Mass. Sister Elizabeth Ann Sjoberg, age 30, pronounced her vows to the Lord. She did this in the pew with the sisters of her local community surrounding her, and her parents and friends looking on: