By Liam Michael Quinn, Communications Manager, Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
On November 11, 2025, a historic gathering took place at Casa Bonus Pastor in Rome as contemplative sisters, apostolic sisters, and partners-in-mission came together to mark a profound milestone: the culmination of the year-long bicentenary jubilee of the Contemplative Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
The event began with a beautiful entrance procession. Congregational Leader Sr. Joan Marie Lopez, accompanied by the Congregational Leadership Team and contemplative sisters representing the five Circles of the Congregation, lit their candles from the jubilee candle. This light was then shared with all the sisters, partners-in-mission, friends, and faithful gathered as a visual symbol of unity and shared commitment. The church sparkled with waves of small flames, held aloft until the conclusion of the opening prayer.
The Eucharistic Celebration, concelebrated by His Excellency Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Eudist priests, including the Superior General of the Eudists, Father Jean-Michel Amouriaux, marked 200 years of prayerful fidelity. It was a moment to renew a profound commitment to mercy and compassion in our wounded world.
A Fire Burning for 200 Years
In her opening address, Sr. Joan Marie Lopez spoke of how two centuries ago, Saint Mary Euphrasia dared to believe that “within prayer and quiet presence burned a transforming fire—a fire that could embrace the whole world.” This flame, passed down through generations, has never gone out. It continues to radiate light, warmth, and love, glowing in the stillness of countless sisters and their fervent intercessions for the suffering.
This bicentenary jubilee celebrates that enduring spirit. It honors the courage and sacrifices of every contemplative sister—past and present—whose faithfulness remains the “heartbeat of our Congregation.” Their lives remind us that holiness is found not in grand deeds, but in the “steady rhythm of prayer” and the quiet, daily “yes” to God’s call. Through their prayer, mothers displaced by war are held in tenderness, children searching for belonging are remembered, and our earth is embraced with reverence.
A Jubilee of Hope and Action
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle beautifully connected the celebration to the Jubilee Year of 2025, calling all present to be “pilgrims of hope.” He emphasized that a jubilee is more than a proclamation; it is the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, and sight to the blind. “It is Jesus who is the jubilee,” he reminded all those gathered, affirming that true transformation comes through the Good Shepherd.
Cardinal Tagle praised the Contemplative Sisters for their vital role as a “bridge of prayer between humanity and the God of Jubilee.” Through their quiet, hidden lives, they connect the cries of the world with the boundless love of God, ensuring that prayer is always “present before God.”
A Renewal of the Contemplative Spirit
While this Jubilee honors the Contemplative Sisters, its message extends to all. “The contemplative fire they keep alive also burns within each one of us,” noted Sr. Joan Marie Lopez. “Every person of faith carries within them a contemplative heart—that sacred place where God dwells.”
As we celebrate these 200 years of prayerful presence, we are all invited to renew our own contemplative spirit. It is a call to listen deeply, to act with justice, to serve with tenderness, and to breathe mercy into the heart of our world.
The culmination of the jubilee celebrations is not an end but a new beginning. It is a renewal of the contemplative spirit for our times, fanning into flame the love that is alive and dynamic within each of us as we “cross over to the next lap of the journey”.
Read the Message of Gratitude on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the Bicentenary of the Contemplative Sisters from Sr Joan Lopez and the Congregational Leadership Team, here.
