Interview carried out by Liam Michael Quinn, Congregational Communications Manager, Generalate, Rome.
Sister Julia Mary from the Province of Central East India – Nepal (CEIN) and Partner-in-Mission Josefina Tondo from the Philippines took up their roles in the new Congregational Formation Office in June 2025. Sr. Julia holds a B.A. in Sociology, a diploma in theology, counselling and formation, and other qualifications in canon law and media. For the past 13 years, she has been engaged in formation ministry—supporting different stages, serving for 8 years as directress of pre-novices, and 2 years as directress of novices for the Provinces of Central East India/Nepal, and Southwest India. She has worked with high-risk children, adolescent girls, and women in community programs and collaborates with other congregations on partner formation, youth ministry, and inter-formation initiatives.
Josefina’s background is a blend of volunteer missionary work, formation ministry, and academic leadership. She began as a student volunteer working with marginalized communities in the Philippines, later serving with the Philippine Catholic Lay Missions both locally and in Kenya. She spent ten years in formation work at the East Asian Pastoral Institute and the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies, teaching and coordinating pastoral courses. Academically, she served as an Associate Professor at De La Salle University and later held major administrative roles at a state university, including as dean, vice president for research, and OIC president. She holds degrees in Social Science, Pastoral Sociology, and a PhD in Anthropology.
Q. What inspired you to say si to this call?
JM: I never imagined I would work in the field of formation, but since my perpetual profession in 2012, I have accompanied women in formation from candidacy through to novitiate. In fact, when my province leader initially asked me to accompany the pre-novices, I was hesitant because I didn’t feel ready for such responsibility. But her trust in me gave me the courage to say “si'' with an open heart, ready to learn along the way.
Looking back, I feel grateful and deeply fulfilled. This journey has not only been about accompanying others but also about discovering more of who I am. Each group of sisters, in their early stages of formation, have taught me something new, and I carry their stories in my heart. Over the years, I’ve found great joy in seeing how I’ve grown into being a shepherdess. My experiences in youth ministry and pastoral care have also added richness and energy to this path — it’s truly been a journey of grace and growth.
JT: What inspired me to say yes to this call was an ‘accidental prayer conversation’ with St. Mary Euphrasia. In 2018, I was invited to be part of a formation program, “Love, the Heart of the Universe” for young sisters preparing for perpetual vows in Angers, France. One afternoon, as I took my usual walk around the gardens of the Motherhouse, I discovered the grave of the foundress St. Mary Euphrasia who is buried there – it was my first experience of being at an actual touching distance of a saint’s tombstone, and I felt very blessed. I remember praying to her, seeking guidance and direction to fulfill the will of God in my life. As I was praying, a sister passed by and asked me if I had seen the tunnel that St. Mary Euphrasia built. As I hadn’t, she led me towards the tunnel while sharing the story that led to its construction.
When I received the invitation to become a member of the new CFO in April 2025, I remembered that prayer and wondered if this might be part of the direction and guidance I sought. Trusting that the foundress may be gently leading me, I accepted this new role. I see this membership as a return to mission and ministry, and I hope the Congregation’s example of witness will deepen in me the zeal of the Good Shepherd’s heart for mission among the marginalized.
Q. Since you began in your new role, what have you discovered about the current needs and challenges of formation across the Congregation?
JM: I have discovered that formation is a journey that invites us to be like a seed—rooted, patient in the darkness, and trusting that new light will come. As a new team, we first sensed the need to build ourselves, to weave together different experiences and cultures, and to nurture a deep sense of oneness across the Congregation. Our team embodies our internationality, and our connections with other Congregational offices and with various Units have already taken us beyond boundaries. I am reminded of St. Mary Euphrasia’s words, “My dear daughters, go and pitch your tent where there are souls to be saved, for love has no boundaries.” This spirit continues to inspire us to reach out, to connect, and to serve with open hearts.
Meeting with Unit Leaders and Formators revealed a strong, living energy of hope throughout the Congregation. There is a beautiful openness and willingness to embrace newness and to journey together in formation. What touches me most is the shared longing to strengthen formation, both for sisters and partners-in-mission, so that together we may truly become one heart and one mind with our diversity, carrying forward the vision of St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia. There is one voice and one spirit among us—a desire to make formation the very vitality of our Congregation.
JT: Although the CFO was commissioned in June 2025, we were only formally introduced to unit leaders and formators on October 3, 2025, following which we held introductory meetings with several congregational offices, including GSIF, GSIJP, Communications, the Spirituality Center, and Safeguarding, as part of our effort to understand current formation realities.
We have now begun meeting with formators across the Asia Pacific region, with the immediate goal of establishing a common link with all formators by the first quarter of 2026. To date, we have met with formators from the provinces of Central East India-Nepal, Southwest India, Singapore–Malaysia, Philippines–Japan, and Northeast Asia, including with partners-in-mission and the Mission Enhancement Journey. While these initial conversations have been fruitful, it is too early to clearly identify the current needs and challenges of formation across the Congregation. We are hopeful that we will have a more accurate and comprehensive understanding once conversations with all global formators are completed.
Q. In a world that is changing rapidly, what qualities do you believe are most essential to nurture in those who are formators and those in formation?
JM: In a world that is changing so rapidly – socially, culturally, and spiritually – I believe the most essential qualities to nurture, both in those in formation and in those who accompany them, are true love, a healing presence, and a listening heart with humility. Our world today is deeply longing for love that is genuine, for hearts that can bring healing, and for people who truly listen not just with their ears, but with compassion and understanding.
At this time, we are called to embody a cultura universal de la justicia not only in our words, but in our everyday attitudes and behaviours. We are called to live like Jesus, who was radical in his thinking, saying, doing, and living. To respect the otros as a person God created to be. To listen with the heart to one another, and to all of Creation, is, I believe, one of the most transformative ways we can respond to the needs of our world and to the call of formation today.
JT: La OLCGS Constitutions address this question in sections 54 and 55, where it states, “Through the gradual integration of the human and spiritual dimensions of our lives, we are enabled to become authentic Christians, dedicated, mature religious and effective apostles," y "Through fidelity to our Good Shepherd way of life, we have a profound influence on one another. The example of a Christ-centered community, rooted in charity and joy, attracts and challenges us to live our vocation fully''.
The question is also addressed in the 2014 Congregational Guidelines for Formation and the 2019 supplement. These documents provide the qualities most essential to nurture for those in formation. While the qualities of those providing accompaniment are not mentioned, it is presumed that they embody the same qualities in a more exemplary way.
Q. Looking ahead, what gives you hope as you continue shaping the life and mission of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd?
JM: What gives me hope is that in every conversation so far, there is a deep sense of optimism about the evolving movements within our Congregation. Even though we stand in different spaces and perspectives regarding the formation of sisters and partners, there remains a shared longing for personal transformation—to understand who we are, what we are, and why we are. We recognize that each of us is at a different stage of weaving the threads of ongoing formation, yet across our encounters, we sense a deep longing to remain grounded in the spirit of the Good Shepherd mission. The reflective questions: ‘Why am I here? What is the reason for my being here? What is it that I hope to offer?’ continue to awaken us and open new pathways for deeper communion and growth in our global formation journey.
These conversations also reveal that, as one body with many parts, we are called to collaborate, to resource one another, and to draw from our collective strengths for the good of humanity. We carry this forward with the great heart of the Shepherd, walking in the footsteps of St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia.
JT: We are grateful for the gracious encouragement for the CFO from everyone we have met, both virtually and in person. They have strengthened our hope and resolve to do whatever we can for OLCGS formation. We look forward to strengthening these relationships and exploring new and creative ways to collaborate and support each other across the entire Congregation.
