The HOPE 2025 meeting gathered about 200 Sisters in Rome and 100 more online to explore themes of connection, celebration and leadership for women in the Religious Life. The event emphasized deep personal and communal reflection to foster transformative leadership and collective growth.
Seven Sisters of Providence took part in the meeting, four of them from the Mother Joseph area. Srs. Ana Orellana, Vilma Franco, Gabrielle Nguyen and Hong Nga Nguyen provide some reflections on the experience (click on a name to go directly to that reflection):
Sr. Ana Orellana SP
I like to start by thanking the Congregation for the opportunity to participate in the Conference. The experience in Rome was wonderful.
HOPE 2025 began by inviting us to reflect on Pope Francis’ image of the Church as an orchestra. The metaphor portrays the Church as an orchestra performing a symphony, emphasizing harmony and unity.
We were asked to contemplate which musical instrument we relate to, considering our personal talents and family characteristics. It challenged us to think about how we can support others and embrace a culture of shared experiences, both joyful and sorrowful, as part of personal transformation.
The program provided a chance to live alongside others and understand that, like actors, we must sometimes set aside our own identities to take on new roles. We explored how God calls us to engage with our daily lives, and considered the fruits of this experience, asking ourselves who around us might be suffering and how we can bring hope to them and change the world.
I feel happy and grateful to God and the Sisters of Providence congregation for this wonderful opportunity. I have learned a great deal.
Sr. Vilma Franco, SP
My Surprise Trip
On May 27, 2025, I embarked on a remarkable journey, a beautiful experience gifted to me by God, which I call the surprise trip given through the mystery of Providence. I arrived on May 28th feeling tired but extremely excited to explore Rome and discover what God was placing in my path. During these days, my sisters Hong Nga, Ana Orellana, Gabriella, and I visited significant churches in Rome. We saw the tombs of Paul, St. Peter, and Pope Francis. As I walked and entered the holy doors of each church, I kept saying to myself, “What a gift from God!” I am grateful to Sr. Hong Nga for organizing many of these visits.
On Sunday, June 1, I had the privilege of attending Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV, where I profoundly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit through the blessing given by Pope Leo. My heart burned with happiness at meeting the Holy Father Leo XIV in person, a true gift from God! I exclaimed as the pope walked through the crowd, who were applauding and cheering him on.
On Saturday, we traveled to visit the tombs of Francis of Assisi and Blessed Carlo Acutis. This experience was deeply meaningful and exciting for me, as it allowed me to see men whom God called to live out His deep love in their time with all of creation. Walking through these places, I felt a strong calling from God to care for all creation, particularly defenseless animals, which are part of this creation and often mistreated by humans. Animals, who give us unconditional love, deserve our care and protection. Throughout this vacation experience in these holy places, I felt God’s freedom, inviting me to embrace the new things I was receiving and to say, “Providence of God, thank you for everything!”
On June 3, I traveled with my sisters to participate in the HOPE 2025 program. Upon arrival at the airport, we took a bus to the retreat center. While on the bus, I realized this program was designed for congregational leaders, and I thought to myself, “I am not a leader in the congregation; what am I doing here?” Nevertheless, I decided to embrace the experience and learn from it.
That evening, more than 300 Sisters (in-person or via Zoom) under the age of 65 from 25 countries, including Australia, the Dominican Republic, Korea, New Zealand, Vietnam, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Egypt, El Salvador, the United States, and various African nations, gathered to pray together in the opening ritual of HOPE 2025. This four-day event was held at the Fraterna Domus retreat center outside of Rome, which I feel provided a great opportunity during this Jubilee year for new generations of religious Sisters to explore emerging realities, particularly global sisterhood.
We began by singing with the group Gen Verde, embracing the dream of crossing oceans and deserts together with our hearts to walk in a world of hope, learning to live together and recognizing our unity.
During the opening ritual, the Sisters symbolically brought our foundresses to the circle. We prayed, honoring the various aspects of each religious community’s charisms, and I felt deeply moved, witnessing the Gospel in our wounded world with tears of joy and hope. God is good all the time, and I often need to experience such moments to nourish my own vocation.
HOPE 2025 invites me to embrace a heart full of gratitude for the experience my congregation, Sisters of Providence, invited me to live. I feel called to be a sign of hope in these challenging times, empowered by the courage displayed by so many Sisters. The second day was a pleasant surprise, as we started the event with songs directed by Gen Verde. Through this, I learned that music possesses extraordinary abilities to unite us in communion with others.
How has this experience helped me? We are all women called to serve as leaders in our ministries or communities. The experience helped me deepen that call.
I learned that I must empty myself to welcome others, putting myself in their shoes to understand their experiences. However, I must first cultivate a personal relationship with God, as He is my hope in overcoming the fears and challenges I encounter on my journey and in my ministry. As leaders and witnesses in these times, we are responsible for nurturing our vocations, making God the center of our lives. It is to Him that I say every day, “I seek you, Lord, from my own woundedness and weakness.” This helps me serve others in my ministry, recognizing that my wounds can be gifts in my life. As a Sister of Providence, I must listen to the laments of others, as well as my own, and work on my weaknesses.
What does this experience invite me to consider for the future?
• It invites me to listen with a heart full of compassion, feeling my calling as a significant, human presence close to others.
• It encourages collaboration and unity with other religious communities.
• I am called to work in global sisterhood with other religious congregations to address the emerging needs of our reality.
• It invites me to break chains and walls created by my own fears.
• It invites me to be a beacon of hope in today’s world.
I am grateful to God for all the surprises and blessings from this experience, and I leave you with this question: How do you want to answer God’s call today in these times?
Sr. Gabrielle Nguyen, SP
First, I would like to express my gratitude to Sr. Barbara Schamber for giving Hong Nga Nguyen, Anna Orellana, Vilma Franco, and me the opportunity to attend Hope 2025 in Rome. May God bless her soul, as she is now with the Lord. If she were still here, she would be happy to hear from us. Thank you, Sr. Barbara!
We arrived in Rome a week before the workshop began, which gave us the chance to visit four basilicas (St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major) as well as Assisi during the Jubilee Year. This experience was truly a blessing for me.
A total of 200 sisters from different continents attended the Hope 2025 workshop, with approximately 100 sisters participating online, representing 45 countries. The theme of the workshop was “Connecting, Celebrating, Leading,” inviting each participant into a space for deep encounters.
Through connecting heart to heart across cultures and congregations, we were able to participate in the foundation of a new way of leading—one rooted in vulnerability, mutual trust, creativity, courage, sisterhood, and inspired by the example of Jesus Christ.
I was inspired by being there, feeling the global bonds of sisterhood and the unity formed among us. As Pope Leo XIV mentioned in his reflection, we were encouraged to build bridges among ourselves rather than erect walls.
Being vulnerable through kenosis-theosis involves emptying oneself (kenosis) and allowing the Divine to dwell in our hearts and guide us (theosis).
What might this mean for the future? It would mean living as witnesses and connecting with God, with each other, and with the world. I felt invited to trust in our Provident God and embrace religious life as a beacon of hope for others.
Sr. Hong Nga Nguyen, SP
I am Pondering…
The Leadership Collaborative is an organization dedicated to promoting leadership development and fostering connections among Catholic Sisters worldwide. This year’s event, HOPE 2025, took place in Rome from June 3-6, with 300 Sisters joining either in-person or via Zoom from six continents and 24 countries. I had the privilege of being among these remarkable women. Each day, we explored different topics presented by one of us, providing time to share, connect, and enjoy laughter together. One topic focused on using music as a bridge for differences, inspired by Pope Francis’s invitation to reflect on the image of an orchestra in creating a more harmonious and synodal Church. This offered me a fresh perspective on how my gifts and talents can contribute to the community and support others in this orchestral journey.
One topic that touched me deeply was the process of transitioning from lamentation to celebration, or kenosis to theosis. Paschal Sunday reminds us of Jesus’s journey from the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane to the victory of resurrection. The crucial question is about the period between kenosis and theosis: “How long do we wait to move from kenosis to theosis?”
On the cross, Jesus looked at his mother and disciples and instructed them to care for one another. We, too, must do the same, especially in challenging situations, whether personal or communal. Each experience imparts a life-long lesson that becomes an invaluable tool in our lives.
I also learned that, as Catholic Sisters and part of a global sisterhood, we are called to be “joyful witnesses,” “holy power,” and “beacons of hope.” However, we must also remember to give ourselves permission to cry, be vulnerable, or do whatever is necessary to reenergize our hearts and souls.
Self-awareness of our inner selves involves learning new ways to relieve stress, regain trust, and sustain strength as joyful passengers in a wounded world. I return home with great hope, confident that my vocation as a religious Sister holds a special place in God’s heart, despite the pain and doubt. My circle of friends has expanded, as HOPE 2025 introduced me to new religious friends who taught me, “She who has a why to live for can bear almost any how” (Ikigai, 2016).
Visiting Rome was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was thrilled to visit four major basilicas during the Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Year, especially entering the Holy Doors, which brought me comfort. At Saint Mary Major, I prayed for Pope Francis, the people’s pope, as many named him after his passing. Thousands of pilgrims arrived to pay their respects at his tomb. In the following days, I visited St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s Square. Witnessing firsthand the diverse crowds visiting these sites each day was astounding. I am pondering.
Before departing for the trip, I had a list of objectives, one of which was to meet the newly elected Pope Leo XIV in person. While things did not go exactly as planned, I did attend Sunday Mass—the closing celebration of the Jubilee for parents, grandparents, children, and the elderly—where many gathered at St. Peter’s Square, some arriving as early as 7 a.m. for the 10:30 a.m. Mass presided over by Pope Leo. One of my wishes was fulfilled: I waited with thousands for about two hours and finally saw the Pope in person, just 15 feet away on his pope mobile. He was a simple, gentle man with a warm smile, yet with many responsibilities on his shoulders. Tears streamed down my face for no apparent reason. I am pondering. Let us continue to pray for him as he begins his new ministry as the Bishop of Rome, leading the Church through this challenging era in history.
Every site I visited filled me with wonder. I had the opportunity to visit Acquas Salvias outside the Aurelian Wall, now known as Tre Fontane (Three Fountains), where St. Paul was beheaded. His head reportedly bounced three times on the ground, and three miraculous fountains sprang up from the earth. What a story! There are paintings depicting St. Paul’s legend and other great saints. Through art, many biblical stories come alive, for which I am immensely grateful. My baptismal call is strengthened as I read, see, and experience during these days in Rome. It feels as if his faith and death testify to his love for Christ. I am pondering! I am so thankful to our community for granting me this opportunity to be in Rome.